Xiaomeng Tang, PhD
From 2018 to 2021 we have been supporting Xiaomeng Tang, PhD. Her scholarship has been granted by Professor Wolfgang Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Baumeister, whom we awarded the Jung Gold Medal for Medicine 2018. Tang, a young scientist at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, was selected for her research on the structural biology of proteasomes using cutting-edge cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). This prestigious award includes a fellowship currently valued at €30,000, which may be granted to an early-career scientist of the awardee’s choice.
Uncovering the organization of proteasomes
Her work focuses on understanding how proteasomes, essential protein complexes for degrading unneeded or damaged proteins, are spatially and structurally organized within cells, particularly in conditions of metabolic stress. Tang investigated how proteasomes transition from an active state during cell proliferation to an inactive, storage form under nutrient-limited conditions such as quiescence.
High-resolution insight into cellular adaptation
Using in situ cryo-ET, Tang visualized certain proteasomes in yeast cells group into larger three-part complexes that accumulate in the nucleoplasm and near nuclear pores. Under energy-limited conditions, these proteasomes reorganize into paracrystalline fibers known as proteasome storage granules (PSGs). These PSGs serve as a reservoir of inactive proteasomes, which can be quickly reactivated when nutrients become available again.
Tang’s work revealed the structural basis of how a major regulatory machine in eukaryotic cells can be sequestered and preserved through the formation of membraneless organelles. Her research contributes to our understanding of cellular adaptation mechanisms and proteostasis, with potential implications for age-related diseases and neurodegeneration.
A path toward future discoveries
Thanks to the scholarship, Tang was able to deepen her investigations – paving the way for new insights into the cellular organization and regulation of protein degradation.