The Commander complex, which has multiple roles in cell homeostasis, cell cycle, and the immune response, is the focus of a new study published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. In the study, a team from the University of Helsinki investigated the molecular interactions and atomic structure of this supercomplex in its purest native form within human cells.
By employing cryogenic electron microscopy and mass spectrometry, the researchers unveiled the three-dimensional arrangement and interaction landscape of the Commander complex, identifying mutations linked to developmental disorders. These finding not only shed light on fundamental cellular mechanisms but also pave the way for potential therapeutic interventions in diseases like Ritscher-Schinzel syndrome, Alzheimer’s Disease, and viral infections such as COVID-19.
"With the combination of our techniques, we can truly start building a large-scale mechanistic picture of how these fundamental cellular machineries function in our bodies and what happens when things go wrong in them”, explained Esa-Pekka Kumpula, one of the study's lead authors.