Postgraduate Seminar – Infection, Inflammation and Immunity Theme hosted by Sophia Davidson, Stephen Nutt, Dylan Sheerin

Professor David Komander

Division Head, Ubiquitin Signalling division – Healthy Development & Ageing Theme, WEHI

 

Inflammatory signalling and Ubiquitin

 

Davis Auditorium

Join via TEAMS

Including Q&A session

David Komander and his lab focus on the modifier ubiquitin, a small protein that modifies other proteins in a variety of distinct ways, known as the ‘ubiquitin code’. Ubiquitination most commonly leads to destruction of the modified protein, but can also change its activation, interactions or localisation. Much of thir work aims to enable studies of ubiquitin signals. A biological focus of the lab are deubiquitinases (DUBs) that remove ubiquitin from proteins. Using structural biology and biophysics, they have unraveled many mechanistic and regulatory principles of how DUBs cleave ubiquitin modifications. Using preclinical models and in collaboration with human geneticists, they ascribe cellular and physiological function to select enzymes. Finally, in collaboration with industry, David and his team are developing the first enzyme-specific DUB inhibitors, which may become new treatments for cancer and neurodegeneration.

David Komander studied in Germany and Scotland, working on protein kinase structures during his PhD in Dundee. As a postdoc in London, he initiated work on tumour suppressor deubiquitinases, leading to the first structures on CYLD and A20. Focussing on E3 ligases, ubiquitin binding domains and deubiquitinases, he went on to set up his own highly successful research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK.  He was recipient for the Lister prize in 2012 and became an EMBO member in 2014. At the end of 2018 David Komander moved to Australia to become head of the newly founded Ubiquitin Signalling division at WEHI.

All welcome!