# Spatial control of membrane traffic by septin GTPases

> **NIH NIH R35** · DREXEL UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $150,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Spatial control of membrane traffic is essential for the morphogenesis and maintenance
of polarized cell types such as epithelia and neurons, whose organization is integral to organ
homeostasis and neurotransmission. Many advances have been made in understanding
membrane traffic at points of origin (protein sorting, vesicle formation) and destination (vesicle
docking/fusion). However, key challenges remain in understanding how long-range transport is
spatially controlled en route to destination. The central hypothesis of our studies is that septins,
a family of multimeric GTP-binding proteins, which associate with distinct subsets of
microtubules and membrane domains, comprise a novel regulatory module for the spatial
guidance of membrane traffic. Here, we request an administrative supplement for the acquisition
of fast and super-resolution laser scanning confocal microscopy, which will improve the imaging
capabilities, quality and data output (productivity) of our R35-funded projects. In investigating
whether there is specificity between septins and distinct routes of polarized traffic (e.g., apical
vs. basolateral), the new instrumentation will enable to image fixed and live epithelial sheets and
organoids faster and with less photodamage as well as unprecedented resolution (100 nm
lateral, 200 nm axial). In our studies of how lysosome trafficking and positioning is regulated by
septins at steady state and in response to cellular cues, the new instrumentation will enable to
track endolysosomes with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution in 2D and 3D using
detectors with superior quantum efficiency. Through the use of advanced modulations such as
dynamic enhancement and adaptive image quality determination and reconstruction, we will be
able to acquire high-quality time-lapse data, which currently is not possible with core confocal
and spinning disk instrumentation that is over ten years old. Outcomes will shed valuable
insights into the mechanisms that direct the transport of membrane vesicles and
endolysosomes in response to morphogenetic and physiological signals. The proposed studies
will also advance our understanding of septins as spatial regulators of intracellular organization,
bearing significance on diseases triggered and/or exacerbated by abnormalities in septin
expression.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10389249
- **Project number:** 3R35GM136337-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** DREXEL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Elias T Spiliotis
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $150,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10389249

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10389249, Spatial control of membrane traffic by septin GTPases (3R35GM136337-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10389249. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*