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    Wang laboratory explores RNA structures and structure-based functions in plant growth and viroid infections.

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    Currently, we are using potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) as a model to understand the functional basis of RNA motifs, the mechanism of RNA-templated transcription, as well as the modus operandi of RNA movement within a cell, between cells, and between plant organs.
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 Current Funding:

  • BBSRC/NSF (IOS PBI): Deciphering the RNA structure code for viroid infections (PI) 08/2024-07/2027.​ This is a collaborative project with Dr. Yiliang Ding at John Innes Centre, UK.

  • NSF MCB: Structural insights into RNA promoters for RNA polymerase II-catalyzed RNA-templated transcription (PI) 04/2022-03/2025.​​

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 Completed Projects:​

  • NSF MCB: Processing-body dynamics and mRNA regulation in plants (coPI) 09/2019-08/2024.​

  • NIGMS: Dissecting the regulatory role of a eukaryotic transcription factor in RNA-templated transcription catalyzed by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (PI) 08/2020-07/2023.​

  • NSF Plant Genome Research Project: Exploitation of Genetics and Epigenetic Variation in the Regulation of Tomato Fruit Quality Traits (coPI) 01/2017-04/2022.​

  • Mississippi State University College of Arts & Sciences Strategic Research Initiatives (PI) 02/2018-12/2018.

Viroid research:  

       Understanding the structure and function of ncRNAs is of fundamental importance in both basic science and application. PSTVd is a sub-viral agent made up of ncRNAs. Intriguingly, without encoding any protein, PSTVd replicates and spreads in plants, consequently causing disease. This unique feature prompts many interesting biological questions: How do plants perceive the presence of this pathogenic non-coding RNA? How do plants defend against exogenous RNAs? How does foreign RNA survive in plants? Efforts in elucidating these biological processes will advance general principles of pathology and RNA biology.

        Besides, transcription from PSTVd RNA genome to antisense RNA intermediates utilizes RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRP) activity of DNA-directed RNA Polymerase II (Pol II). Pol II typically uses DNA templates for generating mRNAs, and its shift to using RNA templates confers novel regulation of gene expression. Such RdRP activity of Pol II controls the infection of human hepatitis delta virus (HDV). Thus, understanding the RdRP activity of Pol II has significant implications in basic sciences, agriculture and biomedical research. We are dedicated to explore and characterize novel auxiliary factors and their functional mechanisms in the RdRP activity of Pol II, not only for nuclear-replicating viroids but ultimately also for HDV.

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