Receptor dynamics, internalization and retrograde transport of a viral A/B toxin in yeast and in mammalian cells

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Ludger Santen; Professor Dr. Manfred Josef Schmitt
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Biophysik
• Förderung: Förderung von 2009 bis 2012
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 145511965

Endocytosis is an essential process by which eukaryotic cells internalize portions of their cell surface to remove plasma membrane proteins in order to control a variety of biological processes including cell signaling, proliferation, differentiation, survival and migration. In receptor-mediated endocytosis, receptor/ligand complexes are usually rapidly internalized and delivered to the final target compartment via early and/or late endosomes. Despite intensive studies on individual components involved in this basic cellular process, the underlying dynamic principles resulting in receptor-mediated endocytosis and intracellular cargo trafficking are only poorly understood. The present project intends to address these fundamentally important and closely interconnected processes by combining experimental data with theoretical modeling to characterize actin-dependent receptor-endocytosis and intracellular trafficking of the cellular H/KDEL receptor Erd2p and its viral A/B toxin ligand in yeast and in mammalian cells. A major goal will be to combine mathematical modeling with genetic, biochemical and live-cell imaging data to develop a theoretical model describing and predicting receptor/ligand interactions and endocytotic internalization/trafficking steps more precisely and in a general context.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen