Regulation of endocytosis and lysosomal traffic by the ubiquitin conjugation system

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: New aspect of the ubiquitin system : its enormous roles in protein regulation
• Project/Area Number: 24112003
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Komada Masayuki 東京工業大学, 科学技術創成研究院, 教授 (10225568)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 石戸 聡 昭和薬科大学, 薬学部, 教授 (10273781)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-06-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: ユビキチン / ユビキチンリガーゼ / 脱ユビキチン化酵素 / エンドサイトーシス / エンドソーム / 受容体ダウンレギュレーション / 腫瘍 / 免疫

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cushing’s disease is an intractable endocrine disease caused by tumors of adrenocorticotropin-producing cells in the pituitary. The pathogenesis of Cushing’s disease has been unknown at a molecular level, which has prevented the development of effective drugs for this disease. In this study, we identified a hotspot mutation in the deubiquitinase gene USP8 in pituitary tumors of the patients with Cushing’s disease, and elucidated how an activating mutation in USP8 leads to the pathogenesis of the disease. This finding presents, for the first time, the molecular target for the treatment of Cushing’s disease.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学