Our Lab
Our research interests are focused on the understanding of the molecular mechanisms which lead to neurodegeneration in diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, or Alzheimer’s disease. These diseases are intimately associated with protein misfolding and aggregation in specific regions of the brain.
Because the molecular pathways involved in protein homeostasis are highly conserved, we employ a wide variety of model organisms, from the simple but powerful budding yeast to mammalian cell culture and mice, to study the origin of the problems.
Our ultimate goals are to develop novel therapeutic approaches for these and other related disorders. We are working closely together with clinicians in order to accelerate drug discovery efforts, translating basic research into clinical applications that will improve the lives of patients.
Research Areas
News & Events
Dr. Janin Lautenschläger
Seminar Phase-Separation at the Pre-synapse - Alpha-synuclein in health and disease Dr Janin Lautenschlaeger, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR), University of [...]
Workshop Online
Topic of the Workshop Cardiovascular and neurological disorders are among the leading causes of death and morbidity in the world, affecting millions of people worldwide. Göttingen is pioneering [...]
Heat-Net Meeting 2021
It is our great pleasure to invite you to the our Heat-Net Meeting 2021. Heat-Net Meeting The workshop will be held in September 6-8, 2021 UMG Göttingen, [...]
Prof. Alberto Espay
Seminar Prof. Alberto Espay University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, USA James J and Joan A Gardner Center for Parkinson’s diseases and Movement Disorders Brain proteins and neurodegeneration: [...]
Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson ’s disease (PD), affect more than eleven million European citizens, and result in major suffering for patients and [...]
Synuclein Meeting
It is our great pleasure to invite you to the next Synuclein Meeting. The meeting is entitled "Synuclein Meeting 2019: Where we are and where we need to [...]
Selected Publications
Stress granules sense metabolic stress at the plasma membrane and potentiate recovery by storing active Pkc1.
As the physical barrier between the cell and the outside environment, the plasma membrane is well-positioned to be the first responder to stress. The membrane is also highly [...]
Systematic Comparison of the Effects of Alpha-synuclein Mutations on Its Oligomerization and Aggregation
Aggregation of alpha-synuclein (ASYN) in Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites is the typical pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies. Furthermore, mutations in the gene encoding [...]
The mechanism of sirtuin 2–mediated exacerbation of alpha-synuclein toxicity in models of Parkinson disease
Sirtuin genes have been associated with aging and are known to affect multiple cellular pathways. Sirtuin 2 was previously shown to modulate proteotoxicity associated with age-associated neurodegenerative disorders [...]
Environmental and genetic factors support the dissociation between α-synuclein aggregation and toxicity
Synucleinopathies are a group of progressive disorders characterized by the abnormal aggregation and accumulation of α-synuclein (aSyn), an abundant neuronal protein that can adopt different conformations and biological [...]
Glycation potentiates α-synuclein-associated neurodegeneration in synucleinopathies
α-Synuclein misfolding and aggregation is a hallmark in Parkinson’s disease and in several other neurodegenerative diseases known as synucleinopathies. The toxic properties of α-synuclein are conserved from yeast [...]
α-synuclein interacts with PrPC to induce cognitive impairment through mGluR5 and NMDAR2B
Synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, are neurodegenerative disorders that are characterized by the accumulation of α-synuclein (aSyn) in intracellular inclusions known as Lewy [...]