Lehrstuhl für Biochemie und Molekulare Zellbiologie - Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology

Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Bernhagen (Abteilungsleiter)

Kontakt - Sekretariat (Fr. E. Meyer )

Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen

Tel.: +49 241 80-88831
Fax: +49 241 80-82427
E-Mail: emeyer@ukaachen.de
Web: www.ukaachen.de/sites/lfg/bcmzb

Research in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology (Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Bernhagen) aims at exploring the molecular mechanisms of cytokine and chemokine function in immune and inflammatory diseases with a current focus on chronic inflammation such as in atherosclerosis and vascular pathogenesis and such as linking to cancer. At the molecular level, research activities focus on cytokine biochemistry and cytokine-mediated signal transduction pathways with special emphasis on the structure activity relationships, receptor complexes and signal transduction processes of CXC chemokines and the cytokine MIF. Studying the secretion and endocytosis mechanisms of MIF and other mediators exported by so-called non-conventional pathways is another focus of the lab. Recently, heterologous receptor complexes between GPCRs and single-pass transmembrane receptors including their cross-talk have become another point of research interest. The transcriptional coactivator JAB1/CSN5 and the COP9 signalosome (CSN), a multiprotein complex harboring JAB1/CSN5 and playing a critical role in proteasome-mediated protein degradation, are investigated structurally and biochemically. Foremostly aspects of CSN-related signal transduction, apoptosis, and cell cycle effects in the context of atherosclerosis and colorectal cancerogenesis are pursued. Other research interests that are mainly pursued within collaborative networks cover endothelial progenitor cell recruitment processes in the context of ischemia/reperfusion, hypoxic, and angiogenic situations in vitro and in vivo. Research is supported by various biochemical, cell biological and immunological approaches and numerous transgenic and knock out mouse models.

For activities in the fields of molecular amyloidogenesis, protein aggregation diseases and biomedical engineering see the Integrated Research Groups.

Research work in the Department is currently funded by the DFG (Sonderforschungsbereiche SFB 542/TP A7 and SFB/TRR57/TP07; BE 1977/4-1, DFG FOR 809 and DFG-GRK 1508),a RWTH/UKAachen START program grant, an IZKF Program grant and by industrial collaborations.

Cytokine and signal transduction group / Univ. Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Bernhagen

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