Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2019
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V53
Höfundar / Authors: Arnar Þór Björgvinsson, Hörður Guðmundsson, Zophonías O. Jónsson, Kristín Gyða Hrafnkels Hlynsdóttir, Zophonías O. Jónsson, Sigríður Rut Franzdóttir
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: Líf- og umhverfisvísindastofnun Háskóla Íslands
Kynnir / Presenter: Arnar Þór Björgvinsson
Dissecting individual roles of relatively ubiquitous and multi-tasking proteins using standard loss- and gain of function approaches can be complicated without additional studies on the proteins in action. In vivo study of intracellular localization, interactions and dynamics can provide crucial information and help resolve individual roles. Advances in gene editing techniques and fluorescent microscopy have made the imaging of protein dynamics and interactions in whole organisms and tissues an attractive approach to complement other functional methods.
We study the the AAA+ ATPases Pontin and Reptin in Drosophila melanogaster. These proteins are ubiquitously expressed and have been associated with numerous cellular complexes and processes. To complement functional genetic and biochemical studies, we have generated a toolkit for the study of the two proteins in vivo, by using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to knock in fluorescent tags at the endogenous locus in flies. The aim of the project presented here is to map the protein expression of Pontin and Reptin at high spatiotemporal resolution throughout development. We have confirmed that despite high level of co-expression and nuclear localization, Pontin and Reptin show partially non-overlapping expression and are not confined to the nucleus. Pontin distribution in the nervous system is of particular interest. Further studies will be performed at higher resolution to determine intracellular dynamics and interactions.