Proteins

Ubiquitin is everywhere. The protein regulates a vital cellular recycling system and plays a crucial role in health and disease. Thomas Sommer is investigating the molecular basis for its functioning, hoping to lay the scientific foundation for future therapies.

The mechanics of the heart rely significantly on an RNA-binding protein called RBM20. But how are such RNA-binding proteins regulated? MDC teams led by Matthias Selbach have identified corresponding phosphorylation sites, they report in "Molecular Cell”.

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases have one thing in common: misfolded proteins damage the nerve cells in the brain. Erich Wanker and Anne Ast explained at the Urania Berlin why the protein origami is so important, how the damage occurs and what can be done about it (recording in German).

The question of how the Covid virus takes over host cells and suppresses the body's defences has been the subject of much debate. Now a research team led by Marina Chekulaeva at the MDC has pinpointed the crucial mechanism involved. Their results have been published in the journal “RNA”.

Until now, it was unknown how a new blood vessel obtains the suitable diameter. A team led by MDC researcher Holger Gerhardt has published a paper in the journal "Development" outlining how targeted migration of newly formed cells from the veins toward the arteries is crucial in this process.

Biotechnologist Claudia Crocini is starting a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at the MDC in January 2022. Her research examines how the biomechanical properties of tissue ensure a healthy heartbeat. This might open up a new avenue for treating heart disease.

Titin is the largest protein in the human body which takes on a central role in muscle fibers. A DZHK team now reports in „Science Translational Medicine“ how mutations in the titin gene can cause a disease of the heart muscle, dilated cardiomyopathy.

A team led by MDC researcher Marina Chekulaeva has figured out why protein production slows down in the nerve cells of people suffering from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. This discovery could lead to a new therapeutic approach, the scientists report in the journal "Nucleic Acids Research".

MDC researchers have discovered a previously unknown cause of cardiac hypertrophy. As they report in the journal “Genome Biology”, genetic variation results in heart cell ribosomes not working properly. This disrupts protein production, which in turn causes the heart to grow too large.

All living things are built from proteins. Biologist Matthias Selbach uses the technique of mass spectrometry to understand the various functions of proteins and to systematically hunt down those that cause – or can prevent – disease.