Functional characterization of transcription factors involved in the glycogen metabolism regulation in Neurospora crassa

• Grant number: 07/07766-8
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2008
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal researcher: Maria Celia Bertolini
• Grantee: Fernanda Barbosa Cupertino
• Home Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The main goal of the current project is the functional characterization of transcription factors that might be involved in the glycogen metabolism regulation in the fungus Neurospora crassa. In normal growth conditions this fungus accumulates glycogen at the end of the exponential phase and degrades it at the beginning of stationary phase. In a stress situation such as heat shock (30ºC to 45ºC), it is well known that the fungus degrades glycogen; the opposite is described for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the same stress situation. Previous results from our laboratory showed that, under heat shock, transcription of the gene (gsn) that codes glycogen synthase (the synthesis regulatory enzyme) is severely reduced and recovered when the fungus returns to its normal growth temperature (30ºC). In an attempt to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the gsn transcription regulation, the genomic sequence of the gene plus its 5´-flanking region were isolated. It was demonstrated that nuclear proteins activated after heat shock were able to recognize and to bind to DNA fragments (from promoter and 5´-UTR regions) containing regulatory DNA elements such as HSE and STRE. After sequencing the N. crassa genome, a collection of transcription factors mutant strains was available from FGSC (Fungal Genetics Stock Center, Missouri, USA). The utilization of these strains in a systematic analysis aiming to identify the transcription factors participating in the molecular mechanisms involved in the glycogen metabolism regulation is highly promising and opens new perspectives of studies to our laboratory.

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)

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. Web of Science Citations: 18.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

CUPERTINO, Fernanda Barbosa. Caracterização funcional de fatores de transcrição envolvidos na regulação do metabolismo de glicogênio de Neurospora crassa. 2011. 184 f. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" Instituto de Quimica. Araraquara.