European funding for outstanding research into biotechnology at TUM

ERC Synergy Grant for Prof. Johannes Buchner

Proteins are among the central building blocks of life. Without them, cells and organs could not function. Proteins are long chains of amino acids that are assembled in every cell by large molecular machines called ribosomes. Depending on the amino acid sequence, these chains fold into a specific three-dimensional structure. This structure determines whether a protein can perform its desired function.

Misfolded proteins cause a variety of serious neurodegenerative diseases, prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or BSE, but also metabolic and hereditary diseases such as cystic fibrosis and phenylketonuria. Some types of cancer also develop or worsen when proteins that regulate cell growth are misfolded.

Chaperones are active in cells to prevent such malfunctions. Among other things, they support the correct folding of proteins and can repair incorrectly folded molecules. New findings by the CHAPEROME team suggest that chaperones also regulate how ribosomes produce proteins. Over the next six years, the funded team aims to work together to find out how this works at the molecular level.

In addition to discovering fundamental mechanisms, e.g., in the formation of nerve cells, the project could also provide new approaches for treating diseases caused by protein folding disorders in the long term.