New Insight on Protein Transport in the Brain

Featured Speaker: Professor Hollis T. Cline

Intercellular transfer of toxic proteins between neurons is thought to contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. However, it is not clear whether intercellular protein transfer occurs normally in a healthy brain. Scripps researchers Hollis Cline and John Yates, using a rat model and a creative combination of protein tagging and identification strategies, revealed approximately 200 diverse proteins that are transported between neurons in the normal healthy brain. They also showed that the proteins are transported via small membrane-enclosed vesicles, which are released from some neurons and taken up by others. Understanding this form of intercellular communication between brain cells may provide new insights into how we think about health and disease in the brain.  
 

Presenter Biography

Hollis T. Cline, PhD, is Hahn Professor of Neuroscience at Scripps Research La Jolla. She has joint appointments as Director, Dorris Neuroscience Center Department of Molecular Medicine Graduate Program and Adjunct Professor at both UCSD and Salk Institute.

Coordinator: Marlene Rayner