Final Report Summary - TA PROTEIN INSERTION (Uncovering the Mammalian Targeting Machinery for Tail Anchored Proteins)
Mitochondria generate the majority of cellular energy and house enzymes required for the synthesis, breakdown and interconversion of various species of amino acids, lipids, iron/sulfur clusters and other small molecules. Due to their diverse functions and essential roles in cellular metabolism, mitochondria serve as hubs for signaling in events such as growth, differentiation or cell death. Loss of optimal mitochondrial activity is therefore, non-surprisingly, implicated in a growing number of human diseases and in aging. The central tasks of mitochondria in cells necessitate that much care be invested in ensuring that mitochondrial proteins are targeted correctly and that mitochondria communicated constantly with the cellular environment. Using the IRG Marie Curie reintegration grant we have shown novel aspects regulating the correct composition of mitochondria and its ability to communicate with other organelles. Specifically, we have showed novel factors affecting protein-targeting to mitochondria (Papic et al, 2013; Krumpe et al, 2011), we have demonstrated how mitochondrial proteins can change over time and in various stresses (Breker et al, 2013) all how mitochondria can communicate directly with the storage organelles of the cell, the lysosomes/vacuoles (Alon et al, submitted).
We have done all this with state of the art robotic set-up that enables us to perform biological experiments in high-throughput (Rimon&Schuldiner 2011).