Institut Jacques Monod seminar – Claudia Brito

Invited by the Conduit lab, Claudia Brito (Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG, Barcelona), incoming CNRS ATIP Group Leader, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Paris-Saclay) will present an Institut Jacques Monod serminar on the theme:

Mechanisms regulating γTuRC-mediated microtubule nucleation

Abstract:

The γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC) is the principal microtubule nucleator in cells and must therefore be tightly regulated to ensure that nucleation occurs at the right time and place.

Recently, we found that this regulation relies on a structural transition of γTuRC from an open to a closed state, where the complex matches microtubule geometry. In cells, molecules containing a specific centrosomal domain called Centrosomin Motif 1 (CM1) are known to activate the complex, but the molecular mechanism underlying this activation has remained unknown.

In this presentation, I will discuss how we combined in vitro reconstitution using TIRF microscopy with cryo-EM to dissect the mechanisms of γTuRC closure and CM1-mediated activation, providing insight into this important process in cells.