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Small GTPase proteins turn biochemical processes on and off inside cells by acting as signalling switches. When activated they bind specific protein targets and, in turn, activate them. We are studying RalA, since it is a small GTPase predominantly found in neurons, and is likely to be part of the machinery required for neurons to communicate. It was known that RalA influences endocytosis through specific binding proteins, which we are now identifying. We originally found that the “exocyst complex” interacts only with active RalA. The exocyst determines which side of a cell will support exocytosis and thus may determine the correct polarisation of neurons. We have now identified a protein that inhibits RalA, ERp57. It can detect the cellular redox environment and respond by inhibiting RalA signalling.
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