SFB 1218:  Mitochondrial regulation of cellular function

• Subject Area: Biology ; Medicine
• Term: since 2016
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 269925409

Mitochondria are essential cell organelles that are best known for their function in cellular energy homeostasis. However, research in the last two decades has unravelled an unexpected complexity of mitochondria and multiple ways how mitochondria interact with their cellular environment. Mitochondria are now recognised as dynamic and plastic organelles that are integrated into a complex network of cellular signalling cascades. They respond to alterations in cellular physiology but by themselves signal to determine cell fate and function. These complex and bi-directional interactions of mitochondria with the cell make it also necessary to revise the view on the role of mitochondria in disease. The CRC will tackle the challenge of mitochondrial complexity using novel interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches. The planned projects in research area A will examine how mitochondrial function adapts to changing physiological demands focussing on mitochondrial plasticity and the regulatory role of mitochondrial dynamics in preserving the functional integrity of mitochondria and the cell. Work in research area B examines the role of mitochondrial signalling under various stress conditions and in disease. Together, the planned experiments in the CRC will foster our understanding as to how mitochondria regulate cell function and therefore will provide new insight into the cell-type specificity of mitochondrial diseases.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• International Connection: Netherlands

Current projects

• A01 - Proteolytic control of mitochondrial dynamics and metabolism by OMA1 (Project Head Langer, Thomas )
• A03 - Cellular quality control by mitofusins and ubiquitin (Project Head Escobar-Henriques, Mafalda )
• A05 - The role of CLUH in the translation of mRNAs encoding mitochondrial proteins (Project Head Rugarli, Elena Irene )
• A07 - Role of mitochondrial dynamics in neuronal synapse and circuit remodelling (Project Head Bergami, Ph.D., Matteo )
• A08 - Bi-directional regulation of liver/brain interaction via hepatic mitochondrial fission (Project Heads Brüning, Jens Claus ;  Horvath, Tamas )
• A11 - Critical periods of mitochondrial structural and metabolic plasticity in Purkinje neurons (Project Head Motori, Elisa )
• A12 - Dynamic architecture of DRP1 macromolecular assemblies in mitochondrial fission (Project Head Garcia Sáez, Ana Jesús )
• A13 - Elucidate the regulatory cascade controlling mitochondrial fission in mitosis (Project Head Piano, Ph.D., Valentina )
• B02 - Mitochondrial Hydrogen Peroxide Signalling (Project Head Riemer, Jan )
• B03 - Ubiquitin-dependent coordination of mitochondrial-cytoplasmic quality control (Project Head Hoppe, Thorsten )
• B06 - Targeting BCL2 protein family in mitochondrial diseases (Project Head Kashkar, Hamid )
• B08 - Sulfite-dependent regulation of mitochondrial function by sulfite oxidase (Project Head Schwarz, Günter )
• B10 - Role of mitochondria in the regulation of myeloid cell function in skin homeostasis and repair (Project Head Eming, Sabine )
• B11 - Quality control at the protein entry gate of mitochondria (Project Head Becker, Thomas )
• B12 - Cardiolipin-dependent regulation of T cell immunity (Project Head Corrado, Mauro )
• B13 - Novel paradigms in the regulation of mitochondrial integrated stress responses (Project Head Trifunovic, Aleksandra )
• B14 - The link between mitochondrial ultrastructure and innate immune response upon fumarate hydratase loss (Project Heads Frezza, Christian ;  Schatton, Dèsirée )
• INF - Research data management in interdisciplinary mitochondrial research (Project Heads Beyan, Oya ;  Nolte, Hendrik ;  Willems, Florian )
• MGK - Integrated Research Training Group "mito-RTG" (Project Heads Dohmen, Jürgen ;  Riemer, Jan )
• Z01 - Central Tasks of the Collaborative Research Centre (Project Head Rugarli, Elena Irene )
• Z02 - Bioanalytical Platform (Project Heads Brodesser, Susanne ;  Frezza, Christian ;  Krüger, Marcus ;  Trifunovic, Aleksandra )
• Z03 - Mitochondrial structure and dynamics in light and electron microscopy (Project Heads Garcia Sáez, Ana Jesús ;  Schauss, Astrid )

Completed projects

• A02 - Role of SUMO-targeted ubiquitylation in the control of mitochondrial fission (Project Head Dohmen, Jürgen )
• A04 - Regulation and function of POLG-mediated mtDNA degradation (Project Heads Graef, Martin ;  Langer, Thomas )
• A06 - The role of mitochondrial dynamics in mtDNA maintenance (Project Head Larsson, Nils-Göran )
• A09 - Effect of Bcl-2 proteins on mitochondrial structure, dynamics and function (Project Head Garcia Sáez, Ana Jesús )
• A10 - Plasticity of the mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing complex (Project Head Brandt, Ulrich )
• B01 - Oxidative stress signalling and lipid metabolism in lifespan regulation (Project Head Trifunovic, Aleksandra )
• B05 - Role of mitochondria in the regulation of intestinal epithelial cell death and inflammation (Project Head Pasparakis, Manolis )
• B07 - Cell-type specific mitochondrial Ca2+ handling and selective vulnerability to mitochondrial dysfunction in different dopaminergic neuron populations (Project Heads Kloppenburg, Peter ;  Wiesner, Rudolf )
• B09 - Mitochondrial defense against an intracellular parasite (Project Head Pernas, Ph.D., Lena )
• Z04 - Bioenergetics (Project Heads Kashkar, Hamid ;  Trifunovic, Aleksandra )

• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Participating University: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• Participating Institution: Max-Planck-Institut für Biologie des Alterns; Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysik; Max-Planck-Institut für Stoffwechselforschung
• Spokespersons: Professor Dr. Thomas Langer, until 1/2018; Professorin Dr. Elena Irene Rugarli, since 1/2020