Protein partitioning in the synaptic compartment: principles and molecular architecture (P09)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
• Term: from 2016 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 264061860

In the first funding period we analysed the dynamic partitioning of proteins in the presynaptic bouton. Among other results, we found that soluble protein mobility was strongly affected by interactions with the synaptic vesicle cluster. This induced a clear separation between the protein composition of the synapse and that of the rest of the axon, and thus acted as the gate, or composition-proofing structure, of this system. In the next funding period we will analyse the postsynaptic compartment, focusing on the glutamatergic dendritic spine. We will test two hypotheses: 1) The 3D structure of the spine, including the neck, acts as a diffusion barrier that participates in retaining molecules, thus forming a morphological gate; 2) The PSD and/or spine organelles influence the localization of soluble proteins, forming a proteinaceous gate. We will use several complementary approaches for this, from live imaging to super-resolution imaging and computer modelling.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1190: Compartmental Gates and Contact Sites in Cells
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Project Head: Professor Silvio-Olivier Rizzoli, Ph.D.