Validation of small peptides expression in Halobacterium salinarum using chromosomal tagging

• Grant number: 14/24087-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2015
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Tie Koide
• Grantee: André Bordinassi Medina
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 09/09532-0 - Systems biology of the extremophile Halobacterium salinarum: role of the non-coding RNAs in the global gene regulatory network model, AP.JP

Abstract

In the last decades, scientific development has allowed biological data to be analysed from a broader and more integrated perspective, giving rise to a new interdisciplinary approach called systems biology. One example of the application of this new approach is the discovery of several small open reading frames (smORFs) which code for proteins and peptides. These molecules had previously either been neglected or even misclassified as non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Studies regarding the biological function of these peptides revealed that they play important regulatory roles in organisms from the three domains of life. Using systems biology principles, this study aims to use the haloarchaeon Halobacterium salinarum, an important biological model for the study of halophiles, in order to search for new peptides and small proteins. The hypothesis will be evaluated by validating the gene expression of the putative genes using chromossomal tagging. Candidate genes will be obtained by bioinformatic analysis and mass spectrometry data, currently ongoing in the Laboratory of Microbial Systems Biology.