SFB1551 Project: R15

Project Title: Unraveling multivalent interaction in the pre-synapse

Summary: My research focuses on investigating the architecture of the active zone in the pre-synapse using various techniques including structural mass spectrometry. The active zone controls synaptic vesicle docking and priming and contains key proteins that have been found to form condensates and organise voltage-gated Ca2+-channels and synaptic vesicles. Therefore, I am particularly interested in specific scaffold proteins that undergo liquid-liquid phase separation. While mechanistic and quantitative insights into the assembly and regulation of these proteins remain limited, my aim is to fill the missing gaps and shed light on their multivalent interactions.