Interactions of Schistosoma mansoni septins with membrane models

• Grant number: 16/13961-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2016
• End date: August 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biophysics - Molecular Biophysics
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Ulian de Araujo
• Grantee: Marina Gabriel Fontes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/15546-1 - Septins: comparative studies and the correlation between structure and function, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 17/09905-7 - Analysis of the interaction of septins from Schistosoma mansoni with membrane models., BE.EP.MS

Abstract

Septins are GTP-binding proteins and are involved in several cellular functions, in which they are associated to membranes, as cytokinesis, exocytosis and ciliogenesis. These proteins have been described in many organisms, and the number of septins in each organism varies from one (in some species of algae) to 13 (in humans). They are often associated as hetero-oligomers. Recently, we described four septins in Schistosoma mansoni, which have shown to be widely distributed throughout the parasite's life cycle, demonstrating the importance of these proteins in S. mansoni, besides being a simpler model of association of septin subunits when compared with human. The initial verification that septins from S. mansoni were capable of binding liposomes enabled us to stablish a model that will be used to explore the association mechanisms of these proteins to membranes and the factors that influence this binding. Current issues present in the literature will be studied, as the role of GTP binding and hydrolysis in the binding of septins to membranes, the influence of membrane curvature and lipid composition in the binding process, as well as the use of septins from different organisms to assess whether the specificity of septins for lipids is organism-dependent. Thus, taking advantage of the diversity of septins studied by our group, a broad study of septins specificity to lipids, allied with the study of current issues present in the literature with a simpler model, could lead to a better understanding of the complex process of septin-membrane binding. (AU)

Academic Publications

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

FONTES, Marina Gabriel. Interactions of Schistosoma mansoni septins with membrane models. 2019. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC/BT) São Carlos.