Identification of molecules involved in the generation of the MHC class II peptide loading compartment.

Visualization of vesicular trafficking has become possible by the rapid development of imaging techniques that utilize fast computers and fast on line imaging systems. Biologically we have developed a system for studying trafficking events in the immune specific intracellular pathway towards the compartment for peptide loading. This is an extention of the candidates previous work and based on the finding that the endosomal vesicles increase in size by expressing the MHC class II associated CD74. We are a ble to study in detail fusion and fission processes, maturation, and the kinetics of vesicular coats that are orchestrating the complex pathways and connection in the endomembrane network. To elucidate the mechanisms that govern and regulate these events it is important to understand the phenotypic changes observed on the genomic level and pinpoint the genes that are expressed to generate this new phenotype. We will investigate by genome wide RNAi approach the known and novel genes that regulate this fun ction and test for their involvement in the intracellular trafficking processes. An understanding of these principles may have wide ranging applications in basic cell biology, immune therapy, vaccination and a general understanding of cellular immune func tions. This work will be performed at Department of Molecular Bioaciences, UiO and its imaging facilities in collaboration with Advanced Light Microscopy Facility at EMBL. The initial postdoc period will be spent at EMBL to train in automated RNAi based genome wide techniqes and automated high throughput imaging. These techniques will in paralell be set up in Oslo and analysis will be transferred to home laboratory.