The Wnt signalling pathway is essential for many events during human development and its deregulation often leads to cancer. Phosphoinositides (PIPs) are principal regulators of diverse cellular processes including membrane trafficking, signal transduction or cell death. Recent findings including ours began to uncover the importance of PIP metabolism in Wnt pathway control. To elaborate on these findings, this project aims to explore the role of selected PIP metabolizing enzymes in the regulation of Wnt signalling cascade. These enzymes will be studied using the developmental model organism Caenorhabditis elegans and cultured mammalian cells. Experimental approaches will include genetic analyses, RNA interference, gene editing by CRISPR/Cas9 technology, biochemical and cell biology techniques, fluorescence and confocal microscopy. By utilizing the strengths of each model system the project should bring novel insight into the regulation of Wnt signalling.
- assigned by the advisor