Molecular Cell Biology – Biomedicine of Proteolysis

The main interest of our research is on the significance of proteolysis in the central nervous system and in epithelia like epidermis of the skin, intestinal mucosa, and the thyroid gland. We focus on imaging of cysteine cathepsins, legumain, and kallikreins, and analyze their involvement in physiological versus pathological conditions using human and rodent cell lines or tissues and advanced cell labeling techniques. We generate fluorescent protein-tagged proteases as tools to visualize the transport pathways of the enzymes in eukaryotic cells, study the function of cysteine cathepsins in systemic approaches comprising transgenic mouse models, and use quantitative cell biology for image analyses. Our research group has a cell biological orientation and integrates itself into the research network provided by the Molecular Life Scientists at Jacobs University Bremen.

Our research activities cover

proteases of the thyroid gland (incl. cancer) +++ proteases of the central nervous system with importance for memory and learning +++ proteases of the gastro-intestinal tract (incl. cancer) +++ proteases important for cell migration during wound healing of the skin +++ plant-derived bioactive substances

Meetings

38th Winter School on Proteinases and Their Inhibitors – ASBMB Virtual Conference – 24-26 Feb 2021

https://www.asbmb.org/meetings-events/proteinases-and-their-inhibitors

 

 

Research support is gratefully acknowledged

European Thyroid Association, 2020 – 2021

 

  HAORI-Stiftung Bremen, 2020 – 2021

   DFG, COVID-19 Focus Funding, 2020 – 2021

 

Priority Program SPP 1629 “Thyroid Trans Act – Translation of Thyroid Hormone Actions beyond Classical Concepts” (Coordination: Dagmar Führer, Klaudia Brix, Heike Biebermann), DFG, 2012 – 2019