Dynamics of proteins of the inner nuclear membrane

The nucleus is surrounded by the inner and the outer nuclear membrane (INM, ONM), which are connected at the level of the nuclear pores, the gates between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In this project, we want to investigate INM-proteins, with one focus on VAPB, a protein that has previously been described as an ER-resident protein found in many contact sites. We investigate the functional relevance of novel VAPB-interactions with proteins at the INM and the nuclear pore complex that we identified using a novel, proximity-based screening approach. Furthermore, we plan to analyse the dynamics of VAPB (and other INM-proteins) by life-cell microscopy and to investigate a mutant form of VAPB that is involved in a familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.