Detail

Keywords

Apoptosis; Autophagy; Caspases; Endonucleases; Epidermis; Evolution, Molecular; Genomics; Keratinocytes; Keratins; Skin; Skin Diseases

Research group(s)

• Skin Biology - Leopold Eckhart
  Head: Leopold Eckhart
  Research Area: Skin biology
  Members:
  Leopold Eckhart

Research interests

• Barrier function of the skin
• Evolution of the skin
• Programmed cell death
• Autophagy
• Genomics

Techniques, methods & infrastructure

• Comparative genomics
• Targeted gene deletions in animal models
• In vitro models of human skin
• Molecular biological, biochemical and immunohistochemical techniques

Grants

• Molecular evolution of skin appendages (2023)
  Source of Funding: FWF (Austrian Science Fund), Einzelprojekt
  Principal Investigator
• Evolution of epidermal transglutamination (2019)
  Source of Funding: FWF (Austrian Science Fund), Stand-Alone Projects
  Principal Investigator
• Characterization of age-related protein accumulation in autophagy-deficient neurons. (2015)
  Source of Funding: Herzfelder'sche Familienstiftung,
  Principal Investigator
• Evolution of epidermal cornification proteins (2015)
  Source of Funding: FWF (Austrian Science Fund), Stand-Alone Projects
  Principal Investigator
• Molecular evolution of the epidermis in amniotes (2011)
  Source of Funding: FWF (Austrian Science Fund), Stand-Alone Projects
  Principal Investigator
• The role of DNase1L2 in epidermal DNA degradation (2008)
  Source of Funding: FWF (Austrian Science Fund), Stand-Alone Projects
  Principal Investigator

Selected publications

1. Sukseree, S. et al. 2020. ATG7 is essential for secretion of iron from ameloblasts and normal growth of murine incisors during aging. Autophagy, 16(10), pp. 1851-1857. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15548627.2019.1709764..
2. Feng, S. et al., 2020. Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics. Nature, 587(7833), pp. 252-257. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2873-9.
3. Strasser, B. et al., 2014. Evolutionary origin and diversification of epidermal barrier proteins in amniotes. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 31(12), pp.3194-3205. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msu251.
4. Fischer, H. et al., 2011. Essential role of the keratinocyte-specific endonuclease DNase1L2 in the removal of nuclear DNA from hair and nails. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 131(6), pp.1208-1215. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/jid.2011.1.
5. Eckhart, L. et al., 2008. Identification of reptilian genes encoding hair keratin-like proteins suggests a new scenario for the evolutionary origin of hair. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(47), pp.18419-18423. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0805154105.