Time and context-controlled depletion of proteins in single cells

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Nils Johnsson
• Subject Area: General Genetics and Functional Genome Biology
• Term: from 2012 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 222217490

I propose in this grant application a new strategy to rapidly deplete proteins or single domains within proteins at a precisely defined time in either a context-dependent or -independent manner. The strategy will be tightly linked to the single cell analysis of two processes: Early cell polarization and cytokinesis in yeast. It will be used to minimally perturb the network of proteins involved in either of the two processes and to quantitatively measure the consequences of these perturbations in single cells. The aim is to connect system properties of a protein network with the execution of a morphogenetic program, and, more generally, to reduce the still growing gap between the accumulation of interaction data (protein or gene) and the understanding of the significance of these interactions for the networks and their associated biological processes. This proposal thus addresses an important issue that was identified in a recent survey as one requirement for a substantial progress in systems biology1.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Dr. Thomas Gromemeyer