Gene Expression in Giardia lamblia

贾第鞭毛虫中的基因表达

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-05804
• 负责人: Yee, Janet
• 金额: $ 3.64万
• 依托单位: Trent University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=745956
• 关键词: Gene; Expression; Giardia; lamblia

Every cell within a multicellular organism, such as a human, contains the same genetic blueprint - so what makes a blood cell different from a muscle cell? The answer is how the genetic material is activated. Different cell types activate different sets of genes to make proteins that are specific for the function of the particular cell. For example, a blood cell would produce a protein for carrying oxygen through the body, while a muscle cell would produce a protein that is used for cell contraction. The process of this differential gene activation is referred to as gene expression. The long term goal of our research is to study the regulation of gene expression in the protist, Giardia lamblia (syn. G. intestinalis). Giardia is a common contaminant of freshwaters worldwide including all regions in Canada, and its ingestion by humans causes an infectious form of diarrhea. Giardia is a eukaryote, like a human cell, because its genes are located in a special compartment within the cell called the nucleus. However, the components (i.e. proteins) required to regulate gene expression and other biological pathways in Giardia are greatly reduced and less complex than those in a human. Therefore, the study of Giardia would be an opportunity to identify the bare essentials of these processes in a streamlined biological system. Moreover, these studies may identify unique aspects of these pathways in Giardia that can be exploited to develop improved and more effective treatments of Giardia infections. Our short-term aims for this granting period are: 1) To study gene expression and regulation of the Giardia cell cycle - a process where the cell grows and divides to produce two daughter cells. 2) To characterize the role of a Giardia protein (TBP) in transcription regulation - the process when RNA is produced from its corresponding gene. 3) To examine the role of three related heme proteins in the regulation of gene expression and the transition of Giardia into its infectious form. This NSERC grant would provide support to an exciting and fundamental research program to understand how a parasite commonly found in Canada determines which part of its genetic material gets activated to make a functional product. The funding would also support the training of graduate and undergraduate students in leading edge techniques in molecular biology, microbiology and biochemistry.

多细胞生物体（如人类）中的每个细胞都包含相同的遗传蓝图-那么是什么使血细胞与肌肉细胞不同呢？答案是遗传物质是如何被激活的。不同的细胞类型激活不同的基因组，以产生特定细胞功能的蛋白质。例如，血细胞会产生一种蛋白质，用于携带氧气通过身体，而肌肉细胞会产生一种蛋白质，用于细胞收缩。这种差异基因激活的过程被称为基因表达。本研究的长期目标是研究原生生物蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫（Giardia lamblia，syn. G.（掌声）。贾第鞭毛虫是一种常见的污染物，世界各地的淡水，包括加拿大的所有地区，它的摄入引起人类腹泻的传染性形式。贾第虫是一种真核生物，就像人类细胞一样，因为它的基因位于细胞内称为细胞核的特殊区域。然而，在贾第虫中调节基因表达和其他生物途径所需的组分（即蛋白质）大大减少，并且比人类中的组分更简单。因此，贾第虫的研究将是一个机会，以确定这些过程的基本要素，在一个精简的生物系统。此外，这些研究可能会确定贾第虫这些途径的独特方面，可以利用开发更好和更有效的治疗贾第虫感染。我们的短期目标是：1）研究贾第虫细胞周期的基因表达和调控-细胞生长和分裂产生两个子细胞的过程。2)描述贾第虫蛋白（TBP）在转录调控中的作用-RNA从其相应基因产生的过程。3)研究三种相关血红素蛋白在基因表达调控和贾第虫转化为感染型中的作用。这项NSERC拨款将为一项令人兴奋的基础研究计划提供支持，以了解加拿大常见的寄生虫如何确定其遗传物质的哪一部分被激活以制造功能性产品。这笔资金还将支持对研究生和本科生进行分子生物学、微生物学和生物化学前沿技术方面的培训。