SFB 604:  Multifunctional signaling proteins

• Subject Area: Biology ; Medicine
• Term: from 2002 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5485044

The relationship of structure and function of signaling proteins is the main topic of the program "Multifunctional signaling proteins". According to recent findings signaling proteins control divers cellular reactions by combinatorial interactions with different binding partners. The collaborative research centre is focusing on investigations of the interplay of molecular reactions of signaling proteins and related cellular functions. The results of these experiments are expected to contribute to the molecular understanding of the cellular reaction pattern. Biochemical methods will be mainly used for investigations of the composition and the topology of signaling complexes. In addition the mutual interactions of specific bindings partners will be analyzed. In the long term these experiments are aimed to manipulations of cellular functions by defined signaling complexes. Methods of molecular and cell biology will be used to analyze molecular features of signaling proteins in cells. Cellular reactions will be correlated with structural and functional parameters of individual signaling proteins and of signaling protein complexes. The dynamics of the creation, the dissociation and translocation of signaling complexes will be analyzed in selected cellular systems. Results of these investigations will extend the current perception on the uptake and assimilation of cellular signals. The approaches described are of general significance for the understanding of regulatory mechanisms in biological organisms. Considering the exceptional role of signaling reactions and signaling proteins during pathogenesis of major diseases the ongoing investigations are also of importance for biomedical applied research. The collaborative research centre will contribute to drug research and to the development of novel concepts for the therapy of selected diseases.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Completed projects

• A01 - Function and regulation of the tumour suppressor DEP-1 (Project Heads Böhmer, Frank-Dietmar ;  Reißmann, Siegmund )
• A04 - Regulation of EAG potassium channels by cytosolic proteins (Project Head Heinemann, Stefan H. )
• A05 - Kooperation von G Protein-gekoppelten Rezeptoren und Rezeptortyrosinkinasen bei der Regulation der MAP Kinase (Project Head Liebmann, Claus )
• A07 - Recognition of the growth-promoting fungus Piriformospora indica by Arabidopsis thaliana roots (Project Heads Oelmüller, Ralf ;  Pfannschmidt, Thomas )
• A08 - Functional pattern of phosphoinositide 3-kinase y (PI3Ky) in neurons (Project Head Wetzker, Reinhard )
• A09 - Adaptative Genregulation durch den Transkriptionsfaktor CbfA beim Übergang von Wachstum zu Differenzierung im Lebenszyklus von Dictyostelium discoideum (Project Head Winckler, Thomas )
• A10 - Mechanical strain-induced reactive oxygen species as mediators of embryonic stem cell derived angiogenesis and osteogenesis (Project Head Wartenberg, Maria Gerda )
• B1 - Multiple Funktionen der Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Vps34p der humanpathogenen Hefe Candida albicans (Project Heads Eck, Raimund ;  Künkel, Waldemar )
• B02 - Regulation of DNA polymerase alpha, Cdc45 and TopBP1 at the initiation step of DNA replication (Project Heads Große, Frank ;  Hänel, Frank )
• B3 - Virulenzfaktoren intrazellulärer Pathogene und Signaltransduktion in der infizierten Wirtszelle; Mechanismen und Struturen multifunktioneller Komplexe von Mip-Proteinen mit Naturstoffen und Wirtszell-Proteinen (Project Head Hilgenfeld, Rolf )
• B04 - Functional consequences of Ca²+/CaM mediated activation of FK506-binding proteins in human cells (Project Heads Fischer, Gunter S. ;  Weiwad, Matthias )
• B6 - Rezeptoraktivierung durch virale Oncoproteine: NMR-Untersuchungen zur Oligomerisierung von Transmembranhelices (Project Head Ulrich, Anne )
• B7 - Computersimulation der Bindung von Liganden an SH2-Domänen (Project Head Zacharias, Martin )
• B08 - Structural studies on calcium dependent signalling complexes (Project Head Stubbs, Milton T. )
• B10 - Alternative Splicing as a Modulator of Signal Transduction (Project Heads Backofen, Rolf ;  Platzer, Matthias )
• B11 - Crystal structure Determination of Proteins Related to Alzheimer`s Disease (Project Head Than, Manuel E. )
• B12 - Quality control of gamma-secretase assembly in the endoplasmic reticulum (Project Head Kaether, Christoph )
• C1 - Funktionelles Epitopmapping von Signalproteinen durch Peptide und Expressionsprofiling (Project Heads Fischer, Gunter S. ;  Reißmann, Siegmund ;  Wölfl, Stefan )
• C2 - Strukturaufklärung multimerer Proteinkomplexe durch Röntgenstrukturanalyse (Project Head Hilgenfeld, Rolf )
• C4 - Analyse der genomischen Grundlagen komplexer Reaktionsmuster von multifunktionellen Signalproteinen (Project Head Platzer, Matthias )
• C05 - The role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase y and SH2-containing inositol 5´-phosphatase in dendritic cells and natural killer cells (Project Heads Kamradt, Thomas ;  Norgauer, Johannes )
• C07 - Eya1 as a switch between signal transduction and transcription (Project Head Englert, Christoph )
• C08 - Activation of distinct NF-kB pathways through the lymphotoxin ß receptor (Project Head Weih, Falk )
• C09 - Regulation of the tumour suppressor protein merlin (Project Heads Herrlich, Peter ;  Morrison, Helen )
• C10 - Cell type-specific modulation of signalling pathways by histone deacetylase inhibitors (Project Head Heinzel, Thorsten )
• C11 - Quality control of gamma-secretase complex assembly in the endoplasmic reticulum (Project Head Kaether, Christoph )
• T01 - Development of specific FKBP38 inhibitors as drugs for the treatment of traumatic and inflammatory neuropathies (Project Head Fischer, Gunter S. )
• Z02 - Organisation und allgemeine Aufgaben (Project Head Wetzker, Reinhard )

• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
• Participating University: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
• Participating Institution: Leibniz-Institut für Alternsforschung - Fritz-Lipmann-Institut e.V. (FLI); Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie e. V.; Hans-Knöll-Institut (HKI); Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. (MPG)
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Reinhard Wetzker