Guido Posern
Prof. Guido Posern
Institute of Physiological Chemistry
Hollystraße 1
06114 Halle (Saale)
phone: +49 (0) 345-55 73812
guido.posern@medizin.uni-halle.de
Regulation and function of proteins belonging to the family of MRTF-transcription factors
Our group deals with basic issues of Cell Biology and Tumor Biology. In particular, we are working on the regulation of gene expression and the resulting transcriptional and functional networks in mammalian cells. Cell motility, cell adhesion, and the integration of proliferation versus differentiation is in the focus of our interest: how does the cytoskeleton influence the expression of specific genes, and thus the cellular function? What are the consequences for cell movement and cell differentiation? Are there implications for pathological changes, particularly in the development of cancer and fibrosis? A central role in these issues play the newly discovered MAL / MRTF-transcription factors. Understanding their regulation and function is a major topic of our lab. Recent work by us showed that MRTFs are also important in controlling the cell cycle and maintaining the genomic stability of dividing cells.