Center for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics

• SPEAKER

Prof. Sang Hak Lee (Pusan National University

• TITLE

The seminal role of small charged biomolecules manipulating protein phase separation in neurodegenerative diseases

• ABSTRACT

Protein aggregation, also referred to as phase separation, has been the subject of much research in biology, biophysics, and chemistry. Protein aggregation can function either to promote normal cellular metabolism or to disturb normal cellular functions. The chemical mechanism underlying protein aggregation is not clearly understood. It is well-known that many aggregated proteins are highly charged, either positively or negatively. Thus, we hypothesized that protein aggregation is mediated by small charged biomolecules: negatively charged nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) interacting with positively charged proteins and positively charged polyamine interacting with negatively charged proteins. In this study, we employed super-charged green fluorescence protein (scGFP) to study how charged proteins are aggregated through charge-charge interaction with small charged biomolecules in cells. When expressing scGFP in E-coli, positively charged (+28) GFPs were found to aggregate with NTP and negatively charged (-27) GFPs aggregated with polyamine molecules. In addition, it is known that tau protein aggregation is a main cause of neuronal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease. We showed tau proteins could be aggregated by small charged molecules. We thereby conclude that the small charged biomolecules are the main driver to induce protein aggregation in cells.

• DATE AND VENUE

          Mar 29. 2023 (Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

• LANGUAGE