Frogs create highly resilient foam nests for their tadpoles to develop in. Biologist Denise Hissa is researching these foam nests to understand the durability of these structures. The potential applications for human life are vast, ranging from medications for respiratory diseases to cleaning products. Denise earned her doctorate in biotechnology from the Federal University of Ceará and completed part of her doctorate at the University of Graz in Austria. Fulfilling her childhood dream, she became a biologist. At 18, she took up surfing and has continued with the sport ever since. Today, it serves as her primary outlet for stress.
Denise Cavalcante Hissa
Life Sciences
Projects
Delving into the Molecular Architecture of Anuran Foam Nests: A Proteogenomic Exploration to Uncover Novel Surfactant Proteins
Science / Life Sciences
Certain frog species lay their eggs in stable foams, known as foam nests, which enable the tadpoles to develop outside a body of water. These biofoams can remain stable for weeks, providing all the necessary conditions for tadpole development. Research into their composition have revealed a variety of proteins, including surfactant proteins that reduce water’s surface tension, a characteristic that is rare in nature. Our findings have uncovered a “black box” of proteins that are currently unidentifiable due to the lack of databases related to the genes responsible for these nests. In this project, we plan to employ a proteogenomic approach, which merges proteomic and genomic data to annotate these proteins and understand their influence on the shape and architecture of these biostructures. We aim to uncover insights about the evolutionary history of these species, with potential applications in biotechnology.
Amount invested
Grant Serrapilheira: R$ 106,698.63
