SFB 1348:  Dynamic cellular interfaces: formation and function

• Subject Area: Biology
• Term: since 2018
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 386797833

Development and homeostasis of all organisms depend on the ability of cells to exchange information with their microenvironment. This bidirectional process, which is key to multicellular life, occurs at highly dynamic molecular platforms at the plasma membrane that enable physical interactions and communication with neighboring cells. The proper formation of these cellular interfaces is critical for virtually all aspects of life, from early development to postnatal homeostasis and many pathological processes. Understanding the formation and function of dynamic cellular interfaces and how they control decision-making processes in cells and tissues is the research focus of the CRC 1348. To tackle the highly complex biology underlying the diverse cellular interfaces, we have over the past two funding periods invested in interdisciplinary approaches and successfully established comprehensive strategies to uncover the molecular mechanisms governing the establishment of cellular interfaces and their functions in single cells as well as in multicellular organisms. In the third funding period, we will capitalize on these assets to address a range of long-standing, fundamental research questions in developmental and cell biology. For instance, we will investigate how cellular interfaces function across multiple length- and time scales, we will ask how mechano-chemical signals at cellular interfaces influence cell fate decisions, and we will use our gained knowledge to construct cellular interfaces from bottom-up to establish basic concepts of their molecular-scale regulation. All this will be possible by leveraging on our investments in high-resolution imaging, optogenetics, single cell analyses, and a wide range of complementary in vitro and in vivo model systems, combined with structural biology, synthetic biology and theoretical modelling, aiming not only to understand but also to precisely manipulate processes in cells and tissues. The proposed projects will allow a successful conclusion of the CRC 1348 by providing unprecedented insights into the molecular principles underlying the formation and function of cellular interfaces.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Current projects

• A01 - The role of protein-lipid interactions for protein segregation in the yeast plasma membrane (Project Heads Heuer, Andreas ;  Wedlich-Söldner, Roland )
• A02 - Local signaling for tight coupling of synaptic exo- and endocytosis (Project Head Klingauf, Jürgen )
• A05 - Lipid-mediated activation of protein kinases during cell polarization (Project Head Krahn, Ph.D., Michael )
• A06 - Force-control in neurons via curved membrane nanodomains (Project Head Galic, Milos )
• A07 - Regulation of growth factor signaling by the nanoscale presentation of the extracellular matrix (Project Head Trappmann, Britta )
• A08 - Molecular parameters for the dynamic assembly of Hedgehog signaling platforms (Project Head Grobe, Kay )
• A09 - Regulation and execution of vesicle formation in clathrin-independent endocytosis (Project Head Schelhaas, Mario )
• A10 - Specification and dynamic interactions of arterial progenitor cells (Project Heads Adams, Ralf H. ;  Pitulescu, Mara E. )
• A11 - Regulation of plasma membrane supramolecular functional units by late endosomal sorting and transport (Project Heads Glorius, Frank ;  Rescher, Ursula )
• A12 - Integrin subtype-specific organization and force transduction (Project Heads Grashoff, Carsten ;  Miroshnikova, Ph.D., Yekaterina )
• A13 - Lipid storage organelles in formation of polarized cellular interfaces during cell division and cell fusion (Project Heads Bohnert, Maria ;  Büttner, Sabrina )
• A14 - Dynamic and spatiotemporal control of Notch and Plexin signaling for assembling precise multicellular structures (Project Heads Sánchez, Maria Florencia ;  Wegner, Seraphine )
• A15 - Structural insights into the complex interplay between latrotoxin and the cell adhesion receptors neurexin and latrophilin (Project Head Gatsogiannis, Christos )
• B06 - Cell-cell interactions controlling organ shape (Project Heads Raz, Erez ;  Tarbashevich, Katsiaryna )
• B09 - Morphogenesis of the trophoblast lineage during blastocyst to egg cylinder transition (Project Head Bedzhov, Ivan )
• B11 - Remodeling of tricellular junctions controls paracellular transport (Project Head Luschnig, Stefan )
• B13 - Mechanochemical coordination of tissue patterning and cellular dynamics (Project Heads Biggs, Ph.D., Leah ;  Wickström, Sara A. )
• B14 - Mechanisms of neutrophil invasion across cellular membranes (Project Heads Lämmermann, Ph.D., Tim ;  Stegmeyer, Rebekka )
• B15 - The role of latrophilin in contact-stimulated mesenchymal cell migration and tissue sculpting (Project Head Bischoff, Maik Christian )
• MGK - Integrated Research Training Group (Project Heads Bohnert, Maria ;  Büttner, Sabrina ;  Luschnig, Stefan )
• Z - Central Tasks (Project Heads Klämbt, Christian ;  Luschnig, Stefan )

Completed projects

• A03 - Dynamic regulation of synaptic calcium channels by neurexins (Project Head Missler, Markus )
• A04 - Membrane platforms in regulated secretion from endothelial cells (Project Head Gerke, Volker )
• B01 - VE-cadherin modifications and binding partners regulate endothelial junctions (Project Head Vestweber, Dietmar )
• B03 - High-resolution analysis of membrane domain formation during neuronal polarization (Project Heads Busch, Karin ;  Püschel, Andreas )
• B04 - Membrane remodeling and severing during dendrite pruning in Drosophila neurons (Project Head Rumpf, Sebastian )
• B05 - Localized FGF-receptor signaling controls differentiation of wrapping glial cells (Project Head Klämbt, Christian )
• B07 - Morphogenetic mechanisms during lymphatic vessel formation (Project Head Kiefer, Friedemann )
• B08 - Local cues trigger changes in the migratory behavior of lymphangioblasts (Project Head Schulte-Merker, Stefan )
• B10 - Spatiotemporal regulation of secretory lysosome trafficking controls epithelial tube fusion (Project Head Luschnig, Stefan )
• B12 - Delineating functional roles between the interstitial matrix and the basement membrane during cardiac valve formation (Project Head Gunawan, Ph.D., Felix )

• Applicant Institution: Universität Münster
• Participating University: Technische Universität Dortmund
• Participating Institution: Max-Planck-Institut für molekulare Biomedizin
• Spokespersons: Professor Dr. Christian Klämbt, until 12/2023; Professor Dr. Stefan Luschnig, since 1/2024