| Grant number: | 17/26058-6 |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |
| Start date: | August 01, 2018 |
| End date: | January 23, 2019 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules |
| Principal Investigator: | Carlos Henrique Inacio Ramos |
| Grantee: | Dênio Emanuel Pires Souto |
| Host Institution: | Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil |
Abstract Proteins are important cellular components, which are involved in almost all the physiological functions. In most cases, it is required that the protein folds to its native state and/or do not form aggregates in order to perform its functions. In the cell, a system composed of chaperones, Hsps and proteasomes, and known as PQC (Protein Quality Control) maintains the protein homeostasis and seems to play a central role in important diseases, such as some types of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Parkinson and Alzheimer's). It is recognized that the components of the PQC system interact with several proteins for the proteostasis maintenance, besides interacting with each other to increase the efficiency of the system. However, little is still known about the characteristics of these interactions due to the substantial number of components and its diversity between organisms and also between different organelles. In this context, the main goal of this proposal is to combine two complementary techniques in the characterization of protein-protein interaction, Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Calorimetry (Titration and Scanning), to investigate the interactions between the PQC system components and between these and the targets. This strategy benefits from the expertise of the candidate and supervisor in this research area, which are also complementary. Initially, the interactions between the Hsp70 and Hsp90 chaperones with their co-chaperones and target proteins will be investigated. As proteins targeted by these chaperones, we chose proteins from viruses that cause numerous impacting diseases in Brazil, such as Zika, Chikungunya and yellow fever, since both Hsp70 and Hsp90 help in the folding these protein in the cellular environment. It is important to mention that the plasmonic is a well-established field of research that indicates SPR as one of the main tools to study biomolecular interactions. In this proposal, SPR-based biosensor strategies will be developed for detailed quantitative analysis, through kinetic and thermodynamic approaches, of the biochemical events resulted from the investigated interactions. It is expected that very useful information will be obtained for a better understanding of the biochemical mechanisms that may be associated with the function of PQC system, including the human Hsp70/Hsp90 system on the mentioned viral proteins. In general terms, the present proposal addresses a subject of enormous relevance for the country and for the science, with great potential to yield fascinating discoveries that lead to the generation of new strategies aimed at therapeutic intervention and, therefore, deserves to be investigated with high priority. | |
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