FOR 5228:  Membrane trafficking processes underlying presynaptic proteostasis

• Subject Area: Medicine ; Biology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 447288260

The research unit Syntophagy “Membrane trafficking processes underlying presynaptic proteostasis” will address the specific contributions of autophagy, proteasome-mediated and endolysosomal degradation to presynaptic proteostasis. The research projects deal with questions like how are presynaptic function and, importantly, plasticity regulated by autophagy? How is autophagy regulated locally? How do non-canonical functions of autophagosomes (e.g. signalling, exocytosis) impact on presynaptic development, maintenance and function? The participating labs cover a broad range of techniques and are at the technological forefront in molecular neuroscience research. The teams of Syntophagy will be looking for shared mechanisms across different scales – from individual synapses to animal behaviour – from development to aging and from maintenance to functional plasticity.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• International Connection: Israel

Projects

• Amphisome biogenesis couples synaptic autophagy to local protein synthesis (Applicants Andres-Alonso, Maria ;  Gundelfinger, Eckart D. ;  Kreutz, Michael R. )
• Autophagic regulation of synapse formation in the Drosophila brain (Applicant Hiesinger, Peter Robin )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Kreutz, Michael R. )
• Interdependencies of autophagy, protein synthesis, aging, activity and synaptic viability. (Applicants Dieterich, Daniela C. ;  Ziv, Ph.D., Noam )
• Maintaining presynaptic function in dopaminergic synapses (Applicants Gundelfinger, Eckart D. ;  Rosenmund, Christian )
• Molecular and Functional Integration of Neuronal Autophagy and Presynaptic Remodeling (Applicants Maglione, Ph.D., Marta ;  Sigrist, Stephan J. )
• Molecular mechanism and function of neuronal autophagy (Applicants Haucke, Ph.D., Volker ;  Liu, Fan )
• NPY-mediated autophagy and the adaptation of hippocampal circuits to stress (Applicants Albrecht, Anne ;  Stork, Oliver )
• Regulation of neuron-specific UPS and autophagy with aging (Applicants Eickholt, Britta ;  Kirstein, Janine )
• The Role of Chaperone-mediated Endolysosomal Degradation (CMED) in Presynaptic Proteostasis (Applicants Grochowska, Ph.D., Katarzyna ;  Rosenmund, Christian ;  Ziv, Ph.D., Noam )
• The role of Myosin VI in regulating degradative organelle positioning and secretion in axons (Applicant Mikhaylova, Marina )
• The role of neuronal β₂-adrenergic receptors in the regulation of non-canonical autophagy in vivo (Applicant Karpova, Ph.D., Anna )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Michael R. Kreutz