HOXA1 and HOXA5 homo and heterodimerizations: Characterization of the interaction motif and impact of TALE cofactors

Details

Supervisors

Rezsohazy, René

Faculty

Faculté des sciences

Degree label

Master [120] en biochimie et biologie moléculaire et cellulaire, à finalité spécialisée: biotechnologie

Abstract

In the scientific literature, interactions between HOX proteins have been demonstrated, such as HOXA1/HOXA1 and HOXA1/HOXD3 in mice, as well as Scr/Scr in Drosophila. In the laboratory of Professor Rezsohazy (LIBST, UCLouvain), the formation of eight HOX/HOX complexes has been demonstrated in vitro. Given that most HOX genes exhibit overlapping expression patterns during embryonic development, such interactions between HOX proteins could occur in various embryonic territories. Through this exploratory master's thesis, we aimed to address two main questions. First, we sought to determine the impact of cofactors PBX, PREP, and MEIS on HOX/HOX interactions. Second, we aimed to characterize the interaction motif of HOX proteins. This research would contribute to a deeper understanding of HOX/HOX interactions. To answer the first question, we conducted Co-Precipitation experiments, focusing on the interactions between HOXA1 and HOXA5 in the presence or absence of PBX, MEIS, and PREP. To address the second question, we performed Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation assays with HOXA1 and HOXA5 mutants obtained subsequently within the laboratory.