MPI Dortmund

Ancient co-option of LTR retrotransposons as yeast centromeres - Nature Evolutionarily related ‘proto-point’ centromeres providing resolution to the evolutionary origins of point centromeres are identified in yeast, and comparison shows they evolved in an ancestor with re...

Our paper is now out in Nature:

“Ancient co-option of LTR retrotransposons as yeast centromeres”

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A short thread on how retrotransposons helped give rise to yeast point centromeres.

1/14

Podcast: Lise Meitner oder Die Spaltung der Welt Als Wissenschaftlerin steht Lise Meitner auf einer Stufe mit Einstein, Heisenberg und Otto Hahn. Sie war 48-mal für den Nobelpreis nominiert. Ihre Geschichte erzählt vom Kampf gegen Diskriminierung, d...

Ihr blieb der Ruhm versagt, den sie verdient gehabt hätte. Ein Hörspiel über die Wissenschaftlerin und starke Persönlichkeit #LiseMeitner 🎧 www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/urn:... #MaxPlanckHistory #Wissenschaftsgeschichte

M18BP1 valency and a distributed interaction footprint determine epigenetic centromere specification in humans - The EMBO Journal The histone H3 variant CENP-A is considered an epigenetic landmark of centromeres. Its deposition reflects cell-cycle-regulated assembly of M18BP1, HJURP, and PLK1 on a divalent MIS18α/β scaffold. The...

It’s out! 🥳 Excited to share our new paper (with Kai Walstein, @andrea-musacchio.bsky.social and all others) on the role of M18BP1 in CENP-A loading!

“M18BP1 valency and a distributed interaction footprint determine epigenetic centromere specification in humans”
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Two new papers from the lab published in The EMBO Journal!

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
By Kai Walstein, @louisa-hill.bsky.social and others – On role of M18BP1 in CENP-A loading

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
By Arianna Esposito Verza and others – On mechanism of activation of PLK1

We warmly welcome our new #LiseMeitner Group Leader Katerina Naydenova. Her group will investigate cellular defence mechanisms and develop novel methods in the field of cryogenic electron microscopy.

Learn more about Katerina and click on the link 🔗
www.mpi-dortmund.mpg.de/news/katerin...

We warmly welcome our new independent @maxplanck.de Group Leader Andrija Sente. His group will investigate the molecular mechanisms of neuronal communication.

Learn more about Andrija and his work and click on the link🔗
www.mpi-dortmund.mpg.de/news/new-max...

Monovalent pseudo-natural products supercharge degradation of IDO1 by its native E3 KLHDC3 - Nature Chemistry In targeted protein degradation, a degrader molecule brings a neosubstrate protein proximal to a hijacked E3 ligase for its ubiquitination. Here, pseudo-natural products derived from (−)-myrtanol—iDeg...

paper alert🚨
Monovalent pseudo-natural products supercharge degradation of IDO1 by its native E3 KLHDC3 - Published by the groups of Herbert Waldmann @waldido.bsky.social , Slava Ziegler and @georgwinter.bsky.social @cemm.oeaw.ac.at in @nature.com Chemistry
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

paper alert 🚨
CUL4A-DDB1-DCAF10 is an N-recognin for N-terminally acetylated Src kinases - published by the groups of Tanja Bange @lmumuenchen.bsky.social & @andrea-musacchio.bsky.social in @nature.com Communications

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Design, Synthesis, and Structural Evolution of Pseudo‐Natural Product IDO1 Inhibitors and Degraders The combination of bicyclic monoterpene- and pyrrolidine-alkaloid fragments yields novel pseudo-natural products. Biological characterization revealed that these iDegs are inhibitors and degraders of...

Design, Synthesis, and Structural Evolution of Pseudo-Natural Product IDO1 Inhibitors and Degraders - Published by the Waldmann Group in @angewandtechemie.bsky.social

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Dancing proteins keep cells moving

Researchers from @raunser-lab.bsky.social have redefined the function & role of key factors in actin filament disassembly. "We uncovered a dance between proteins - a molecular choreography.” Congrats @woutoosterheert.bsky.social et al. @cellpress.bsky.social

www.mpi-dortmund.mpg.de/news/dancing...

"My time at the MPI Dortmund has been amazing! Not only have I made many friends, but I've also gained the required skills that laid the foundation for the next step in my career. "

Congrats to @woutoosterheert.bsky.social on his new group leader position at the the Netherlands Cancer Institute

Very excited that my final postdoctoral work is now online in Cell @cellpress.bsky.social.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Using 16 (!) cryo-EM structures, we uncovered how the three proteins coronin, cofilin and AIP1 work together to rapidly disassemble actin filaments.

We are happy to announce that we will have two new scientific groups led by Andrija Sente and Katerina Naydenova soon! If you are interested to join their lab as a PhD Student apply at our @imprs-lm.bsky.social

www.imprs-lm.mpg.de/index.php/jo...

Are you eager to join an international community of scientists to tackle novel and exciting research projects in the areas of #biochemistry, #structuralbiology, #biophysics, #cellbiology, #chemicalbiology and #syntheticbiology? Apply NOW for a #fullyfunded #PhDpositions @IMPRS-LM.

Harnessing indole scaffolds to identify small-molecule IRE1α inhibitors modulating XBP1 mRNA splicing - Nature Communications The dysregulation of the inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α) has been associated with multiple human diseases, so IRE1α-targeting small molecules present great therapeutic potential. Here, the authors report a series of substituted indoles as IRE1α inhibitors of good potency and selectivity, and show that the inhibitor IA107 allosterically inhibits IRE1α RNase activity via binding to the IRE1α kinase domain but without inhibiting the IRE1α dimerization.

New paper alert! ⏰
Harnessing indole scaffolds to identify small-molecule IRE1α inhibitors modulating XBP1 mRNA splicing

Published by the lab of Peng Wu in @nature.com Communications

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Myeloperoxidase transforms chromatin into neutrophil extracellular traps - Nature Myeloperoxidase, a highly expressed neutrophil protein, disassembles nucleosomes, facilitating neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, and binds stably to NETs extracellularly.

📃 New paper alert!
The Zychlinsky Lab and @raunser-lab.bsky.social identified the first protein that converts chromatin into an immune effector: Myeloperoxidase transforms chromatin into neutrophil extracellular traps. Now published in @nature.com:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Two routes, one goal – How the crown of cell division is manufactured

@vcmentowski.bsky.social & @andrea-musacchio.bsky.social have solved the mystery surrounding the ‘crown’ of #celldivision . They showed how the #kinetochore #corona is constructed and how this guarantees the error-free distribution of #chromosomes

www.mpi-dortmund.mpg.de/news/crown-o...

The BUB1 and BUBR1 paralogs scaffold the kinetochore fibrous corona The kinetochore fibrous corona docks on CENP-E and a second elusive receptor identified as the checkpoint protein BUB1.

The BUB1 and BUBR1 paralogs scaffold the kinetochore fibrous corona | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Congratulations @vcmentowski.bsky.social for solving a remarkably challenging molecular puzzle

Pushing calcium against the flow: high-speed pumps in the cell

Pushing calcium against the flow: high-speed pumps in the cell - The first comprehensive transport model of a plasma membrane calcium pump explains its high speed and opens up new avenues for drug development
www.mpi-dortmund.mpg.de/news/pushing...

Molecular mechanism of ultrafast transport by plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases - Nature Structural insights into ultrafast Ca2+ transport by plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases are provided, highlighting an essential role for PtdIns(4,5)P2 dynamics.

paper alert🚨
Molecular mechanism of ultrafast transport by plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases - published by @raunser-lab.bsky.social @maxplanck.de & Fakler lab @uni-freiburg.de in @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

MPI group leader appointed to University of Münster

"My time at the MPI has laid a very strong foundation for this next step in my career and I couldn't have done it without the excellent support of the institute."

The MPI congratulates Peter 't Hart on his appointment to the University of Münster!

www.mpi-dortmund.mpg.de/news/thart-m...

Molecular requirements for PLK1 activation by T-loop phosphorylation Activation of PLK1, a master mitotic kinase, requires phosphorylation of its activation segment on Thr210, within a basic consensus sequence for Aurora kinases. Aurora B-dependent phosphorylation of T...

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Are you curious about what PLK1 kinase is up to these days? Have a look at our latest review on @cp-trendscellbio.bsky.social. Arianna Esposito Verza, @andrea-musacchio.bsky.social and I discuss the latest findings on a very important enzyme that is still full of surprises, 35+ years from discovery!

Packing DNA on time for cell division

Packing 🧬DNA on time for cell division
Trans-European research team discovers how a molecular switch controls DNA packing on time for cell division

Read the story ▶️ www.mpi-dortmund.mpg.de/news/packing...

Your PhD journey starts NOW! Join our #webinar on Sept 4 (1-3 PM CEST) to explore #PhD opportunities at Max Planck's #PhDprograms in NRW, Germany! 🇩🇪
Gain insights into groundbreaking research & register here: events.gwdg.de/e/PhDatMaxPl...
#IMPRS #MaxPlanck #Research #Germany #Science

SARCOMERES divide! Mechanism how muscles grow while contracting - daughter sarcomeres appear everywhere. Seen live, registered on our cover. Pioneered by @clementrodier.bsky.social @friedrich-group.bsky.social Ian Estabrook @ibdm.bsky.social $ by @hfspo.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Condensin II activation by M18BP1 Condensin I and II promote the drastic spatial rearrangement of the human genome upon mitotic entry. While condensin II is known to initiate this proc…

Condensin II activation by M18BP1 - published by @andrea-musacchio.bsky.social Lab & @alessandrovannini.bsky.social @humantechnopole.bsky.social & Rowland Lab @nkinl.bsky.social in molecular @cellpress.bsky.social

congrats to @duccioconti.bsky.social et al.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Arp2/3-complex regulation – Novel insights and open questions Arp2/3 complex is a central actin filament generator driving numerous motile processes in cells. It was originally isolated from Acanthamoeba approx. …

Arp2/3-complex regulation – Novel insights and open questions - published by Peter Bieling, Micaela Boiero Sanders and Theresia Stradal in Curr Opin Cell Biol.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I have an open postdoc position in my group at @mpi-dortmund.bsky.social @maxplanck.de!

If you are passionate about structural biology and/or membrane proteins, apply today!

The position is initially funded for two years, starting from this October. Deadline for application is on July 15th.

The MtL Lecture Series continues with talks by Marcus Müller from @uni-goettingen.de‬, Andrea Musacchio from @mpi-dortmund.bsky.social & @unidue.bsky.social‬, and David Zwicker from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization.
Register now on our website!