Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2021
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E50
Höfundar / Authors: Friðrik Björn Kjartansson (1), Zophonías Oddur Jónsson (2), Sigríður Rut Franzdóttur (3)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: Háskóli Íslands
Kynnir / Presenter: Friðrik Björn Kjartansson
Pontin and Reptin are a pair of closely related proteins that together associate with a number of macromolecular complexes and are associated with a plethora of cellular roles. In ongoing projects our group is investigating their connection to the proteostatic machinery, including the clearing of misfolded and aggregating proteins in neurons, using Drosophila melanogaster as a model. In the project presented here we selectively knocked down (KD) or overexpressed (OE) the proteins in the nervous system. We also developed simple 3D printable devices for behavioral assays and sectioning arrays of fly brains for microscope imaging. Whole mount adult brains and larval fillets were stained with anti K48 poly-Ubiquitin antibodies and brain sections were stained with general amyloid dyes. To quantify the behavioral impact of neurodegeneration, we assessed the rate of degeneration of fast phototaxis ability in KD flies. Our preliminary results show difference in polyubiquitination in both OE and KD flies which may indicate altered rate of proteostasis in the nervous system. Phototaxis results were inconclusive, and more testing is required to establish whether there is a link between faster degradation in phototactic ability and KD of Pontin and Reptin. However, the results did trend towards faster degeneration in Reptin KD strains, and all KD strains showed diminished initial phototaxis ability.