Profiling the phosphoproteome from Nephila clavipes spider silk-producing glands

• Grant number: 19/04538-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2019
• End date: April 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Mario Sergio Palma
• Grantee: Caroline Lacerra de Souza
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Orbital web-building spiders feature a set of abdominal glands composed of up to seven different types - major ampullate, minor ampullate, flagelliform, tubuliform, aciniform, pyriform and aggregate glands; which secrete different types of fibers. And despite the great interest in the mechanical-elastic properties of the silk fibers produced by the spiders, aiming their use in biomedical and biotechnological applications due to their properties of strength, elasticity and biocompatibility, little is known about the details of silk glands and the spinning process that occurs for the production of fibers. Therefore, studies of prospective proteomic analysis are necessary and important so that we can understand the biological activity and function of the proteins present in the glands. Studies have shown that silk-producing glands exhibit lot of proteins related to the involvement in the secretion of silk proteins, transport, regulation of proteolytic activities and preservation of silk proteins against oxidative stress and degradation, throughout the spinning process; in addition, there is apparently the presence of general-purpose toxins and neurotoxins common in animal venoms, suggesting that these proteins contribute to paralysis and capture of prey. Therefore, the presence of these molecules demonstrates that the web can play a strategic "active-chemical" role in capturing its prey. However, these studies have not considered the possible presence of post-translational modifications (PTMs) that can act on the biological activity and function of these molecules. The most commonly studied PTMs are phosphorylation, ubiquitination, glycosylation and hydroxylation. Determination of PTMs is critical for the elucidation of processes that control cell events, such as cell growth, division and differentiation, including the interaction between proteins. Thus, the use of methods based on, peptide enrichment strategy, such as the phosphorylated protein combined with proteomic analysis using advanced mass spectrometry techniques, has progressively enabled an increase in the number of PTMs identifications in proteins and peptides present in studies with complex samples, such as the silk-producing glands of the spider's web. A study with post-translational modifications of the proteins present in the silk-producing glands from N. clavipes spider, as intended in this project, will allow us to obtain biological and chemical information on the characteristics of these molecules, contributing to a better understanding of the structure and use of the proteins identified. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ROAT, THAISA C.; APARECIDO DOS SANTOS-PINTO, JOSE ROBERTO; MIOTELO, LUCAS; DE SOUZA, CAROLINE LACERRA; PALMA, MARIO SERGIO; MALASPINA, OSMAR. Using a toxicoproteomic approach to investigate the effects of thiamethoxam into the brain of Apis mellifera. Chemosphere, v. 258, NOV 2020. (14/05376-1, 13/13542-6, 19/04538-1, 12/13370-8, 13/26451-9, 16/16212-5)

Academic Publications

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

SOUZA, Caroline Lacerra de. Phosphoproteomic profiling of silk-producing glands of the spider Triconephila clavipes. 2021. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Biociências. Rio Claro Rio Claro.