Professor Jean Gruenberg | |
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Born | 13 May 1950 |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Cell Biology |
Sub-discipline | Intracellular Trafficking |
Jean Gruenberg (born May 13, 1950) is a Swiss biologist, and a professor at the University of Geneva. His research in the fields of cell biology and biochemistry has significantly contributed to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the intracellular traffic within eukaryotic cells, more especially in the endolysosomal pathway.
Using innovative approaches such as phospholipid-specific antibodies and reconstituted cell-free systems, Jean Gruenberg and his colleagues were able to unravel several important mechanisms regulating the biogenesis and membrane dynamics of early and late endosomal compartments.
Jean Gruenberg was born in Switzerland in 1950.[ citation needed ] Jean Gruenberg is married to Françoise Gisou van der Goot, and they have two children Sébastien and a girl.1950.[ citation needed ] Jean Gruenberg and his family reside in Trelex Switzerland and he works at the University of Geneva as an emeritus professor in the Department of Biochemistry.
After early studies on parasites (T. brucei and P. falciparum), [1] [2] Jean Gruenberg switched focus and studied the dynamics endosomal processes when he started to work at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) with Kate Howell, and made several important discoveries on the molecular factors directing endosome dynamics, and was successful in reconstituting the process in vitro. [3] [4] [5] [6] When he became an independent investigator, first at the EMBL and then at the University of Geneva, he continued this line of research and worked on the characterization of early and late endosomes, and identified a transport intermediate between these organelles known as the ECVs/MVBs (Early Carrier Vesicles / MultiVesicular Bodies). [7] [8] [9]
Throughout his career, Jean Gruenberg and his colleagues identified several molecular factors directing endosomal biogenesis and dynamics, including various cytoskeleton-associated proteins, [10] [7] [11] the small GTPases Rab5 [12] [13] and Rab7, [14] Annexin A2 (previously named Annexin II), [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] the vacuolar ATPase, [8] COP coat proteins, [21] [22] the N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor, [23] the small transmembrane proteins of the p24 family, [24] [25] [26] [27] the p38 MAP kinase, [28] phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate, [29] intra-endosomal cholesterol, [30] [31] the redox sensor thioredoxin-like protein, [32] sorting nexins, [33] [34] [35] the adaptor protein complex AP1, [36] components of ESCRTs and associated proteins [37] [33] [38] [39] [40] and the atypical phospholipid LBPA/BMP (see next section).
Using the Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) as a “hijacker” of the endocytic pathway, Jean Gruenberg and his colleagues demonstrated that intralumenal vesicles present within multivesicular endosomes are able to undergo back-fusion with the limiting membrane of these organelles, thus releasing their content into the cytoplasm, [41] a process regulated by the ESCRT-related proteins TSG101 [39] and ALIX, [42] and since shown to be exploited by various other invaders of the cells such as the Anthrax toxin, [43] and several other viruses. [44]
A milestone discovery in the career of Jean Gruenberg was the identification and the characterization of an atypical inverted cone-shaped phospholipid, [45] originally named lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA) and also known as bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP). Using specific monoclonal antibodies, LBPA/BMP was shown to be enriched in intralumenal vesicles of late endosomes [46] and to regulate the intracellular transport and homeostasis of cholesterol. [47] [31] LBPA/BMP is also directly involved in the formation of intracellular vesicles within multivesicular endosomes and endosome-mimicking liposomes. [37]
Endocytosis is a cellular process in which substances are brought into the cell. The material to be internalized is surrounded by an area of cell membrane, which then buds off inside the cell to form a vesicle containing the ingested material. Endocytosis includes pinocytosis and phagocytosis. It is a form of active transport.
In cell biology, a vesicle is a structure within or outside a cell, consisting of liquid or cytoplasm enclosed by a lipid bilayer. Vesicles form naturally during the processes of secretion (exocytosis), uptake (endocytosis), and the transport of materials within the plasma membrane. Alternatively, they may be prepared artificially, in which case they are called liposomes. If there is only one phospholipid bilayer, the vesicles are called unilamellar liposomes; otherwise they are called multilamellar liposomes. The membrane enclosing the vesicle is also a lamellar phase, similar to that of the plasma membrane, and intracellular vesicles can fuse with the plasma membrane to release their contents outside the cell. Vesicles can also fuse with other organelles within the cell. A vesicle released from the cell is known as an extracellular vesicle.
In biology, caveolae, which are a special type of lipid raft, are small invaginations of the plasma membrane in the cells of many vertebrates. They are the most abundant surface feature of many vertebrate cell types, especially endothelial cells, adipocytes and embryonic notochord cells. They were originally discovered by E. Yamada in 1955.
Endosomes are a collection of intracellular sorting organelles in eukaryotic cells. They are parts of endocytic membrane transport pathway originating from the trans Golgi network. Molecules or ligands internalized from the plasma membrane can follow this pathway all the way to lysosomes for degradation or can be recycled back to the cell membrane in the endocytic cycle. Molecules are also transported to endosomes from the trans Golgi network and either continue to lysosomes or recycle back to the Golgi apparatus.
Receptor-mediated endocytosis (RME), also called clathrin-mediated endocytosis, is a process by which cells absorb metabolites, hormones, proteins – and in some cases viruses – by the inward budding of the plasma membrane (invagination). This process forms vesicles containing the absorbed substances and is strictly mediated by receptors on the surface of the cell. Only the receptor-specific substances can enter the cell through this process.
Retromer is a complex of proteins that has been shown to be important in recycling transmembrane receptors from endosomes to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and directly back to the plasma membrane. Mutations in retromer and its associated proteins have been linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
Exosomes are membrane-bound extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are produced in the endosomal compartment of most eukaryotic cells. In multicellular organisms, exosomes and other EVs are found in biological fluids including saliva, blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid. EVs have specialized functions in physiological processes, from coagulation and waste management to intercellular communication.
The nuclear envelope, also known as the nuclear membrane, is made up of two lipid bilayer membranes that in eukaryotic cells surround the nucleus, which encloses the genetic material.
Coatomer subunit beta is a protein that in humans is encoded by the COPB1 gene.
BLOC-1 or biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex 1 is a ubiquitously expressed multisubunit protein complex in a group of complexes that also includes BLOC-2 and BLOC-3. BLOC-1 is required for normal biogenesis of specialized organelles of the endosomal-lysosomal system, such as melanosomes and platelet dense granules. These organelles are called LROs which are apparent in specific cell-types, such as melanocytes. The importance of BLOC-1 in membrane trafficking appears to extend beyond such LROs, as it has demonstrated roles in normal protein-sorting, normal membrane biogenesis, as well as vesicular trafficking. Thus, BLOC-1 is multi-purposed, with adaptable function depending on both organism and cell-type.
Syntaxin-7 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the STX7 gene.
Vesicle-associated membrane protein 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the VAMP3 gene.
The endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) machinery is made up of cytosolic protein complexes, known as ESCRT-0, ESCRT-I, ESCRT-II, and ESCRT-III. Together with a number of accessory proteins, these ESCRT complexes enable a unique mode of membrane remodeling that results in membranes bending/budding away from the cytoplasm. These ESCRT components have been isolated and studied in a number of organisms including yeast and humans. A eukaryotic signature protein, the machinery is found in all eukaryotes and some archaea.
The EHD protein family is a relatively small group of proteins which have been shown to play a role in several physiological functions, the most notable being the regulation of endocytotic vesicles. This family is recognized by its highly conserved EH domain, a structural motif that has been shown to facilitate specificity and interaction between protein and ligand. The four mammalian EHD proteins that have been classified are: EHD1, EHD2, EHD3, and EHD4.
Back-fusion is the fusion of internal (intraluminal) vesicles within multivesicular bodies or late endosomes with the endosome’s limiting membrane. The process is believed to be mediated by lysobiphosphatidic acid (LBPA), phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate, Alix, and an apparent dependence on an acidic pH. MHC class 2 and other proteins utilize such a process to effectively transport to locations in the cytosol and back to the plasma membrane. However, pathogens also exploit this mechanism to efficiently enter the cytosol of the cell. Unlike regular fusion in the cell between endosomes and organelles, back-fusion requires the exoplasmic leaflets of the internal vesicles and outer membrane to fuse - similar to sperm-egg fusion.
Protein VAC14 homolog, also known as ArPIKfyve, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the VAC14 gene.
Membrane vesicle trafficking in eukaryotic animal cells involves movement of biochemical signal molecules from synthesis-and-packaging locations in the Golgi body to specific release locations on the inside of the plasma membrane of the secretory cell. It takes place in the form of Golgi membrane-bound micro-sized vesicles, termed membrane vesicles (MVs).
Françoise Gisou van der Goot is a Swiss-Dutch cell biologist. She is a professor and the Vice President for Responsible Transformation at EPFL.
P14 deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized as a primary immunodeficiency syndrome. This disease was first identified within a white Mennonite family by Professor Bodo Grimbacher and Professor Christoph Klein’s teams in 2006. Four out of 15 offspring in this family showed symptoms including short stature, recurrent infection of Streptococcus pneumonia, and dysfunction of cells that contain specific lysosome-related organelles, including cytotoxic T cells, melanocytes, and neutrophil granulocytes.
Lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA) is a phospholipid that is found in the membranes of late endosomes and lysosomes of eukaryotic cells.