Identification of deubiquitinating enzymes regulating the HGF-mediated cell scattering

Protein ubiquitinatlon is a dynamic and reversible post-translational modification implicated In the regulation of a number of cell signalling pathways. Nevertheless, its involvement in the Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF)-mediated cell scattering has not been studied before. Here, I tested the hypothesis that ubiquitin signalling regulates HGF-mediated scattering. In the first part of this project, I carried out an HGF-dependent scattering screen in A549 cells using an sIRNA library targeting the deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). My screen of 83 DUB genes identified twelve potential regulators that inhibited scattering upon knockdown, Subsequently, I performed a series of experiments to characterise the candidate DUBs identified in the screen. I associated distinct cell morphologies with the depletion of different DUBs and also, where possible I correlated the level of DUBs with the HGF-mediated motility response.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo