Dr Yogesh Kulathu, MRC Investigator and Group Leader at the MRC PPU has just been awarded an European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant of 2.1 million euros, that will enable his team to develop new technologies and methodologies to investigate unexplored areas of ubiquitin biology.

Dr Kulathu’s project, StressHUb, aims to gain insights into the fundamental principles regulating stress at the cellular level. The cells of our body are constantly exposed to stresses, such as UV light and carcinogens, heat, and metabolic stresses. Cells use intricate intracellular signalling pathways to translate these environmental challenges into appropriate cellular responses. A key signal used in this process is the small protein modifier called ubiquitin. This project, StressHUb, will explore the roles of branched heterotypic ubiquitin chains (HUbs) as specialized signals in cellular stress responses. These branched HUbs play important roles in the physiology of human cells, however, their functions have not been defined because of the complex nature of these modifications and the lack of ways to study them.

Dr Kulathu said, “I am thrilled to be awarded this ERC grant. It will allow us to tackle a complex and challenging research question in cell signalling and get to the basics of how cells deal with stress. There is so much potential for new and groundbreaking discoveries. This knowledge can then be used to develop drugs to treat various diseases where cellular stress is not resolved, such as neurodegeneration, chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer.”

To work on these exciting questions, postdoctoral positions and a PhD studentship will be available in his lab. Postdocs and students interested in joining the project can email him directly at ykulathu@dundee.ac.uk.