Systematic characterization of phosphoinositide switches involved in T cell function. T cell receptor proximal signaling is dependent on the recruitment of effector proteins such as AKT, ITK, VAV1 and PLC1 to subcellular membranes. Functional outcomes such as migration, NFkappaB signaling or IL-2 production depend on the plekstrin homology (PH) domain-dependent, reversible interaction with phosphoinositides that acts as molecular switches. We want to understand how these can be modulated by discrete changes in the chemical properties of the membrane or of the PH domains themselves using advanced computational, (bio)chemical and cell biology approaches.
Dr. Anne-Claude Gavin (EMBL Heidelberg)
Prof. Dr. Christian Freund (FU Berlin)
Prof. Dr. Robert B. Russell (BZH Heidelberg)