Mechanisms that regulate epithelial to mesenchymal transition through the Met receptor

• Applicant: Dr. Annina Spilker
• Subject Area: Cell Biology
• Term: from 2010 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 171511330

Cells in the human body are organized within tissues, in which they are connected to each other. Specific molecules at the cell surface, known as receptors, ensure that cells can efficiently receive communication signals from their neighbors and respond accordingly. However, these receptors can sometimes become misregulated and send the wrong signals, which can fool the cell and lead it to behave as if it had no neighbors. Such conditions can lead to inappropriate cell divisions and cell migrations, which are features of metastatic cells. The purpose of my work is to identify the mechanisms through which the signals regulated by receptors promote the breakdown of cell connections, a critical step for the initiation of metastasis in cancer. I have established that a recently identified protein, Scrib, involved in the organization of tissues, binds to a receptor protein called Met. I will determine how Scrib and Met bind and I will investigate if Scrib is important for the functions of Met in the cell: for this, I will engineer cells to have less of the protein in question and I will check if, under these conditions, cells still move like a metastatic cell when the receptor is receiving a signal from outside. In many human cancers, signaling through the Met receptor is misregulated. Understanding which molecules are required for Met signaling will therefore help us to identify novel targets for cancer treatment.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Canada
• Host: Professorin Morag Park