Cretu Group

Dynamics and Structure of Ferlins

Ferlins, a group of ancient membrane proteins with a unique architecture, are critical to several Ca²⁺-dependent vesicle fusion pathways. Despite numerous functional studies and their link to burdening human diseases (including deafness, cardiomyopathy, muscle dystrophies and cancers), a mechanistic understanding of how these multi-C2 domain proteins act on lipid membranes to promote remodeling and fusion is still lacking. The overarching goal of my junior fellow project, which commenced in April 2024 at the Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging, is to advance our understanding of how ferlins are organized at the molecular level, elucidate their roles in precise mechanistic terms, and ultimately leverage the obtained high-resolution structural information – particularly in the context of next-generation gene therapies and drug discovery.

Group members