Reference number : GC-2017-Q1-02638, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Lang, B.Franz (Université de Montréal), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Quebec|Québec, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Discovery Grants Program - Individual, program name french : Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles, program purpose english : M itochondrial translation systems that break the rules 
Eukaryotes (i.e. organisms such as animals, plants, and fungi whose cells carry a nucleus) evolved from a mixture of various life forms. Best known is the mitochondrion, the powerhouse of the eukaryotic cell, which goes back to a bacterial symbiont that was acquired by the ancestor of eukaryotes about one billion years ago. This organelle still possesses its own small genome and its own machineries for basic molecular processes including protein synthesis. However, in most eukaryotes, the bacterial ancestry of mitochondria is barely perceptible, since this organelle is exceptionally fast-evolving, often resulting in dramatic changes of basic molecular processes. This has earned mitochondria the reputation as &lsquo; Nature's most advanced evolutionary laboratory &rsquo;. The objective of our research program is to investigate such innovations at the molecular-genetics and genomics levels, and to understand how they came about. 
 
The current focus of our research program is on novelties in mitochondrial protein synthesis, notably two extraordinary phenomena. 
 1. &lsquo;Invention&rsquo; of new genetic codes. We have shown previously how mitochondria of yeast have invented new translation-code variants, changing rules how gene sequences are translated into protein. Our bioinformatics tools predict additional similar cases across yeast relatives. We propose to validate these new predictions biochemically, and to investigate their molecular and evolutionary underpinning. 
 2. Translational jumping. We have found recently that a group of yeast (Magnusiomycetes) does not follow conventional rules for translating genes via messenger RNA into protein. Their mitochondrial genes contain numerous short sequence insertions (&lsquo;byps&rsquo;) that normally would block translation. The machinery in Magnusiomycetes mitochondria &lsquo;ignores&rsquo; these inserts by jumping over them. We propose to investigate the evolutionary origin of byps, their genetic mobility, and the biochemical mechanism of translational bypassing. 
 
Investigation of novelties discovered in simple species such as yeasts has been often the first step towards recognizing similar phenomena in more complex species such as humans or plants. Further, insights into unconventional protein synthesis might teach us how to control this process with benefits for human health, agriculture and environment. Requiring a trans-disciplinary research approach, the proposed projects will be highly suited for training students and highly-qualified research personnel., program purpose french : M itochondrial translation systems that break the rules 
Eukaryotes (i.e. organisms such as animals, plants, and fungi whose cells carry a nucleus) evolved from a mixture of various life forms. Best known is the mitochondrion, the powerhouse of the eukaryotic cell, which goes back to a bacterial symbiont that was acquired by the ancestor of eukaryotes about one billion years ago. This organelle still possesses its own small genome and its own machineries for basic molecular processes including protein synthesis. However, in most eukaryotes, the bacterial ancestry of mitochondria is barely perceptible, since this organelle is exceptionally fast-evolving, often resulting in dramatic changes of basic molecular processes. This has earned mitochondria the reputation as &lsquo; Nature's most advanced evolutionary laboratory &rsquo;. The objective of our research program is to investigate such innovations at the molecular-genetics and genomics levels, and to understand how they came about. 
 
The current focus of our research program is on novelties in mitochondrial protein synthesis, notably two extraordinary phenomena. 
 1. &lsquo;Invention&rsquo; of new genetic codes. We have shown previously how mitochondria of yeast have invented new translation-code variants, changing rules how gene sequences are translated into protein. Our bioinformatics tools predict additional similar cases across yeast relatives. We propose to validate these new predictions biochemically, and to investigate their molecular and evolutionary underpinning. 
 2. Translational jumping. We have found recently that a group of yeast (Magnusiomycetes) does not follow conventional rules for translating genes via messenger RNA into protein. Their mitochondrial genes contain numerous short sequence insertions (&lsquo;byps&rsquo;) that normally would block translation. The machinery in Magnusiomycetes mitochondria &lsquo;ignores&rsquo; these inserts by jumping over them. We propose to investigate the evolutionary origin of byps, their genetic mobility, and the biochemical mechanism of translational bypassing. 
 
Investigation of novelties discovered in simple species such as yeasts has been often the first step towards recognizing similar phenomena in more complex species such as humans or plants. Further, insights into unconventional protein synthesis might teach us how to control this process with benefits for human health, agriculture and environment. Requiring a trans-disciplinary research approach, the proposed projects will be highly suited for training students and highly-qualified research personnel., agreement title english : Mitochondrial translation systems that break the rules, agreement title french : Mitochondrial translation systems that break the rules, agreement number : RGPIN, agreement value : 300000.0, agreement start date : 2017-05-10, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2022-2023), additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier. (2017-2018 à 2022-2023), owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada