Dynamics and function of early endsomes

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The behaviour of cells within a tissue is controlled by their environment. Amongst the most important signals that cells receive are in the form of circulating small proteins called growth factors. These bind to specific receptors that are found on the surface of cells. Binding of growth factors causes the receptors to alter their pattern of interactions with many molecules inside the cell that control cell growth. In this way growth factor receptors act as essential bridges between the cell exterior and interior to stimulate cell growth, cell division and cell migration, so-called mitogenic responses. To prevent uncontrolled mitogenic activation, which would be harmful to the tissue, the cell must make sure the strength of the response is carefully adjusted, and that the response is switched off after a short time. Such control is achieved by removing the activated receptor from the cell surface and sending it through a series of specialised compartments within the cell, where its activity can be closely regulated and where it can eventually be degraded. Transfer of the receptor through these compartments is accompanied by highly complicated movements of these compartments, as they set about transferring the receptor between each other. All of these movements are determined by specialised cellular proteins called motor proteins, each of which are designed to move particular compartments around the cell with characteristic directions and speeds. This project seeks to unravel which motor proteins move which compartments, and how movement is coordinated with the transfer of growth factor receptor. Understanding such complex behaviour will be important, since defects in this movement and transfer are linked to a range of diseases.