The Neurospora crassa filamentous fungus as a model organism for the identification and characterization of new proteins/transcription factors regulating the glycogen metabolism

• Grant number: 08/57566-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2009
• End date: October 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Celia Bertolini
• Grantee: Maria Celia Bertolini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Pesquisadores principais: Marcos Roberto de Mattos Fontes
• Associated scholarship(s): 12/16371-5 - Structural studies with the importin-alpha from Neurospora crassa and nuclear localization sequences (NLS) peptides, BP.MS; 11/22043-8 - Structural studies with importin-a from the model organism Neurospora crassa, BP.IC; 10/03486-3 - Structural studies with importin-alpha and nuclear localization sequencies (NLS) of proteins involved in glucogen metabolism of Neuroscopa crassa, BP.IC; 10/00789-5 - Experimental and theoretical structural studies of proteins/transcription factors involved in glycogen metabolism of Neurospora crassa, BP.PD

Abstract

Genome sequencing allows performing regulatory studies in a deep way. In living cells genomes are not simply made of DNA, but rather of a large amount of regulatory proteins that dynamically interact with DNA and modulating gene expression. Using biochemical techniques coupled to mass spectrometry our laboratory identified proteins able to bind to the gsn promoter that codes glycogen synthase in Neurospora crassa, the regulatory enzyme in the glycogen synthesis. In addition, using a collection of strains individually mutated in genes coding transcription factors we identified a number of proteins involved in the glycogen metabolism regulation, both during normal growth conditions and under heat shock stress. Some of the identified transcription factors are orthologous to proteins in public databases and some of them were annotated as hypothetical or predicted proteins. Considering the previous results the main objectives of this project are: 1) to investigate how proteins/transcription factors having already know biological functions act in the glycogen metabolism regulation using different experimental approaches; 2) to perform structural biology techniques to try to attribute biological function to the hypothetical or predicted proteins; 3) to perform biochemical studies, such as search for partner proteins and cell location of the most interesting regulatory proteins; 4) to investigate whether the changes in the glycogen metabolism regulation might be correlated to chromatin structure modifications. We expect to bring new and relevant information's concerning the regulation of gene expression in the filamentous fungi N. crassa. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MAIMONI CAMPANELLA, JONATAS ERICK; RAMOS JUNIOR, SERGIO LUIZ; RODRIGUES KIRALY, VANESSA THOMAZ; SEVERO GOMES, ANTONIEL AUGUSTO; DE BARROS, ANDREA COELHO; MATEOS, PABLO ACERA; FREITAS, FERNANDA ZANOLLI; DE MATTOS FONTES, MARCOS ROBERTO; BORGES, JULIO CESAR; BERTOLINI, MARIA CELIA. Biochemical and biophysical characterization of the RVB-1/RVB-2 protein complex, the RuvBL/RVB homologues in Neurospora crassa. Biochimie, v. 191, p. 11-26, DEC 2021. (17/26131-5, 08/57566-8)

CUPERTINO, FERNANDA BARBOSA; FREITAS, FERNANDA ZANOLLI; DE PAULA, RENATO MAGALHAES; BERTOLINI, MARIA CELIA. Ambient pH Controls Glycogen Levels by Regulating Glycogen Synthase Gene Expression in Neurospora crassa. New Insights into the pH Signaling Pathway. PLoS One, v. 7, n. 8, AUG 31 2012. (08/57566-8, 07/07766-8)