Diffusion trapping of neurotransmitter receptors at GABAergic synapses - cell biology and molecular mechanisms (P10)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
• Term: from 2016 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 264061860

Interneuronal synapses are the key signalling units in the brain, and the process of neurotransmitter receptor clustering at postsynaptic membranes is a key determinant of synapse efficacy. We plan (i) to decipher the cellular mechanisms by which the cell adhesion protein Neurologin-2, the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Collybistin, and the scaffold protein Gephyrin create a diffusion trap to recruit and anchor GABAA receptors at developing synapses, and (ii) to determine what proteins operate at GABAergic synapses that do not require Neuroligin-2 or Collybistin. We expect that our studies will lead to a comprehensive molecular and cell biological understanding of the genesis of GABAergic synapses and of their function in health and disease.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1190: Compartmental Gates and Contact Sites in Cells
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Co-Applicant Institution: Max-Planck-Institut für experimentelle Medizin (aufgelöst)
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Nils Brose