Nila van Overbeek

Research

I am interested in understanding how crosstalk between the post-translational modifications SUMOylation and ubiquitination, regulates the dynamic organization of the proteome content. This crosstalk includes the formation of mixed ubiquitin and SUMO chains mediated by SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligases. We hope to uncover the role of these mixed chains and expect that the mixed chains control the stability of a specific subset of the proteasome, adding specificity and complexity to the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. We are employing recombinant protein expression, protein biochemistry, pull down and mass spectrometry techniques to identify mixed chain target proteins and to determine whether proteins conjugated to mixed chains display different proteasomal degradation kinetics.  

Curriculum vitae

I completed both the bachelor of Neurobiology and the master of Biomolecular Science in Amsterdam. I conducted my first master internship in the Neuroproteomics group at the Centre for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research in Amsterdam. Here, I studied the isoform specific interactomes of the synaptic scaffolding protein Gephryin. I performed my second master internship at the interdisciplinary institute for neuroscience in Bordeaux, in the research team of Laurent Groc. The aim of this project was to study the effect of patients’ autoantibodies on neurotransmitter receptor surface dynamics and localization using single particle tracking and super resolution microscopy. I joined Alfred Vertegaal’s laboratory as a PhD student in September 2020, where I am investigating the crosstalk between SUMO and ubiquitin.