BIO SEMINAR: Molecular Mechanisms of Protein and Organelle Homeostasis in Neurodegeneration
Guest : Halil Bağcı
Title : Molecular Mechanisms of Protein and Organelle Homeostasis in Neurodegeneration
Date / Time : 4 June 2026, 13:40
Location : FASS G056 (Hybrid)
Zoom Meeting : https://sabanciuniv.
Abstract:Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded proteins and the failure of cellular quality control systems. In Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid-beta aggregates disrupt neuronal function, while in Parkinson’s disease, defective clearance of damaged mitochondria contributes to neuronal loss. These pathologies highlight how impairments in protein and organelle turnover drive disease progression.
The ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) is a central proteolytic machinery that safeguards protein homeostasis by selectively degrading misfolded or damaged proteins. This process is orchestrated by ubiquitin-activating (E1), conjugating (E2), and ligating (E3) enzymes, with E3 ligases conferring substrate specificity through targeted ubiquitination. While UPS dysfunction has long been linked to neurodegeneration, the precise E3 ligase complexes involved in brain pathology remain poorly defined.
Recent work has identified the human CTLH/GID (hGID) multi-subunit E3 ligase complex as a regulator of cell cycle and metabolism. I will present my new findings on the role of hGID in amyloid-beta formation driven by Amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP), as well as its function during metabolic stress. I will also discuss future directions exploring mitophagy, a mitochondrial quality control pathway disrupted in Parkinson’s disease.
Bio:Halil was born and raised in Türkiye and graduated from Saint-Michel French High School in Istanbul before pursuing his studies abroad. He completed an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at the University of Claude Bernard in France and later earned a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Geneva in Switzerland. His master’s research demonstrated that Rho GTPases regulate mammary gland development and cell death in vivo. Later, he completed his Ph.D. in Cell Biology at McGill University in Canada, where he identified novel Rho GTPase effectors involved in the regulation of diverse cellular processes. He then pursued his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Matthias Peter at ETH Zürich in Switzerland, where he investigated E3 ubiquitin ligases that regulate cell migration. He is interested in defining how ubiquitin signaling networks coordinate cellular behavior in disease.