Metabolic Distinction of Apoptosis-Induced Compensatory Proliferation and Apoptosis-Induced Apoptosis

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hans-Peter Deigner
• Subject Area: Cell Biology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 538522940

During the past years it became clear that dying cells send signals to their surrounding cells. However, the respective response to these signals can be very different and can range from the initiation of cell death to cell expansion. Especially in the clinical context, the induction of proliferation or an anti-inflammatory response is particularly interesting; the apoptotic secretome of blood cells is currently being investigated in clinical trials for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. Small molecules (such as amino acids) have also been shown to play an important role as such messenger molecules. Since treatment with the above-mentioned secretome appears to depend largely on the patient's initial state of health, successful treatment with secretome generated from the patient's own blood is uncertain. Therefore, the biologically active small molecules which could ultimately lead to a new therapeutic agent are to be identified here. Furthermore, there are various types of cell death that can negatively affect the surrounding cells, however, the corresponding signalling molecules in the area of small molecules are largely unknown. This project therefore aims to investigate the influence of the different types of cell death on other cells and to identify corresponding similarities or differences in secreted small molecules. In a further step, the activity of the individual small molecules will be investigated, thus verifying the active components. The findings obtained here may subsequently have various applications, such as use as a therapeutic agent. Specifically, during the final phase of this project, the fundamental role of such molecules on stem cell activation and differentiation will be investigated. In this way, new treatment approaches in the field of regenerative medicine may be identified.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants