Characterization and functional analysis of human SKD3 in yeast

• Grant number: 12/08294-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2012
• End date: June 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Henrique Inacio Ramos
• Grantee: João Paulo Ferreira Bertacchi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Proteins are involved in many cellular processes and to protect the functional activity of these proteins, cells make use of a complex system that controls folding and protein degradation. This system is known as PQC (protein quality control) and comprises mainly the molecular chaperones and the proteasome system. Among several families of molecular chaperones, Hsp100 stands out for its activity in breaking down aggregated proteins and for its cooperation with the proteasome system. In bacteria, yeast, and plants the knockout of the gene responsible for the expression of Hsp100 causes increased thermosensitivity and lethality in stress conditions. Interestingly, although present in the organisms mentioned above and in organelles such as mitochondria, an equivalent of Hsp100 has not been found in animals. This project aims to test the overall ability of a human gene that is a Hsp100-like candidate to have a function similar to Hsp100, as complementation of a yeast strain deleted of the hsp104 gene. The identification of a protein in humans that function similar to Hsp100 has a considerable interest because protein aggregates are involved in amyloidogenic diseases.(AU)