Plasticity of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in development

Levels of cell surface proteins are key for tissue integrity and cell-cell
communication and, during development, proteins levels are rapidly adjusted to
the needs of the developing tissue. For example, rapid removal of cell-cell
adhesion molecules from the cell surface is vital for cell rearrangement during
tissue elongation, while adhesion molecules need to be present after
rearrangements are completed to permit correct patterning. This means that
there must be sophisticated systems to fine-tune levels of proteins at the cell
surface.
Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is the principal pathway for the removal of
cell surface proteins and many of the molecular players in CME have been
elucidated from work in cultured cells. However, cells in culture are not
subjected to developmental cues such as signaling and mechanical forces,
which shape an organism, and are therefore unsuitable for understanding of how
these cues regulate CME.
In this project we aim to understand the plasticity of CME in vivo. A combination
of state-of-the-art genetic, imaging and computational techniques will be applied
in Drosophila, as a model organism, and mammalian cells. The successful
candidate will be trained in quantitative developmental and cell biology and
acquire skills in optogenetics, super-resolution microscopy and automated
image analysis.