POWRE: A Genetic Approach to Structure and Function Analysis of a New Class of Molecular Chaperones

小行星9752978 这是一个POWRE研究增强奖。 该项目的近期目标是建立一种遗传方法，使用蓝细菌集胞藻PCC 6803，用于一类新的分子伴侣，小热休克蛋白（sHSPs）的结构和功能分析。 这些普遍存在于真核生物和原核生物中的应激蛋白在几乎所有生物体中的热应激期间积累，并且似乎在许多生物体的某些发育和生长阶段转变中也具有作用。虽然存在sHSP的工作模型，但基本上没有关于sHSP作用的机制细节的数据，并且很少有直接的体内数据来支持该模型。 最近，H。京都大学的Fukuzawa发现，蓝细菌集胞藻（Synechocystis）中单一sHSP基因（HSP 16.6）的缺失，导致不能发展耐热性，但不影响正常细胞生长。 这是第一次证明原核sHSP是高温耐受性所必需的，并且是除真菌脉孢菌之外的任何生物中与sHSP突变体相关的第一个表型。 由于集胞藻可以很容易地进行遗传操作，这一发现提供了一个很好的机会，详细分析sHSP的结构和功能。 集胞藻的另一个优势是其完整的基因组已经测序。 该项目将与H.日本京都大学的福泽。 该奖项为Vierling博士实验室的蓝藻培养所需设备的采购提供支持。 购置这一设备对启动这一项目至关重要。 ***

9752978 Vierling This is a POWRE Research Enhancement Award. The immediate goal of this project is to establish a genetic approach, using the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, for structure and function analysis of a new class of molecular chaperone, the small heat shock proteins (sHSPs). These ubiquitous stress proteins, found in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, accumulate during heat stress in virtually all organisms, and appear to also have a role in certain developmental and growth stage transitions in many organisms. While a working model for the sHSPs exists, there are essentially no data on the mechanistic details of sHSP action, and very little direct in vivo data to support the model. Recently, Dr. H. Fukuzawa at Kyoto University discovered that deletion of the single sHSP gene in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis, HSP16.6, leads to inability to develop thermotolerance but does not affect normal cell growth. This is the first demonstration that a prokaryotic sHSP is required for high temperature tolerance, and is the first phenotype associated with an sHSP mutant in any organism other than the fungus Neurospora. Since Synechocystis can be easily manipulated genetically, this discovery affords an excellent opportunity for detailed analysis of sHSP structure and function. Synechocystis carries the further advantage that its complete genome has been sequenced. The project will be carried out in collaboration with H. Fukuzawa at Kyoto University in Japan. This award provides support toward the acquisition of equipment necessary for the culture of the cyanobacteria in Dr. Vierling's laboratory. The acquisition of this equipment is critical to the initiation of this project. ***