Paper Published in Genome Research: Maize RNA Secondary Structures

Jun 15, 2023·
Edwin Solares
Edwin Solares
· 1 min read
blog

Our paper “Diverse patterns of secondary structure across genes and transposable elements are associated with siRNA production and epigenetic fate” was published as open-access in Genome Research.

The Discovery

We discovered novel miRNA-like secondary structures in maize (Zea mays) genes and transposable elements that correlate with small RNA production, DNA methylation patterns, and gene expression levels.

Key Findings

  • RNA structures strongly associated with siRNA production
  • Structures explain up to 27% of variation in siRNA production across transposable element families
  • Discovered new class of tiny RNAs in maize genes with regulatory potential

Media Coverage

  • ACCESS-CI: “An a-MAIZE-ingly Surprising Discovery”
  • San Diego Supercomputer Center: Major computational biology achievement

This work represents years of computational analysis using San Diego Supercomputer Center and Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center resources.

Publication Research Genomics
Edwin Solares
Authors
Edwin Solares (he/him)
Lecturer in Computer Science & Data Science
I am a computational biologist and data scientist bridging artificial intelligence, evolutionary genomics, and climate-resilient agriculture. My research leverages cutting-edge machine learning and bioinformatics to address global food security challenges in the face of rapid climate change. With publications in high-impact journals including Nature Plants, PNAS, and Genome Research (h-index: 7), I develop tools and methods that advance both computational science and real-world applications.