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SUMMARY:Neurons Put Out the Trash: A Novel Facet of Proteostasis and Mitoc
 hondrial Quality Control - Prof. Monica Driscoll\, Rutgers University\, De
 partment of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry\, Piscataway\, NJ\, USA
DTSTART:20181015T100000Z
DTEND:20181015T110000Z
UID:TALK112999@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Gabriella Heller
DESCRIPTION:Toxicity of misfolded proteins and mitochondrial dysfunction a
 re key factors that promote age-associated functional neuronal decline and
  neurodegenerative disease across species. Although these neurotoxic chall
 enges have long been considered to be cell-intrinsic\, evidence now suppor
 ts that misfolded human disease proteins originating in one neuron can be 
 transferred to neighboring cells\, a phenomenon proposed to promote pathol
 ogy spread. Likewise\, mitochondria can be sent out of the cell that made 
 them for transcellular degradation by neighbors.  We discovered and are ch
 aracterizing a dramatic\, but previously unknown\, capacity of C. elegans 
 adult neurons to extrude large (~5µM) vesicles that can include aggregate
 d proteins (including human neurodegenerative disease proteins) and damage
 d mitochondria. Strikingly\, extruded exopher contents can be found in bot
 h neighboring and remote cells. We suggest that “throwing out the trash
 ” is a conserved mechanism that constitutes a fundamental\, but formerly
  unrecognized\, branch of neuronal proteostasis and mitochondrial quality 
 control\, which\, when imbalanced\, might actively contribute to neurodege
 nerative disease. I will present our current understanding of how trash is
  identified\, sorted\, transported\, packaged for specific elimination\, a
 nd reacted to by neighboring cells. 
LOCATION:Department of Chemistry\, Cambridge\, Unilever lecture theatre
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