BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Targeted grafts as a tool to enhance tomato preservation - Sara Lo
 pez-Gomollon\, Baulcombe Lab
DTSTART:20190214T130000Z
DTEND:20190214T133000Z
UID:TALK116005@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Ronelle Roth
DESCRIPTION:Grafting is a widely used technique to improve crop yield. How
 ever\, thus far\, grafting has had limited success in improving tomato fru
 it quality and shelf life. One of the main bottlenecks in tomato grafting 
 is the lack of knowledge of the molecules that could cross the graft junct
 ion and of their possible effects. Our hypothesis is that the combination 
 of two genetically different plants by grafting can increase the diversity
  of the RNA molecules available for both partners. This combined RNA pool 
 may affect gene expression in both scion and rootstock\, and therefore unl
 ock interesting phenotypic variability. \n\nSmall RNAs (sRNAs) are master 
 regulators of gene expression which are able to travel long distance\, mai
 nly from source to sink\, through plasmodesmata. Using tomato as a model\,
  our aim is to investigate if endogenous sRNAs produced in the leaves of t
 he graft (scion) can travel to the roots (rootstock). We will also investi
 gate if mobile sRNAs can trigger changes in gene expression in the recipie
 nt tissue at transcriptional or post-transcriptional level. \n\nFruits can
  also be considered as carbon sinks\, so an interesting aspect to explore 
 would be whether sRNAs can also move to reproductive tissues\, and if they
  have an effect on them. Most of the sRNAs found to be mobile are 24nt lon
 g and are known to be mainly involved in regulation of gene expression at 
 transcriptional level by modification of the DNA methylation state. We wan
 t to explore the potential of mobile sRNAs as a tool to modify the express
 ion of critical genes involved in fruit ripening and as a source of phenot
 ypic variability that could have an impact in crop improvement.\n
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR