Research Units
A Research Unit is made up of a team of researchers working together on a research project which, in terms of thematic focus, duration and finances, extends beyond the funding options available under the Individual Grants Programme or Priority Programme. Research Units provide the staff and material resources required for carrying out intensive, medium-term cooperative projects (generally six years). Research Units often contribute to establishing new research directions. Research Units are funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
MIN Faculty Research Units
RU 1805 - Ribsome dynamics in regulation of speed and accuracy of translation
Spokesperson:
Prof. Dr. Zoya Ignatova
Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Martin-Luther-King Platz 6
20146 Hamburg
Email: zoya.ignatova@uni-hamburg.de( zoya.ignatova"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
Co-Speakers:
Christian Spahn (Charité Berlin)
Second funding period: Summer 2015 - April 2018
First funding period: Summer 2012 - Summer 2015
Translation of the genetic information from a nucleotide sequence into a functional protein is a central biological process. The aim of this collaborative project is to uncover dynamic aspects of the ribosome function in translation on different levels, from atomic analysis to a global-scale stochastic behavior. Both, prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems will be used as research objects which will provide invaluable insights into common principles and divergent features in translation dynamics and regulation across the species. We will use a combination of interdisciplinary approaches, including high-resolution structural studies (single and multi-particle cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography), biophysical (kinetics, molecular dynamics simulation, stochastic modeling), and biochemical (quantitative mass spectrometry, ribosomal profiling probed with the power of highly parallel deep sequencing) approaches. The team we have assembled consolidates the scientific expertise across Germany on ribosome function and protein translation to unravel molecular details on (i) the role of various translation factors on the metastable energy landscape of the translating ribosome, (ii) the speed and accuracy in translation of single codon and whole open-reading frame, (iii) the impact of external factors (antibiotics, environmental stress) on translation fidelity and processivity, and (iv) the link between translation and protein assembly and function. On a long-term scale, we believe that merging the research activities with a focus on the ribosome, as crucial molecular machinery for the cell, will provide unprecedented insights into central molecular aspects of the ribosome function and dynamics, ultimately enabling us to generate an integrated view of the molecular choreography of the processes orchestrated by the ribosome.
Participations in Research Units
|
FOR |
Project title |
Start |
Department |
PI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5315 | Humus layer: changes in functionality, dynamics and vulnerability (University of Freiburg) -P8: Mycorrhizal functions in the forest floor |
2022 | Biology | Prof. Dr. Meier |
| 2820 | Volcanic plume evolution and injection profiles (VolPlume) | 2022 |
Earth System |
Dr. Horváth |
| 2990 | The eROSITA View of Stellar Endpoints (eRO-STEP) | 2021 |
Physics |
Prof. Dr. Schmitt |
| 2975 | Algorithms, Dynamics, and Information Flow in Networks | 2020 |
Computer |
Prof. Dr. Berenbrink |
| 5116 | Plant-microbe communication through exRNA: systems-level approaches to explore molecular mechanisms and agronomic applications (University of Gießen) | 2020 | Biology | Prof. Dr. Kehr |
| 2820 | Revisiting The Volcanic Impact on Atmosphere and Climate – Preparations for the Next Big Volcanic Eruption (University of Greifswald) | 2019 | Earth System Science |
Prof. Dr. Bühler |
| Next Generation Perturbative QCD for Hadron Structure: Preparing for the Electron-Ion Collider (Regensburg University) | 2019 | Physics | Prof. Dr. Kniehl Prof. Dr. Moch |
|
| 2544 | Blue Planets around Red Stars - Scientific Exploitation of the CARMENES Survey (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) | 2017 | Physics | Prof. Dr. Schmitt |
| 2414 | Artificial Gauge Fields and Interacting Topological Phases in Ultracold Atoms (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) | 2016 | Physics | Prof. Dr. Sengstock |
| 2319 | Bestimmung der Neutrino-Massenhierarchie mit dem JUNO-Experiment (Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen) | 2016 | Physics | Prof. Dr. Hagner |
| 2419 | Plasticity versus Stability - Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic Strength (University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf) | 2015 | Chemistry | Prof. Dr. Grünewald |
| 2285 | Debris Disks in Planetary Systems (Friedrich Schiller University Jena) | 2015 | Physics | Prof. Dr. Hauschildt |
| 2131 | Data Assimilation for Improved Characterization of Fluxes across Compartmental Interfaces (University of Bonn) | 2013 | Earth System Science |
Prof. Dr. Ament |
| 1789 | Intermolekularer und Interatomarer Coulomb-Zerfall (Goethe University Frankfurt) | 2012 | Physics | Prof. Dr. Frühling |