Intracellular location and distribution of proteins with impact of lysosomal movemant and metastasis

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Project Description

The incidence of malignant melanoma has increased during the last decades and UV exposure is the major environmental risk factor. UV irradiation contributes to tumorigenesis by causing direct genetic alterations as well as secondary damage induced by elevated levels of reactive oxygen species. To protect against the damage, cells induce various signaling pathways upon UV-exposure. We have previously found that UV-induced plasma membrane damage can be repaired by lysosomal exocytosis. As a consequence of this, lysosomal hydrolases are released extracellularly, which promotes tumor invasion. In this project, we have set up a pipeline to automatically segment cells, outline the cell border and cell nucleus. By segmenting the cell into a set number of bins from the cell center to the cell border, we can analyze the signal distribution and signal intensity within the cell. We will use this pipeline to investigate the intracellular localization and distribution of proteins that are affected by UV irradiation, with a special focus on proteins involved in lysosomal function and positioning.