# Mechanisms and functional consequences of receptor organization at membranes

> **NIH NIH R35** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $470,984

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The overall goal of this project is to understand the cell biophysical mechanisms regulating transmembrane
signal transduction, i.e. signal transfer from ligand to receptor to downstream effector. There is mounting
evidence that cell surface receptors exhibit a high degree of dynamic organization, yet little is known about the
mechanisms underlying this organization and its consequences for receptor signaling. This project will focus on
vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), a key receptor in endothelial cells promoting
angiogenesis, the process of sprouting new blood vessels from the existing vasculature. Angiogenesis is
critical for growth and development, and goes astray in many diseases, from cancer to ischemia. In addition to
the pathophysiological importance of angiogenesis, there are many commonalities between VEGFR2 signaling
and other signaling pathways. Thus the knowledge gained from the proposed studies is expected to be
applicable beyond the specifics of angiogenesis. This project will focus on the following major questions:
(1) What mechanisms regulate the cell surface spatiotemporal organization and signaling of VEGFR2?
The goal here is to determine the membrane and cytosolic factors that regulate VEGFR2 spatiotemporal
organization on the cell surface (i.e. its dynamics, oligomerization state and spatial distribution), and to test the
hypothesis that these factors provide a mechanism for the cell to modulate VEGFR2’s response to VEGF.
(2) How do inter-receptor interactions regulate VEGFR2 signaling in response to its ligand VEGF? The
goal here is to quantitatively characterize VEGFR2 interactions with other receptors, starting with the
antagonistic anti-angiogenic receptor CD36, and to test the hypothesis that these interactions contribute to the
integration of pro- and anti-angiogenic signals.
(3) What are the spatiotemporal characteristics of signal transfer from VEGFR2 to downstream
effectors? The goal here is to determine the nanoscale spatial relationship and kinetics of signal transfer from
VEGFR2 to its downstream effectors, starting with phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K). This will allow us to
quantitatively link the spatiotemporal organization of VEGFR2 to its functional consequences.
 These questions will be addressed by developing integrative approaches combining cellular light
microscopy (single-molecule, super-resolution and activity biosensor imaging) with novel analytical tools
(computational image analysis, statistical data analysis and mathematical modeling). These analytical tools are
necessary to extract quantitative, complete information from each imaging modality and to rigorously multiplex
the complementary information that the different modalities reveal. Together they will enable the monitoring of
VEGFR2 spatiotemporal organization and interactions down to the single-molecule level, and quantitatively link
it to VEGFR2 signal initiation in its native cellular context. ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9937736
- **Project number:** 5R35GM119619-05
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Khuloud Jaqaman
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $470,984
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2021-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9937736

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9937736, Mechanisms and functional consequences of receptor organization at membranes (5R35GM119619-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9937736. Licensed CC0.

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