Biopolymers and cell. 2010; 26 (3): 194 - 199
Relations between nitric oxide synthase DNOS1, Hsp70 and apoptosis regulatory gene grim in Drosophila melanogaster after heat stress induction
E. M. Khussainova, Z. A. Bulentayeva, B. O. Bekmanov, L. B. Djansugurova, R. I. Bersimbayev
Institute of General Genetics and Cytology, 75A, al-Farabi Ave., Almaty, Kazakhstan, 050060
Aim. To investigate correlation between nitric oxide synthase, heat shock protein Hsp70 and apoptosis regulatory gene grim in D. melanogaster. Methods. The heat stress (37 °C for 1 hour) induction in third instar larvae of Oregon R strain and transgenic strains, containing additional copies of dNOS1 gene. RT-PCR and Western-blot analysis were used to study the expression of dNOS, Hsp70 and grim genes. Results. It is demonstrated that additional copies of dNOS1 gene in transgenic strains are intensively expressed immediately after heat stress induction. It was revealed that in all Drosophila strains the level of Hsp70 gene expression and its protein synthesis increase with subsequent decline after 2–3 hours; whereas the level of expression of grim gene increases immediately after heat stress induction in transgenic strains and declines in wild type flies, while the level of Hsp70 expression remains high. Conclusions. The increased level of Hsp70 has negative impact on the expression of grim, whereas additional NO synthesis neutralizes anti-apoptotic effects of Hsp70 and increases the expression level of grim. Thus, we assume the competitive relationships between anti-apoptotic functions of Hsp70 and pro-apoptotic effects of nitric oxide.
Keywords: apoptosis, Drosophila, heat shock proteins, nitric oxide, grim.