MechanoGenetic

Muscle cells in the human body often fail to work properly because their connections to the tendons become weak. This is a serious medical condition that can lead to skeletal myopathies. To design suitable therapies we need to discover the molecular and biophysical principles of how muscles build and maintain their muscle attachments. To this end, we are implementing an interdisciplinary research combining the power of Drosophila genetics with appropriate biophysical tools and methods. This approach allowed us to model how specific mutations in the conserved genes of Integrin-Linked Kinase (Ilk) and Parvin that encode proteins of the integrin adhesome weaken the myotendinous junctions in the fly embryo. Given the striking similarities in the molecular organisation of the myotendinous junctions between fly and human, the obtained data provide a novel mechanical framework of how muscle cells integrate forces and maintain tissue integrity in the living organism. Ultimately, the acquired knowledge obtained in this project provides a deeper understanding of how we can better combat dystrophic diseases.