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Prof. Dr. Konstanze F. Winklhofer

Professor for Molecular Cell Biology (W3)
Institute of Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry Department of Molecular Cell Biology
Medical Faculty
44801 Bochum, Germany
Phone: +49 234 32 28428
EMail: konstanze.winklhofer@rub.de
Website: http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/biochem/zellbio/

 

Primary Supervisor Supervisor – Prof. Dr. Konstanze F. Winklhofer    

Co-Supervisor – Prof. Dr. Denise Manahan-Vaughan

Aim:  Investigating dopamine receptor signaling networks and their role in neurodegeneration.

Dopamine has essential neuromodulatory functions, for example in motor control, cognition, spatial memory, motivation, and reward. Therefore, it is not surprising that dysfunctions in dopamine receptor signaling is associated with several neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and addiction. In dopamine-associated pathologies various mitochondrial alterations have been described. Based on increasing evidence that mitochondria act as a signaling platform downstream of receptor-mediated processes, we will address the question of how mitochondria are integrated in signaling networks induced by the dopamine receptors D1R and D2/3R.

 

 10 selected publications 

  • Schlagowski AM, Knöringer K, Morlot S, Sánchez Vicente A, Flohr T, Krämer L, Boos F, Khalid N, Ahmed S, Schramm J, Murschall LM, Haberkant P, Stein F, Riemer J, Westermann B, Braun RJ, Winklhofer KF, Charvin G, Herrmann JM (2021). Increased levels of mitochondrial import factor Mia40 prevent the aggregation of polyQ proteins in the cytosol. EMBO J 30: e107913.

  • Meschede J, Šadić M, Furthmann N, Miedema T, Sehr DA, Müller-Rischart AK, Bader V. Berlemann LA, Pilsl A, Schlierf A, Barkovits K, Kachholz B, Rittinger K, Ikeda F, Marcus K, Schaefer L, Tatzelt J, Winklhofer KF (2020). The parkin-coregulated gene product PACRG promotes TNF signaling by stabilizing LUBAC. Sci Signal 13(617): eaav1256.

  • Duscha A, Gisevius B, Hirschberg S, Yissachar N, Stangl GI, Eilers E, Bader V, Haase S, Kaisler J, David C, Schneider R, Troisi R, Zent D, Hegelmaier T, Dokalis N, Gerstein S, Del Mare-Roumani S, Amidror S, Staszewski O, Poschmann G, Stühler K, Hirche F, Balogh A, Kempa S, Träger P, Zaiss MM, Holm JB, Massa MG, Nielsen HB, Faissner A, Lukas C, Gatermann SG, Scholz M, Przuntek H, Prinz M, Forslund SK, Winklhofer KF, Müller DN, Linker RA, Gold R, Haghikia A (2020). Propionic Acid Shapes the Multiple Sclerosis Disease Course by an Immunomodulatory Mechanism. Cell 180(6):1067-1080.e16.

  • van Well EM, Bader V, Patra M, Sánchez-Vicente A, Meschede J, Furthmann N, Schnack C, Blusch A, Longworth J, Petrasch-Parwez E, Mori K, Arzberger T, Trümbach D, Angersbach L, Showkat C, Sehr DA, Berlemann LA, Goldmann P, Clement AM, Behl C, Woerner AC, Saft C, Wurst W, Haass C, Ellrichmann G, Gold R, Dittmar G, Hipp MS, Hartl FU, Tatzelt J, Winklhofer KF (2019). A protein quality control pathway regulated by linear ubiquitination. EMBO J 38(9): e100730.

  • Woerner AC, Frottin F, Hornburg D, Feng L R, Meissner F, Patra M, Tatzelt J, Mann M, Winklhofer KF, Hartl FU, Hipp MS (2016). Cytoplasmic protein aggregates interfere with nucleocytoplasmic transport of protein and RNA. Science 351(6269): 173-6.

  • Klein P, Müller-Rischart AK, Motori E, Schönbauer C, Schnorrer F, Winklhofer KF, Klein R (2014). Ret rescues mitochondrial morphology and muscle degeneration of Drosophila Pink1 mutants. EMBO J 33(4): 341-55.

  • Rolland* SG, Motori E, Memar N, Hench J, Frank S, Winklhofer* KF, Conradt* B (2013). Impaired complex IV activity in response to loss of LRPPRC function can be compensated by mitochondrial hyperfusion. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110(32): E2967-76. *Corresponding authors

  • Müller-Rischart A K, Pilsl A, Beaudette P, Patra M, Hadian K, Funke M, Peis R, Deinlein A, Schweimer C, Kuhn PH, Lichtenthaler SF, Motori E, Hrelia S, Wurst W, TrŸmbach D, Langer T, Krappmann D, Dittmar G, Tatzelt J, Winklhofer KF (2013). The E3 ligase parkin maintains mitochondrial integrity by increasing linear ubiquitination of NEMO. Mol Cell 49(5): 908-21.

  • Bouman L, Schlierf A, Lutz AK, Shan J, Deinlein A, Kast J, Galehdar Z, Palmisano V, Patenge N, Berg D, Gasser T, Augustin R, Trümbach D, Irrcher I, Park DS, Wurst W, Kilberg MS, Tatzelt J, Winklhofer KF (2011). Parkin is transcriptionally regulated by ATF4:24 evidence for an interconnection between mitochondrial stress and ER stress. Cell Death Differ 18(5): 769-82.

  • Henn IH, Bouman L, Schlehe JS, Schlierf A, Schramm JE, Wegener E, Nakaso K, Culmsee C, Berninger B, Krappmann D, Tatzelt J, Winklhofer KF (2007) Parkin mediates neuroprotection through activation of IkappaB kinase/nuclear factor-kappaB signaling. J Neurosci. 27: 1868-78.