Healthcare industry

A protein which acts as a danger signal in the body causes an unknown form of cell death in malignant brain tumors. This process is characterized by the formation of giant mitochondria in the dying cells. This has been discovered by scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the Institute of Pathology of Heidelberg University. Healthy brain cells, by contrast, are resistant to this form of cell…

Most organisms need iron to survive, but too much iron is toxic, and can cause fatal organ failure. The same is true inside cells, where iron balance must also be maintained. In a study published today in Cell Metabolism, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have discovered that a group of proteins named IRPs ensure that this iron balance is kept and as such are essential for cell survival. More…

Article - 15/07/2010

A special focus on intercellular mediators

Transmembrane proteins constitute around one third of all cellular proteins. Around half of all drugs that are currently on the market target the function of a specific class of transmembrane proteins, i.e. the G-protein coupled receptors. However, little is yet known about how transmembrane proteins are integrated into the membranes and how they are folded. Dr. Jörg H. Kleinschmidt hopes to shed light into the mechanisms of membrane protein…

Dossier - 10/07/2010

Membrane proteins

Around thirty per cent of all cellular proteins are located in or on a biological membrane. Numerous diseases are associated with defects in these proteins. It is estimated that around 50 per cent of all drugs developed by the pharmaceutical industry in the future will target the different membranes of cells. However it is quite difficult to biochemically investigate biological membranes. These are the many reasons why many research groups and…

Press release - 10/07/2010

Nanomachines in the powerhouses of the cell

Scientists from the University of Freiburg and the University of Frankfurt have elucidated the architecture of the biggest protein complex of the cellular respiratory chain. They discovered in this molecular complex a previously unknown energy conversion mechanism, which is essential for the cell to be able to utilise the energy contained in food.

Article - 10/07/2010

Membrane proteins and the import business of mitochondria

The powerhouses of cells are surprisingly dependent on external help. More than ninety per cent of all proteins required by the mitochondria are produced outside the outer mitochondrial membrane. How are these proteins transported across the membrane and how do they find their way into the mitochondria? A group of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Chris Meisinger at the University of Freiburg has been investigating the role of large protein complexes…

Article - 05/11/2009

Does stress increase the lifespan of worms?

It is known that vital oxygen can also turn into so-called free radicals in the body, thus damaging important molecules. Some scientists believe that the accumulation of such damage causes organisms to age. Dr. Ekkehard Schulze and his team at the University of Freiburg are investigating a previously unknown signalling network that reacts to oxidative stress in the cells of the threadworm Caenorhabditis elegans. The worm serves as a model for…

Article - 22/10/2009

On the track of fascinating diatoms

Diatoms make a considerable contribution to the production of oxygen and biomass in the worlds oceans and aquatic ecosystems. However up until now little is known about the molecular biology and chemistry of these eukaryotic algae. Prof. Peter Kroth and his team at the University of Constance are hoping to shed more light on these algae. The team has recently been involved in the deciphering of the Phaeodactylum tricornutum genome research that…

Researchers from the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Centre of Biological Signalling Studies (bioss) of the University of Freiburg have discovered a new mechanism that regulates the lifespan of mitochondrial proteins.

Article - 17/08/2009

A kiss of death for cells

Prof. Dr. Peter Krammer of the German Cancer Research Centre has considerably contributed to clarifying the apoptotic signalling pathways in both normal and malignant cells. In addition he has developed new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of those diseases that are the result of defective apoptosis regulation.

Article - 13/05/2009

Mitochondria – making the impossible possible

The transport of proteins across the two mitochondrial membranes is a very complex process. Huge molecular machines recognise the precursor proteins which are formed inside the cell and which are destined for the energy power stations of the cells. Some of these substances pass the outer and the inner membrane, some of them remain in the intermembrane area. How does the sorting of the molecules work? Five years ago, molecular biologist Dr.…

Article - 15/01/2009

Felicitas Pröls – an all-rounder in anatomy

Plant research molecular developmental biology and cell biology anatomy these are just a few of the fields in which Prof. Dr. Felicitas Pröls from the University of Freiburg has achieved major success. She has also recently begun looking into molecular neurobiology. For me professional diversity is the most important thing and it is also the reason why I am happy with my chosen profession said the researcher.

Article - 09/01/2009

Kay Diederichs – important insights in the fight against bacterial antibiotics resistance

Bacteria will always find ways to defend themselves against substances such as antibiotics, thus inhibiting their effect. Many bacteria have pump systems that they use to actively remove antibiotic drugs from the cell. Prof. Kay Diederichs at the University of Constance is working on the elucidation of these mechanisms in order to produce useful information for the development of bacterial pump inhibitors.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM - Microscopy

A collaborative project funded by the Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg foundation, investigated the extent to which spectrally resolved Raman microscopy is able to represent specific enzymes in living cells without the use of markers.

Karin Scharffetter-Kochanek dermatologist and head of the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at the University Hospital of Ulm has spent a long time investigating skin ageing. Her specific focus on skin has not however restricted her understanding of ageing to barely deterministic or mechanistic details. Quite the opposite is true.

Prof. Dr. Michael Reth is active in the field of immunology and signalling. He is an experienced scientist who is well aware of the difficulty and the cumbersome nature of deciphering signals and signalling pathways. The Freiburg bioss excellence cluster - the Centre of Biological Signalling Studies - is Reths brainchild. Karin Bundschuh from BioRegio Freiburg spoke with the scientist who works at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and the…

Simone Fulda 40 is an extremely inquisitive person who has managed to turn her passion into a profession. In 2007 the petite woman from Cologne was appointed professor of paediatric research at the University of Ulm University Childrens Hospital where she is working on the relationship between apoptosis and cancer and the development of new methods for cancer treatment.