News
Move to Jena
Janine accepted a W3 Professorship for Biochemistry of Aging at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena + Leibniz-Institute on Aging
Since April Janine is a joint professor of the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena and the Leibniz Institute on Aging in Jena. The move to Jena will take place in summer. We say farewell to Bremen and all colleagues at the Universität Bremen.
Franziska enjoys her research visit in Cambridge, UK
Research visit between February and April 2023 in the lab of Gabriele Kaminski Schierle
Franziska's research visit is supported by a fellowship of the Alzheimer Forschungsinitiative e.V. and we very much appreciate the support! Franziska is learning to use microfluidics to immobilize nematodes for subsequent Calcium imaging analyses.
Retreat with the Einholt lab in Berlin
22.-24.2.2023
Mira, Sudarson and Janine went to Berlin to meet with the Eickholt lab (Britta, Patricia, Dimitra and Rafaela) to discuss the research progress of two DFG-funded project (Syntophagy and neuronal actin). Intense discussions were followed by some fun activities. Our Bowling skills can be improved and we will challenge the Eickholt lab with some other activities on our next retreat. Lets figure out what we're good at ;o)
Allen Distinguished Investigator Award to Janine
Funding by The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group
15.12.2022: Together with Tim Clausen, Janine has been awarded an Allen Distinguished Investigator award to study the life of proteins. In this joint project, we aim to identify regulators of protein lifespan (synthesis, folding, repair, assembly, function and clearence) in a living and more importantly, aging organism: C. elegans. We will engineer split-fluorescent sensors reporting on the synthesis, abundance, location, folding, function and turnover of the muscle protein myosin. Goals of this project are to understand which factors regulate the life of proteins and how protein lifespan affects and is affected by the age of an organism.
AFI International Training Grant for Franziska
Alzheimer Forschungsinitiative supports Franziska's 2 months research visit in Cambridge, UK
Franziska will spend 2 months in the lab of Gabriele Kaminski Schierle from end of February to mid April 2023 and work on the project: Analysis of neuronal damage on Aβ and tau pathology in C. elegans
The Leuven Protein Aggregation Meeting (21.-23.09.2022)
Janine presented data on HTT and DNAJB1
The meeting was held in beautiful Leuven and was completely sold out. Everyone was eager to get back to in-person-meetings to discuss amyloids.
Syntophagy Kick-off meeting
12.+13.09.22 Mira and Dimitra (PhD student of Britta Eickholt's lab) finally meet
PIs and PhD students of the new research unit FOR 5228 Syntophagy met for the first time in Lutherstadt Wittenberg to present their data and to discuss the next steps. Quite an intense, but very stimulating meeting.
Congratulations Dr. Pigazzini
Lucia defended her PhD at Charite-Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Lucia was awarded her PhD from the Charite-Universitätsmedizin Berlin on January 21st with summa cum laude.
Well done Lucia - thanks for your hard work in the lab and best of luck for your next step in your career.
Lucia is now the 5th PhD awardee from the Kirstein lab.
4.12.2021 New funding from the DFG
We gratefully acknowledge funding from the DFG to study the neuronal cytoskeleton with aging, upon proteotoxic stress and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. This is a joint project with the Eickholt lab at Charite Universitätsmedizin. We will use the nematode as well as in vitro assays to study the actin filament in neurons and how the actin network can be protected by modulators to sustain neuronal activity in aged cells/organisms.
upcoming: EMBO/FEBS Susan Lindquist School on Proteostasis 29.11.-02.12.2021
Janine was invited as speaker to this digital Lecture course
The program can be found here.
New publication in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
Congratulation to first author: Lucia!
The most recent publication from our lab: "An expanded polyproline domain maintains mutant huntingtin soluble in vivo and during aging" has been accepted by Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
We analyzed the contribution of the polyQ-flanking domains and in particular of the poly-proline domain on the aggregation and pathogenicity of HTT in vitro and in the nematode, C. elegans.
We thank all co-authors for their contribution and would again highlight that our lab frequently lists undergraduate researchers as co-authors. This time: Mandy Lawrenz.
Their BSc/MSc or lab rotation projects are very valuable to our research.
The new publication can be found and read here
JoVE webinar invited talks for Lucia and Janine
Webinar on Methods Collection: Using C.elegans to monitor proteostasis imbalances
Our contributions to the recent JoVE Methods Collection: Using C.elegans to monitor proteostasis imbalances:
In vivo quantification of protein turnover in aging C.elegans using photoconvertible Dendra2
and
Characterization of Amyloid Structures in Aging C. Elegans Using Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging
were selected for webinar talks on July 6th 2021 to present the methods.
All recorded talks of the webinar are now available here.
Webinar invitation by the HWK on May 27th
Protein Origami and neurodegenerative diseases
Janine has been invited for a talk at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) on May 27th. Our most recent progress on chaperone-mediated remodelling of mutant Huntingtin will be presented: link to the talk
Audio on the new Alzheimer's disease model
Janine was interviewed by journalist Christoph Kersting
The interview can be found here:
https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/info/Wo-Alzheimer-beginnt-Nervenzelle-Zero-gefunden,audio871098.html
and has been broadcasted by NDR Info, Radio Bremen, ...
Sara's review is published
Review on JDPs and their interaction with disease causing proteins
Sara and Janine wrote a review on the structural features of J-domain proteins (JDP) enabling their interaction with neurodegenerative disease-causing proteins. This review is part of a special issue on Cell Stress in the Journal "Experimental Cell Research".
Funding from the Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V.
We are very happy and grateful to receive funding of 50.000 € from the Alzheimer Initiative e.V. to support a joint project with the lab of Mark Hipp, UMCG, NL.
MSc defense of Atharva Patharkar
Atharva successfully defended his MSc thesis "The role of the molecular chaperone DNJ-13 in counteracting Ab1-42 toxicity in a novel Alzheimer's disease model in C. elegans" on December 16th.
All the best Atharva!
Celebrating Christian's defense in style
Funding for exchange visits with University of Cambridge, UK
Internationalisierungsfond supports our work
We acknowledge funding from the Internationalisierungsfond of the Universität Bremen to support our cooperation with the lab of Gabriele Kaminski Schierle, University of Cambridge, UK. We hope that the pandemic situation will allow exchange visits next year.
Talk at Baltic Redox Workshop
Janine has been invited to give a talk at the virtual Baltic Redox Workshop on September 14th. Find more information here.
Visit from Berlin
Sara & Lucia
From 8th to 9th September Sara Ayala and Lucia Pigazzini from the Berlin lab at the FMP visited the Bremen lab to disucss the progress of their research projects together.
Bachelor Thesis
Antonia Schneider
On August 6th Antonia Schneider successfully held her Bachelor Thesis Defense with the title "In vitro analysis of Interaction between the Chaperone DNAJB1 and Huntingtin-Exon1-Q48". Antonia is heading off now to Groningen for her MSc studies. Best of luck Antonia and hopefully you rejoin our group soon.
Allen Distinguished Investigator Awardee Meeting in Seattle
19.4.-21.4.2023 Kick-off meeting of the Allen Foundation Frontier Symposium
Janine went on the first annual meeting of the Allen Foundation that invites all new and current Allen Dinstinguished Investigators. 2 intense days filled with science and encounters with fabulous scientists of a very diverese research background.
J-domain proteins: from molecular mechanism to diseases
Gdansk, Poland March 29th - April 1st
Second meeting of hopefully a long series of a meetings dedicated to J-domain proteins. This was a focused and intense workshop. Looking at the meeting attendees I think we can do better in diversity though. Learned and discussed a lot.
International day of Women in Science
Our lab does its share to support women in science. More information can be found here.
In the picture from left to right: Regina, Yasmin, Janine, Priscila, Mira, Merve, Sabrina and Annette.
Missing: Franziska and well, the men :o)
Janine presented at the CRTD Symposium “ Protein homeostasis in degeneration and regeneration of the nervous system"
29.11.22 Janine was invited as external speaker
Chaperoning the nuclear envelope
News & Views article on two publications in Nature Cell Biology
Janine was invited to write a News & Views of two back-to-back publications from the Schlieker and Kampinga/Bergink labs. The News & Views article can be found here.
Talk at Conferences Jacques-Monod in Roscoff, Brittany
October 17 - 21 2022: Janine presented our latest work on DNAJB1 and HTT
Great science and scenary at "Protein phase transitions in ageing and age-related diseases: from atomic resolution to cellular solutions"
New publication together with the lab of Klaudia Brix
September 2022: Happy to have contributed to this study that is now published in Journal of Molecular Endocrinology
The new publication "Lack of L-type amino acid transporter 2 in murine thyroid tissue induces autophagy" can be found here.
Congratulations to Klaudia Brix and all co-authors.
Our latest manuscript is now published in Nature Communications
August 10th 2022
Our manuscript:
Identification of a HTT-specific binding motif in DNAJB1 essential for suppression and disaggregation of HTT
is now published in Nature Communications
Huge team effort of labs from Berlin: Fan Liu, Jonas Protze, Kirstein lab (Sara, Lucia and Katharina), the new Bremen lab (Yasmin, Merve and Mohamed), our local cooperation partners of Faculty 4 (Isabell Grothaus, Susan Köppen and Lucio Colombi Ciacchi) as well as Josh Vermaas and Martin Kulke from Michigan State University.
morehttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32370-5
https://healthcommunity.nature.com/posts/huntingtin-s-new-interaction-site-a-tale-of-dnajb1-and-htt-s-proline-rich-domain
Dutch Chaperone Meeting
Keynote talk and lecture to students of the University of Groningen
Janine was invited by Mark Hipp, Prof at UMCG, to give a keynote talk at the 22nd Dutch Chaperone Meeting on April 8th. Great science and discussions on chaperones and new tools with established and new PIs and their lab members in the Netherlands.
SYNAGE Conference on Healthy Ageing
Janine got invited as speaker for the International SYNAGE Conference on Healthy Aging in Magdeburg from 28th - 30th March 2022.
The meeting website can be accessed here.
Campus City: Die Universität kommt in die Stadt
MindDay im Übersee-Museum am 18.10.2021
Janine will present and showcase to visitors of the MindDay how we use the nematode to study neurodegenerative diseases.
The program can be found here.
New publication in EMBO Journal
Cooperation with the Nollen, Schymkowitz and Rousseau labs
Our lab contributed with FLIM analyses in our Abeta nematodes on the analyses how MOAG-4 (SERF2) affect the aggregation of amyloid proteins. MOAG-4 interacts with negatively charged regions of aggregation-prone proteins to facilitate their aggregation. Neutralization of the positive charge of moag-4 in C. elegans abrogates this effect. Congratulations to all authors. The new publication can be found here.
New funding: Research Unit Syntophagy
Funding for a PhD position for 4 years
July 12th 2021
The Kirstein lab will cooperate with the Eickholt lab (Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin) to study presynaptic proteostasis as part of the newly established research unit (FOR 5228): Syntophagy
We'll study the crosstalk of autophagy and the UPS to maintain neuronal function.
The research unit is composed of labs of Berlin (FU Berlin, HU Berlin, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the FMP), Magdeburg (Universität Magdeburg + LIN) and Haifa, IL (Technion) as well as Universität Bremen.
PhD defense of Manuel Iburg
Congratulations to Dr. Iburg for defending his PhD on February 10th at the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (via zoom). Manuel is the 4th PhD student of the Kirstein lab.
Manuel will join as postdoc the lab of George Lu at Rice University in Houston, TX, USA. Good luck Manuel and thanks for all your hard work!
New publication with the Brix lab (Jacobs University, Bremen)
New collaborative study with the lab of Klaudia Brix at Jacobs University and many more labs published in IJMS. I happily contributed and say congrats to first author Vaishnavi Venugopalan!
Venugopalan V, Al-Hashimi A, Rehders M, Golchert J, Reinecke V, Homuth G, Völker U, Manirajah M, Touzani A, Weber J, Bogyo MS, Verrey F, Wirth EK, Schweizer U, Heuer H, Kirstein J, Brix K
The thyroid hormone transporter Mct8 restricts cathepsin-mediated thyroglobulin processing in male mice through thyroid auto-regulatory mechanisms that encompass thyrotoxicity-induced autophagy
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, in press
New Funding
Fokusprojekt of the Universität Bremen
Off to a good start in 2021!
We are excited and grateful to receive funding to study the role of molecular chaperones in neurodegenerative diseases.
Johann Steinmeier joined our lab as postdoc.
Johann will study what renders the IL2 neurons so vulnerable for Abeta aggregation and he will also study the contribution of specific molecular chaperones on Abeta aggregation and propagation. Welcome Johann!
Congratulations Dr. Christian Gallrein
Christian defended his PhD thesis at the Freie Universität Berlin on September 30th and was graded with summa cum laude
DKFZ Career Day
Janine has been invited to present at the virtual DKFZ Career Day 2020 on October 1st and 2nd
More information can be found here
We found the town musicians!
Zoom Workshop with Groningen
Digital workshop on chaperones
A digital workshop on July 2nd was a kick-off meeting between the labs of Ellen Nollen (ERIBA, Groningen), Harm Kampinga (UMG, Groningen) and Mark Hipp (UMG Groningen and Universität Oldenburg) on molecular chaperones in the context of neurodegenerative diseases. This initiative is funded by Verbund Norddeutscher Universitäten and will continue with hopefully a IRL meeting soon.