Seminar: Elucidating the function of unusual phosphorylation modes in eukaryotic cells

Cells are able to constantly process information about their environment and their internal status via highly regulated signaling networks. Since deregulation of cellular information transfer is associated with a wide range of diseases, a detailed annotation of signaling events in healthy and diseased states can highlight new avenues for therapeutic intervention. One group of messengers of particular interest to our group are inositol poly- and pyrophosphates (InsPs and PP-InsPs). These molecules have emerged as central regulators of cell homeostasis, and genetic studies in mice and humans implicate PP-InsPs in a host of processes, including weight gain, fertility, longevity, and tumor metastasis. However, it is not well understood how these molecules exert their effects at the molecular level. Using a multi-disciplinary approach involving techniques from organic chemistry, chemical genetics and genetics, molecular biology, and proteomics, our goal is to decipher the concrete signaling functions of InsPs and PP-InsPs and ultimately guide the development of new therapeutic strategies against cancer, diabetes and obesity.