Wir sind zutiefst betroffen über die Nachricht vom Tod Philippe Bastiaens', der seit den Anfängen der MPS MtL ein hoch geschätzter und engagierter Fellow unserer School war.

Zu seinem Gedenken haben unsere Studierenden ihre persönlichen Erinnerungen an ihn zusammengetragen.

Anfang dieses Jahres haben wir unsere MtL Spring Days in dieser Stadt der Wissenschaft im Forum abgehalten, um mehr über das Ökosystem zu erfahren, das auf dem Heilbronner Campus aufgebaut und gefördert wird.
Lest die Zusammenfassung!

Vortragstitel: From Fusion to Fission: Insights from Modeling
Small synaptic vesicles (SVs) undergo tightly regulated cycles of exocytosis and endocytosis at the presynaptic terminal to sustain neurotransmission. The preservation of their morphological uniformity and protein composition across repeated cycles suggests a strong spatial and temporal coupling between vesicle fusion and retrieval. A key intermediate in this process is the hemifusion diaphragm (HD), a geometrically complex membrane structure that critically regulates pore formation and stability during fusion. In this study, we combine particle-based simulations, field-theoretic calculations, and phenomenological modeling to investigate the physical factors governing pore nucleation and dynamics in HDs. We find that pores preferentially form at the HD rim and that their stability is strongly influenced by membrane tension, line tensions, HD size, and lipid flip-flop dynamics. Notably, pores within the HD are only metastable when the diaphragm is both chemically and mechanically constrained. These insights reveal how cells might exploit biophysical parameters to dynamically control pore formation, offering a deeper understanding of potential mechanisms underlying rapid and efficient synaptic release.

Andrea Musacchio
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund & University of Duisburg-Essen