# Amyloids, aggregates and Nucleolar activity in Xenopus development

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2020 · $300,606

## Abstract

Project Summary:
Many cellular processes critical for normal development have devastating consequences when they are
not controlled. Not too long ago, protein aggregation was largely equated with pathogenesis. More
recently we know that proteins aggregate to mediate stress responsiveness, cell division, long-term
memory and to self-assemble into critical non-membrane bound particles in the nucleus and cytosol. If
fact, at least 5% of known proteins have the composition that would allow them to form aggregates.
Lack of proper cellular control of protein aggregation leads to amyloid formation, which unregulated, is
part of the pathogenesis that accompanies devastating diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s
disease and common debilitating conditions like cataracts. The physical nature of aggregates may be
that of phase separated liquid droplets, gels, disordered aggregates and the ordered aggregates
characteristic of amyloid. Aggregates serve to greatly increase the local concentration of the
aggregating protein, and are one part of an equilibrium between different structural states.
Consequently, the ability and rate of proteins joining or leaving an aggregate is an important feature
that can be regulated, and if compromised leads to aggregate based pathology. There is a gap in
understanding which proteins participate in aggregate formation and how aggregation is regulated in
vivo. We propose that an ideal system to begin to bridge the gap would be the oocytes of the frog
Xenopus laevis. We and others have shown that aggregates accumulate during oogenesis in the
cytosol and in nucleus. The nuclear particles responsible for RNA transcription and processing by all
three RNA polymerases self-assemble into aggregates, generally with RNA as a co-aggregate. The
focus of this proposal is on nucleolus, a prominent non-membrane bound particle responsible for
synthesis and processing of ribosomal RNA, the manufacturing of ribosomes, helping to mediate
cellular responses to stress and DNA damage, and appropriately responding to cellular need for new
translational capacity. We use microscopy, immunohistochemistry, biochemical fractionation, protein
depletion, proteomic and transcriptomic analysis to understand the accumulation, function and stability
of the aggregates that establish nucleolar form and function. We take advantage of the unique
properties of Xenopus oocyte nuclei, including size, abundant protein and RNA content and ease of
manipulation to perform our studies. The findings will impact our understanding of how cells maintain
physiologically normal equilibrium between native and aggregating forms of proteins.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9933938
- **Project number:** 5R01GM124063-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** DANIEL L. WEEKS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $300,606
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-05 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9933938

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9933938, Amyloids, aggregates and Nucleolar activity in Xenopus development (5R01GM124063-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9933938. Licensed CC0.

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