IDENTIFYING CONDENSIN INTERACTING PROTEINS

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。在每一次细胞分裂过程中，基因组必须精确地复制并将一整套染色体分离到每一个子细胞中。染色体分离失败会对人类健康造成严重后果，因为产生染色体数目不适当的细胞会导致细胞死亡、出生缺陷或癌症。我们的研究重点是凝缩蛋白，一种保守的蛋白质，通过在减数分裂和有丝分裂过程中组织染色体结构来确保准确的染色体分离。凝聚蛋白结合染色体，被认为利用ATP水解的能量将DNA缠绕成大的环。我们发现秀丽隐杆线虫具有两种成分重叠的凝缩蛋白复合物，在有丝分裂和基因调控中具有不同的功能。我们以前的工作也表明，凝缩蛋白的功能不仅仅是简单的压实，还可以促进姐妹染色单体的分解和着丝粒的组织。为了更多地了解凝缩蛋白，我们现在采用功能蛋白质组学方法来鉴定凝缩蛋白相互作用蛋白。初步结果已经确定了新的凝缩蛋白亚基，意想不到的亚基相互作用，以及指向凝缩蛋白功能与细胞周期联系机制的调节蛋白。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. During every cell division, the genome must accurately replicate and segregate a complete set of chromosomes into each daughter cell. Failures in chromosome segregation have severe consequences for human health, since creating cells with an inappropriate chromosome number can lead to cell death, birth defects, or cancer. Our research focuses on condensins, conserved proteins that ensure accurate chromosome segregation by organizing chromosome structure during meiosis and mitosis. Condensins bind chromosomes and are thought to use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to wind DNA into large loops. We showed that C. elegans has two condensin complexes with overlapping components and distinct functions in mitosis and gene regulation. Our previous work also suggested that condensin functions beyond simple compaction to promote sister chromatid resolution and centromere organization. To learn more about condensins, we are now taking a functional proteomics approach to identify condensin-interacting proteins. Preliminary results have identified new condensin subunits, unexpected subunit interactions, and regulatory proteins that point to mechanisms for tying condensin function to the cell cycle.