Max Planck Institutes and Experts

Genes must be activated to make use of the genetic information in living cells. Gene activation starts with a process called transcription, which produces RNA copies of genes. Transcription by the transcribing enzymes, the RNA polymerases, has now been resolved in atomic detail. Future research will concentrate on processes that regulate transcription and thereby govern gene activity during cellular differentiation and the development of tissues and organisms.

Many proteins in the focus of structural-biology studies cannot be elucidated by conventional methodology. The research group Solid-State NMR hence is concerned with the development and application of NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) methods dedicated for the characterization of structure and dynamics of solid proteins. Developing improved methodology for solid-state NMR helps to make more targets amenable for their characterization with atomic resolution.

Autophagy is a recycling system of the cell that prevents all kinds of cellular waste from accumulating. Autophagy sequesters such material in specialized containers, which are like other organelles of the cell surrounded by a flexible membrane. These containers transport their contents to cellular recycling stations for degradation. The researchers recently identified a specialized set of proteins that stabilize autophagic containers. Similar to recycling bins, these proteins form a stiff shell on top of the membrane to provide physical support.

In spite of the great progress of the biosciences during the last decades, the very line of division between the animate and inanimate world still remains elusive. One of the most distinctive features of living systems is their compositional and organizational complexity, but how complex does life really have to be? Our research aims to identify a minimal set of fundamental features and governing principles of biological cells - being the smallest units of life - to enable their comprehensive biophysical, i.e., quantitative characterization by a defined set of parameters.

How complex but stereotyped tissues are formed, maintained and regenerated through local growth, differentiation and remodeling is a fundamental open question in biology. To answer this question we need to understand how single cell behaviors are coordinated on the population level and how population-level dynamics are coupled to tissue architecture. Uncovering these regulatory principles will further facilitate development of stem cell therapies and effective treatments to slow down ageing and prevent age-related diseases such as cancer.