Talk abstracts
Talk on Tuesday 10:35-10:55am submitted by Vlad Belyy
A single-molecule look at stress receptor oligomerization
Vladislav Belyy (Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University)
Abstract:
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane-resident stress sensor IRE1 governs the most evolutionarily conserved branch of the unfolded protein response. Upon sensing an accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER lumen, IRE1 activates its cytoplasmic kinase and ribonuclease domains to initiate a potent signaling cascade. IRE1’s activity appears to correlate with changes in its oligomeric state, yet both the degree of oligomerization and its functional significance remain hotly debated. Through a combination of orthogonal experimental approaches ranging from single particle tracking in live cells to optogenetics, we have pinpointed the central role of oligomerization in IRE1’s signaling mechanism. In addition to uncovering exciting aspects of IRE1 biology, the quantitative biophysical methods that have been developed in the process will be broadly applicable to the study of protein oligomerization as a general principle in inter- and intra-cellular signaling.
Keywords: Single-molecule, Receptors, Imaging