Max Planck Institutes and Experts

In the last decade, magnetic resonance in the solid state (solid-state NMR) has emerged as a powerful technique in structural biology as it gives access to structural information for systems which are insoluble or do not crystallize easily. For example, functional filamentous assemblies such as the needle of the type three secretion system (T3SS) – composed of multiple copies of a single small protein – can be readily studied.

The catalytic center of ribosomes is made up of ribonucleic acid (RNA). Catalysis is predominantly by orienting the substrates. The catalytic center is quite flexible; besides assembling amino acids to form proteins it catalyzes the hydrolytic liberation of the proteins after completion and accepts unnatural amino acids. This is utilized in Biotechnology for synthesizing proteins with particular properties. Peptide bond formation usually takes place spontaneously. However, linking several proline residues requires a special translation factor.

When chromosomes mis-segregate during cell division, cells lose their balance. The resulting cells are aneuploid, they contain fewer or more chromosomes than usual. Aneuploidy is generally harmful for the cell and characteristic for pathological conditions such as Down syndrome or cancer. Scientists are currently investigating why aneuploidy is so harmful. Presumably, an imbalance of proteins present in aneuploid cells plays an important role in the process. Nevertheless, many questions regarding the origin of aneuploidy and its consequences still remain unanswered.

A reduced caloric intake increases life expectancy in many species. But how diet prolongs the lives of model organisms such as fruit flies and roundworms has remained a mystery until recently. Scientists at the institute discovered that hormone receptors are one of the links between nutrition and life expectancy in roundworms. It may be possible that related receptors are also responsible for regulating life expectancy in human beings.

There are many causes for ageing. Different types of damage to our cells determine the ageing process and influence the functionality of our organs. Of special significance are damages to the "power stations" of the cells, the mitochondria. Mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lead to deterioration of the cellular energy production. Now, the researchers presenting this study have shown that the ageing process is attributable not only to the accumulation of mtDNA damage during a person's lifetime, but also to their maternally inherited mtDNA.