Genome-wide genetic screen identifies host ubiquitination as important for Legionella pneumophila Dot/Icm effector translocation.

The Dot/Icm system of Legionella pneumophila is essential for virulence and delivers a large repertoire of effectors into infected host cells to create the Legionella containing vacuole. Since the secretion of effectors via the Dot/Icm system does not occur in the absence of host cells, we hypothesised that host factors actively participate in Dot/Icm effector translocation. Here we employed a high-throughput, genome-wide siRNA screen to systematically test the effect of silencing 18,120 human genes on translocation of the Dot/Icm effector, RalF, into HeLa cells.

Functional genomics down under: RNAi screening in the Victorian Centre for Functional Genomics.

The Victorian Centre for Functional Genomics (VCFG) is an RNAi screening facility housed at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. The Peter Mac is Australia's largest dedicated Cancer Research Institute, home to a team of over 520 scientists that focus on understanding the genetic risk of cancer, the molecular events regulating cancer growth and dissemination and improving detection through new diagnostic tools (www.petermac.

A functional siRNA screen identifies genes modulating angiotensin II-mediated EGFR transactivation.

The angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) transactivates the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to mediate cellular growth, however, the molecular mechanisms involved have not yet been resolved. To address this, we performed a functional siRNA screen of the human kinome in human mammary epithelial cells that demonstrate a robust AT1R-EGFR transactivation. We identified a suite of genes encoding proteins that both positively and negatively regulate AT1R-EGFR transactivation.