Live-cell structural biology: towards the mechanics of exocytosis
Special seminar
- Date: Jun 29, 2017
- Time: 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Dr. Oriol Gallego
- EMBL Heidelberg
- Location: ZSM, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 16
- Room: Seminar Room
- Host: Dr. Michal Skruzny
- Contact: michal.skruzny@synmikro.mpi-marburg.mpg.de
Structure-function analyses are fundamental to understand
the mode of action of the cellular machinery. However, cellular
functions result from the concerted action of multiple protein
assemblies and other cellular components, which complexity cannot be
reconstituted in a tube. Thus, despite in vitro techniques can
reconstruct isolated protein complexes up to the atomic scale, models
where individual protein assemblies execute cellular functions are
intrinsically limited.We have combined cell
engineering, advanced live-cell imaging and computational integration of
structural data to determine the 3D architecture of protein complexes
directly in living cells. Using this approach, we have reconstructed the
exocyst, a conserved multisubunit assembly that is responsible to
tether secretory vesicles during exocytosis. The 3D architecture of the
exocyst bound to a vesicle allowed us to start building a mechanistic
model for exocytosis (Picco et al., Cell 2017).