The role of latrophilin in contact-stimulated mesenchymal cell migration and tissue sculpting (B15*)

• Subject Area: Cell Biology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 386797833

During organogenesis, mesenchymal cell layers – such as smooth muscle cells in vertebrates – can actively shape organ morphology. We study muscle cells in Drosophila that sculpt the testis into a characteristic spiral. Knockdown of the adhesion G protein-coupled receptor Cirl/Latrophilin disrupts the alignment and collective migration of these cells, thereby affecting testis morphology. We investigate how Cirl/Latrophilin regulates the cytoskeleton and adhesion complexes at cell-cell interfaces to enable normal cell alignment and organ formation.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1348: Dynamic cellular interfaces: formation and function
• Applicant Institution: Universität Münster
• Project Head: Dr. Maik Christian Bischoff