(Press-News.org) The protein TDP-43 is present in all cells of our body and important for their biochemical processes. However, this protein can aggregate into large clumps in the brain, which can cause degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and other dementias. How exactly this happens and how these protein clumps are linked to disease is a subject of intense research. Professor Dorothee Dormann of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) suspects that these proteins may also assemble in healthy cells – and that this assembly on a much smaller scale is important for the normal function of the TDP-43 protein. Her research group investigates the reason for these assemblies in the TDP Assembly project, for which the European Research Council has now awarded her an ERC Consolidator Grant worth EUR 2 million. This is one of the EU's most prestigious and valuable grants, awarded to outstanding individual scientists working on ground-breaking research. Dorothee Dormann is Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at JGU and Adjunct Director at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz.
Smaller assemblies of TDP-proteins are important for regulatory processes in the cell
Dormann's preliminary work indicates that smaller assemblies of TDP-43 proteins could play an important role in the cell's regulatory processes such as in the reading of genetic information and RNA production, for example. Using methods from synthetic biology, she aims to artificially trigger various TDP-43 assemblies and investigate the resulting changes in cells. "The aim is to understand both the normal assembly process in healthy cells and the changes that lead to degenerative diseases when the assemblies become too large or too solid," explained Dormann. Such abnormal protein clumps not only cause problems in the brain but also lead to a malfunction of the regulatory processes that the smaller assemblies normally carry out. In her research, Dormann will address the question of consequences of losing these small TDP-43 assemblies.
This research is especially important for developing future drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases because drugs that prevent the aggregation of TDP-43 may also interfere with the smaller TDP-43 assemblies that are important for the body. A precise understanding of the functions of the assemblies is therefore required as well as knowledge of how the assembly process can be controlled from the early stages to the formation of large aggregates.
Top-level research in the field of neurodegenerative diseases
Dorothee Dormann studied biochemistry at the University of Tübingen and the University of North Carolina. She completed her doctorate at The Rockefeller University in New York and did post-doctoral research at LMU in Munich. From 2014 to 2021, she was head of an Emmy Noether Junior Research Group at the Biomedical Center (BMC) at LMU Munich. Since April 2021, she has been Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Adjunct Director at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz. Dormann is co-spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center "Polymer Concepts for Understanding Cellular Functions" (CRC 1551) and spokesperson of its integrated Research Training Group, both funded by the German Research Foundation. She is also a Principal Investigator in the research network EMTHERA (Emerging therapeutic strategies against infections, inflammation, and immune-mediated diseases), with which Mainz University is applying for funding as a Cluster of Excellence in the German Excellence Strategy competition. Dormann has received numerous awards for her research achievements, including the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize 2014 and the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for Young Researchers 2019.
The ERC Consolidator Grant
The ERC Consolidator Grant is one of the most valuable EU funding schemes awarded to individual researchers. Through these grants, the European Research Council (ERC) supports outstanding scientists within seven to twelve years after completing their doctorate. Successful applicants must not only demonstrate excellence in research but also provide evidence of the groundbreaking nature and feasibility of their project. The funding period spans five years.
The European Research Council has also approved two other ERC Consolidator Grants at JGU: Professor Shuqing Xu's project on the evolution of ecosystems in climate change and Professor Sebastian Erdweg's project on the energy-efficient execution of reactive software systems. Furthermore, JGU-based palaeogeneticist Professor Joachim Burger is involved in an ERC Consolidator Grant project researching the adaptation of historical populations to urban life, which is coordinated by Professor Christina Papageorgopoulou from Democritus University of Thrace.
END
Dorothee Dormann receives an ERC Consolidator Grant to support her research into neurodegenerative diseases
EU funding for research on aggregations of the protein TDP-43 in the brain
2023-12-05
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Reducing the energy consumption of software: Sebastian Erdweg receives ERC Consolidator Grant
2023-12-05
The energy consumption of data centers and information and communication technology (ICT) devices is growing at an alarming rate, projected to constitute up to 20 percent of global energy consumption by 2030. To support the digital transformation effectively, we need to enhance software efficiency. A promising avenue in this endeavor is incremental computing, where computations react to input changes rather than recomputing results from scratch. However, existing approaches to incrementality have limited applicability: They either demand expert knowledge, support only specialized domains (e.g., ...
Study finds plant nurseries are exacerbating the climate-driven spread of 80% of invasive species
2023-12-05
AMHERST, Mass. – Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published a pair of papers that, together, provide the most detailed maps to date of how 144 common invasive plants species will react to 2° Celsius of climate change in the eastern U.S., as well as the role that garden centers currently play in seeding future invasions. Together, the papers, published in Diversity and Distributions and BioScience, and the publicly available maps, which track species at the county level, promise to give invasive species managers in the U.S. the tools they need ...
Jefferson Lab site grows with addition of Applied Research Center
2023-12-05
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The Applied Research Center (ARC) is tying the knot with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Today, the City of Newport News announced the transfer of the Applied Research Center to Jefferson Lab and the DOE. The announcement was made in a ribbon-tying ceremony for the facility.
“Newport News is a hub of innovation and research, thanks in large part to Jefferson Lab’s robust educational and scientific offerings,” said Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones. “Since 1985, the city has invested more than $64 ...
Texas A&M receives $1.8 million NIH grant to support bone health in people with down syndrome
2023-12-05
By Courtney Price, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Texas A&M University researchers have been awarded a $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study bone regeneration throughout the lifespan to ultimately benefit individuals with Down syndrome.
The new INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE) Project grant will help scientists understand whether bone regeneration holds the key to helping people ...
Membrane raft redox signaling contributes to visfatin-induced inflammation and kidney damage
2023-12-05
“[...] the exact mechanism of how obesity increases the advancement of chronic kidney disease is still uncertain.”
BUFFALO, NY- December 5, 2023 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 22, entitled, “Contribution of membrane raft redox signalling to visfatin-induced inflammasome activation and podocyte injury.”
The number of obese patients with end-stage renal disease has ...
New study highlights COVID-19’s adaptive strategy for infection
2023-12-05
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (12/05/2023) – Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism whereby the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, can vary its mode of infection in human cells. Published in the journal eLife, a team from the University of Minnesota and the Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Center found the virus can alternate between being highly infectious and avoiding detection by the immune system. This understanding is vital for grasping the virus' impact during the pandemic and for predicting its potential evolutionary developments.
The spike protein of the virus, which is crucial for attaching ...
Type 1 diabetes: B cell-derived natural antibodies suppress autoimmune pathogenesis
2023-12-05
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Researchers have discovered the novel mechanism that underlies a previously reported observation that infection by group A Streptococcus bacteria reduces the risk of later developing Type 1 diabetes.
The Journal of Immunology reports that vaccination of neonatal mice with group A Streptococcus promoted a clonal expansion of innate-like B cells that produce antibody against N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, or GlcNAc. GlcNAc is a derivative of glucose sugar that is found as part of the cell wall of group ...
Cable-Dunlap, Chi, Smith and Thornton named ORNL Corporate Fellows
2023-12-05
Four researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been named ORNL Corporate Fellows in recognition of significant career accomplishments and continued leadership in their scientific fields.
Corporate Fellow is the highest recognition for members of the ORNL research staff. Paula Cable-Dunlap, Miaofang Chi, Scott Smith and Peter Thornton have been recognized by the laboratory for their standing in the international scientific community as exceptional and influential researchers and as role models and mentors among peers and early career researchers.
“Paula, Miaofang, Scott and Peter represent ...
UofL secures $6.5 million to enhance training for nursing professionals
2023-12-05
The University of Louisville has received $6.5 million through two federal grants to help increase Kentuckians’ access to health care, particularly in underserved rural and urban areas. The UofL School of Nursing will use the funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop and implement an accelerated Licensed Practical Nurse-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (LPN-to-BSN) pathway in medically underserved areas of Kentucky. The second HRSA-funded project aims ...
Reverse metabolomics: new method finds biomarker for inflammatory bowel disease
2023-12-05
In recent years, microbiome research has started to shift its focus from the microbes themselves to the molecules they produce. After all, it’s these molecules that directly interact with human cells to influence a person’s health. But trying to identify which molecules are being made by a person’s microbiome is quite challenging. A typical metabolomics study can only characterize about 10% of the molecular data from a human microbiome sample.
In a new study published on December 5, 2023 in Nature, microbiome experts at University of California San Diego ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Insulin resistance is linked to over 30 diseases – and to early death in women, study of people in the UK finds
Innovative semaglutide hydrogel could reduce diabetes shots to once a month
Weight loss could reduce the risk of severe infections in people with diabetes, UK research suggests
Long-term exposure to air pollution and a lack of green space increases the risk of hospitalization for respiratory conditions
Better cardiovascular health in early pregnancy may offset high genetic risk
Artificial intelligence method transforms gene mutation prediction in lung cancer: DeepGEM data releases at IASLC 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer
Antibody–drug conjugate I-DXd shows clinically meaningful response in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer
IASLC Global Survey on biomarker testing reveals progress and persistent barriers in lung cancer biomarker testing
Research shows pathway to developing predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors
Just how dangerous is Great Salt Lake dust? New research looks for clues
Maroulas appointed Associate Vice Chancellor, Director of AI Tennessee
New chickadee research finds cognitive skills impact lifespan
Cognitive behavioral therapy enhances brain circuits to relieve depression
Terasaki Institute awarded $2.3 Million grant from NIH for organ transplantation research using organs-on-a-chip technology
Atoms on the edge
Postdoc takes multipronged approach to muon detection
Mathematical proof: Five satellites needed for precise navigation
Scalable, multi-functional device lays groundwork for advanced quantum applications
Falling for financial scams? It may signal early Alzheimer’s disease
Integrating MRI and OCT for new insights into brain microstructure
Designing a normative neuroimaging library to support diagnosis of traumatic brain injury
Department of Energy announces $68 million in funding for artificial intelligence for scientific research
DOE, ORNL announce opportunity to define future of high-performance computing
Molecular simulations, supercomputing lead to energy-saving biomaterials breakthrough
Low-impact yoga and exercise found to help older women manage urinary incontinence
Genetic studies reveal new insights into cognitive impairment in schizophrenia
Researcher develops technology to provide cleaner energy and cleaner water
Expect the unexpected: nanoscale silver unveils intrinsic self-healing abilities
nTIDE September 2024 Jobs Report: Gains in employment for people with disabilities appear to level off after reducing gaps with non-disabled workers
Wiley enhances NMR Spectral Library Collection with extensive new databases
[Press-News.org] Dorothee Dormann receives an ERC Consolidator Grant to support her research into neurodegenerative diseasesEU funding for research on aggregations of the protein TDP-43 in the brain