A PRG2-PTEN based membrane scaffold involved in the formation of axon branches (A16)

• Subject Area: Cell Biology
• Term: from 2013 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 184695641

Project A16 investigates a PTEN containing plasma membrane-localized protein scaffold, which spatially organizes phosphoinositides and the membrane-associated actin cytoskeleton to induce the formation of axon branches. We discovered that this protein scaffold involves the transmembrane protein Plasticity Related Gene 2 (PRG2), which accumulates in membrane nanodomains periodically interspersed with F-actin rings. In the next funding period, we will focus on the molecular mechanisms by which the PRG2-PTEN-based membrane scaffold integrates signal transduction with cytoskeleton turnover. We hypothesize that PRG2 multimers organize downstream signaling molecules into nanoscale clusters for effective remodeling of the actin-based cytoskeleton during formation of filopodia protrusions that mature into axon branches.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 958: Scaffolding of Membranes: Molecular Mechanisms and Cellular Functions
• Applicant Institution: Freie Universität Berlin
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Britta Eickholt