Dr. Julia Jellusova (CIBSS-PI), Institute of Biology III (Faculty of Biology), University of Freiburg
Lymphocytes need to be able to alter their metabolic activity to meet their energetic and biosynthetic requirements and to adapt to a changing metabolic environment. Our hypothesis is that p62/SQSTM1 governs the balance between catabolic and anabolic processes within the cells and thus supports proliferation if nutrients are available and survival if nutrients are scarce. P62/SQSTM1 is a multifunctional scaffolding protein known to regulate different signaling pathways and to play a role in the removal of damaged organelles via autophagy. Our goal is to define the role of p62 in integrating cell signalling and metabolism in normal and malignant B cells. Ultimately our aim is to identify metabolic vulnerabilities that could be therapeutically exploited in B cell driven diseases.