Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2025
Studying Proteolysis of Cyclin B at the Single Cell Level in Whole Cell Populations
Published on: September 17, 2012
T cell population size control by coronin 1 uncovered: from a spot identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis
Tohnyui Ndinyanka Fabrice1, Katarzyna Buczak1, Alexander Schmidt1
1Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Introduction:
Recent work identified members of the evolutionarily conserved coronin protein family as key regulators of cell population size. This work originated ~25 years ago through the identification, by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, of coronin 1 as a host protein involved in the virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We here describe the journey from a spot on a 2D gel to the recent realization that coronin proteins represent key controllers of eukaryotic cell population sizes, using ever more sophisticated proteomic techniques.
Areas Covered:
We discuss the value of 'old school' proteomics using relatively simple and cost-effective technologies that allowed to gain insights into subcellular proteomes and describe how label-free quantitative (phospho)proteomics using mass spectrometry allowed to disentangle the role for coronin 1 in eukaryotic cell population size control. Finally, we mention potential implications of coronin-mediated cell population size control for health and disease.
Expert Opinion:
Proteome analysis has been revolutionized by the advent of modern-day mass spectrometers and is indispensable for a better understanding of biology. Here, we discuss how careful dissection of physio-pathological processes by a combination of proteomics, genomics, biochemistry and cell biology may allow to zoom in on the unexplored, thereby possibly tackling hitherto unasked questions and defining novel mechanisms.
