SFB 740:
From Molecules to Modules: Organisation and Dynamics of Functional Units in Cells
Subject Area
Biology
Medicine
Term
from 2007 to 2018
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 25065445
Our collaborative research project deals with the fundamental question how biological function, organization and complexity arise from interacting biological macromolecules. It has become increasingly clear during the past years that major reaction pathways in the living cell are carried out by macromolecules that work in a concerted manner and form interaction networks with a modular character. Accordingly, defined subsets of the macromolecules designated as "functional modules" (Hartwell et al., 1999) are responsible for specific cellular tasks. Time-ordered interactions and complex formation within these ensembles of macromolecules facilitate an autonomous function. Functional modules comprise two general types of entities, i.e. macromolecular machines, which are organized as compact structures, such as the ribosome or the proteasome, and more dynamic ensembles, which change their composition and/or organization during function, i.e. during vesicular transport or signal transduction. The SFB 740 is a concerted multidisciplinary effort devoted to an analysis of functional modules from a bottom-up perspective. Selected functional modules are studied with the tools of biophysics, biochemistry, and/or molecular and cell biology to obtain specific insights into the organization and functional mechanism of the various functional modules. Our analysis starts from the single macromolecules and their interactions to exemplify how modular function arises from macromolecular interactions and to yield the ¿design principles¿ of functional module. Our approach is complementary to top-down approaches from proteomics and systems biology and is thought to close the gap between the mere molecular point of view and the holistic systems view.
DFG Programme
Collaborative Research Centres
Completed projects
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A01 - Dynamics of Genome Duplication Machines
(Project Head
Cardoso, Maria Cristina
)
-
A03 - Structure and dynamics eukaryotic 80S ribosomes during the elongation phase of protein synthesis
(Project Head
Spahn, Christian M. T.
)
-
A04 - The sub-module for spliceosome catalytic activation
(Project Head
Wahl, Markus C.
)
-
A05 - Dynamics of sub-modular and molecular interactions in translational elongation
(Project Head
Ignatova, Zoya
)
-
A06 - Structural basis of translation control in eukaryotic 80S ribosomes by phosphorylation of eS6
(Project Head
Rappsilber, Juri
)
-
A07 - Acetylation of lysine 16 on histone H4 as a dynamic epigenetic mark during transcription and replication
(Project Head
Ehrenhofer-Murray, Ann Elizabeth
)
-
B01 - Functional and Structural Characterization of Heterotetrameric p97/ASPL complexes
(Project Heads
Heinemann, Udo
;
Wanker, Erich E.
)
-
B02 - Structural characterization of chaperone modulated protein aggregation in S. cervisiae
(Project Head
Reif, Bernd
)
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B03 - Regulation of proteasome modules
(Project Heads
Kloetzel, Peter Michael
;
Krüger, Elke Beate
)
-
B04 - Structural and functional characterization of complex protein modules involved in regulation of proteasomal activitiy
(Project Head
Groll, Michael
)
-
B05 - Substrate recognition by the HRD-ubiquitin ligase
(Project Heads
Jarosch, Ernst
;
Sommer, Thomas
)
-
B06 - Structural elucidation of the GPCR allosteric machine
(Project Heads
Hildebrand, Peter
;
Scheerer, Patrick
)
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B07 - Structural investigations of modules involved in protein homeostasis
(Project Heads
Oschkinat, Hartmut
;
van Rossum, Barth-Jan
)
-
B08 - Identification and characterization of a novel metazoan disaggregase module
(Project Head
Kirstein-Miles, Janine
)
-
C01 - Modular organisation of vesicle tethering to membranes: Analysis of structural features and regulation by protein palmitoylation
(Project Heads
Heinemann, Udo
;
Veit, Michael
)
-
C03 - Specific recruitment of viral components and assembly of enveloped viruses
(Project Heads
Herrmann, Andreas
;
Veit, Michael
)
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C04 - Modular assembly, plasma membrane targeting and regulation of KCNQ (Kv7) K+ channels
(Project Head
Friedrich, Thomas
)
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C05 - Modules involved in endosomal/lysosomal Ion homeostasis and function
(Project Head
Jentsch, Thomas J.
)
-
C07 - Structural and functional analysis of the dynamin module
(Project Head
Daumke, Oliver
)
-
C08 - Functional organization and dynamics of PI-kinase-based modules for protein sorting at endosomal membranes
(Project Heads
Haucke, Ph.D., Volker
;
Krauß, Michael
)
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C09 - "Closing the cycle": Sub-modules in synaptic vesicle membrane targeting, fusion and endocytosis
(Project Head
Sigrist, Stephan J.
)
-
D01 - The regeneration-module in photoreceptor cells
(Project Heads
Heck, Martin
;
Hofmann, Klaus Peter
)
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D02 - The circadian feedback module - assembly and localization as crucial events for circadian dynamics
(Project Head
Kramer, Achim
)
-
D03 - The modular function of the y-secretase in the generation of intermediate Aß species
(Project Head
Multhaup, Gerhard
)
-
D04 - Regulatory phosphorylation of scaffolding proteins of the inside-out-signaling complex
(Project Heads
Freund, Christian
;
Höfer, Thomas
)
-
D05 - The role of rhodopsin oligomers in the amplifier submodule of retinal rods
(Project Heads
Ernst, Oliver-Peter
;
Hofmann, Klaus Peter
)
-
D07 - Spatiotemporal simulation of module assembly and function
(Project Head
Noé, Frank
)
-
D08 - Spatial modeling of gradient sensing exemplified for the yeast pheromone response
(Project Head
Klipp, Edda
)
-
V01 - Central tasks
(Project Heads
Hofmann, Klaus Peter
;
Spahn, Christian M. T.
)
-
Z01 - Molecular electron microscopy
(Project Heads
Mielke, Thorsten
;
Spahn, Christian M. T.
)