UBTD1: an ubiquitin scaffold protein at the cross roads of cell mechanics and cell metabolism – Mechano-Ub

Mechanical signals from the environment promote cell proliferation. Cell proliferation requires the accumulation of intracellular biomass in order to produce daughter cells. Yet, whether and how cell mechanics influence cell metabolism remains largely unknown. Recently Partner 1 has identified UBTD1, an ubiquitin domain-containing protein as a crucial regulator of cell mechanics and proliferation. Yet, UBTD1 functions remain largely unknown, especially regarding its role in mechanotransduction. Our preliminary results suggest that UBTD1 directly controls the level of purine biosynthesis in mechanoactivated cells. Therefore, using a combination of 2D and 3D cell culture coupled with proteomics and metabolomics we propose to unveil the mechano-metabo molecular circuit controlled by UBTD1, thus providing novel insight in the tightly controlled and fine-tunable molecular circuit that allows cells to adjust their metabolic needs to their mechanically constrained environment.