PRBB-CRG Sessions Ulrike Kutay

20/03/202612:00MARIE CURIEPRBB-CRG SessionsUlrike KutayInstitute of Biochemistry, ETH Zurich"Nuclear envelope function and remodelling – from heterochromatin organization to NPC biogenesis"Host: Adel Al JordAbstract:The Kutay lab investigates nuclear organization, function and dynamics in mammalian cells, including research on the biosynthetic function of the cell nucleus in the assembly of ribosomal subunits, the role of the nuclear envelope in nucleo-cytoplasmic communication and genome organization, and the dynamic remodelling of the nuclear compartment during the cell cycle.

In my talk, I will cover two aspects of our ongoing science. Firstly, I will present our work on heterochromatin tethering to the nuclear envelope and its function in 3D genome organization as well as epigenetic maintenance in mammals. Secondly, I will present our current project on the molecular links between NE biology and a nuclear envelopathy, that is primary dystonia, a congenital movement disorder caused by mutation of Torsin1A, a member of the Torsin family of AAA+-ATPase residing in the lumen of the ER and the perinuclear space. We have identified and characterized a novel Torsin binding partner, whose absence phenocopies the cellular defects of dTorsin knockout cells. Our findings inform a new model of how Torsins promote NPC biogenesis and may guide novel therapeutic concepts for the treatment of primary dystonia.