BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:The impact of viral IκB-like ANK proteins on host-parasitoid inte
 ractions. - Professor Giuseppe Gargiulo from Dipartimento di Farmacia e Bi
 otecnologie\, University of Bologna 
DTSTART:20140612T133000Z
DTEND:20140612T143000Z
UID:TALK51372@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Caroline Newnham
DESCRIPTION:Parasitic wasps during oviposition disrupt the host immune rea
 ction and endocrine balance in order to create a suitable environment for 
 the development of their progeny. The wealth of physiological host alterat
 ions is mediated by virulence factors encoded by the wasp or\, in some cas
 es\, by polydnaviruses (PDVs)\, unique viral symbionts injected into the h
 ost at oviposition along with the egg\, venom and ovarian secretions. PDVs
  are among the most powerful immunosuppressors in nature\, targeting insec
 t defense barriers at different levels. Analyses of PDV genomes revealed a
  conserved gene family encoding proteins characterized by ankyrin repeats.
  These proteins (ANKs) are similar to insect and mammalian IκB\, but the 
 lack of regulatory domains for signal-mediated degradation and turnover co
 nfers them an immunosuppressive activity.\n\nWe used Drosophila as a model
  to expand the functional analysis of PDV encoded virulence factors\, look
 ing at the molecular processes underlying the host endocrine disruption. T
 his approach has disclosed that a member of the immunosuppressive viral an
 kyrin (ank) gene family of the bracovirus associated with the parasitic wa
 sp Toxoneuron nigriceps also disrupts ecdysone biosynthesis and results in
  developmental arrest. The multifaceted roles of these virulence factors p
 rovide a new framework for a more comprehensive functional analysis of mol
 ecular strategies used by many wasps across different evolutionary lineage
 s.  \n
LOCATION:Part II Room\, Department of Genetics
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR