Ayala Shiber

Main Nano Field: The research revolves around the critical question: How are nanomachines created in our cells; How various cellular mega enzymatic complexes are assembled and protected from misfolding, while each subunit is synthesized. These include the ribosome, the most important nanomachine in our cells, synthesizing the cellular proteome, the fatty acid synthase complex, a highly dynamic multienzyme for critical biosynthesis of fatty acids; the proteasome, the mega degradation machinery in our cytosol and many more, encompassing all the major pathways involving cellular nanomachines. Furthermore, the study focuses on co-translational processes, with ribosomal profiling at its center. The ribosome is the macromolecular complex that produces all the proteins within our cell. It is thus arguably one of the most important “nanomachines” in all forms of life.

Research interests: Co-translational protein folding and quality control, in health and disease. Folding on the ribosome: We aim to study co-translational protein folding and assembly into complexes, in health and disease. We will discover and explore dedicated pathways for directing assembly as well as quality control pathways for eliminating unassembled subunits, already during synthesis. We will explore which cellular quality control factors are directly involved in the process and what underlying mechanisms guide their action. We will further explore the interplay of factors protecting the emerging chain from misfolding, focussing on dedicated assembly chaperones.