Biological membranes are essential for life. They form cells and organelles and enable the separation and the formation of unique domains. Membranes control the content of a cell by means of selective permeability and control the flow of messages between intracellular domains by sending, receiving and processing information in the form of chemical and electrical signals. Cells, organelles and vesicles must also acquire, maintain and modify their shape and composition to jointly fulfil a plethora of important physiological functions ranging from neuronal transmission to fertilization and muscle contraction.
During this course we will discuss fundamental cell biology processes that involve membrane remodeling:
Organelle biogenesis, function and dynamics (Fusion, division and trafficking).
Vesicular trafficking through the endocytic pathway.
Protein targeting, insertion and translocation.
Vesicular secretion, exosomes and extracellular vesicles.
Intracellular communication via membrane contact sites.
The course will focus on recent research and novel findings, beyond the scope of existing textbooks, in the fields of organellar biology and membrane remodeling.