Cell Biology
Our lab studies Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease using the nematode as well as cell culture and in vitro techniques
Using redox-GFP to access the redox state of the ER with aging. Blue fluorescence indicates a more oxidative environment that is required for correct protein folding in the ER whereas green indicates a shift towards more reducing conditions that will harm the fold and function of proteins in the ER.
Welcome to the lab website of Janine Kirstein
The long-term health of all metazoan cells is inextricably linked to protein quality control. An imbalance in protein homeostasis (proteostasis) can result in severe molecular damage to the cell, directly leading to tissue pathology and to enhanced susceptibility to diseases not only including metabolic disease and neurodegeneration, but also cancer and immunodeficiency. Our group aims to uncover the complex mechanisms of the proteostasis network, strategies to cope with protein aggregates and its changes with aging.
