New biology unveiled for fundamental cellular machinery
Originally published by the University of Helsinki, on March 11, 2024 3D printed version of the endogenous Human Commander complex. Credit: Markku Varjosalo & Esa-Pekka Kumpula Cellular communication relies on receptor molecules on the cell surface . The periodic uptake and sorting of these receptors, critical for their degradation or recycling, are governed by an elaborate machinery prominently featuring the Commander complex . Research teams at the I nstitute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, led by Dr. Markku Varjosalo and Prof. Juha Huiskonen, dissected the molecular interactions and atomic structure of this supercomplex, in its purest native form present in human cells. The study is published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology . New avenues for potential therapeutic interventions in diseases The Commander complex's three-dimensional arrangement and the extent of its interaction landscape have remained a mystery until now. The research