Defining how RTK ligand-induced signalling specificity at the plasma membrane determine cellular outcomes

The outside environment influences cell?s decisions of whether to grow or move through the binding of protein molecules to cell surface proteins called receptors. Upon receptor binding, cells activate intracellular signals amplified by proteins which in turn modify cell?s decisions. One of these receptors is the Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2b (FGFR2b), which can be activated by different FGF protein molecules present in the environment. FGFR2b signalling is often lost in human diseases, including breast cancer. Therefore, this project will determine how FGFR2b responds to different FGFs using breast cancer models and specialised imaging and protein-monitoring technologies (mass spectrometry). I will uncover the FGFR2b structural changes upon FGF binding; the intracellular proteins interacting with FGFR2b; and how these proteins change cell behaviour. Overall, this project will discover the impact of FGFR2b on breast cancer cell behaviour when triggered by distinct FGFs, paving the way for novel breast cancer therapies.