Università della Svizzera italiana

Proteasomal and lysosomal clearance of faulty secretory proteins : ER-associated degradation (ERAD) and ER-to-lysosome-associated degradation (ERLAD) pathways

Fregno, Ilaria ; Molinari, Maurizio

In: Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology, 2019, vol. 54, no. 2, p. 153-163

About 40% of the eukaryotic cell’s proteins are inserted co- or post-translationally in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where they attain the native structure under the assistance of resident molecular chaperones and folding enzymes. Subsequently, these proteins are secreted from cells or are transported to their sites of function at the plasma membrane or in organelles of the secretory and ...

Università della Svizzera italiana

ESCRT-III-driven piecemeal micro-ER-phagy remodels the ER during recovery from ER stress

Loi, Marisa ; Raimondi, Andrea ; Morone, Diego ; Molinari, Maurizio

In: Nature communications, 2019, vol. 10, p. 5058

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) produces about 40% of the nucleated cell’s proteome. ER size and content in molecular chaperones increase upon physiologic and pathologic stresses on activation of unfolded protein responses (UPR). On stress resolution, the mammalian ER is remodeled to pre-stress, physiologic size and function on activation of the LC3-binding activity of the translocon...

Università della Svizzera italiana

Quality control mechanisms of protein biogenesis : proteostasis dies hard

Bergmann, Timothy Jan ; Brambilla Pisoni, Giorgia ; Molinari, Maurizio

In: AIMS biophysics, 2016, vol. 3, no. 4, p. 456-478

The biosynthesis of proteins entails a complex series of chemical reactions that transform the information stored in the nucleic acid sequence into a polypeptide chain that needs to properly fold and reach its functional location in or outside the cell. It is of no surprise that errors might occur that alter the polypeptide sequence leading to a non-functional proteins or that impede delivery...

Università della Svizzera italiana

Unconventional use of LC3 by coronaviruses through the alleged subversion of the ERAD tuning pathway

Reggiori, Fulvio ; De Haan, Cornelis A.M. ; Molinari, Maurizio

In: Viruses, 2011, vol. 3, no. 9, p. 1610-1623

Pathogens of bacterial and viral origin hijack pathways operating in eukaryotic cells in many ways in order to gain access into the host, to establish themselves and to eventually produce their progeny. The detailed molecular characterization of the subversion mechanisms devised by pathogens to infect host cells is crucial to generate targets for therapeutic intervention. Here we review recent...