Aysegul Sapmaz

Small Rab GTPases are key regulators of various steps in the endo-lysosomal system that are critical in many stages of antigen presentation by MHC class II and CD1 molecules, T-cell receptor (TCR) cycling and destruction, and the secretion of cytotoxic granules and other lysosome-related organelles. Small GTPases undergo various post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation and prenylation. Ubiquitylation of small Rab GTPases has recently emerged as a novel regulation of their cellular functions. Therefore, in this project, we aim to find the enzymes (DUBs and E3 ligases) involved in the ubiquitylation of small Rab GTPases and develop small molecule inhibitors/tools towards these enzymes to modulate their actions in endocytosis and immunity.