Alumni

Former PhD students:

• Katharina Weinhäupl, now research position at Univ. Porto. Among many other things, Kathi found out how the mitochondrial intermembrane-space chaperone TIM9·10 transports membrane proteins to their final destination, defying all previously proposed models and providing a mechanistic model how membrane proteins are safely transferred across the intermembrane space, and why disease-related mutants fail to do so.
• Vilius Kurauskas, now staff scientist at University of Wisconsin. Vilius made several significant discoveries. To name only two: First, he addressed a long-standing question about how the crystalline environment influences protein dynamics, using ubiquitin as a model system. Second, he demonstrated how a commonly used detergent can distort membrane proteins, a finding that had a considerable impact on the NMR- and membrane protein research community, highlighted e.g. here.
• Iva Sučec, now post-doc at MIT. Iva worked on protein import into mitochondrial. Among other things, she revealed how two highly similar chaperones in the mitochondrial intermembrane space, TIM9·10 and TIM8·13, are able to achieve substrate specificity while binding also a wide range of to-be-imported proteins. Moreover, she solved mechanistic questions in the cytosolic events of protein import.

Former post-docs:

• Diego Gauto holds a faculty position at CNRS in Gif/Yvette (France). Diego’s most notable achievement during his time with us was the development of a groundbreaking approach to obtain high-resolution structures by integrating low-resolution cryo-EM data with NMR data, demonstrated on an impressive 468 kDa protein assembly. Along the way, he set a new record at the time for the largest protein assigned using MAS NMR, and quantitatively probed aromatic ring flips in this large assembly. Additionally, he explored the use of ¹H and ¹⁵N relaxation in MAS NMR to investigate protein dynamics, further expanding the technique’s versatility.
• Hugo Fraga now holds a faculty position at University of Porto. During his time with us, Hugo uncovered the mechanistic basis of a fascinating phenomenon: inhibitors binding to the active site of the protease ClpP can paradoxically activate the protease. He combined crystallography, solution NMR, MAS NMR, and biochemistry to unravel this allosteric mechanism. Moreover, Hugo helped push the frontiers of MAS NMR towards larger proteins, by introducing a suite of high-dimensional MAS NMR experiments.
• Peixiang Ma, now holds a faculty at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Peixiang’s most notable achievement was the development of R1rho relaxation-dispersion NMR, which demonstrated for the first time its use for probing microsecond dynamics. Moreover, he has lead a project that investigated overall rocking motion of proteins in proteins. By studying rocking motion in different crystals he clarified also why seemingly perfectly crystals often have poor X-ray diffraction properties.
• Laura Troussicot (now at CRMN Lyon) joined our group to work on a collaborative project with the Burmann group on a fascinating mechanism we’ve discovered in a peroxiredoxin enzyme: the formation of disulfide bonds induces, somewhat paradoxically, large scale microsecond motions. Laura figured out how structural frustration induce these motions, possibly harvesting an entropic spring mechanism.
• Jia-Ying Guan worked on the 1 MDa-large Hsp60 chaperone from archaea, thermosome, and contributed to understanding what happens when this large chaperone undergoes its functional cycle and binds client proteins. Moreover, she worked on isotope-labelling methods and MAS NMR.
• Astrid Sivertsen kick-started the MAS NMR study of large assemblies in the group. She had a large contribution in assigning the 12 x 39 kDa TET2 assembly.
• Carsten Krichel worked with us on the MAS NMR study of a 50 kDa large tube-forming protein before moving to industry.
• Everton Dias D’Andrea worked with us on mitochondrial membrane-protein import.

Interns and short-term visitors:

• Virgil Aitenbichler (MSc thesis, 2024)
• Maria Clara Miserendino (internship 2024)
• Júlia Araújo (ISTernship 2023)
• Carmen Tabuenca (internship 2023)
• Anna Rosenkrancova (internship 2023, now PhD student in Grenoble)
• Rebecca Schmid (internship 2023)
• Antoine Feignier (MSc internship, mitochondrial protein import)
• Emeline Mestdach (MSc internship, protein dynamics)
• Ons Dakhlaoui (MSc internship, mitochondrial chaperones)
• Jens D. Haller. (Msc internship 2012-2013. Protein dynamics projects 1, 2)

Research Technicians:

• Audrey Hessel (now permanent position at Institut Pasteur). Audrey started our ERC StG period and was central to many mitochondrial membrane-protein projects.
• Olena Tsvyetkova (now in industry).
• Undina Guillerm (now doing her PhD in the group) started as a research technician, enabled many projects, and found a project that she now focuses on completely.