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| Author(s): |
Raquel Bagattini
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ) |
| Defense date: | 2005-01-07 |
| Examining board members: |
Glaucia Mendes Souza;
Suely Lopes Gomes;
Bettina Malnic;
Joao Gustavo Pessini Amarante Mendes;
Lucile Maria Floeter Winter
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| Advisor: | Glaucia Mendes Souza |
| Abstract | |
Dictyostelium discoideum\'s life cycle is composed of two phases. During the vegetative phase, amoebae grow as single cells until the nutrients are depleted. Starvation induces a developmental program where isolated amoebae adopt a multicellular mode of living and differentiate into spores to survive the harsh conditions. The protein Kinase YakA is required for the growth to development transition. YakA regulates the leveis of PKA. yakA null cells have a faster cell cycle, are aggregation deficient and are hypersensitive to nitrosoative/oxidative stress. A second-site mutation in keaA, supresses the death induced by SNP, a generator of nitric oxide. The role for keaA has been determined in response to oxidative, nitrosoative and nutrient starvation stresses. keaA is required for proper growth and development. The keaA- cells are more resistant to nitrosoative and oxidative stress confirming that a mutation in keaA confers stress resistance. A second supressor of the death induced by SNP in the mutant yakA- was isolated with REMI and identified pkaC as a regulator of the nitrosoative stress response. YakA and PKA may integrate the responses to several stresses in Dictyostelium. The results indicate that yakA regulates the cell cycle arrest in response to stress through the modulation of keaA. KeaA regulates the expression of pkaC, a key regulator of cAMP prodution and development. Genetic interactions among these elements is complex and must be finely tuned in the many environmental changes cells endure during the life cycle. (AU) | |