Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Microtubule-Binding Protein Found Essential for Cell Function and Survival
Uncategorized

Microtubule-Binding Protein Found Essential for Cell Function and Survival

By Sarah PlumridgeMar 1, 2013
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
Vladimir Gelfand, PhD, professor in cell and molecular biology, and his colleagues, Kari Barlan and Wen Lu, recently published research which shows that the protein ensconsin is necessary for the motor protein kinesin-1 to “walk” along microtubules (shown here in green fluorescence) in neurons and non-neuronal cells. Photo credit: Postdoctoral fellows Urko Del Castillo, PhD, and Wen Lu, PhD.

For the first time, Northwestern Medicine® scientists have discovered how kinesin-1, a major motor that drives transport of cellular cargo through the cell, requires the regulatory-protein ensconsin to function.

The research, published in Current Biology by Vladimir Gelfand, PhD, professor in cell and molecular biology, graduate student Kari Barlan, and postdoctoral fellow Wen Lu, PhD, shows that ensconsin is required for the transport of cellular cargo in neurons and non-neuronal cells. 

By analyzing the movement of cellular cargo in two types of cultured cells, the scientists determined that when cells were depleted of ensconsin, the movement of the cargo along microtubules, or the tracks for transport, was severely impaired. They also found that the depletion of ensconsin impaired the ability of the kinesin-1 motor to assist in the moving of microtubules against each other, also known as microtubule sliding.

“This is something that scientists have suspected is going on, but this is the first paper where it is actually shown,” said Gelfand.

In addition to showing the role of ensconsin in cell tissue function, Gelfand explored how it affects an entire organism by studying it in fruit flies. He found that flies without this protein do not survive into adulthood.

While the research focused on flies, the components described in the paper are present in all animals.

“Our research adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that microtubules don’t just serve as passive tracks for motor proteins, but may actively participate in regulating transport,” he said. 

Microtubule sliding has piqued Gelfand’s interest, and he plans to continue to study this mechanism. He hopes that learning how processes are carried out in neuronal cells could assist in developing treatments to neurological conditions.

“When we choose to study something and understand how it works, we are careful not to pick something that is only found in flies,” Gelfand said. “The components in this study are found in both fly and human cells, which make them important for the understanding of human diseases.”

Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Hospitals Bound to Patient Safety Rules that Aren’t all Backed by Evidence

Jun 24, 2022

Identifying Protein Interactions that Promote Cancer Growth

Jun 24, 2022

Calcium Channel Blockers May Improve Chemotherapy Response

Jun 21, 2022

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Hospitals Bound to Patient Safety Rules that Aren’t all Backed by Evidence

Jun 24, 2022

Identifying Protein Interactions that Promote Cancer Growth

Jun 24, 2022

Combination Treatment May Improve Quality of Life in Kidney Cancer

Jun 23, 2022

Calcium Channel Blockers May Improve Chemotherapy Response

Jun 21, 2022

Expanded Role for Calcium Channels in T-Cells

Jun 17, 2022
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0070
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0066
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0054
Northwestern University 2022. Photo by Jim Prisching
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0077
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0063
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0111
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0083
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0018
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0023
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0072 (2)
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0120

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2022 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.