Technologiepark Mannheim
HI-TAC
TPMA3, 3. OG
Franz-Volhard-Str. 8
68167 Mannheim
Koenen Lab
Tissue Dynamics and Organ Crosstalk
Profile
Our research focuses on the molecular underpinnings and cellular dynamics of adipose tissue remodeling. We study how tissue-resident cells and infiltrating immune cells interact to regulate extracellular matrix remodeling, vascular adaptation and organ crosstalk in response to metabolic challenges. Our goal is to distinguish mechanisms of tissue resilience from maladaptive remodeling responses and uncover fundamental determinants of cardiovascular risk.
Adipose tissue is a highly plastic endocrine organ with profound effects on whole-body physiology. Excess adipose tissue accumulation in obesity affects more than one billion people worldwide and is associated with severe comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Although recent breakthroughs have provided unprecedented treatment options for obesity, many individuals discontinue therapy, making weight regain and the subsequent recurrence of comorbidities an increasingly important clinical challenge.
Beyond overall body weight, the distribution and functional characteristics of different adipose tissue depots are key determinants of cardiovascular risk. Excess visceral adiposity is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, whereas subcutaneous adiposity is relatively benign and thermogenic adipose tissue is considered protective. We leverage the naturally occurring diversity of adipose tissue depots to understand how local remodeling responses influence site-specific vulnerabilities. We are particularly interested in how adipose tissue depots with intimate connections to the cardiovascular system, such as perivascular, perirenal and cardiac adipose depots, adapt to metabolic challenges.
Our multidisciplinary approach, spanning murine organismal metabolism, whole-tissue imaging, immunology, cell-cell interaction profiling, state-of-the-art molecular biology, and novel cell culture models, allows us to connect molecular pathways and genetic determinants with cellular communication networks and organ crosstalk. By studying adipose tissue as a model of tissue adaptation and resilience, we aim to uncover fundamental principles of tissue remodeling that extend beyond adipose tissue and identify novel opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
Team
Publications
January 15, 2026 / Science
Ablation of Prdm16 and beige fat identity causes vascular remodeling and elevated blood pressure
Mascha Koenen, Tobias Becher, Giulia Pagano, Ilaria Del Gaudio, Jorge A. Barrero, Augusto C. Montezano, Jenelys Ruiz Ortiz, Zeran Lin, Nicolás Gómez-Banoy, Rose Amblard, Daniel Schriever, Meltem E. Kars, Luisa Rubinelli, Sarah J. Halix, Zhen Fang Huang Cao, Xing Zeng, Scott D. Butler, Yuval Itan, Rhian M. Touyz, Annarita Di Lorenzo, Paul Cohen
August 6, 2024 / Nature Communications
Bone controls browning of white adipose tissue and protects from diet-induced obesity through Schnurri-3-regulated SLIT2 secretion
Zan Li, Baohong Shi, Na Li, Jun Sun, Xiangchen Zeng, Rui Huang, Seoyeon Bok, Xiaohui Chen, Jie Han, Alisha R. Yallowitz, Shawon Debnath, Michelle Cung, Zheng Ling, Chuan-Qi Zhong, Yixang Hong, Gang Li, Mascha Koenen, Paul Cohen, Xinhui Su, Hongbin Lu, Matthew B. Greenblatt, Ren Xu
May 2, 2023 / Neurobiology of Stress
Intact GR dimerization is critical for restraining plasma ACTH levels during chronic psychosocial stress
Dominik Langgartner*, Mascha Koenen*, Sandra Kupfer, Lisa Glogger, Lisa Kurz, Luis Gustavo Perez-Rivas, Marily Theodoropoulou, Michael Noll-Hussong, Sabine Vettorazzi, Jan Tuckermann, Stefan O. Reber
December 15, 2022 / EMBO Reports
Macrophagic AMPKα1 orchestrates regenerative inflammation induced by glucocorticoids
Giorgio Caratti, Thibaut Desgeorges, Gaëtan Juban, Ulrich Stifel, Aurélie Fessard, Mascha Koenen, Bozhena Caratti, Marine Théret, Carsten Skurk, Bénédicte Chazaud, Jan P. Tuckermann, Rémi Mounier
November 18, 2022 / eLife
LRG1 is an adipokine that promotes insulin sensitivity and suppresses inflammation
Chan Hee J. Choi, William Barr, Samir Zaman, Corey Model, Annsea Park, Mascha Koenen, Zeran Lin, Sarah K. Szwed, Francois Marchildon, Audrey Crane, Thomas S. Carroll, Henrik Molina, Paul Cohen
May 25, 2021 / Cell Death & Disease
Ligand-dependent kinase activity of MERTK drives efferocytosis in human iPSC-derived macrophages
Florian Wanke, Simon Gutbier, Anna Rümmelin, Malte Steinberg, Lindsey D. Hughes, Mascha Koenen, Juliana Komuczki, Daniel Regan-Komito, Sagie Wagage, Julia Hesselmann, Ralf Thoma, Doris Brugger, Tony Christopeit, Hayian Wang, Floriane Point, Remy Hallet, Sourav Ghosh, Carla V. Rothlin, Christoph Patsch, Barbara Geering
April 2, 2021 / Circulation Research
Obesity, Adipose Tissue and Vascular Dysfunction
Mascha Koenen, Michael A. Hill, Paul Cohen, James R. Sowers
May 1, 2019 / The FASEB Journal
A miR-29a‑driven negative feedback loop regulates peripheral glucocorticoid receptor signaling
Christina Glantschnig, Mascha Koenen, Manuel Gil-Lozano, Michael Karbiener, Ines Pickrahn, Jasmine Williams-Dautovich, Rucha Patel, Carolyn L. Cummins, Maude Giroud, Götz Hartleben, Elena Vogl, Matthias Blüher, Jan Tuckermann, Henriette Uhlenhaut, Stephan Herzig, Marcel Scheideler
July 11, 2018 / Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Glucocorticoid receptor in stromal cells is essential for glucocorticoid-mediated suppression of inflammation in arthritis
Mascha Koenen, Stephan Culemann, Sabine Vettorazzi, Giorgio Caratti, Lucien Frappart, Wolfgang Baum, Gerhard Krönke, Ulrike Baschant, Jan P. Tuckermann
February 3, 2016 / Physiological Reviews
Molecular Actions of Glucocorticoids in Cartilage and Bone During Health, Disease, and Steroid Therapy
Kerstin Hartmann, Mascha Koenen, Sebastian Schauer, Stephanie Wittig-Blaich, Mubashir Ahmad, Ulrike Baschant, Jan Tuckermann
News
Jobs
We’re hiring!
We are always looking for new lab members with an interest in adipose tissue biology, metabolism, organ-crosstalk or cardiovascular diseases. Please contact Mascha Koenen directly for PhD or Postdoctoral opportunities and the possibility to conduct your bachelor or master’s thesis with us. In your email, write a small paragraph about why you think you would be a good fit for the lab and send it along with your CV and 2 – 3 references.