Plasticity of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in development

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Levels of cell surface proteins are key for tissue integrity and cell-cellcommunication and, during development, proteins levels are rapidly adjusted tothe needs of the developing tissue. For example, rapid removal of cell-celladhesion molecules from the cell surface is vital for cell rearrangement duringtissue elongation, while adhesion molecules need to be present afterrearrangements are completed to permit correct patterning. This means thatthere must be sophisticated systems to fine-tune levels of proteins at the cellsurface.Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is the principal pathway for the removal ofcell surface proteins and many of the molecular players in CME have beenelucidated from work in cultured cells. However, cells in culture are notsubjected to developmental cues such as signaling and mechanical forces,which shape an organism, and are therefore unsuitable for understanding of howthese cues regulate CME.In this project we aim to understand the plasticity of CME in vivo. A combinationof state-of-the-art genetic, imaging and computational techniques will be appliedin Drosophila, as a model organism, and mammalian cells. The successfulcandidate will be trained in quantitative developmental and cell biology andacquire skills in optogenetics, super-resolution microscopy and automatedimage analysis.