Research Summary

At inhibitory postsynaptic membranes the scaffolding protein gephyrin is well studied and performs several tasks associated with structural and functional processes. As various as its functions is the set of interaction partners including neurotransmitter receptors, synaptic proteins and cytoskeletal elements. 

Recently transport processes of gephyrin molecules with a marker for early endosomes had been shown in live cell imaging. Endosomes are key players to maintain the homeostasis of membrane components in eukaryotic cells. They are participating in diverse fundamental cellular processes such as uptake of extracellular substances, intracellular transport and recycling. The role of gephyrin in endosomal transport is poorly understood. In mass spectrometry datasets of broad range protein interaction studies several promising candidates for gephyrin interaction partners associated with endosomal transport and sorting processes had been identified. In our lab the mechanisms and connection between the vesicle transport machinery and gephyrin are subject to current research with life cell imaging techniques and protein biochemistry methods.

 

Curriculum Vitae

2014 Bachelor of Science in Biology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
2016 Master of Science in Biology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
2021 PhD in Genetics, Institute for Applied Biosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
2021-2022 Postdoc EU project eurostars “zoomable digital teaching book”, subject pancreas; Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Dept. Medical Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
since 2022 Postdoc, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Dept. Medical Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, Germany

 

Publications

Schneider K, Farr T, Pinter N, Schmitt K, Valerius O, Braus GH, Kämper J.
The Nma1 protein promotes long distance transport mediated by early endosomes in Ustilago maydis. Mol Microbiol. 2022 Feb;117(2):334-352. doi: 10.1111/mmi.14851. Epub 2021 Dec 7. PMID: 34817894.

Zhou L, Obhof T, Schneider K, Feldbrügge M, Nienhaus GU, Kämper J.
Cytoplasmic Transport Machinery of the SPF27 Homologue Num1 in Ustilago maydis. Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 26;8(1):3611. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-21628-y. PMID: 29483520; PMCID: PMC5832149.

Sosso D, van der Linde K, Bezrutczyk M, Schuler D, Schneider K, Kämper J, Walbot V.
Sugar Partitioning between Ustilago maydis and Its Host Zea mays L during Infection. Plant Physiol. 2019 Apr;179(4):1373-1385. doi: 10.1104/pp.18.01435. Epub 2018 Dec 28. PMID: 30593452; PMCID: PMC6446792.