Sarah Maslen

Discovery of a sulfotyrosine-motif in the human TrkB extracellular domain required for agonist activation

The paper investigates how ZEB85 activates TrkB by identifying a sulfotyrosine motif essential for agonist activation, while BDNF uses a different binding site.

TRF2 mediates force-resistant bridging of distal telomeric DNA repeats

This study shows TRF2 mediates force-resistant tethering of telomeric DNA repeats, which may be a step in T-loop formation.

Ex vivo maturation of the malaria parasite egress protease SERA6 aids pathway dissection and inhibitor development.

This study develops an in vitro system to study SERA6 maturation and validates inhibitors that block malaria parasite egress.

A long-chain heparan sulfate capture mechanism directs paracrine GDNF-GFRα1 signalling through RET

The paper reveals how long-chain heparan sulfate (HS) facilitates paracrine GDNF-GFRα1 signaling by forming a multi-protein complex with RET, essential for signaling in trans but not in cis.

Molecular determinants of cotranslational chaperone recruitment to nascent p53

The paper investigates how chaperones like Hsp70, Hsp90, and TRiC bind to nascent p53 during translation, showing TRiC's specificity and how mutations affect this process.

Phosphoregulated SMCR8-FIP200 interaction connects the ALS/FTD-linked C9orf72 complex to autophagy initiation and mitochondrial quality control

GroEL/ES chaperonin unfolds then encapsulates a nascent protein on the ribosome

This study investigates how GroEL/ES interacts with nascent proteins on ribosomes, showing that GroEL binds and destabilizes substrates, while GroES facilitates partial encapsulation and refolding.

A structural and regulatory framework for Atg9-containing vesicle formation and their Atg1-dependent remodelling during autophagy initiation

The human ribosome modulates multidomain protein biogenesis by delaying cotranslational domain docking

The paper investigates how the human ribosome modulates multidomain protein folding by delaying domain docking, contrasting with bacterial ribosomes.

Salmonella effector kinase SteC is activated by host-mediated phosphorylation

This study identifies that Salmonella effector kinase SteC is activated by host-mediated phosphorylation at S379, which enhances its kinase activity and promotes actin polymerisation.

The V-ATPase/ATG16L1 axis is controlled by the V1H subunit

This paper identifies the V1H subunit of V-ATPase as a regulator of ATG16L1 recruitment in response to pH gradient disruption, linking V-ATPase function to autophagy activation.

Trim-Away degrades lysine-less substrates without requiring ligase autoubiquitination

This study shows TRIM21 can degrade lysine-less substrates without autoubiquitination, revealing a non-canonical ubiquitination mechanism for Trim-Away.

Mpe1 senses the polyadenylation signal in pre-mRNA to control cleavage and polyadenylation

The paper shows Mpe1 interacts with the polyadenylation signal in pre-mRNA to activate CPF and control polyadenylation in yeast.

Multidimensional dynamics of the proteome in the degenerative and ageing mammalian brain

This paper quantifies protein synthesis and degradation rates in mouse models of neurodegeneration and ageing using metabolic labeling and proteomics, revealing distinct dynamics in disease versus aging.