Project description
Computational microscopy to unveil cell membrane dynamics
Cell membranes constitute the point of communication of cells with the surrounding environment. While they consist chiefly of phospholipids and proteins, their structural organisation dynamically changes to meet the cell’s requirements. Understanding cell membrane organisation at the molecular level is critical for medical research, but a lack of suitable study methods limits our understanding. The mission of the EU-funded COMP-O-CELL project is to study the interaction between lipids and proteins in membranes using computational microscopy. This method extends the capabilities of classical microscopy, offering high-resolution imaging with the help of computation. COMP-O-CELL is expected to provide detailed dynamic information on the molecular assemblies found in cell membranes and their impact in membrane organisation and function.
Objective
As an integral part of cell architecture, cell membranes are central to cell functioning. Comprising a heterogeneous mixture of proteins and lipids, cell membranes are constantly adapting their structural organization to regulate cellular processes. Malfunction at the level of lipid-protein interaction is implicated in numerous diseases , and hence, understanding cell membrane organization at the molecular level is of critical importance. Unfortunately, our current understanding is limited, which is due to the lack of methods for studying these fluctuating nanoscale assemblies in vivo at the required spatiotemporal resolution. An important tool for studying cellular processes is through molecular simulation, denoted computational microscopy. Computational microscopy has been used to study small membrane patches in isolation, but until now, cell membranes have not been simulated in their natural context. I intend to apply computational microscopy at the whole-cell level, to study complex membrane structures and their function within the cellular environment. This requires challenging methodological innovations at the crossroads of biology, life sciences, physics, and chemistry. In this project, I will use advanced computational microscopy to study the interplay of membranes with their surroundings in a realistic cellular environment. The main goal is to establish a framework for the simulation, at molecular resolution, of entire cells and cell organelles.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopy
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculeslipids
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Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
9712CP Groningen
Netherlands