ERC Starting Grant · 2020
Comprehending Prokaryotic Argonaute Systems
Eukaryotic Argonaute proteins are known for their central role in RNA interference pathways. Yet, the evolutionary origin of Argonaute proteins lies in prokaryotes, where other proteins essential for RNA interference are absent. Therefore, prokaryotic Argonaute proteins (pAgos) must have distinct ancestral functions. Although a handful of closely related pAgos interfere with exogenous DNA invaders such as plasmids, pAgos are extremely diverse in terms of sequence conservation and domain architecture. In addition, many pAgos genetically associate with various putative enzyme domains, which suggests that they are functionally interdependent. As such, different pAgos must rely on distinct…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.