GRK 1715:  Molecular Signatures of Adaptive Stress Responses

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: from 2012 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 177710919

"All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous" - the famousdictum of Paracelsus is of formidable relevance in modern medicine and biology. Organisms are perpetually facing noxiousinsults but exhibit surprising diverse reaction patterns. Depending on the strength, frequency and quality of the stress stimulibiological individuals may react with increased vitality, future stress resistance or with injury and degeneration. Whereas amultitude of such specific stress responses has been observed in diverse biological systems, the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Our Research Training Group (RTG) explores specific signalling reactions controlling the ambivalent reaction patterns of cells and organisms to stressful challenges. Adaptive responses to defined stress stimuli are analysed in a dose- and time-resolved manner. In the first funding period the results of our RTG significantly added to the understanding of the molecular reaction patterns of biological systems towards dose-dependent effects of stress. In the proposed second funding period investigations of the dynamics of adaptive stress responses will be considerably intensified. Specific use of advanced animal models of selected diseases will allow efficient exploitation of the results in prophylaxis and treatment in modern medicine. These efforts are expected to strengthen the collaborative research projects on Sepsis and Ageing within the research focus "Life" in Jena. In conjunction with highly productive research groups from the University Hospital and the Biological Pharmaceutical Faculty of the FSU and of the Leibniz Institute for Age Research - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) the RTG intends to foster cross-disciplinary PhD research projects in this innovative field of life sciences. As a main goal, the RTG aims to provide young scientists with insights into the intimate interrelationship between fundamental biological phenomena such as life and death, disease and recovery and the underlying complex molecular processes. The wide spectrum of cellular and organismic models used by the participating groups allows a deeper understanding of the dynamic reaction patterns of biological systems challenged by external insults. In order to reach these goals the study programme of the RTG offers a multifaceted series of lectures, meetings, seminars and workshops as well as placements in laboratories of international cooperation partners of the project leaders. The FSU Jena Graduate Academy and the Graduate Schools Molecular Medicine and Leibniz Graduate School on Ageing will supervise all of these elements of a structured graduate programme.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
• Participating Institution: Leibniz-Institut für Alternsforschung - Fritz-Lipmann-Institut e.V. (FLI)
• Spokespersons: Professor Dr. Thorsten Heinzel; Professor Dr. Reinhard Wetzker, from 4/2012 until 9/2016
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Michael Bauer; Professor Dr. Reinhard Bauer; Professor Dr. Stefan H. Heinemann; Professorin Dr. Regine Heller; Professor Dr. Christian Andreas Hübner; Professor Dr. Andreas Koeberle; Privatdozent Dr. Christian Kosan; Professor Dr. Stefan Lorkowski; Professorin Dr. Helen Morrison; Professorin Dr. Britta Qualmann; Privatdozent Dr. Ignacio Rubio; Professor Dr. Karl Lenhard Rudolph; Professor Dr. Zhao-Qi Wang