# Understanding Complex Genome Editing and RNA Biology in Oxytricha

> **NIH NIH R35** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $147,973

## Abstract

Understanding Complex Genome Editing and RNA Biology in Oxytricha
Project Summary/Abstract:
 The PI’s lab studies natural genome editing systems in microbial eukaryotes, bringing a strongly
molecular and mechanistic approach to understanding genome evolution and diversity. The surprisingly
sophisticated variations on DNA and RNA processing in microbial eukaryotes display a wide range of genome
architectures and genetic systems. Some pathways erode the notions of a gene (e.g. scrambled genes and
RNA editing) and even Mendelian inheritance, reminding us that a draft genome sequence can be a far cry
from knowledge of its products. Genome rearrangements occur in diverse organisms, and contribute to many
human diseases, especially cancer—a disease of the genome, but the extreme level of programmed DNA
rearrangements required for development in the ciliate Oxytricha make it an ideal model system to study
genome remodeling and the roles of RNA in orchestrating this process. The proposed research will expand
the lab’s focus on the molecular mechanisms and evolution of this remarkable natural phenomenon. Goals for
the next five years include understanding the roles of DNA N6-adenine methylation (6mA) during development
and rearrangement, and the interactions between small and long noncoding RNAs and their associated RNA-
binding proteins, together with the rearranging genome. Tools from molecular genetics, biochemistry, and
chromatin biology provide the platform for functional studies, while comparative genomics offers insight into
the evolutionary origins of scrambled genomes and complex genetic architectures, addressing the
fundamental questions of how programmed rearrangements are executed during development and how this
process arose during evolution.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11098218
- **Project number:** 3R35GM122555-08S1
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** LAURA F LANDWEBER
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $147,973
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-07-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11098218

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11098218, Understanding Complex Genome Editing and RNA Biology in Oxytricha (3R35GM122555-08S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11098218. Licensed CC0.

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