Funding tool: Dissertations
Project-ID: FTI25-D-003
Project start: 01. April 2026
Project end: 31. März 2029
Runtime: 36 months / ongoing

Brief summary:
Dendritic cell (DC) migration is essential for mounting an effective immune response and relies on glycolytic metabolism. Glycogen, as an internal source of glucose, has been shown to fuel early DC effector functions, but its exact contribution to DC metabolism and especially its role as a energy store for the energetically costly process of migration is unknown. Based on preliminary data, I hypothesize that intracellular glycogen provides an energy source to sustain DC migration and propose to address the following questions: How does DC migration change in the absence of glucose and/or glycogen? Which elements of the glycogen pathway regulate this process? Does glycogen regulate the energetic balance of DCs and how does glycogen specifically affect the different components of cytoskeletal dynamics of migrating cells? To tackle these questions, I will (i) generate and characterize genetic models targeting glycogen metabolism, (ii) define glycogen’s energetic contribution using live metabolic sensors, and (iii) develop live-cell glycogen reporter for subcellular visualization of glycogen dynamics. This work will fill a critical knowledge gap in immunometabolism and provide new tools and perspectives regarding immune function in metabolic diseases such as diabetes and glycogen storage disorders.

Keywords:
migration, energy, metabolism, glycogen, dendritic cells.