GRK 335:  Clinical, Cellular, and Molecular Biology of Internal Organs

• Subject Area: Basic Research in Biology and Medicine ; Medicine
• Term: from 1997 to 2006
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 271917

The research training group offers 14 research projects for Masters of Sciences with an experimental thesis or a Diploma work in life sciences. The projects are grouped into the general topics "Transport Processes", "Regulation of Gene Expression" and "Inflammation". Projects on "Transport Processes" include investigations on the modulation of Ca2+ release in rabbit cardiac myocytes, the role of organic anion transporters in kidneys and adrenal glands, and on an hepatic ABC transporter involved in resistance against heavy metals. The topic "Regulation of Gene Expression" comprises projects dealing with the inhibition of glucagon gene expression in the pancreas by insulin, the insulin-dependent expression of the gene for plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), the influence of cytokines and NO on hemoxygenase HO-1 expression in liver cells, and with the transcription factors involved in the development of pancreas-typical cells from progenitor cells. Projects within the topic "Inflammation" characterize the role of lipopolysaccharide receptors in liver cells and of growth factors involved in the development of liver cirrhosis. Projects on diseases of the intestine will deal with virulence factors of Campylobacter pylori, the role of cytokines and their receptors in Morbus Crohn and with the antagonism between glucocorticoids and 5-hydroxytryptamine in chronic bowel inflammation. Finally, the anti-inflammatory potential of the splicing factor 1 will be investigated. The theoretical education of the students comprises lectures on function and dysfunction of internal organs, a practical course on cell- and molecular-biological methods, and a basic clinical course to obtain an insight into daily clinical routine. Since the topics of the program and those of the collaborative research centre 402 "Molecular and Cellular Hepatogastroenterology" overlap, joint lectures and seminars provide a broad insight into biomedicine.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Gerhard Burckhardt
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Uwe Groß; Privatdozent Dr. Rolf Willi Grunewald; Professor Dr. Gerd Hasenfuß; Professor Markus Hecker, Ph.D.; Privatdozentin Dr. Karen Hirsch-Ernst; Professor Thomas Kietzmann, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Willhart Knepel; Dr. Harald Kögler; Professor Dr. Gerhard A. Müller; Professor Dr. Martin Oppermann; Professor Dr. Tomas Pieler; Professor Dr. Dirk Raddatz; Professor Dr. Giuliano Ramadori; Professor Dr. Jens-Gerd Scharf; Privatdozentin Dr. Henrike Schieferdecker; Privatdozent Dr. Harald Schwörer