Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023
Höfundar / Authors: Morteza Bajgiran (1), Margrét Helga Ögmundsdóttir (2), Zophonías O. Jónsson (1), Sigríður Rut Franzdóttir (1)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland 2. Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland
Kynnir / Presenter: Morteza Bajgiran
Proteostasis is a complex and tightly regulated network of cellular processes, including the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy, working together to regulate protein concentration, conformation, and intracellular localization. In neurons, disturbances in proteostasis can lead to the accumulation of misfolded proteins, resulting in neuronal dysfunction and development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Pontin and Reptin are highly conserved ATPases known for their involvement in a wide range of fundamental cellular processes, such as chromatin remodeling, transcriptional regulation, and the assembly of large macromolecular complexes. Recently, additional roles for Pontin and Reptin in the realm of cellular proteostasis have been proposed.
In this study, potential roles of Pontin and Reptin in clearance of aggregates in the motor neurons of Drosophila melanogaster are investigated. The results show that decreased expression of the proteins leads to accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins in axons, neuromuscular junctions, and muscles. A similar distribution is seen for the aggrephagy marker p62. This distal accumulation of ubiquitinated aggregates in axons and neuromuscular junctions, with higher concentrations compared to the cell body, suggests the involvement of Pontin and Reptin in detection and/or retrograde transport of aggregates towards the soma for degradation or processing.