# The functional and adaptive roles of RNA recoding

> **NIH NIH K99** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2023 · $124,442

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Organisms use a variety of molecular mechanisms to adapt to their environments. RNA editing occurs
widely across organisms and generates non-synonymous codon changes in mRNAs, thereby altering the amino
acid sequence of proteins. In cephalopods and fungi, this ‘recoding’ generates incredible diversity in proteins
across most cellular processes. However, the functions of RNA recoding in these organisms are largely
unknown. How is RNA recoding used to support physiological needs and facilitate adaptation? The research
proposed here investigates how cephalopod and fungal RNA recoding regulates the function of proteins involved
in two core cellular processes: microtubule-based transport and DNA replication and repair. This work will
illuminate how RNA recoding modulates protein function to support phenotypic plasticity and adaptation and will
advance our understanding of the regulation and functions of highly conserved cellular machineries.
 In Aim 1, Dr. Rangan will investigate how RNA recoding diversifies the function of microtubule motor
protein complexes. In the K99 phase, she will evaluate the effects of RNA recoding on dynein and kinesin motor
complexes using in vivo cargo transport assays and single-molecule motility assays. She will also investigate
how RNA recoding of motor proteins is coordinated at different temperatures in squid to facilitate transport.
 In Aim 2, Dr. Rangan will investigate how RNA recoding alters the function of DNA replication and repair
proteins. In the K99 phase, she will characterize the effects of RNA recoding on DNA polymerases epsilon and
zeta using assays for mutation rate, fidelity, and processivity. In the R00 phase, she will evaluate how
temperature-dependent recoding of DNA polymerases alters function and extend this characterization to other
proteins involved in DNA replication and repair.
 In Aim 3, Dr. Rangan will explore how RNA recoding of DNA replication machinery influences genomic
mutation rate and bias in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. In the K99 phase, she will use RNA-seq to
evaluate temperature-dependent changes in RNA editing in Neurospora ascospores. During the R00 phase, she
will perform mutation accumulation experiments with recoding site mutants and wild type fungi to elucidate the
role of RNA recoding in mutagenesis.
 Dr. Rangan is committed to developing an independent research program centered around investigating
how RNA editing in diverse organisms supports phenotypic plasticity and adaptation. To facilitate her transition
to independence, she will attend diverse scientific conferences and participate in UCSD classes on topics of
career development and lab management. She will receive guidance and support from her mentoring committee
and her primary mentor, Sam Reck-Peterson. This development plan, combined with training in bioinformatics
and computational genomics (with Ludmil Alexandrov, UC San Diego) as well as Neurospora biology and
genetics (with Katheri...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10723394
- **Project number:** 1K99GM151485-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Kavita Rangan
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $124,442
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10723394

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10723394, The functional and adaptive roles of RNA recoding (1K99GM151485-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10723394. Licensed CC0.

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