On Wednesday 27 May 2026 at 13:00, Virginia Fochi defends her PhD dissertation entitled “Unravelling the role of Cullin-3 linked protein degradation in the development of neuromuscular disorders”. 

Neuromuscular disorders are often linked to disturbances in the way muscle cells maintain and recycle their proteins. In healthy cells, damaged or unnecessary proteins are continuously removed through a controlled degradation system known as the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway. A central component of this system is the protein Cullin3 (CUL3), which labels target proteins for degradation with the help of a large set of adaptor proteins. Although around 180 CUL3 adaptor proteins have been identified, their roles in skeletal muscle development are not fully understood.

In this study, the function of CUL3 adaptor proteins was investigated during muscle cell development using a cultured muscle cell model. Each of the 180 adaptor genes was individually silenced, and effects on muscle cell differentiation were assessed by measuring morphological features such as cell area, perimeter and how well mature muscle fibers are formed. The results indicated that several adaptor proteins influence muscle cell development.

Two adaptor proteins, Ankfy1 and Kctd9, were selected for further analysis. Both showed increased expression during early stages of muscle cell development. Additional observations indicated differences in expression depending on muscle fiber type and sex. Further experiments are underway to identify their cellular targets and clarify their molecular functions.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Auditorium A, 1162-013, Aarhus University. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Virginia Fochi
Mail: vi.fo@biomed.au.dk 
Phone: +45 60908237

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