Max Planck Research Group Leaders

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Felix M Key

Dr. Felix M Key · BMS

Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology · Berlin, Germany

Email
key [at] mpiib-berlin [dot] mpg [dot] de

Biography

I am a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the MPI for Infection Biology. Previously I was a postdoc fellow in the lab of Tami Lieberman at MIT (Cambridge, USA). Before that I worked as a postdoc associate in the department of Johannes Krause at the MPI for the Science of Human History (Jena, Germany). I completed my PhD in population genetics under the supervision of Aida Andrés in the department of Svante Pääbo at the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig, Germany).

My current research involves the development and application of methods to integrate population genomic datasets to understand the evolution of bacterial pathogens on a historical (ancient DNA) and rapid (within person) time scale.

Education and positions held

  • 2020-present:
    • MPI for Infection Biology: Max Planck Research Group Leader
  • 2018-2020:
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology PostDoc
  • 2016-2018:
    • MPI for the Science of Human History PostDoc
  • 2010-2016:
    • MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology PhD Student

Research Summary

Microbial pathogens are shaped by their evolutionary history, which provides them the genomic framework to cause disease. The Key lab aims to uncover the genetic mechanisms and phenotypic variation that underlay the emergence and adaptation of infectious microbes. Therefore we develop methods to track microbial evolution on dramatically different timescales by leveraging ancient DNA from the archaeological specimen as well as high definition genomic data from clinical samples. Understanding the mechanisms of infectious disease emergence and adaptation holds promise to improve disease prevention, intervention and to develop more targeted therapies.

Key publications

  • Key et al. On-person adaptive evolution of Staphylococcus aureus during atopic dermatitis increases disease severity. biorxiv (2021)
  • Key et al. Emergence of human-adapted Salmonella enterica is linked to the Neolithization process. Nature ecology & evolution (2020) – Key et al. HOPS: Automated detection and authentication of pathogen DNA in archaeological remains. Genome Biology (2019)
  • Key et al. Human local adaptation of the TRPM8 cold receptor along a latitudinal cline. PLoS Genetics (2018)
  • Key et al. Human adaptation and population differentiation in the light of ancient genomes. Nature Communications (2016) Read

Marieke Oudelaar

Dr. Marieke Oudelaar · BMS

Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry · Göttingen, Germany

Email
marieke [dot] oudelaar [at] mpibpc [dot] mpg [dot] de

Biography

I completed my BSc at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and my MSc at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, before moving to the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

I completed my PhD in Oxford at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. Afterwards, I worked as a Junior Research Fellow for two years in the same institute, before moving to Germany to set up my group “Genome Organization and Regulation” at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen.

Education and positions held

  • 2020-current:
    • Lise Meitner Group Leader, Genome Organization and Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
  • 2018-2020:
    • Junior Research Fellow, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
  • 2014-2018:
    • Predoctoral fellow, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Research Summary

Precise patterns of gene expression in metazoans are controlled by the cis-regulatory elements of the genome, which include enhancers and promoters. The spatial organization of the genome in the nucleus is important for accurate communication between these elements. Enhancers and promoters interact in 3D chromatin structures, which allow for specific communication between elements that are separated by large genomic distances. These enhancer-promoter interactions are important to establish accurate gene expression patterns during differentiation and development.

The aim of our research is to understand how 3D chromatin structures are formed and how the cis-regulatory elements function within this context to control gene expression. To this end, we develop high-resolution Chromosome Conformation Capture (3C) techniques, which we use in combination with other genomic techniques, genetic perturbations, and computational approaches.

We focus on the interplay between genome organization and regulation during mammalian differentiation, and how perturbations in these processes contribute to human disease, including cancer.

Key publications

  • Oudelaar AM, Higgs DR (2020) The relationship between genome structure and function. Nature Reviews Genetics 22: 154–168.
  • Oudelaar AM, Beagrie RA, Gosden M, de Ornellas S, Georgiades E, Kerry J, Hidalgo D, Carrelha J, Shivalingam A, El-Sagheer AH et al (2020)
  • Dynamics of the 4D genome during in vivo lineage specification and differentiation. Nature Communications 11: 2722.
  • Oudelaar AM, Harrold CL, Hanssen LL, Telenius JM, Higgs DR, Hughes JR (2019) A revised model for promoter competition based on multi-way chromatin interactions at the α-globin locus. Nature Communications 10: 1-8.
  • Oudelaar AM, Davies JOJ, Hanssen LLP, Telenius JM, Schwessinger R, Liu Y, Brown JM, Downes DJ, Chiariello AM, Bianco S et al (2018) Single-allele chromatin interactions identify regulatory hubs in dynamic compartmentalized domains. Nature Genetics 50: 1744-1751.
  • Oudelaar AM, Davies JOJ, Downes DJ, Higgs DR, Hughes JR (2017) Robust detection of chromosomal interactions from small numbers of cells using low-input Capture-C. Nucleic Acids Research doi:10.1093/nar/gkx1194.

Silvia Portugal

Dr. Silvia Portugal · BMS

Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology · Berlin, Germany

Email
portugal [at] mpiib-berlin [dot] mpg [dot] de
silviavpt [at] icloud [dot] com

Biography

I studied biology in University of Porto, and did my PhD at the IMM Lisbon, supervised by Maria Mota, where we showed in a mouse model that Plasmodium blood-stage infections suppress re-infection by newly inoculated sporozoites. Then, I joined Pete Crompton’s lab at the NIH in Rockville, focusing on naturally acquired immunity to malaria in the seasonal transmission region of Mali, and we proposed a novel model of how children in endemic areas tend to remain asymptomatic and control parasite replication despite repeated P. falciparum infections.

In collaboration with Sue Pierce, we described how B cell receptor signaling and effector function is impaired in malaria-associated atypical memory B cells.

In a close partnership between the NIH and the Mali International Center for Excellence in Research we designed a clinical study to elucidate how persistent parasitaemias in the dry season affect the risk of clinical malaria. We demonstrated that treatment of asymptomatic P. falciparum infections which persisted during the dry season did not alter the malaria risk on the ensuing transmission season.

In 2016 became a junior group leader at the Parasitology Department of Heidelberg University Hospital and my lab showed that during the dry season parasites are transcriptionally distinct from those of subjects with febrile malaria in the wet season, reflecting longer circulation within each replicative cycle of parasitized erythrocytes without adhering to the vascular endothelium.

Education and positions held

  • 2020 – present
    • Lise Meitner Group Leader at the Max Planck institute for Infection Biology, Berlin
  • 2016 – 2020
    • Junior Group Leader, Center for Infectious Diseases_ Parasitology, Heidelberg University
  • 2011– 2016
    • Postdoctoral Fellow at Crompton Lab, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, USA
  • 2010
    • FAPESP Invited Visiting Researcher (Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil)
  • 2006 – 2010
    • PhD thesis (Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal)
  • 1998 – 2003
    • Biology undergraduate (Faculdade de Ciência da Universidade do Porto, Portugal)

Research Summary

The main goal of my lab is to understand how Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, survives the dry season when no mosquitoes are available. Plasmodium usually alternates between a human host and a mosquito vector, but in many areas of the globe a long and complete dry season interrupts transmission for several months. We study the host and parasite factors that contribute to silent carriage of parasites in ~25% of children during the 6-month dry season in Mali, and how transmission resumes in the ensuing wet season when mosquitoes return.

Key publications

  • Increased time of Plasmodium falciparum in the circulation underlies persistent asymptomatic infection in the dry season. Andrade CA, Fleckenstein F, Thomson-Luque R, Doumbo S, Lima NF, Anderson C, Hibbert J, Hopp SH, Tran TM, Li S, Niangaly M, Cisse H, Doumtabe D, Skinner J, Sturdevant D, Ricklefs S, Virtaneva K, Asghar M, Homann MV, Turner L, Martins J, Allman EL, N’Dri M, Winkler V, Llinás M, Lavazec C, Martens C, Färnert A, Kayentao K, Ongoiba A, Lavstsen T, Osório NS, Otto TD, Recker M, Traor B, Crompton PD, Portugal S. Nat Med. 2020 Oct 26 PMID: 33106664
  • Treatment of Chronic Asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum Infection Does Not Increase the Risk of Clinical Malaria Upon Reinfection. Portugal S, Tran TM, Ongoiba A, Bathily A, Li S, Doumbo S, Skinner J, Doumtabe D, Kone Y, Sangala J, Jain A, Davies DH, Hung C, Liang L, Ricklefs S, Homann MV, Felgner PL, Porcella SF, Färnert A, Doumbo OK, Kayentao K, Greenwood BM, Traore B, Crompton PD. Clin Infect Dis. 2017 Mar 1;64(5):645-653. PMID: 28362910
  • Malaria-associated atypical memory B cells exhibit markedly reduced B cell receptor signaling and effector function. Portugal S, Tipton CM, Sohn H, Kone Y, Wang J, Li S, Skinner J, Virtaneva K, Sturdevant DE, Porcella SF, Doumbo OK, Doumbo S, Kayentao K, Ongoiba A, Traore B, Sanz I, Pierce SK, Crompton PD. Elife. 2015 May 8;4. PMID: 25955968
  • Exposure-dependent control of malaria-induced inflammation in children. Portugal S, Moebius J, Skinner J, Doumbo S, Doumtabe D, Kone Y, Dia S, Kanakabandi K, Sturdevant DE, Virtaneva K, Porcella SF, Li S, Doumbo OK, Kayentao K, Ongoiba A, Traore B, Crompton PD. PLoS Pathog. 2014 Apr 17;10(4):e1004079. PMID: 24743880
  • Host-mediated regulation of superinfection in malaria. Portugal S, Carret C, Recker M, Armitage AE, Gonçalves LA, Epiphanio S, Sullivan D, Roy C, Newbold CI, Drakesmith H, Mota MM. Nat Med. 2011 Jun;17(6):732-7. doi: 10.1038/nm.2368. Epub 2011 May 15. PMID: 21572427

Heidi Colleran

Dr Heidi Colleran · GSH

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology · Leipzig, Germany

Email
heidi_colleran [at] eva [dot] mpg [dot] de

Biography

I’m an interdisciplinary anthropologist with broad training in the humanities and social sciences. Following an undergraduate degree in Philosophy (major) and Russian (minor) at Trinity College Dublin (2004), I left Ireland to complete two master’s degrees at UCL, in Human Evolution and Behaviour (2005) and in Anthropology (2008), as well as a certificate in Psychology at London Metropolitan University (2007). I stayed at UCL to complete my PhD in Evolutionary Anthropology (2013). After a short postdoc at UCL I moved to the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST), where I was their first-ever anthropology hire. In 2016 I joined the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena. There I managed a flagship interdisciplinary field-project in Vanuatu, involving geneticists, archaeologists, linguists and psychologists, and spent over 17 months in the field in Vanuatu. Since 2019 I have been at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, where I lead the BirthRites Independent Research Group, hosted by the Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture.

Education and positions held

  • 2019 – present
    • Independent Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
  • 2016 – 2019
    • Senior Scientist, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena
  • 2014 – 2016
    • Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse
  • 2013 – 2014
    • Postdoctoral Associate, University College London
  • 2009 – 2013
    • PhD, University College London

Research Summary

Our work lies at the intersection of socio-cultural anthropology, demography, and cultural evolution. My main area of interest is the relationship between reproductive behaviour, culture, and population dynamics. The BirthRites research group explores the anthropology of reproduction, broadly construed, and its implications for human evolution and demography. Our interdisciplinary approach combines the strengths of both humanities and social sciences to bridge micro and macro levels of analysis. Three interrelated streams of research involve primary anthropological fieldwork, cross-cultural and macro-level analysis, and theoretical modeling.

Key publications

  • Colleran, H. (2020) Market integration reduces kin density in women’s ego-networks in rural Poland. Nat Commun 11, 266. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-14158-2
  • Colleran H. (2016) The cultural evolution of fertility decline, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 371(1692): 20150152 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0152
  • Colleran H. and Mace R. (2015) Social network and community level influences on contraceptive use: evidence from rural Poland, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282(1807): 20150398 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0398
  • Colleran H., Jasienska G., Nenko I., Galbarczyk A. and Mace R. (2015) Fertility decline and the changing dynamics of wealth, status and inequality, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282(1806): 20150287 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0287
  • Colleran H., Jasienska G., Nenko I., Galbarczyk A. and Mace R. (2014) Community-level education accelerates the cultural evolution of fertility decline, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281(1779): 20132732 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2732

Valérie Hilgers

Dr. Valérie Hilgers · BMS

Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics · Freiburg, Germany

Email
hilgers [at] ie-freiburg [dot] mpg [dot] de
valerie [dot] hilgers [at] gmail [dot] com

Biography

I studied Biology at the Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany and obtained a Masters degree from Université Paris VI and the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France. I earned my PhD from Heidelberg University after performing PhD studies at EMBL Heidelberg, Germany and the Temasek Life Sciences Institute, Singapore. From 2010 to 2016, I was a Postdoctoral fellow at University of California, Berkeley, USA in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology.

Since 2017, I lead a Max Planck Research at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Germany. My lab studies the genetics and epigenetics of the nervous system. We investigate neuron-specific RNA signatures and their role in neuronal development and function by using various technologies, ranging from functional Drosophila genetics, behavior studies, and imaging, to RNA biochemistry and our special focus, brain transcriptomics.

Education and positions held

  • 2010-2016
    • Postdoc at UC Berkeley with Michael Levine and Donald Rio
  • 2006-2010
    • PhD in Biology, EMBL Heidelberg
  • 2000-2006
    • Master in Biology at Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) and Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI)

Research Summary

The nervous system is composed of highly polarized cells of complex and dynamic architecture. The formation and maintenance of neurons and neural circuits require the coordinated expression of genes at each step of RNA metabolism: from transcription, processing, localized transport and translation, to degradation.

To achieve this level of complexity, neurons employ mechanisms that increase RNA regulatory potential: alternative splicing, alternative polyadenylation, and non-coding RNA expression. Although relatively little is known about how these mechanisms control neuronal development and function, the importance of RNA-directed regulation in the brain is exemplified by its implication in neurological diseases. To understand the molecular processes underlying such pathologies, we need to gain mechanistic and functional insight into how RNA diversity is regulated. Neurons are characterized by the expression of RNA sequences that are found in no other cell type: neuron-specific mRNA splice isoforms, circular RNAs, microRNAs, and ultra-long 3’UTRs.

We study how these neuronal RNA signatures are specifically produced, post-transcriptionally regulated, and how they are involved in neuronal development and function. We use Drosophila as a model system for neurodevelopmental genetics. We focus in particular, on RNA processes regulated by RNA-binding proteins of the highly conserved ELAV family of pan-neuronal proteins.

Key publications

  • Carrasco, J.; Rauer, M.; Hummel, B.; Grzejda, D.; Alfonso-Gonzalez, C.; Lee, Y.; Wang, Q.; Puchalska, M.; Mittler, G.; Hilgers, V.: ELAV and FNE Determine Neuronal Transcript Signatures through EXon-Activated Rescue. Molecular Cell 80, pp. 156 – 163 (2020)
  • Wang, Q.; Taliaferro, J. M.; Klibaite, U.; Hilgers, V.; Shaevitz, J. W.; Rio, D. C.: The PSI-U1 snRNP interaction regulates male mating behavior in Drosophila. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 113, pp. 5269 – 5274 (2016)
  • Oktaba, K.; Zhang, W.; Lotz, T. S.; Jun, D. J.; Lemke, S. B.; Ng, S. P.; Esposito, E.; Levine, M.; Hilgers, V.: ELAV links paused Pol II to alternative polyadenylation in the Drosophila nervious system. Molecular Cell 57, pp. 341 – 348 (2015)
  • Hilgers, V.; Lemke, S. B.; Levine, M.: ELAV mediates 3′ UTR extension in the Drosophila nervous system. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 26, pp. 2259 – 2264 (2012)
  • Hilgers, V.; Perry, M. W.; Hendrix, D.; Stark, A.; Levine, M.; Haley, B.: Neural-specific elongation of 3′ UTRs during Drosophila development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 108, pp. 15864 – 15869 (2011)

Peter Tessarz

Peter Peter Tessarz · BMS

Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing · Cologne, Germany

Email
ptessarz [at] age [dot] mpg [dot] de

Biography

I am very interested in understanding biological problems on a mechanistic level. During my graduate work, I worked on questions centered around protein quality control and how cells have evolved to handle protein aggregation upon severe stress conditions. One aspect of this research was to understand how ageing influences the clearance of damaged proteins. For my postdoc, I moved away from protein quality control to the regulation of gene expression by chromatin. During my time in Tony Kouzarides’ lab, I discovered the first histone modification dedicated to only one polymerase, RNA polymerase I. In 2014, I set up my own group in Cologne and combined interests from my graduate and postdoctoral work to address how age-related changes in chromatin architecture impact on the regulation of gene expression.

Education and positions held

  • 2014 – present
    • Max Planck Research Group Leader at MPI for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
  • 2009 – 2014
    • Postdoc with Tony Kouzarides, Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, UK
  • 2003 – 2008
    • Graduate student with Bernd Bukau, ZMBH, University of Heidelberg, Germany”

Research Summary

Our research aims at understanding mechanistically how ageing-dependent alterations in chromatin architecture impacts the regulation of gene expression. One important aspect that we are fascinated about is the tight connection between central metabolism and the chromatin landscape – and how these two pathways influence each other upon ageing onset. We address these questions using a combination of biochemistry, cell biology and next generation sequencing technologies either directly in tissues or in primary culture systems.

Key publications

  • Pouikli A, Parekh S, Maleszewska M, Baghdadi M, Tripodi I, Nikopoulou C, Folz-Donahue K, Hinze Y, Mesaros A, Giavalisco P, Dowell R, Partridge L and Tessarz P (2020). Deregulated mito-nuclear communication alters chromatin plasticity and differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells upon ageing. bioRxiv. doi: 2020.04.02.022293
  • Mylonas C and Tessarz P (2019): NET-prism enables RNA polymerase-dedicated transcriptional interrogation at nucleotide resolution. RNA Biol. 16 (9): 1156-65
  • Mylonas C and Tessarz P (2018): Transcriptional repression by FACT is linked to regulation of chromatin accessibility at the promoter of ES cells. Life Science Alliance 1 (3): e201800085
  • Tessarz P and Kouzarides T (2014). Histone core modifications regulating nucleosome structure and dynamics. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol (11); 703-8
  • Tessarz P, Santos-Rosa H, Robson S, Nelson C, Nielsen ML and Kouzarides T (2014). Glutamine methylation on histone H2A is an RNA Polymerase I dedicated modification. Nature 505 (7484): 564-8

Thomas Schäfer

Dr Thomas Schäfer · CPTS

Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research · Stuttgart, Germany

Email
t [dot] schaefer [at] fkf [dot] mpg [dot] de

Biography

Born in Lower Austria, I studied Theoretical Physics at the TU Wien, where I also received my PhD under the supervision of Prof. Karsten Held and Prof. Alessandro Toschi.

Afterwards I moved to France and had the great opportunity to work with one of the founding fathers of the field, Prof. Antoine Georges, as well as Prof. Olivier Parcollet and Prof. Michel Ferrero at the world-renowned Collège de France and École Polytechnique. I am a regular visitor of the Center for Computational Quantum Physics at the Flatiron Institute in New York City.

Apart from physics I am fascinated by competitive ballroom dancing and the amazing world of wine.

Education and positions held

  • 2020-present:
    • Research group leader “Theory of Strongly Correlated Quantum Matter” at MPI-FKF.
  •  2017-2020
    • Postdoctoral reseacher and Erwin-Schrödinger Fellow with Prof. Antoine Georges at Collège de France and École Polytechnique.
  • 2016-2017:
    • Postdoctoral reseacher with Prof. Alessandro Toschi at TU Wien.
  •  2013-2016
    • PhD studies in theoretical condensed matter physics, promotion “sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae” at TU Wien.
  •  2007-2012
    • Bachelor and Master studies in theoretical and mathematical physics at TU Wien passed “with distinction”.

Research Summary

Materials with strong electronic correlations are amongst the most intriguing topics at the forefront of research in condensed matter physics. On the one hand, they exhibit fascinating phenomena like quantum criticality and high-temperature superconductivity, bearing a high potential for applications. On the other hand, they are theoretically very appealing due to their limited understanding, even on the very fundamental level.

Within the research group “Theory of Strongly Correlated Quantum Matter” the frontier of this fundamental understanding is pushed by applying cutting-edge numerical quantum field theoretical methods to quantum critical systems, high-temperature superconductors, Mott insulators and magnetically frustrated systems, both in the purely model (Hubbard model, periodic Anderson model) as well as material oriented (heavy fermions, cuprates, organics) context.

  • Strongly correlated electron systems
    ◦ Physics of the Hubbard model
    ◦ Mott-Hubbard metal-insulator transition ◦ low-dimensional systems
  • Frustrated magnetic systems
    ◦ geometric frustration
    ◦ metal-insulator transition
  • Quantum criticality
    ◦ quantum and classical critical phenomena ◦ quantum magnetism
    ◦ electronic Kohn anomalies
  • High-temperature superconductivity
    ◦ pseudogap physics
    ◦ unconventional pairing mechanisms
  • Quantum many-body techniques
    ◦ dynamical mean field theory (DMFT)
    ◦ cluster (CDMFT, DCA) and diagrammatic (DΓA, TRILEX) extensions of DMFT
    ◦ many-particle Green functions and Luttinger-Ward formalism in the non-perturbative
    regime
    ◦ fluctuation diagnostics and parquet decomposition

Key publications

  • T. Schäfer, N. Wentzell, F. Šimkovic IV, Y.-Y. He, C. Hille, M. Klett, C. J. Eckhardt, B. Arzhang, V. Harkov, F.-M. Le Régent, A. Kirsch, Y. Wang, A. J. Kim, E. Kozik, E. A. Stepanov, A. Kauch, S. Andergassen, P. Hansmann, D. Rohe, Y. M. Vilk, J. P. F. LeBlanc, S. Zhang, A.-M. S. Tremblay, M. Ferrero, O. Parcollet, and A. Georges, “Tracking the Footprints of Spin Fluctuations: A Multi-Method, Multi-Messenger Study of the Two-Dimensional Hubbard Model”, arXiv:2006.10769
  • T. Schäfer, F. Geles, Rost D., G Rohringer, E Arrigoni, K. Held, N. Blümer, M Aichhorn, A Toschi, “Fate of the false Mott-Hubbard transition in two dimensions”, Phys. Rev. B. 91, 125109 (2015)
  • T. Schäfer, G. Rohringer, O. Gunnarsson, S. Ciuchi, G. Sangiovanni, and A. Toschi, “Divergent Precursors of the Mott-Hubbard Transition at the Two-Particle Level”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 246405 (2013)
  • T. Schäfer, A. A. Katanin, K. Held, and A. Toschi, “Interplay of correlations and Kohn anomalies in three dimensions: quantum criticality with a twist”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 046402 (2017)
  • O. Gunnarsson, T. Schäfer, J. LeBlanc, E. Gull, J. Merino, G. Sangiovanni, G. Rohringer, and A. Toschi, “Fluctuation Diagnostics of the Electron Self-Energy: Origin of the Pseudogap Physics”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 236402 (2015)

Constantinos Demetriades

Dr. Constantinos Demetriades · BMS

Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing · Cologne, Germany

Email
demetriades [at] age [dot] mpg [dot] de

Biography

Dr Constantinos Demetriades is a molecular cell biologist working in the field of nutrient sensing and cell growth control. He currently functions as a a Max Planck Research Group Leader (MPRGL) at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing (MPI-AGE) in Cologne. He is also affiliated to the CECAD Research Center of the University of Cologne, as an Associated PI, and serves as a Faculty Member of the Cologne Graduate School of Ageing Research (CGA). His work has previously elucidated the mechanistic details of mTOR inactivation in response to nutrient starvation, has identified the TSC protein complex as an integral compartment of the amino acid sensing signaling pathway, and has revealed how information from multiple, diverse, cellular stresses is integrated to control cellular physiology.

Dr Demetriades is a European Research Council (ERC) grantee, and has also been awarded a Minerva-Heineman Research grant (funded by the Minna-James-Heineman Foundation), and a Walther Flemming Award from the German Society for Cell Biology (DGZ), recognizing his contribution to the field of cell biology. As an ERC and MPG delegate, Dr Demetriades has also participated as a co-organizer, speaker and expert panel member in the ‘Healthy Ageing’ session of the 2019 World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos. He is a member of several scientific societies and an Alumnus of the 61st Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Medicine and Physiology.

Education and positions held

  • 2019 – present
    • Associated PI, CECAD Excellence Cluster, University of Cologne, Germany
  • 2017 – present
    • Max Planck Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing (MPI-AGE), Cologne, Germany
  • 2010 – 2016
    • Postdoctoral Researcher, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany (with Aurelio Teleman)
  • 2006 – 2009
    • Ph.D. Research Associate, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (with George Mosialos)
  • 2003 – 2006
    • Ph.D. Fellow, Biomedical Sciences Research Center (BSRC) ‘Alexander Fleming’, Athens, Greece (with George Mosialos)
  • 1999 – 2003
    • Degree (Ptychion) in Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Research Summary

Our work focuses on the intricate molecular and cellular mechanisms of nutrient sensing and growth control, mainly via the regulation of the TSC/mTOR signaling hub. Given the central role of mTOR in the ageing process, and that dysregulation of the nutrient sensing machinery is a hallmark of ageing, our research investigates fundamental aspects of ageing and age-related diseases.

We apply high-throughput omics (functional genomic screens, proteomics, metabolomics) to identify novel regulators of key cellular processes; and combine them with state-of-the-art molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology and high-resolution microscopy techniques to understand the very mechanistic details of their function and to reveal new principles in nutrient sensing and cell growth research. We use cell lines of human, mouse and Drosophila origin, as well as mouse models, to investigate universal and evolutionarily conserved cellular processes, and to understand how cells function in health and what goes wrong in disease and ageing.

The vision of the Demetriades group at the MPI-AGE is to understand:

  • How cells sense the presence or the absence of nutrients in their environment to adjust their growth and metabolism accordingly,
  • How the dysregulation of these cellular mechanisms contributes to the development of human diseases (cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders) and the ageing process, an
  • How we can intervene pharmacologically to target these mTOR-related conditions.

Key publications

  • Nüchel J., Tauber M., Nolte JL., Mörgelin M., Türk C., Eckes B., Demetriades C.#, and Plomann M.#, A novel mTORC1-GRASP55 signaling axis reshapes the extracellular proteome upon stress. Mol Cell. 2021 Jul 5;S1097-2765(21)00497-4. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.06.017.
    # Co-corresponding & Co-last authors
  • Fitzian K.*, Brückner A.*, Brohée L.*, Zech R., Antoni C., Kiontke S., Gasper R., Linard Matos AL., Beel S., Wilhelm S., Gerke V., Ungermann C., Nellist M., Raunser S., Demetriades C.#, Oeckinghaus A.#, and Kümmel D.#, TSC1 binding to lysosomal PIPs is required for TSC complex translocation and mTORC1 regulation. Mol Cell. 2021 Jul 1;81(13):2705-2721.e8.
  • Prentzell MT., Rehbein U., Cadena Sandoval M., De Meulemeester AS., Baumeister R., Brohée L., Berdel B., Bockwoldt M., Carroll B., Chowdhury SR., von Deimling A., Demetriades C., Figlia G.; Genomics England Research Consortium, de Araujo MEG., Heberle AM., Heiland I., Holzwarth B., Huber LA., Jaworski J., Kedra M., Kern K., Kopach A., Korolchuk VI., van ‘t Land-Kuper I., Macias M., Nellist M., Palm W., Pusch S., Ramos Pittol JM., Reil M., Reintjes A., Reuter F., Sampson JR., Scheldeman C., Siekierska A., Stefan E., Teleman AA., Thomas LE., Torres-Quesada O., Trump S., West HD., de Witte P., Woltering S., Yordanov TE., Zmorzynska J., Opitz CA., Thedieck K., G3BPs tether the TSC complex to lysosomes and suppress mTORC1 signaling. Cell. 2021 Feb 4;184(3):655-674.e27
  • Demetriades C.#, Doumpas N., and Teleman AA.#, Regulation of TORC1 in response to amino acid starvation via lysosomal recruitment of TSC2. Cell. 2014 February; 156(4):786-99.
    # Co-corresponding authors
  • Demetriades C.#, Plescher M., and Teleman AA.#, Lysosomal recruitment of TSC2 is a universal response to cellular stress. Nature Communications. 2016 Feb 12;7:10662.
    # Co-corresponding authors
  • Plescher M., Teleman AA.#, and Demetriades C.#, TSC2 mediates hyperosmotic stress-induced inactivation of mTORC1. Scientific Reports. 2015 Sep 8;5:13828.
    # Co-corresponding authors
  • Tsokanos F.*, Albert MA.*, Demetriades C.*, Spirohn K., Boutros M., and Teleman AA., eIF4A inactivates TORC1 in response to amino acid starvation. EMBO J. 2016 Mar 17;35(10):1058-76.
    * Co-first authors
  • Romero-Pozuelo J., Demetriades C., Schroeder P., and Teleman AA., CycD/Cdk4 and discontinuities in Dpp signaling activate TORC1 in the Drosophila wing disc. Developmental Cell. 2017 Aug 21;42(4):376-387.e5.

# Co-corresponding authors
* Co-first authors

Marketa Kaucka

Dr. Marketa Kaucka · BMS

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology · Plön, Germany

Email
kaucka [at] evolbio [dot] mpg [dot] de
marketa [dot] kaucka [at] gmail [dot] com

Biography

I studied the bachelor and master program “Molecular Biology and Genetics” at Masaryk University in Brno (Czech Republic) where I investigated the molecular mechanisms of bone formation. For my PhD education, I was delighted to join the newly formed laboratory of Prof. Vitezslav Bryja at the Institute of Experimental Biology (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic), where I started exciting and novel project on the role of non-canonical WNT signaling in the pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. During my PhD, I spent almost one year in the laboratory of Prof. Gunnar Schulte at the department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institute (Stockholm, Sweden), where I broadened my knowledge of molecular signaling and cell behavior. For my postdoctoral education, I had the honor to work in the laboratory of Prof. Igor Adameyko at Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Medical University in Vienna. In these years I gained a substantial knowledge of developmental processes, utilized state-of-the-art methods, participated in numerous fruitful collaborations and groundbreaking science.

Education and positions held

  • 2019 – present
    • MPRGL MPI for Evolutionary Biology
  • 2016 – 2019
    • Postdoctoral Researcher and SSMF Fellow at Medical University Vienna (Austria)
  • 2013 – 2016
    • Postdoctoral Researcher and EMBO Fellow at Karolinska Institute (Stockholm, Sweden),
  • 2008-2013
    • PhD student at Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic)

Research Summary

My work is focused on the developmental and genetic aspects of the face formation. I am interested in the conserved, yet plastic molecular and developmental mechanisms underlying the formation of facial cartilage and bones. These two types of stiff matrix create the basis of a specific facial shape. In my group we investigate how an immense spectrum of facial shapes in the animal kingdom evolved.
My research is on the border of developmental biology, molecular biology and neuroscience and tackles long-standing questions concerning the skull formation. I concentrate on the conserved link between the development of the nervous system and chondrocranium in various species and aim to create a spatiotemporal map of signals and their sources that instruct the formation of the complexly shaped skull. Additionally, I am interested in the non-coding regulatory sequences (enhancers) and their role in the intra- and inter-species facial variability.

Key publications

  • Schwann cell precursors contribute to skeletal formation during embryonic development in mice and zebrafish.
    Xie M, Kamenev D, Kaucka M, Kastriti M…et al. PNAS, 2019
  • Spatiotemporal structure of cell fate decisions in murine neural crest.
    Soldatov R*, Kaucka M*, Kastriti M*, Petersen J,et al. Science, 2019 (*shared first author)
  • Signals from the brain and olfactory epithelium control shaping of the mammalian nasal capsule cartilage.
    Kaucka M, Petersen J, Tesarova M, et al. Elife, 2018
  • Oriented clonal cell dynamics enables accurate growth and shaping of vertebrate cartilage.
    Kaucka M, Zikmund T, Tesarova M, Gyllborg D, et al. Elife, 2017
  • Analysis of neural crest-derived clones reveals novel aspects of facial development.
    Kaucka M, Ivashkin E, Gyllborg D, et al. Science Advances, 2016