Cells react to a multitude of external signals. Often these signals are spatially modulated. The mechanisms that allow cells to internally represent these spatial modulations are still not fully understood. Elementary Calcium signals are essential for intracellular signalling, but, again, little is known about how such signals are processed intracellularly. As an example we will consider the conventional protein kinase Cα (PKCα), which can readout local Ca2+ signals and diacylglycerol (DAG) production. Specifically, we will quantitatively investigate the relation between local Ca2+ and DAG concentrations and spatially confined translocation events of PKCα using fluorescence microscopy as well as methods from theoretical physics with an emphasis on protein-protein interactions. Thereby, we will study basic mechanisms of processing local Ca2+ signals and their implications for subcellular signal processing
DFG Programme
Research Grants
