Actin network architecture in vivo

• Applicant: Professor Dr. John Victor Small
• Subject Area: Cell Biology
• Term: from 2010 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 171842583

The advance of a moving cell relies on the extension of cytoplasmic protrusions in the form of sheets termed lamellipodia and rods termed filopodia. The structural frameworks of lamellipodia and filopodia comprise actin filaments, organised in networks in lamellipodia and bundles in filopodia and extension is based on the polymerization of actin filaments nucleated at the cell membrane. This project aims to clarify the roles of different modulators of actin in the generation of lamellipodia networks. Specifically we will define the influence that these different factors have on the structural organization of lamellipodia by exploiting new advances in electron microscopy (electron tomography) that allow three dimensional visualization of actin filament arrays in situ. Electron tomography will be combined with correlated live cell imaging of cells in which the expression of individual proteins is manipulated to relate structure to function. The findings should shed new light on the process of nucleation and generation of actin filament arrays that drive cell movement.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1464: Principles and Evolution of Actin-nucleator Complexes
• International Connection: Austria