Image of a cell with AP-5 showing in green, AP-1 and AP-2 in red. Credit: Professor Margaret Robinson
The discovery by scientists in Cambridge and Alberta of a fifth adaptor protein - a tiny and vital component of many cells -will lay the foundations for a greater understanding of genetic disorders. This fundamental research could impact on the study of diseases where certain molecules fail to get trafficked correctly." - —Dr Jennifer Hirst - The people who work there call it the Titanic. The Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, a shiny building with funnel-like air vents on the Addenbrooke's complex, is the workplace of around 250 scientists, many of them internationally acclaimed in their fields. Its 40 research groups are dedicated to advancing the basic and clinical science that is needed to understand the molecular mechanisms of disease. It is in these laboratories that some of the foundational research takes place that will pave the way for the development of drugs and therapies that will save lives in the future. Earlier this year one of these groups - a team of seven scientists led by eminent cell biologist Professor Margaret Robinson - made a discovery that will lead to some of the key information contained in cell biology textbooks being revised. Working with colleagues at the University of Alberta in Canada, the team showed that the cells of all eukaryotes (a term used to describe the cell structure of animals, plants and fungi) contain five adaptor protein complexes (APs).
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