The Gossler Lab

Our group focuses on the analysis of a conserved mechanism of cell-to-cell communication and the identification and analysis of novel proteins important for cilia formation and function.

Cell-to–cell communication plays a pivotal role in regulating growth and differentiation in multicellular organisms. One highly conserved pathway for communication between cells is the Notch signaling pathway. Notch mediates local interactions between adjacent cells in a wide variety of different tissues and organisms, which is of central importance for the regulation of developmental processes and tissue homeostasis. Using the mouse as the animal model of choice, and employing a combination of biochemical, molecular genetic, and transgenic methods, we analyze the physiological roles of Notch signaling in various tissues and organs (e.g.  Cordes et al., Serth et al,. Hofmann et al., Feller et al. ,Sörensen et al) how properties of ligands and their interaction with receptors are modulated by posttranslational modifications (Schuster-Gossler et al), how ligands differ with respect to their biochemical/signaling properties (Geffers et al), and aim at identifying targets of Notch that mediate its downstream effects in the cell.

Cilia are projections from cells that have a stereotyped microtubule-based structure. They can be motile or immotile and have a variety of cell-type-specific structures and physiological functions. Disruption of cilia formation or function affects important signaling pathways and leads to human diseases such as Kartagener Syndrome and polycystic kidneys. We have identified the homeobox transcription factor Noto as a critical regulator of the formation of normal cilia in the early embryo (Ben Abdelkhalek et al , Beckers et al), and have identified genes that are regulated downstream of Noto and encode good candidates for novel components important for cilia formation and/or function. Ongoing projects deal with the biochemical and functional characterization of these components both in vitro and in vivo.

Our projects are supported by the German Research Council (DFG)