Life depends on the ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. To meet this demand, organisms are equipped with sophisticated mechanisms to regulate protein function in time and space. Disentangling the mechanisms that control this functional plasticity of biological processes at the molecular and supramolecular levels is at the heart of fundamental biological research and understanding of diseases. The complex membrane networks have a fundamental function in spatially organizing metabolic pathways and many other cellular processes. There is compelling evidence that the composition and collective properties of the lipids in each organelle play critical roles in defining organelle identity and the specific functions of its proteome. Organelle-specific membrane properties governed by the lipid composition directly control membrane protein functions via intricate, highly interconnected mechanistic principles. These include (i) specific interactions with membrane lipids, (ii) the effect of bilayer thickness and lipid packing on the structural organization of membranes, and (iii) the crosstalk of proteins and lipids in determining membrane surface properties and shape. The specific regulatory functions of organellar membranes are further controlled by lateral segregation of membrane components and by membrane curvature. Moreover, membrane proteins and lipids segregate at contact sites formed between distinct organelles, or pathogens and host organelles during infection. Such spatial organization of membrane components occurs at the nanometer scale and during different stages of cell growth, or in response to stressors or nutritional changes. Our research initiative aims to address how the systems properties of membranes control the plasticity of membrane protein functions and how functionally relevant membrane properties are maintained and adapted in response to distinct environmental cues. We seek to define the mechanisms underlying such functional plasticity at membranes in various physiological and pathophysiological processes. We will follow a multiscale approach to study how functional plasticity is encoded by cellular membrane networks from the molecular and sub-cellular up to the organismic level. The consortium will develop and apply lipid tools and biomolecular mass spectrometry to map the protein and lipid landscapes at the (sub)organellar level, use light and electron microscopy to resolve the organization and dynamics of membrane networks, and structural biology approaches to elucidate membrane protein function and plasticity within their natural lipid environment. Our projects will provide insights into the physiological adaptation of membrane properties and their dysregulation in diseases caused by defects in lipid metabolism, or membrane protein assembly, targeting, or function, or by microbial infections.
DFG Programme
Collaborative Research Centres
Current projects
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INF - Information infrastructure for the SFB 1557: structured storage, metadata annotation, and analyses of experimental data
(Project Heads
Hensel, Michael
;
Kunis, Susanne
;
Möller, Arne
)
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MGK - Integrated Research Training Group (IRTG)
(Project Heads
Beeken, Marco
;
Gonzalez Montoro, Ayelen
;
Kümmel, Daniel
;
Paululat, Achim
)
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OR - Outreach project of the SFB 1557
(Project Heads
Beeken, Marco
;
Cosentino, Katia
)
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P01 - Remodelling and exploitation of the host lipid trafficking machinery by pathogenic mycobacteria
(Project Head
Barisch, Caroline
)
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P02 - Formation, composition and role of extracellular vesicles in the ischemic heart
(Project Head
Bartscherer, Kerstin
)
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P03 - Plasticity of cellular lipid handling machineries in metabolic adaptation
(Project Head
Bohnert, Maria
)
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P05 - Plasticity of GSDM pores for the control of pyroptotic cell death
(Project Heads
Cosentino, Katia
;
Piehler, Jacob
)
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P06 - Plasticity of the serine palmitoyl transferase complex during adaption of sphingolipid metabolism
(Project Head
Fröhlich, Florian
)
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P07 - Dissecting the interplay between vacuolar contact site plasticity and sphingolipid homeostasis
(Project Head
Gonzalez Montoro, Ayelen
)
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P08 - Dynamic manipulation of functional plasticity of the host cell endosomal system by an intracellular pathogen
(Project Head
Hensel, Michael
)
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P09 - Plasticity and biological relevance of organellar lipid codes
(Project Head
Holthuis, Joost
)
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P10 - Adaptation of a Rab/GEF module for initiation and maintenance of planar cell polarity and cilia
(Project Head
Kümmel, Daniel
)
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P11 - Membrane determinants for ABC transporter plasticity
(Project Head
Möller, Arne
)
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P12 - Plasticity and adaptation of the endocytic membrane compartment in nephrocyte differentiation
(Project Head
Paululat, Achim
)
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P13 - Regulation of cytokine receptor signaling plasticity by the subcellular membrane context
(Project Head
Piehler, Jacob
)
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P14 - Plasticity and adaptation of the endosomal system
(Project Head
Ungermann, Christian
)
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P15 - Plasticity and adaptation of proton and nutrient transport through lateral segregation of the plasma membrane
(Project Head
Wedlich-Söldner, Roland
)
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P16 - Plasticity of STARD3-mediated sterol and sphingolipid transport at lysosome-ER contact sites
(Project Head
Jamecna, Denisa
)
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V - Central Tasks of the SFB
(Project Head
Ungermann, Christian
)
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Z01 - Mass spectrometry, quantitative lipid analyses and lipid tools
(Project Heads
Fröhlich, Florian
;
Holthuis, Joost
)
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Z02 - High-resolution imaging across spatiotemporal scales
(Project Heads
Januliene, Dovile
;
Kurre, Rainer
;
Psathaki, Olympia-Ekaterini
)
