characterization-amyloid-structures-aging-c-elegans-using

Characterization of Amyloid Structures in Aging <em>C. Elegans</em> Using Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging

Amyloid fibrils are associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington&#39;s, Parkinson&#39;s, or Alzheimer&#39;s disease. These ...

in-vivo-quantification-protein-turnover-aging-c-elegans-using

In Vivo Quantification of Protein Turnover in Aging <em>C. Elegans</em> using Photoconvertible Dendra2

Proteins are synthesized and degraded constantly within a cell to maintain homeostasis. Being able to monitor the degradation of a protein of interest is ...

Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology im Forschungsverbund Berlin

University of Bremen

Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology im Forschungsverbund

Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are conserved, ubiquitous members of the proteostasis network. Canonically, they act as "holdases" and buffer unfolded or misfolded proteins against aggregation in an ATP-independent manner. Whereas bacteria and yeast each have only two sHsps in their genomes, this number is higher in metazoan genomes, suggesting a spatiotemporal and functional specialization in higher eukaryotes. Here, using recombinantly expressed and purified proteins, static light-scattering analysis, and disaggregation assays, we report that the noncanonical sHsp HSP-17 of  facilitates aggregation of model substrates, such as malate dehydrogenase (MDH), and inhibits disaggregation of luciferase  Experiments with fluorescently tagged HSP-17 under the control of its endogenous promoter revealed that HSP-17 is expressed in the digestive and excretory organs, where its overexpression promotes the aggregation of polyQ proteins and of the endogenous kinase KIN-19. Systemic depletion of  shortens  lifespan and severely reduces fecundity and survival upon prolonged heat stress. HSP-17 is an abundant protein exhibiting opposing chaperone activities on different substrates, indicating that it is a selective protein aggregase with physiological roles in development, digestion, and osmoregulation.

Janine Kirstein

Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology im Forschungsverbund Berlin

Characterization of Amyloid Structures in Aging C. Elegans Using Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging

In Vivo Quantification of Protein Turnover in Aging C. Elegans using Photoconvertible Dendra2