Fast Breaking Comment by Giulio Superti-Furga

Giulio Superti-Furga answers a few questions about this month's fast breaking paper in field of Multidisciplinary.

From •>>October 2002

Field: Multidisciplinary
Article Title: "Functional organization of the yeast proteome by systematic analysis of protein complexes"
Authors: Gavin, AC;Bosche, M;Krause, R;Grandi, P;Marzioch, M;Bauer, A;Schultz, J;Rick, JM;Michon, AM;Cruciat, CM;Remor, M;Hofert, C;Schelder, M;Brajenovic, M;Ruffner, H;Merino, A;Klein, K;Hudak, M;Dickson, D;Rudi, T;Gnau, V;Bauch, A;Bastuck, S;Huhse, B;Leutwein, C;Heurtier, MA;Copley, RR;Edelmann, A;Querfurth, E;Rybin, V;Drewes, G;Raida, M;Bouwmeester, T;Bork, P;Seraphin, B;Kuster, B;Neubauer, G;Superti-Furga, G
Journal: NATURE
Volume: 415
Page: 141-147
Year: JAN 10 2002
* Cellzome AG, Meyerhofstr 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
* Cellzome AG, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
* European Mol Biol Lab, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
* CNRS, CGM, F-91198 Gif Sur Yvette, France.

Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

Not only does it describe a textbook’s worth of biological novelties, but the work shows for the first time that you can obtain an organization chart of a eukaryotic proteome at a higher order, beyond protein-protein interaction. Such a higher-order organization reflects cellular function and is an ideal structure on which to add additional information from other avenues of research.

Does it describe a new discovery or new methodology that's useful to others?

Bertrand Seraphin, one of the authors, had described the method before. More than the ability to do it in large scale, what is useful to others is the realization that the vast majority of proteins operate in context. Whatever gene or gene product one may work on, one really should care to know who the partners are and how they influence the protein's ability to fulfill its biological function. A detailed knowledge will help plot the potential cellular roles for a particular protein.

Can you give us some background on this research?

Though protein complexes are not novel to biology, as pointed out by Bruce Alberts in 1998 in Cell, The Cell as a Collection of Protein Machines: Preparing the Next Generation of Molecular Biologists Cell 1998 92: 291, where he speaks of "molecular machines", few people were prepared to realize how much that is true. The vast majority of proteins participate in multiprotein complexes—even glycolitic enzymes form complexes. The same is true for almost all targets of the drugs that make up our daily apothecary. How can we not think that this may influence the drug’s activity? Hence many drugs have the (in)famous side effects or sometimes "good" side effects, broadening the therapeutic spectrum, like panaceas that heal more broadly than anticipated.

Could you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's terms?

If the cell is like a large company where many people, i.e. the proteins, work, we have sketched a functional organizational chart, so that we know whom, functionally, belongs to what group. We borrow a social science term and call it "protein sociology" because that is what it is—a study on the society of proteins, who hangs out with whom and why.

Giulio Superti-Furga,
PhDVice-President Biology and Co-Founder
Cellzome AG
Heidelberg, Germany

ESI Special Topics, October 2002
Citing URL - http://www.esi-topics.com/fbp/comments/october02-GiulioSuperti-Furga.html