Titin

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”.

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.

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.

Setting out to identify all proteins that make up the sarcomere, the basic contractile unit of muscle cells, resulted in an unexpected revelation, providing experimental evidence that helps explain a fundamental mystery about how muscles work. The research was published in Nature Communications.

Using new high-resolution imaging techniques, MDC researchers and colleagues have tracked titin, the body’s largest protein, in real time throughout its entire lifecycle. The method and results could provide new insight into muscle development as well as treating damaged muscles and heart disease.

A team led by Professor Norbert Hübner’s MDC research group has observed the human heart cells’ “protein factories” in action, examining the entire tissue for the very first time. In an article published in Cell, the group reveals their surprising discoveries and the possibilities they contain for the future treatment of heart disease.

Titin is the largest molecule in the human body – and together with actin and myosin plays a pivotal role in the ensemble of muscle proteins. A team led by Professor Michael Gotthardt from the MDC describes in the journal “Circulation” how mutations in this protein lead to various heart diseases.

The MDC research group led by Norbert Hübner has discovered that mutations in the titin gene have previously unknown effects on the heart function of healthy individuals. These mutations are present in one percent of the general population.

A new multinational study by researchers from Singapore, the UK and Germany has discovered that gene mutations in a protein called titin affect the heart function in healthy individuals. It was previously thought that the mutations affect only patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, one of the most common forms of inherited heart disease.

The analysis of the human genome showed that our DNA contains fewer genes than most scientists...