A network of interacting ciliary tip proteins with opposing activities imparts slow and processive microtubule growth.

Cilia are motile or sensory organelles present on many eukaryotic cells. Their formation and function rely on axonemal microtubules, which exhibit very slow dynamics, but the underlying mechanisms are largely unexplored. Here we reconstituted in vitro the individual and collective activities of the ciliary tip module proteins CEP104, CSPP1, TOGARAM1, ARMC9 and CCDC66, which interact with each other and with microtubules and, when mutated in humans, cause ciliopathies such as Joubert syndrome.

Centriolar cap proteins CP110 and CPAP control slow elongation of microtubule plus ends.

Centrioles are microtubule-based organelles required for the formation of centrosomes and cilia. Centriolar microtubules, unlike their cytosolic counterparts, are stable and grow very slowly, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we reconstituted in vitro the interplay between the proteins that cap distal centriole ends and control their elongation: CP110, CEP97, and CPAP/SAS-4.

CAMSAPs and nucleation-promoting factors control microtubule release from γ-TuRC.

γ-Tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) is the major microtubule-nucleating factor. After nucleation, microtubules can be released from γ-TuRC and stabilized by other proteins, such as CAMSAPs, but the biochemical cross-talk between minus-end regulation pathways is poorly understood. Here we reconstituted this process in vitro using purified components.

Phosphoprotein dynamics of interacting T cells and tumor cells by HySic.

Functional interactions between cytotoxic T cells and tumor cells are central to anti-cancer immunity. However, our understanding of the proteins involved is limited. Here, we present HySic (hybrid quantification of stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture [SILAC]-labeled interacting cells) as a method to quantify protein and phosphorylation dynamics between and within physically interacting cells.

Deep (phospho)proteomics profiling of pre- treatment needle biopsies identifies signatures of treatment resistance in HER2 breast cancer.

Patients with early-stage HER2-overexpressing breast cancer struggle with treatment resistance in 20%-40% of cases. More information is needed to predict HER2 therapy response and resistance in vivo. In this study, we perform (phospho)proteomics analysis of pre-treatment HER2 needle biopsies of early-stage invasive breast cancer to identify molecular signatures predictive of treatment response to trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and chemotherapy.