ESCRT's in animal cell division
At the end of mammalian cell division, the two nascent daughter cells are connected by a narrow membrane tube called the intercellular bridge. Cutting of the intercellular bridge, termed abscission, is driven by the ESCRT complex. The spatiotemporal characteristics of abscission are ideal for high-end microscopy techniques. To elucidate the mechanism of ESCRTs in physiological context we therefore apply high-resolution microscopy techniques to visualize ESCRTs in mammalian cell abscission. To obtain an inclusive understanding of ESCRT function in abscission, we visualize abscission in both mammalian tissue culture cells and in a developmental system (zebrafish embryogenesis). By combining information obtained from a variety of microscopy tools including live cell imaging, X-ray tomography and Super resolution microscopy we generate mechanistic models for ESCRT-mediated membrane abscission.
Function of ancient ESCRT system
The origin of the eukaryotic cell 1.5-2 billion years ago is one of the most profound transitions in the evolutionary history of life. Unlike prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea), eukaryotic cells are composed of membrane bound organelles that communicate with one another via membrane carriers. Therefore, studying membrane shaping proteins in ancient lifeforms can get us closer into understanding the membrane-based processes that occurred through evolution. Specifically, we study the ESCRT complex encoded in the recently identified Asgard archaea, which is considered to be the closest prokaryotic ancestor of eukaryotes. By combining in vitro biochemical studies and collaborating with leading groups in the archaea field we aim to shed light on the membrane remodeling capabilities that enabled eukaryogenesis.
Our tool box
We invest a great effort in developing ways to resolve the structural organization of ESCRT complex in abscission at sufficient spatiotemporal resolution. Over the past few years we established a microscopy-based toolbox to reach our goal.
