Protein targeting and safeguarding upon oxidative unfolding stress (B07)

• Subject Area: Biochemistry
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 520471345

Oxidative stress causes the generation of mis- and unfolded proteins due to decline in fidelity of mRNA and protein biosynthesis and oxidative damage of proteins. The concomitant drop in cellular ATP level poses a particular hazardous situation for the cell, which leads to the activation of ATP-independent chaperones. Here, we will study the cytosolic targeting factor ASNA1 which switches into a general ATP-independent chaperone upon oxidative stress and explore its crosstalk with cellular proteostasis systems as a downstream mechanism to prevent potentially toxic protein aggregation in HEK293 cells and C. elegans.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1678: Systems-level consequences of fidelity changes in mRNA and protein biosynthesis
• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Kathrin Ulrich