Institute of Experimental Medicine CAS

Published 13. 07. 2022

A new study entitled "Microdomain ProteinNce102 Is a Local Sensor of Plasma Membrane Sphingolipid Balance" has now been published on the website of the prestigious scientific journal Microbiology Spectrum (IF 9,043). Scientists Mgr. Jakub Zahumenský, Ph.D., Ing. Petra Veselá and doc. RNDr. Jan Malínský, Ph.D. from the Department of Functional Organization of Biomembranes co-authored the study in cooperation with American colleagues from the Stony Brook University in New York.

The study focused on a detailed investigation of the plasma membrane protein Nce102, its structure and function in the context of sphingolipids. Sphingolipids are essential building blocks of eukaryotic membranes and are important signalling molecules that are tightly regulated in response to internal and external stimuli. While their biosynthetic pathway has been well described in previous studies, the mechanisms that facilitate the perception of sphingolipid levels at the plasma membrane have not yet been revealed.

Researchers have newly identified the protein Nce102 as a marker of local plasma membrane lipid composition and fluidity in budding yeast. The discovered principle is also retained in the prominent human pathogen Candida albicans, which represents a possibility for new therapeutic approaches in treating severe yeast infections in the future.

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