In terms of functionality, cells, which are the building blocks of our tissues, are quite comparable to a city. In simple words, for a city to operate efficiently, we as people must do our daily tasks, for which mobility and interactions with other individuals is important. Similarly, organelles or compartments in our cells must move and interact with other organelles to execute various essential cellular processes. For instance, proteins that are made in endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi, need to be transported to different cellular locations to execute their function.
Our lab is particularly interested in studying one such organelle, the lysosomes. Because of their well-known involvement in the breakdown of cellular waste, lysosomes have historically been considered as the waste bin of the cells. However, over the last decade, a much more complex scenario of lysosome function has emerged, which has fundamentally changed the perspective of lysosomes. Interestingly, despite being long considered as a garbage bin of the cells, they are now regarded as a controller of various functions, including sensing growth signals and nutrient levels and ultimately deciding the cell metabolism. Lysosomes are shown to be involved in a wide range of cellular and physiological processes, including autophagy, nutrition sensing and signaling, cell membrane repair, immunological response, cancer, and bone degradation.
Lysosome positioning and motility are critical in order for them to fulfill many distinct cellular functions. To comprehend the significance of lysosome positioning and motility, assume there is a fire breakout somewhere, and in order to manage that breakout and rescue people, fire brigades/fighters must hurry to the location. However, if there is a glitch in their vehicle, they will be unable to move or reach the location. Similarly, lysosomes must move and position near the cell membrane in order to conduct functions such as cell membrane repair, antigen presentation, or bone degradation. Furthermore, interruption of lysosome motility has a profound impact on cellular homeostasis. As a consequence, it is not surprising that lysosomal dysfunction is associated with a variety of ailments, including neurological disorders and osteoporosis.
To move from one place to another as per our requirements, we need vehicles, roads, and other accessories. Likewise, for lysosome mobility and function, our cells have molecular motors (vehicles), small G proteins, adaptor proteins (accessories), and microtubule tracks (roads).
Our group is interested in understanding the mechanistic and functions of these molecular machines. Since mechanics can fix vehicles/machines only if they understand how the machines function. Thus, if we wish to cure disorders caused by impaired lysosome motility, we need to understand how these molecular machineries operate.
