Phosphoproteomic analysis of the signal transduction pathway induced by human TNF-alpha in Schistosoma mansoni

• Grant number: 10/14683-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2011
• End date: July 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Sergio Verjovski Almeida
• Grantee: Mariana Lombardi Peres de Carvalho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that currently affects more than 200 million people. The Schistosoma mansoni species is the cause of schistosomiasis in the Americas. Our group recently characterized a homologous gene to human TNF alphareceptor (a receptor of TNF- alpha non-death domain type) which is more expressed in the cercarial stage, the form that is infective to the vertebrate host. Furthermore, it was found that schistosomules after 3 hs of transformation from cercariae and mated adult worms in culture, when exposed to human TNF alpha, have statistically significant changes in expression of hundreds of genes in both stages. In this same study we performed in silico analysis of the protein members of the vertebrate canonical pathways of TNF-alpha signal transduction that are regulated via phosphorylation; we identified in the sequence dataset of ESTs and mRNAs from S. mansoni all genes encoding the proteins minimally necessary for signal transduction to occur in the parasite, activated by the non-death domain receptor-like. Thus, a possible pathway of S. mansoni signal transduction was suggested for the action of human TNF-alpha cytokine. This project proposal is aiming at the characterization of the signal transduction pathway induced by human TNF-alpha on adult worms and schistosomules through the analysis of phosphorylation of proteins by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis stained with the dye specific for phosphoproteins, followed by mass spectrometry and validation experiments by Western blot. (AU)

Academic Publications

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

CARVALHO, Mariana Lombardi Peres de. Identification of proteins modified by phosphorylation after treatment of Schistosoma mansoni with human TNF-alpha. 2015. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ) São Paulo.