Study of the oncoprotein SERBP1: analysis of its transcriptome, proteome and functions of the wildtype version and point mutations identified in cancer.

• Grant number: 22/04962-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2023
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Jörg Kobarg
• Grantee: Julia Leite Cordeiro de Souza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/22059-1 - SERBP1 in a retrotransposition context: Study of L1 interactions and their functional impact, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

SERBP1 is described as an intrinsically disordered RNA-binding protein, active in gene regulation through different targets, genes and proteins. Some data suggests the active participation of this molecule in several types of tumor, especially in solid tumors, however there are few data regarding this molecule and this is an obstacle to clarifying the role of SERBP1 in cell signaling pathways, becoming necessary and extremely important to elucidate its physiological and pathological functions as proposed in this study, which aims to identify the proteins that interact with SERBP1 in the presence and absence of various stress conditions, as well as to perform in silico analysis of site-directed mutations that occur in different types of tumor and its influences on the cell cycle, apoptosis, subcellular localization of the protein. For this, model cells will be transfected and the gene knock out will be validated through sequencing and Western Blotting, the analysis of the transcriptome will be carried out through the extraction and sequencing of RNA. Furthermore, the study of SERBP1-protein interaction will be carried out using the BioID technique followed by analysis by mass spectrometry. Finally, we aim to validate the expression of SERBP1 in tumor tissues through immunohistochemistry and, from that, we aim to identify both the potential and the expression of SERBP1 mRNA, characterizing it as a biomarker both in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. In this context, the present study is relevant and will allow the understanding of the participation of this protein in oncogenesis and in healthy conditions, in addition to being promising for new research that aims this gene as a therapeutic target