Research Projects

The project focuses on understanding the local coupling between endocytosis and the membrane's mechanical state and how through altered mechanics endocytic events of one pathway may crosstalk with others. It will start with mapping the fluctuation and fluctuation-tension landscape and imaging the distribution of endocytic cargo to measure the local impact of pit formation. On studying cholesterol dependent as well as independent pathways it will be clear if cholesterol itself may enhance such dependence. The project will then address how subsequent endocytic events are organized and if former ones affect their local organization. This will further establish possible mechanical coupling between different pathways. In order to understand how this is regulated, other molecules common between pathways having membrane remodeling capabilities – like minor lipids will be studied. Further specific modulators of membrane topology might also act as attractant for cargo to regions of particular fluctuation state. This will be studied using cargoes of different pathways while perturbing the adaptor expression or inhibiting them pharmacologically. Finally, the coupling (if any) of locally “taut” membrane to events of recycling will be studied. Together this project aims to understand the role of mechanics in interlinking different pathways and processes.