Investigating the Role of Septins in Plasma Membrane Repair of Epithelial and Neuronal Cells
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Date
2025-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
The plasma membrane (PM) is frequently exposed to various stressors that can compromise its integrity. All eukaryotic cells are vulnerable to PM damage, including epithelial and neuronal cells. As a critical homeostatic process, PM repair protects cells by maintaining their barrier against the extracellular environment. Our recent work has demonstrated that septins play a critical role in the PM repair of epithelial cells following mechanical injury or exposure to pore-forming toxins (Prislusky et al., 2024). The septins are a family of highly conserved eukaryotic cytoskeletal proteins capable of forming filaments that associate with the actin cytoskeleton and cell membranes. The most deleterious effect on PM repair was observed in cells defective for SEPT7 expression. Septins have been shown to reorganize at sites of PM damage, forming structural scaffolds that recruit key repair effectors. While these findings suggest that septins are essential for organizing and stabilizing the PM repair machinery, it remains unclear whether this function is conserved in neuronal cells.
My research aims to determine the role septins play in PM repair in epithelial and neuronal cells. Neuronal cells were chosen due to the critical importance of PM integrity in neurodegenerative diseases, injury, and aging. Understanding septin-mediated repair mechanisms in neurons could provide valuable insights into neuroprotection and potential therapeutic strategies. Future studies will focus on identifying specific repair pathways influenced by septins in neuronal cells and assessing their potential as therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative conditions. Ultimately, this work contributes to a broader understanding of cellular repair processes and their relevance to neuroprotection.
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Keywords
septins, plasma membrane repair, listeria, epithelial cells, neuronal cells