The Consortium is an initiative whose goals include gaining a deep understanding of the functions in mammalian cells of each of the ~30 ARF family GTPases, their GAPs (GTPase Activating Proteins), their GEFs (Guanine nucleotide Exchange Factors), and their effectors.
To achieve these goals, we wish to:
- Generate a collection of immortalized, mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) with CRISPR-generated knockouts (both alleles frameshifted so as to eliminate expression of functional protein) of each ARF GTPase, their GAPs and GEFs and GEFs (~70 genes in all);
- Use crowdsourcing to share these KO MEFs with researchers to use in specific assays to identify the pathways, organelles, and processes regulated by each gene/protein;
- Determine the extent of functional overlap (aka redundancy) between close paralogs (e.g., ARF1 vs ARF3 or ACAP1 vs ACAP2);
- Maintain a website to share data, links to relevant databases, research protocols, and information on access to resources and experts in various aspects of this field (including both technical experts and those with deep knowledge of subsets of proteins, e.g., ARL2, ASAP1-3, structures of ARFs, cell motility assays, GEF assays, etc.
Our hope is that the Consortium will both directly provide and increase access to shared resources for the research community (e.g., plasmids, cell lines, protocols) and link researchers with common interests to promote collaborative projects.
Please email Rick Kahn with any corrections, suggestions, or additions, to any of these websites or the data.
Read the full description of the ARF Consortium here.
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We are currently updating the ARF Consortium site with new conent.
I think the Arf consortium will be a huge resource for the field if it can garner sufficient support for generating and sharing KO MEFs and reagents. The issue of financing will need to be addressed.
Really great, excellent explains the subject. I my self activated and educated with research work.
Thanks
Sincerely,
DR. MADHU. MD (Biochemstry& Molecular Biology)