Investigating the link between ageing, neurodegeneration, and maintenance of axonal microtubules through EB1 phosphorylation: from structures to Droso

Microtubule (MT) associated protein EB1 plays key roles in recruiting other proteins to MTs to facilitate their repair in neurons.

We aim to define the age-dependent changes in the phosphorylation of EB1 and its binding partners, and establish contribution of phosphorylation into the MT repair mechanism in Drosophila neurons.

We will define the phosphorylation pattern of EB1 in aged neurons and investigate effect of phosphorylation on EB1 structure and interactions.

We will develop a suite of mutations that either enhance or disrupt specific interactions, test them in cells and introduce into the Drosophila ageing models.