DFG-Collaborative Research Centres
The DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center 958 is coordinated by Freie Universität Berlin and is currently in its third funding period. The goal of the research is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which protein scaffolds structure cell membranes and ultimately control cellular functions.
The Department of Experimental Diabetology is represented in SFB 958 by subproject A13, "Golgi-associated scaffold proteins regulate receptor sorting and hormone secretion". In this subproject, the role of Golgi-associated scaffold proteins in the sorting of receptors and the secretion of hormones (adiponectin, insulin) is investigated. The trans-Golgi localized GTPase ARFRP1 and downstream scaffold proteins regulate (i) the localization of proteins at the lipid droplet in intestinal cells, (ii) influence endosomal recycling processes of the insulin and transferrin receptor, and (iii) the secretion of hormones. Current work aims to elucidate the function of the scaffold protein GOPC, a recently identified novel binding partner of ARFRP1. Since GOPC also binds to the retromer subunit VPS35, the hypothesis that ARFRP1 and GOPC together regulate retromer-mediated endosomal recycling processes will be tested. In addition, the influence of alternative splicing in islets of Langerhans cells on the regulation of insulin secretion and beta cell function will be investigated.
Project Duration: 07/2015-07/2019-06/2023
Participant: Prof. Dr. Annette Schürmann
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Stephan J. Sigrist (Free University Berlin)
The DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center SFB 1444 is a consortium of scientists working under the leadership of Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin in various research submissions based in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. Its work aims to use the example of bone healing to decipher the fundamental mechanisms that determine between success and failure in the regeneration of musculoskeletal tissue.
The Division of Adipocyte Development and Nutrition is represented in SFB 1444 by subproject 12, "Bone marrow adipose tissue: nutrient metabolism and immune modulation during bone maintenance and regeneration". In this subproject, the influence of fat accumulation in the bone marrow is investigated: Yellow bone marrow, rich in adipocytes, develops with age, but also in obesity and other metabolic diseases. Fat-rich bone marrow is a contributing factor to impaired bone homeostasis and delayed bone healing. At the same time, low-grade systemic inflammation occurs with aging and obesity, also due to cytokine release from adipocytes. Both factors, fat and inflammation, are confirmed as negative regulators of bone healing. In this project, we will analyze the regulatory mechanisms that condition the fatty differentiation of the bone marrow and thus negatively affect the bone healing process. Our hypothesis is that different physiological factors such as nutrition and specific immune cell populations condition the accumulation of beneficial or detrimental bone marrow adipocytes. The possible association between bone marrow adipose and decreased bone quality and impaired bone healing and the clustered occurrence in the obese and elderly underscores the need for further analysis of the link between pathologic metabolism and impaired bone healing, as these conditions apply to an ever-increasing proportion of the population.
Project Duration: 01/2021-12/2024
Participant: Prof. Dr. Tim J. Schulz
Speaker: Univ.- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Georg Duda
DFG-Research Units
How trace elements are metabolized in the body is already well understood, but largely unknown is how trace elements interact under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Furthermore, since the balance of trace elements is dependent on gender, age and dietary intake, the DFG research group FOR 2558 "TraceAge" is investigating the status and interactions of the essential trace elements iron, manganese, copper, iodine, selenium and zinc in the blood with various biomarkers of aging. The goal is to obtain age- and sex-specific trace element fingerprints that will help identify genetic as well as environmental changes and provide a basis for improved screening with respect to healthy aging and future intervention studies.
Project Duration: 01/2021-12/2024
Participating Departments: MTOX, MEP
Boosting Health by Nutrition Research.
DIfE is a member of the
Leibniz Association
EUROPEAN UNION
European Regional
Development Fund
