Major challenges in biology are to understand the complexity of biological systems and to predict how their dynamics can be tuned in different cell types in order to fulfill a specific function in a given tissue or be perturbed by somatic mutations or drugs affecting single components of these biological systems. An example of a complex biological system is illustrated by protein sorting and membrane traffic in the biosynthetic and endocytic pathways of mammalian cells, which govern the biogenesis and the integrity of organelles. Our scientific interest is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanics of post-Golgi traffic leading to lysosome biogenesis, its means of regulation during cell differentiation and to understand how this regulation contributes to tissue specialization, as observed in the bone digesting osteoclasts. These multinucleated cells acquire during their differentiation the capability of building up resorbtion lacunae that can be viewed as extra-cellular lysosomes. These multi-nucleated cells, together with the bone rebuilding osteoblasts, contribute to bone homeostasis. Using functional genomics and proteomics, our goals are also to translate a key aspect of cell biology into the physiology of the bone tissue and its pathology.

Main Research

• Regulation of membrane traffic during osteoclast differentiation
• Lysosome Biogenesis: Charakterisierung des Vesikeltransportes zwischen TGN (trans-Golgi Netzwerk) und Endosomen
• Proteomische Charakterisierung der Kommunikation zwischen TGN und Endosomen
• Osteoclasten / Osteoblasten-Chemotaxis