Successes in cell research
CDS member Prof. Dr. Inna Lavrik was able to achieve impressive research results on the molecular mechanism of programmed cell death with her research group "Translational Inflammation Research" at the Medical Faculty of the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. The results were now published in the internationally acclaimed EMBO Journal.
The scientists focused on the "Death receptor" CD95 und his role in the control of cell survival and death. The complex signal transduction within the cell could be deciphered at the molecular level by the team and in particular by the first authors M.Sc. Corinna König and Dr. rer. nat. Nikita Ivanisenko.
The central result of the research is the the detailed description of the formation and function of the necrosome, a macromolecular protein complex that mediates an alternative form of cell death, necroptosis. The team succeeded in showing that several of the so-called RIPK1 molecules are recruited to the necrosome and form RIPK1 oligomers. This is of particular importance because the activation of the signaling pathway and the cell death process are significantly controlled by this oligomerization.
The team worked closely together with Prof. Dr. Thilo Kähne from the Institute of Experimental Internal Medicine (iEIM). In a joint approach, the composition of the necrosome was analysed in detail for the first time using mass spectrometry.
The results research are not only relevant as a fundamental contribution to biomedical research, but also make way for new approaches for the development of therapeutic strategies. Disruptions in the process of programmed cell death are a key factor in the development of diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation.