On February 22nd we welcomed Konstanze Winklhofer, from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, for the SFB1551 Seminar Series. In her presentation, entitled “Linear polyubiquitin as a regulator of phase transitions in signaling and protein quality control”, Konstanze gave an overview on the role of the ubiquitin system in maintaining neuronal proteostasis and integrity, revealing it as a novel target for disease-modifying strategies in proteinopathies.

Konstanze also highlighted the role of mitochondria as key organelles in orchestrating stress response and adaptive pathways, as well as interorganellar communication at the interface of neuroprotective and innate immune signaling.

We were glad to hear about the lab’s recent findings, published on Nature Communications, on the thus far unknown function of NEMO (ubiquitin-binding protein which regulates canonical NF-κB pathway activation in innate immune signaling, cell death regulation and host-pathogen interactions) in proteostasis regulation by promoting autophagosomal clearance of protein aggregates.

The talk was highly engaging and it was interesting to discover that different neurodegenerative diseases share common pathological mechanisms related to proteostasis dysregulation.