Open Access Highly Accessed Research article

The TSC1-TSC2 complex consists of multiple TSC1 and TSC2 subunits

Marianne Hoogeveen-Westerveld, Leontine van Unen, Ans van den Ouweland, Dicky Halley, Andre Hoogeveen and Mark Nellist*

Author Affiliations

Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, Rotterdam, 3015 GE, The Netherlands

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BMC Biochemistry 2012, 13:18 doi:10.1186/1471-2091-13-18

Published: 24 September 2012

Abstract

Background

Mutations to the TSC1 and TSC2 genes cause the disease tuberous sclerosis complex. The TSC1 and TSC2 gene products form a protein complex that integrates multiple metabolic signals to regulate the activity of the target of rapamycin (TOR) complex 1 (TORC1) and thereby control cell growth. Here we investigate the quaternary structure of the TSC1-TSC2 complex by gel filtration and coimmunoprecipitation.

Results

TSC1 and TSC2 co-eluted in high molecular weight fractions by gel filtration. Coimmunoprecipitation of distinct tagged TSC1 and TSC2 isoforms demonstrated that TSC1-TSC2 complexes contain multiple TSC1 and TSC2 subunits.

Conclusions

TSC1 and TSC2 interact to form large complexes containing multiple TSC1 and TSC2 subunits.

Keywords:
TSC1; TSC2; TSC1-TSC2 complex; Quaternary structure