The structural biology of septins in model organisms

• Grant number: 22/00125-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: March 01, 2022
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biophysics - Molecular Biophysics
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Ulian de Araujo
• Grantee: Giovanna Christe dos Reis Saladino
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/02897-1 - Septin filaments: structure, polymerization and role in pathologies, AP.TEM

Abstract

Septins are cytoskeletal proteins characterized by binding guanine nucleotides and interacting with each other, forming complexes and non-polar filaments, whose association results in structures in bundles, networks and rings, considered as their biologically active forms. In functional terms, septins are related to cell division; the formation of physical barriers to diffusion (in the primary cilium, for example) and also substrate scaffolds, such as in the plasma membrane. As they were first described in yeast, the current literature on Saccharomyces cerevisiae septins is very rich, particularly in terms of cellular functions. On the other hand, unlike human septins, there is practically no detailed knowledge about their structures. The differences observed between human and yeast octameric heterocomplexes are significant, which makes it difficult to trace an evolutionary origin and correspondence between the subunits in the two species. Additionally, we will include septins from the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which has only two septins: UNC59 and UNC61 that form a tetrameric core. As it is possible that the differences observed in the model organisms are associated with different functions, the structural biology of septins from yeasts and C. elegans can help to correlate them with existing structures for humans, filling an important gap in the area. (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)

SILVA, RAFAEL MARQUES DA; SALADINO, GIOVANNA CHRISTE DOS REIS; LEONARDO, DIEGO ANTONIO; PEREIRA, HUMBERTO D'MUNIZ; ARAUJO, ANA PAULA ULIAN; GARRATT, RICHARD CHARLES. A key piece of the puzzle: The central tetramer of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae septin protofilament and its implications for self-assembly. Journal of Structural Biology, v. 215, n. 3, p. 13-pg., 2023-06-16. (21/08158-9, 20/02897-1, 22/00125-7, 14/15546-1, 18/09687-2)