Research Group of
Johannes Schmid
Projects
| Examples |
General Description |
Examples |
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(click images) | |
 from Schmid & Birbach Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. (2008), Vol. 19, p157-65 |
Current research interests focus on inflammation and cancer with an
emphasis on prostate cancer. Signal transduction pathways of inflammation
are studied with special focus on the NF-kappa B signaling, as well as
interconnections with other signaling processes and the role of cell
survival mechanisms in cancer.
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 projection of a FRET z-stack |
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Signal transduction networks are studied with a variety of experimental
systems, such as cell culture of primary and transformed cells or transgene mouse models. Transfection and viral transduction
strategies are applied to achieve either ectopic expression or gene suppression
of effector molecules followed by analyzing a variety of biological readouts
such as cell proliferation, apoptosis or activation of cells. |
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GFP |
Moreover,
we investigate the dynamics of signaling molecules (for instance nucleocytoplasmic
shuttling) in living cells using fluorescent protein chimeras and various
high-end laser scanning microscopy techniques (such as fluorescence loss in photobleaching, FLIP, or fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, FRAP). |
 example for FRAP analysis
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 FRET image |
Interactions
between proteins are studied by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)
microscopy and verified with classical biochemical methods such as
co-immunoprecipitation.
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 co-IP |
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FRET techniques are also applied to study
protein-DNA interactions, as they occur when transcription factors bind to
DNA Spectral imaging is used to differentiate between overlapping fluorophores |
 unmixed GFP / YFP images |
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Besides
these analyses of experimental models, we also investigate patient tissue
samples using tissue arrays and novel methods of quantitative tissue cytometry
to study correlations between candidate effector molecules in cancer development.
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 human tissue sample |
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We establish transgenic mouse systems for the
study of inflammation and cancer. Pro-malignant factors are combined with
molecules of inflammatory reactions in
a cooperative manner using organ-specific, inducible Cre recombinase approaches. |
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Some former Projects |
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J. A. Schmid, L. Mach, E. Paschke and J. Glössl: Accumulation of sialic acid in endocytic compartments interferes with the formation of mature lysosomes. J. Biol. Chem. 274 (27), 19063-71 (1999) |
 J. Exp. Med. (1998), 188, p211-6. |
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E. Piddini, J.A. Schmid (equally contributing first author), R. de Martin and C. Dotti: The Ras-like GTPase Gem is involved in cell shape remodelling and interacts with the novel kinesin-like protein KIF9. EMBO J. 20(15), 4076-4087 (2001). |
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Johannes A. Schmid