ChemBio Seminar by Prof. Maja Köhn (University of Freiburg, Germany)
Event details
| Date | 05.03.2024 |
| Hour | 16:15 › 17:15 |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Title: Chemical Biology Approaches to Study and Target Phosphatases
Speaker: Prof. Maja Köhn studied chemistry at the University of Kiel, Germany. In 2005 she obtained her PhD from the Max-Planck-Institute and University Dortmund, Germany, under the direction of H. Waldmann. She conducted her postdoctoral work with G. L. Verdine at Harvard University, USA. 2007-2016 she was an independent group leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany. Since 2016 she is Full Professor for Integrative Signaling Research at the Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract: Protein phosphatases play key roles in essential cellular processes. Their dysregulation contributes to diseases such as cancer, immune diseases, and heart failure. Accordingly, there is a great interest to study their mechanisms and druggability, as well as to validate them as disease targets. Often phosphatases are regulated by protein–protein interactions (PPIs), which cover large surfaces and are not amenable for small molecule binding. Peptides and peptidomimetics as research tools and drug leads enable targeting large surface areas to inhibit PPIs, and natural interactions can be used as starting point to design selective, stable and cell-active peptidic PPI inhibitors. Taking advantage of these properties, we develop peptide-based modulators for phosphatases. Furthermore, we devise new phosphoproteomic strategies to understand phosphatase biology, and we use these tools to provide insights into the substrates and affected pathways of these phosphatases, which I will discuss here.
Speaker: Prof. Maja Köhn studied chemistry at the University of Kiel, Germany. In 2005 she obtained her PhD from the Max-Planck-Institute and University Dortmund, Germany, under the direction of H. Waldmann. She conducted her postdoctoral work with G. L. Verdine at Harvard University, USA. 2007-2016 she was an independent group leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany. Since 2016 she is Full Professor for Integrative Signaling Research at the Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract: Protein phosphatases play key roles in essential cellular processes. Their dysregulation contributes to diseases such as cancer, immune diseases, and heart failure. Accordingly, there is a great interest to study their mechanisms and druggability, as well as to validate them as disease targets. Often phosphatases are regulated by protein–protein interactions (PPIs), which cover large surfaces and are not amenable for small molecule binding. Peptides and peptidomimetics as research tools and drug leads enable targeting large surface areas to inhibit PPIs, and natural interactions can be used as starting point to design selective, stable and cell-active peptidic PPI inhibitors. Taking advantage of these properties, we develop peptide-based modulators for phosphatases. Furthermore, we devise new phosphoproteomic strategies to understand phosphatase biology, and we use these tools to provide insights into the substrates and affected pathways of these phosphatases, which I will discuss here.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Dr. Milena Schuhacher