SFB1551 Project: R14

Project Title: Role of arginine-glycine (RG) motifs in disease-linked RNA-binding proteins

Summary: My research focuses on the molecular mechanisms by which the RNA-binding protein TAF15 contributes to biomolecular condensation and neurodegeneration. I investigate how the sequence composition of arginine-glycine (RG)-rich motifs regulates the protein’s function. In parallel, I study the formation and properties of pathological TAF15 amyloid aggregates associated with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), aiming to define their molecular composition by identifying interacting cellular components and determine how they contribute to disease through potential gain- and loss-of-function mechanisms. Overall, I aim to uncover molecular determinants of TAF15 function in health and disease and provide mechanistic insights into protein aggregation in neurodegeneration.