Project Details
Projekt
Genetics of selenoprotein synthesis in Drosophila melanogaster
Applicant
Professor Dr. Herbert Jäckle
Subject Area
Biochemistry
Term
from 2000 to 2006
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5241308
Selenoproteins, initially described for prokaryotes, are essential components of homeostasis of mammalian cells. Selenoprotein synthesis depends on the incorporation of a selenocysteine residue into the growing polypeptide chain, a process that requires differential decoding of the UGA termination codon. In prokaryotes, this process is controlled through an UGA-adjacent SECIS element. In eukaryotes, this element resides within the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the mRNA and acts over distance. Components and the mechanism of selenoprotein synthesis have been changed in evolution. We plan to molecularly and functionally characterize a conserved component of the selenoprotein synthesis system, the selD gene, which encodes the selenophosphate synthetase enzyme of Drosophila. SelD is a selenoprotein itself. We use the gene as an entry point for a genetic analysis of the Drosophila selenoprotein synthesizing system. We intend to identify components of the eukaryotic selenoprotein synthesis machinery. We plan to clone and characterize the corresponding genes to provide the basis for intended mechanistic studies. Our long-term goal is to understand the mechanism of selenocysteine incorporation in eukaryotes and to link results obtained with a simple experimental system with potential medical applications.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
Participating Person
Dr. Gerd Vorbrüggen
