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 1218 tackles the challenge of mitochondrial complexity using novel interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches. The projects in research area A 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 investigates the role of mitochondrial signalling under various stress conditions and in disease. Together, the planned experiments in the CRC 1218 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, USA

Current projects

• A01 - Proteolytic control of mitochondrial dynamics and cell survival by OMA1 (Project Head Langer, Thomas )
• A03 - Role of mitofusin ubiquitylation in mitochondrial quality control (Project Head Escobar-Henriques, Mafalda )
• A04 - Regulation and function of POLG-mediated mtDNA degradation (Project Heads Graef, Martin ;  Langer, Thomas )
• A05 - The role of CLUH in transport and translation of mRNAs for 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 - Regulation of mitochondrial fission factor (MFF) in metabolic homeostasis (Project Heads Brüning, Jens Claus ;  Horvath, Tamas )
• 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 )
• A11 - Critical periods of mitochondrial structural and metabolic plasticity in Purkinje neurons (Project Head Motori, Elisa )
• B01 - Oxidative stress signalling and lipid metabolism in lifespan regulation (Project Head Trifunovic, Aleksandra )
• B02 - Mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide signaling (Project Head Riemer, Jan )
• B03 - Ubiquitin-dependent coordination of mitochondrial-cytoplasmic quality control (Project Head Hoppe, Thorsten )
• B06 - Role of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilisation in mitochondrial hepatopathy (Project Head Kashkar, Hamid )
• B08 - Sulfite- and nitrite-dependent regulation of mitochondrial function by sulfite oxidase (Project Head Schwarz, Günter )
• B09 - Mitochondrial defense against an intracellular parasite (Project Head Pernas, Ph.D., Lena )
• 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 deficiency-dependent metabolic reprogramming and integrated stress response in T cell immunity (Project Head Corrado, Mauro )
• MGK - Integrated Research Training Group "mito-RTG" (Project Heads Dohmen, Jürgen ;  Riemer, Jan )
• Z01 - Central tasks (Project Head Rugarli, Elena Irene )
• Z02 - Bioanalytical Platform (Project Heads Brodesser, Susanne ;  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 )
• A06 - The role of mitochondrial dynamics in mtDNA maintenance (Project Head Larsson, Nils-Göran )
• 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 )
• Z04 - Bioenergetics (Project Heads Kashkar, Hamid ;  Trifunovic, Aleksandra )

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