Consequence of stress and neurodegenerative disease specific signals on the modulation of composition and function of protein complexes

Coordinator:		PD Dr. Bodo M.H. Lange
Institution:		Max-Planck-Institut für molekulare Genetik
Homepage:		www.molgen.mpg.de/~ag_lange/

The aim of this subproject is to analyse the consequence of modulation of neurodegenerative disease relevant protein-protein interactions and disease specific genetic alterations and mutations on the composition and function of protein complexes. This project will deliver biochemical and functional data of protein complexes perturbed through genetic changes that have been identified in neurodegenerative tissue or neuronal cell lines.
The major goals of this subproject are:

(a) to identify and characterise the effect of mutations or posttranslational modifications (such as phosphorylation) on protein complex formation in neurodegenerative disease processes,

(b) to define the functional and biochemical consequence of neuronal differentiation and signalling on protein-complex composition in a neuronal tissue culture cell model, and

(c) to define the consequence of physiological (disease relevant) cues (chemicals, stress, overexpression or aggregation of proteins) on protein complex composition and their posttranslational modifications.

These results, together with clinical data will allow the development of models predicting the consequences of genetic aberrations in cells and the effect of drug treatment.




                                

This image shows human HEK293 cells used in this subproject as a system for the investigation of effects of expression of neurodegenerative proteins on protein complex formation and on cell morphology under disease modulating cues (blue = DNA, green = microtubules).