Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Horizontal Gel Electrophoresis for Enhanced Detection of Protein-RNA Complexes
Published on: July 28, 2017
The biochemical and genetic odyssey to the function of a nicastrin-like protein
Christof Haffner1, Christian Haass
1Laboratory for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry, Adolf Butenandt Institute, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany. chaffner@med.uni-muenchen.de
Abstract:
Gamma-secretase is a high-molecular-weight protein complex required for the proteolytic processing of various transmembrane proteins including the Alzheimer's disease-associated amyloid precursor protein and the signaling receptor Notch. One of the gamma-secretase complex components is the type I transmembrane protein nicastrin. Here we review the odyssey to a cyclopic fish, which at the end allowed the functional analysis of nicalin, a novel member of the nicastrin protein family. This 60-kDa protein is part of a previously unknown membrane protein complex unrelated to gamma-secretase and binds to Nomo (Nodal modulator, previously known as pM5), a novel 130-kDa transmembrane protein. Both proteins are highly conserved in metazoans and show almost identical tissue distribution in humans. Functional studies in zebrafish embryos and cultured human cells revealed that nicalin and Nomo collaborate to antagonize the Nodal/TGFbeta signaling pathway. Thus, nicastrin and nicalin are both associated with protein complexes involved in cell fate decisions during early embryonic development.
More Related Videos
09:32Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development
Published on: June 15, 2017
11:56Antimicrobial Peptides Produced by Selective Pressure Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids
Published on: May 4, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Proteins: From Genes to Degradation
Transcription is the synthesis of RNA molecules by RNA...
Proteins: From Genes to Degradation
Transcription is the synthesis of RNA molecules by RNA...
From DNA to Protein
Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria
Sorting of outer membrane proteins:
Mitochondrial outer membrane proteins are of two types: the transmembrane, beta-barrel porins, and the membrane-anchored, alpha-helical proteins. Beta-barrel porin precursors are translocated by the TOM complex and inserted into the outer mitochondrial membrane by the SAM complex. In contrast,...
Nuclear Protein Sorting
Proteins targeted to the nucleus carry nuclear localization signals or NLS recognized by import receptors in the cytosol. Similarly, proteins with nuclear export signals are recognized by export receptors. Import and export receptors are...
Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order to...