ECR Online Seminar Series
Proteostasis UK ECR Seminar Series: Next Online Meet-Up on 24 November 2026!
Our Proteostasis UK ECR seminar series is a monthly event where members of the network can share their research with a wider audience. This is open to any member of the network and features two speakers in an hour-long session, these will generally include a balance of new researchers such as PhD students, and more established researchers working in the field proteostasis.
This months speakers are
- Jane Dudley from Katrin Rittinger's lab (The Francis Crick Institute) who will present:
"RING E3 ligase TRIM8 is structurally selective for UBE2N-mediated ubiquitination" - Nagore Elu (University of Edinburgh) who will present:
"Molecular mechanisms of hyperexcitability in Angelman syndrome"
Click here for the link to join Jane's and Nagore's talk on 24 November at 3:00 pm.
A Bit About Jane:
Jane graduated from UCL with a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry before undertaking her PhD at the University of Edinburgh, where she studied the role of autophagy in the brain cancer glioblastoma. She then joined Katrin Rittinger’s group at the Francis Crick Institute, where she has been investigating the molecular mechanisms of the TRIM family of ubiquitin E3 ligases. Her previous work published in 2025 identified a sub-class of inactive TRIM ‘pseudoligases’, but today she will be talking about how an active TRIM, TRIM8, functions selectively with one particular E2 enzyme to generate one type of ubiquitin chain.
Talk Title:
"RING E3 ligase TRIM8 is structurally selective for UBE2N-mediated ubiquitination"
Abstract for her Talk:
RING domains catalyse ubiquitination by stabilising a closed conformation of E2-ubiquitin (Ub) conjugates, with TRIpartite Motif (TRIM) proteins representing the largest subfamily of RING-type E3 ligases. TRIM proteins are implicated in many physiological processes and diseases. For example, TRIM8 perturbation has been variously linked to neurodevelopmental defects and several cancer types, attributed to its ubiquitination of a myriad of putative substrates. However, the molecular mechanisms behind these modifications are not yet clear. We find that TRIM8 has preferential functionality with the E2 enzyme UBE2N to generate K63-linked poly-ubiquitin chains. By solving the crystal structure of TRIM8 RING bound to a UBE2N-Ub conjugate, we discover that its non-canonical asparagine ‘linchpin’ residue belies this selectivity by failing to form key contacts required to stabilise the closed conformation of other E2 enzymes. These findings not only open the door to exploring the impact of TRIM8-mediated K63 chain formation in health and disease, but also add to a growing appreciation of the specificities of RING domain catalytic activity.
A Bit About Nagore:
I am a biomedical researcher with a strong academic background in biochemistry, molecular biology and neurodevelopmental disorders. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, as well as a Master’s degree and a PhD in Biomedicine and Molecular Biology from the University of the Basque Country. Since 2023, I have been a postdoctoral researcher in Susana Louros’ lab at the University of Edinburgh. My research has focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders, with particular emphasis on Angelman syndrome. My current work investigates how disruptions in ubiquitination and protein turnover may affect brain function and contribute to the development of disease.
Talk Title:
"Molecular mechanisms of hyperexcitability in Angelman syndrome"
Abstract for her Talk:
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the loss of functional UBE3A, an E3 ligase responsible for protein ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation in the brain. While cell-type specific UBE3A deficiency is known to increase seizure susceptibility, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. We hypothesized that synaptic UBE3A loss alters protein turnover, thereby driving neuronal hyperexcitability and seizures. To test this, we first investigated if dysregulation of protein turnover affected neuronal activation to determine whether targeting these pathways could mitigate hyperexcitability and seizures in AS. Next, we induced neuronal hyperactivation in Ube3am-/p+ mice and performed unbiased bulk proteomics analysis from synaptic-enriched fractions. Interestingly, Ube3am-/p+ mice showed dysregulation of several protein turnover regulators in synaptic enriched fractions in response to neuronal hyperactivation, including 20S and 19S subunits and protein synthesis regulators. We finally tested if pharmacological and/or genetic manipulation of some of these pathways would ameliorate audiogenic seizures in Ube3am-/p+ mice. Altogether our unpublished results show that activity-dependent regulation of protein turnover at synapses is compromised in AS, which is at least partially contributing to neuronal hyperexcitaility and seizures in Ube3am-/p+ mice.
Seminar Schedule
(Seminars are held on the last Tuesday of each month at 3pm BST.)
.......Talks will resume in the New Year, 2027.
If you are interested in signing up as a speaker, please fill in the short form here and we'll get back to you shortly.
To Take part in the ECR Online Seminar Series Speakers must:
* Be a member of Proteostasis UK. If you are not already, sign up here.
* Be based at a UK institution or organisation
* Self-identify as an early career researcher (ECR)
See our previous speakers here: https://proteostasisuk.co.uk/ecr-network/ecr-seminar-past-speakers
Missed a seminar? Visit our YouTube page to catch up on previous seminars.
Seminar series FAQ:
When will the seminars be?
We hold the ECR seminars every month on the last Tuesday of every month via Teams
How long will the talks be?
Each meeting will have two 20-minute talks with a five-minute question session after.
What do you mean by an ECR?
These seminars are intended for early career researchers (ECRs) ranging from PhD students to early-stage group leaders (within the first five years).
How do I access the meetings?
Registration will be available a month before each meeting. Reminders for each session will be sent out a week before the meeting with a reminder the day before the meeting.
I don’t have much data, can I still present?
If you have something you want to talk about and few datapoints to back it up, then please sign up. This is an accessible series for early career researchers to talk about their research and receive input from other’s working in the field so feedback on incomplete or non-publication ready research can be a useful tool. If you are unsure, please talk to a supervisor or colleague, or contact us at proteostasisuk@babraham.ac.uk.
Will the meetings be recorded?
We would like to record the meetings and share them on the website. However, we understand that not everyone may be comfortable being recorded, and that’s absolutely fine. If you would prefer for your talk not to be recorded or shared, please let us know in advance and we will make sure this is respected.