Recognizing and breaking down the right membranes
How can a cell digest unwanted membranes while protecting others?
How it works
When a cell breaks down unwanted material, it must also remove the membrane that enclosed that material. But it cannot damage the essential membranes around it. We study how a membrane-digesting enzyme acts on the appropriate membrane.
In yeast, waste is broken down inside a compartment called the vacuole. Atg15 is an enzyme that helps break down membranes delivered into this compartment. Cutting part of the protein during maturation, and its contact with a membrane, can change how easily the enzyme reaches the lipids it needs to act on.
Membrane shape matters as well. Small enclosed membranes are strongly curved, while the vacuole’s outer boundary is comparatively flat. Our 2026 study showed how changes in Atg15 structure and its preference for curved membranes help explain selective degradation.
What we want to learn next
Published researchWe next want to understand how lipid composition and the conditions inside the cell work together with membrane shape to regulate Atg15.
Related publications & press releases
Structural and functional analyses explain how a lipase recognizes a membrane and becomes active during breakdown.