Study of the regulation of scaffolding protein ATAD3 of the inner mitochondrial membrane by human NEK10 kinase: impact on mitochondrial metabolism and morphology

• Grant number: 21/07071-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: October 04, 2021
• End date: October 03, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Jörg Kobarg
• Grantee: Andressa Peres de Oliveira
• Supervisor: Carlos Torres Moraes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Miami, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/07006-8 - Analysis of the role of Nek10 in mitochondria, BP.PD

Abstract

The eleven members of the human NEK family of serine/threonine kinases have been associated with diverse cellular processes. The function of NEK10 is poorly understood, but we have recently found that NEK10 has a role in mitochondrial morphology and function. NEK10 has several isoforms and we were able to identify at least one which is enriched in mitochondria. Immunoprecipitation followed by LC-MS/MS identified several mitochondrial interactors, two of the top ones being ATAD3A and ATAD3B. The ATAD3A/B are mitochondrial inner membrane proteins with a major role in mitochondrial morphology and inner membrane organization. Mutations in the ATAD3A are frequent causes of mitochondrial diseases. Thus, our goal in this project is the study of the regulation of ATAD3 by human NEK10 kinase and its impact on mitochondrial metabolism and morphology. For the execution of this project, a partnership was established with Prof. Dr. Carlos T. Moraes from the University of Miami, and the experiments will be performed by the applicant in his laboratory, for one year. (AU)