Project description
Unveiling the secrets of cellular protein defenders
Protein misfolding and aggregation threaten cellular health, contributing to diseases such as neurodegeneration, myopathies, and metabolic disorders. Molecular chaperones, particularly the diverse J-domain protein (JDP) family, play a critical role in protecting cells by preventing and reversing protein misfolding. However, the mechanisms through which JDPs perform their essential functions remain poorly understood, limiting therapeutic advancements. Recent discoveries reveal JDPs’ surprising complexity, including novel regulatory and protein recognition mechanisms. In this context, the ERC-funded CHARM project will uncover the structural and functional mechanisms of human JDPs using cutting-edge methyl-TROSY NMR and real-time biophysical assays. By decoding these chaperones’ dynamic roles, CHARM aims to advance treatments for protein misfolding-related diseases.
Objective
MolecuMolecular chaperones are vital for maintaining proteostasis by protecting our cells from the deleterious effects of protein misfolding and aggregation. The diverse ~50-chaperone J-domain protein (JDP, Hsp40) family acts as cells first line of defense, binding and remodeling non-natively folded proteins and facilitating their transfer to downstream chaperones. Recent discoveries from our lab have shown that JDP function is far more complex than previously described - identifying both a novel mode of regulation by which DNAJB1 coordinates amyloid disaggregation, and a new mechanism by which class A JDPs recognize destabilized proteins.
Based on these findings and the sheer diversity of human JDPs, we propose that these chaperones employ many additional, yet-to-be-discovered mechanisms to carry out their vital cellular roles. Obtaining a structural and functional understanding of these chaperones is further crucial, as mutations in JDPs have been linked to many pathologies, including myopathies, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders. Here we aim to uncover these novel JDP functional mechanisms, determine their role in addressing diverse proteomic challenges, and characterize how their malfunction leads to disease.
Study of JDPs has proven challenging due to the dynamic nature of these chaperones, their transient interactions with clients, and the instability of misfolded proteins. The advanced methyl-TROSY NMR techniques used in my lab are, however, ideally suited for such large and dynamic systems. Furthermore, we have developed new NMR and biophysical assays allowing the monitoring of chaperone interactions with misfolded and aggregation-prone substrates in real time.
Using these approaches, this project will unveil the structures and functional mechanisms of the diverse human JDPs, introducing fundamental new concepts into the chaperone field and paving the way for therapeutic strategies targeting protein misfolding and aggregation diseases.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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(opens in new window) ERC-2024-COG
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7610001 Rehovot
Israel
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