Research
The research of my laboratory focuses on the regulation of the cell surface protein composition of eukaryotic cells. Particularly we are interested in the post-translational regulation of plasma membrane proteins which to a large extend is mediated by endocytosis and the subsequent sorting of these proteins in the endosomal system. Ultimately, the endocytosed proteins are either recycled back to the cell surface or are delivered to the lysosome for degradation (Figure 1). This protein trafficking allows for rapid removal of transmembrane proteins from the cell surface and thus plays an important role in cell signaling and the adaptation of cells to environmental stress. The stress response is particularly important for single-cell organisms such as yeast that are exposed to constantly changing environments and thus evolved efficient adaptation mechanisms. Therefore, the model organism for most of our studies is the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.