The role of NEPH-NEPHRIN proteins as regulators of neuron and kidney morphogenesis (A02)

• Subject Area: Nephrology
• Term: from 2015 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 246781735

The slit diaphragm of the podocytes is mainly constituted by the cell-cell adhesion module NEPH-NEPHRIN and a prerequisite for blood filtering. The cell-cell adhesion module NEPH-NEPHRIN was conserved during evolution and members of the NEPH-NEPHRIN protein family are involved in the synapse development and the synaptic target recognition. Aim of this study is the identification and characterization of molecular processes interlinking the NEPH-NEPHRIN adhesion module with intracellular signaling pathways and the actin cytoskeleton. C. elegans as a model system provides a unique opportunity to investigate protein functions directly in vivo and to decode signaling cascades.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1140: Kidney Disease - from Genes to Mechanisms (KIDGEM)
• Applicant Institution: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
• Project Head: Privatdozentin Dr. Elke Neumann-Haefelin