FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
CONTACT: Melissa Powell, FSU College of Medicine
(850) 645-9699; melissa.powell@med.fsu.edu
 
March 2020
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —Turns out, even your cells hate traffic jams. 
 
In order for cells to function properly, they need to be able to coordinate traffic within their walls and let information flow in and out. 
 
Inside a cell, molecules, organelles and information travel along microtubules, which work like highways or conveyor belts. Backups can occur if the information isn’t organized and moving efficiently through the microtubules.
 
In a paper published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, Florida State University College of Medicine Associate Professor Timothy Megraw and colleagues provide an understanding of how microtubules are assembled and organized. 
 
They also identify a mechanism that keeps the cellular information flowing smoothly. Avoiding jams is critical for the transfer of collagen, a protein necessary for healthy function of internal organs. 
 
Studying the mechanism also can provide an important foundation for understanding human diseases.
 
“Microtubules are important for a variety of cellular processes,” Megraw said. “Molecules get transported along them like cables to enter and exit the cells. Typically, a cell will have a centrosome, which organizes the microtubules. The cables start from the centrosome and go outward.”
 
Until recently, that would have been the makeup you’d expect to see within a fruit fly’s fat body cell. But Megraw and his team uncovered a new system at work in fat body cells, which are analogous to human liver cells.
 
The team discovered that the cells have a unique center on the nucleus that oversees the organization of the microtubules and serves other cell functions.
 
It’s different from a centrosome and is scientifically known as a non-centrosomal microtubule-organizing center (ncMTOC).
 
“In these cells, there’s a big nucleus and the microtubules come out from there like a big sun radiating outward. Most cells don’t have that,” said Megraw, who co-authored the study with Yiming Zheng, a former Department of Biomedical Sciences doctoral student. “Yiming determined what that center is composed of, how it works and what it does for the cell, which are all very novel things.”
 
The organizing centers, or ncMTOCs, determine the position of the nucleus, which can vary depending on cell function. They also ensure that collagen is efficiently secreted out of the cell.
 
“Fat body cells, similar to our liver, provide the collagen for the whole rest of the organism,” Megraw said. “Collagen maintains organ integrity. Without it, the organs kind of fall apart.”
 
The organizing center ensures that the cell can not only secrete collagen but do so efficiently via the microtubules in order to avoid molecular traffic jams.
 
“If we just knock out the microtubules, then it’s really inefficient,” he said. “Some of it happens, but it’s dramatically reduced as an indirect effect of failed trafficking. What we showed was that the trafficking is key in the retrograde (or backward) direction. The collagen molecules get out, then there’s a block in the recycling of materials, so everything gets clogged up.
 
“But also, if we don’t directly disrupt microtubules and instead destroy the ncMTOC – the place they’re organized from – then we get the same effect. So, you don’t just need microtubules; they also have to be organized properly.”
 
The study went on to reveal more mysteries about how exactly the organizing centers are assembled. Two proteins — patronin and ninein — stimulate the assembly of microtubules together with a well-known microtubule polymerase that was not known previously to work cooperatively with the proteins. This molecular framework provides a novel mechanism for how the organizing center works.
 
By studying this process, researchers can uncover more clues about how and why things go wrong in cellular processes that are unique to differentiated cell types.
 
For example, similar to the fat body cells that Megraw and his team studied, mature muscle cells also have a microtubule organizing center on the nucleus, which could be important to the study of muscular dystrophy and premature aging syndromes.
 
“There are several unique features even though they kind of look the same,” Megraw said. “But I think the platform molecule that’s associated with the perinuclear muscle ncMTOC, called nesprin, may be a common feature, which may be why its disruption has so many disease associations.”
 
The team’s research, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, lays the groundwork for further exploration of cells’ organizing centers and their specific roles in different cell types.
 
“I think we can use this to explore more of the diversity,” he said. “How do each of the diverse cell types in our body organize microtubules from their ncMTOCs to accomplish their unique cell and tissue functions? 
 
“Different cells have unique roles that they serve to the whole organism, and microtubules are important in every cell, so I would assume their organization is, too. There’s a lot for us to explore and discover.”

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kathleen Haughney, University Communications
(850) 644-1489; khaughney@fsu.edu

Tia Ford, Mayo Clinic
(904) 953-1419; Ford.Tia@mayo.edu

Feb. 25, 2020

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida State University President John Thrasher and representatives from Mayo Clinic in Florida signed a multifaceted agreement Tuesday in Jacksonville to attract and retain top talent in the biomedical field.

The collaborative education efforts will focus on medical innovation and promote a market-driven approach to create a highly trained workforce focused on taking medical technology from the research space to clinical practice.  

“The relationship between Florida State University and Mayo Clinic represents an incredible opportunity for our students to benefit from the combined capabilities of these venerable institutions,” said FSU President John Thrasher. “We are thrilled that our students will be able to take advantage of the internship and research opportunities available through Mayo so they can progress in their biomedical education and add to the talent pool we have here in Florida.”

FSU has appointed Emily Pritchard, a researcher in the FSU College of Medicine, as director of the FSU-Mayo Collaboration to bring together various colleges at FSU that will benefit from the new collaborative initiatives. In addition to the opportunities for existing FSU students, Mayo staff will be able to access training and educational opportunities through FSU’s Office of Distance Learning.

“We are very pleased to announce this partnership, which will combine the incredible capabilities of our two institutions to accelerate innovative ideas to benefit patients through the development and commercialization of biotechnology, a robust entrepreneurship program, and an enhanced workforce to meet the healthcare, research and development needs of Florida, the region and beyond,” said Dr. Kent Thielen, CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida. “We feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to collaborate with such an exceptional university.”

The agreement creates new opportunities for FSU students to participate in internships at the Mayo Clinic campus in Jacksonville, working with physician mentors in clinical research and healthcare startups in the Life Sciences Incubator. Internship placements begin in summer 2020. In addition, FSU students in Tallahassee will have the opportunity to work on Mayo Clinic projects with contributions in data science, biostatistics and engineering. Faculty and students from Mayo Clinic will be able to train at FSU with world-renowned researchers and state of the art equipment at the main campus and National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

As part of the collaboration, FSU will create an interdisciplinary biomedical entrepreneurship certificate program, combining the expertise of FSU’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and College of Medicine. The graduate certificate will be open to FSU students and Mayo employees.

Provost Sally McRorie called the agreement a win for both institutions. 

“This is an unparalleled opportunity for FSU students whether they are interested in research, clinical work or biomedical entrepreneurship,” McRorie said. “We are also happy to be able to provide Mayo staff additional educational and training opportunities through our Office of Distance Learning as they progress in their careers. We are so proud to work with Mayo on this wonderful collaboration.”

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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news and An Inside Look at Mayo Clinic for more information about Mayo.