Aurelie Rakotondrafara
Credentials: Plant Pathology Department
Position title: RNA, translation, plant virus, IRES, viral resistance
Email: rakotondrafa@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 890-1871
Address:
284 Russell Laboratories
1630 Linden Dr
Madison, WI 53706
LAB WEBSITE:
http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/rakotondrafaralab/
FOCUS GROUPS:
Virology; RNA Biology; Molecular & Genome Biology of Microbes
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION:
The broad objective of my research program delves into the mechanistic details of viral translation control, which will be integrated into the larger context of viral replication and plant viral resistance. Of particular interest is the Potyviridae family, which encompasses about 30% of the most damaging crop viruses. These RNA viruses pose a curious conundrum on how they are translated. Unlike cellular mRNAs which utilize a 5’ m7(G)ppp(G) cap structure and a 3’ poly(A) tail, some Potyviridae rather contain an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements, which recruit the ribosomes at internal positions at close proximity of the initiation AUG rather than entering or scanning from the 5’ end. However, to date, little is known on the efficiency of potyviral IRES-‐mediated translation, while accumulating evidence link host initiation factors to plant viral recessive resistance.
ALSO A TRAINER IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS: Plant Pathology