Location, location, location: Mapping protein localisation in disease

Protein function is intimately linked to subcellular localisation, as demonstrated by the hundreds of diseases caused by defects in protein trafficking machinery. Despite this, most proteomic studies of disease only consider changes in the expression levels of proteins, and sometimes post-translational modifications, but do not consider changes in protein localisation.

In this talk, I will discuss the use of subcellular spatial proteomics to study protein localisation in disease. I will present some of my past
research in which I have used this approach to reveal proteins that are mislocalised in a rare early-onset neurodegenerative disease called AP-4-associated Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. I will discuss how mislocalisation phenotypes can be used as disease biomarkers in diagnostics and drug discovery.

Finally, I will talk about current work in my lab, which aims to combine disease modelling with iPSC-derived neurons and spatial proteomics, to map spatial dysregulation of proteins in neurological diseases.

Read more about Dr Davies' research