Microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (MAP1LC3) is a protein with a well-defined function in autophagy, but still incompletely understood roles in several other autophagy-independent processess. Studies have shown MAP1LC3 is a host dependency factor for the replication of several viruses. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a neurotropic flavivirus, replicates on ER derived membranes that are […]

Multiple membrane trafficking networks operate in the eukaryotic cell and are hijacked by viruses to establish infection. Recent studied have highlighted that viruses can exploit distinct pathways depending on the cell type. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a neurotropic flavivirus, can infect neuronal cells through a clathrin-independent endocytic mechanism. To further characterize the membrane trafficking requirements […]

Transient gene expression is an important tool for deciphering molecular functions of a gene in a very short period. It is useful for studying the intracellular localization of proteins, to uncover in-vivo protein-protein, protein-DNA and protein-RNA interactions, and to perform Co-IP, ChIP and protein activity experiments. Although this method is extensively employed for plant species […]

Protein function is regulated at multiple levels. One prevalent mode is to form covalent adducts between small proteins and specific amino acid residues on targets thereby affecting their fate and/or function. One such protein modification is SUMOylation and it involves attachment of SUMO (Small ubiquitin-like modifiers) on lysine residues of targets. Plants maintain apparently strict […]

Efficient inter-organelle communication is critical for maintaining cellular physiology and driving cell functions. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is involved several such inter-organellar crosstalk with mitochondria, lysosomes, golgi complex, endosomes and peroxisomes. The functional tethering of ER and mitochondria at Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes (MAMs) provides a signaling hotspot for transfer of lipid and calcium (Ca2+) across […]