Functional Relationship between the Actin- and Microtubule-Based Transport Systems (B08)

• Subject Area: Biophysics
• Term: from 2011 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 111166240

How the microtubule- and actin-based transport systems coordinate their actions remains mysterious. In the current funding period, we discovered an unexpected cross-talk between the microtubule and actin networks. Phosphorylation-depended, the melanophilin adaptor dictated the path of its Myosin-V motor on the actin/microtubule networks. Next, we plan to stepwise increase the complexity of our functional reconstitutions for example by addition of kinesin motor. We also aim to provide a structural characterization of the physiologically relevant transport complexes. Together, we hope to provide first detailed insights into regulatory mechanisms that link the two cytoskeletal transport processes.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 863: Forces in Biomolecular Systems
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität München (TUM)
• Project Heads: Dr. Naoko Mizuno, since 1/2018; Dr. Zeynep Ökten