Modulating material properties of cargo protein to probe exopher biology

摘要: Monday, February 12, 2024 217a protein. Furthermore, it is unknown if exophers preferentially recruit liquid or hydrogel protein condensates that have intermediate material properties between soluble and aggregated protein. To address this question, we express PGL-3, a native C. elegans germline protein, as a model substrate in our established touch neuron model of exophergenesis. We show that PGL-3 condensates are extruded in exophers but may also remain in the neuronal soma. We mutate the intrinsically disordered region of PGL-3 and characterize the altered phase behavior in vitro and in vivo, and we determine the effects of these mutations on exophergenesis and PGL-3 cargo recruitment to exophers. These findings further our understanding of exopher cargo criteria and condensate biology in the neurons of living animals.