Hexamerins of Apis mellifera: interaction between subunits, juvenile hormone, and nuclear structures and proteins

• Grant number: 13/23082-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: February 03, 2014
• End date: August 02, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Marcia Maria Gentile Bitondi
• Grantee: Juliana Ramos Martins
• Supervisor: Gene E. Robinson
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/16040-9 - Hexamerins of Apis mellifera: interaction between subunits, juvenile hormone and nuclear structures and proteins, BP.PD

Abstract

As part of the requirements for the program of Research Internships Abroad (BEPE/FAPESP) we are submitting a research project for requesting FAPESP funds under the Post-Doctoral Fellowship to Juliana Ramos Martins (FAPESP Process number 2012/16040-9). The project consists in using the honeybee as a model insect to investigate aspects of the function of hexamerins - the most abundant proteins in insect hemolymph. Hexamerins, however, are more than hemolymph proteins as, recently, we demonstrated that they are also located in the nuclei of ovarian and testis cells, and in the fat body, which is the organ involved in multiple metabolic functions, including storage and release of macromolecules and energy. The intranuclear location suggests that hexamerins have structural roles as components of nuclear structures, or even regulatory roles. We are here proposing the use of ChIP-Seq methodology to investigate the intranuclear targets for the hexamerins, and so their roles as DNA-binding proteins. The experiments will be performed at the University of Illinois (USA) from February to July/2014, under the supervision of Dr. Gene E. Robinson and Dr. Craig Mizzen that kindly agreed to receive J. R. Martins in their laboratories for a collaboration in this project. (AU)