Conveners
Biological processes
- Andreas Stadler (FZ Jülich)
An important question in the study of chromatin packing is to identify the functional significance of its structure and dynamics. The integral properties of chromatin packing as a polymer chain are extremely important for understanding the mechanisms of interaction between distant chromatin regions, the formation of loops, and, ultimately, the formation and dynamics of topologically associated...
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a potent intercellular communication system. Such small vesicles transport biomolecules between cells and throughout the body, strongly influencing the fate of recipient cells. Due to their specific biological functions they have been proposed as biomarkers for various diseases and as optimal candidates for therapeutic applications. Despite of their extreme...
The structure-dynamics-function relationship in proteins remains a field of great scientific interest. Photoactive proteins form a specific class, whose function can be activated by illumination. Two prototypical examples are the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP) and bacteriorhodopsin (BR). As to the first, photodamage of the photosynthetic apparatus of cyanobacteria in the case of excess light...
Phytochromes are red/far-red photochromic biliprotein light sensors that act as master regulators of plant development. They regulate the expression of ~20% of all plant genes, controlling for example germination, pigment production, stem extension and flowering time. Phytochromes are also known in prokaryotes, Cph1 from Synechocystis, for example, providing a valuable model for...