Autophagy, from the Greek for ‘self-eating’, is an essential process that isolates and recycles cellular components under conditions of stress or when resources are limited. Cargoes such as misfolded proteins or damaged organelles are captured in a double membrane-bound compartment called the autophagosome and targeted for degradation. A fundamental question concerns precisely how these “garbage bags” form in the cell. Scientists led by Sascha Martens from the Max Perutz Labs, a joint venture of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna, have now reconstructed the first steps in the formation of autophagosomes. They show that tiny vesicles loaded with the protein Atg9 act as the seed from which the autophagosome emerges. The study is published in Science.
Autophagosomes first form as cup-shaped membranes in the cell, which then grow to engulf the cellular material designated for destruction. The formation of these membranes is catalyzed by a complex machinery of proteins. “We have a very good knowledge of the factors involved in autophagosomes formation”, explains group leader Sascha Martens, “but how they come together to initiate the formation of these membranes has so far been enigmatic”.
One of the factors is Atg9, a protein whose importance in the process was known, but whose role was not clear. Atg9 is found in small intracellular vesicles. Researchers Justyna Sawa-Makarska, Verena Baumann and Nicolas Coudevylle from the Martens lab now show that they form a platform on which the autophagy machinery can assemble to build the autophagosome. “Atg9 vesicles are abundant in the cell, which means they can be rapidly recruited when autophagosomes are needed”, explains group leader Sascha Martens.
Cells encapsulate cargo in vesicles, so that they can be correctly transported and degraded in a chemical environment that is different to the one normally found in cells. Autophagosomes therefore consist of a double membrane made of phospholipids. This greasy envelope creates a waterproof package that separates material from the aqueous surroundings of the cell and marks it for degradation. However, Atg9 vesicles do not supply the bulk of the lipids to the growing autophagosome. Where does the material for this membrane then come from? The scientists have also found a possible answer to this question: “We could show that Atg9 vesicles recruit lipid transfer proteins”, says Sascha Martens. These proteins bridge the growing Atg9 vesicles to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this way, lipids are transferred from the ER to the emerging autophagosome, so that it can grow in size.
To understand a complex machinery like the cell, it often helps to take it apart and rebuild it. The biogenesis of autophagosome involves numerous proteins. By isolating and characterizing 21 of these components, the scientists have been able to rebuild parts of the autophagy machinery in the ‘test tube’ – an arduous process that took Sascha Martens and his team almost ten years. “With this approach we could reconstitute the early steps of autophagosome biogenesis in a controlled manner”, he says. With the elaborate toolkit the Martens lab has developed, the scientists now aim to unravel the next steps in the biogenesis of the autophagosome. The research project was a collaboration of the Martens lab with Gerhard Hummer and Soeren von Bülow from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics in Frankfurt and Martin Graef from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne.
Publication in Nature:
Justyna Sawa-Makarska, Verena Baumann, Nicolas Coudevylle, Sören von Bülow, Veronika Nogellova, Christine Abert, Martina Schuschnig, Martin Graef, Gerhard Hummer und Sascha Martens: Reconstitution of autophagosome nucleation defines Atg9 vesicles as seeds for membrane formation. Science 2020
Breathing at High Altitude
“Breathing at High Altitude” is an exhibition dedicated to the personal life and science of Max F. Perutz, a pioneer of 20thcentury molecular biology. The exhibition sheds light on Max Perutz’s fascinating life, celebrates his love for mountains, and visualizes “breathing” in a unique way. It will be a rewarding experience for scientists and non-scientists alike.
May 19 – June 15 Mon – Fri 9:00 – 18:00 University of Vienna, Inner court (Arkadenhof), Universitätsring 1, 1010 Vienna
Identifying new disease-related mechanisms for genetic cardiomyopathy
Speaker: Eva van RooijInstitute: Hubrecht InstituteHost: Sasha Mendjan
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: SCHMÖLLERL Johannes (Zuber), FAAS Victoria (Clausen), ANISIMOVA Aleksandra (Karagöz)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Max Perutz: a not so quiet life
Max Perutz’ scientific journey from the Theresianum in Vienna to the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge arguably laid the foundations of modern molecular biology. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962 for his work on hemoglobin, Max’ legacy continues today at the research institute that bears his name in the city where he was born.
You will hear about Max’ natural curiosity, the scientific question that he dedicated most of his life to answering - how does hemoglobin transport oxygen? - and the tireless perseverance required to achieve his goal.
Plant Phenomics and Epigenomics at Population Scale".
Speaker: Patrick HütherInstitute: GMI
Gene transcription: from mechanisms to regulation
Speaker: Patrick CramerInstitute: MPI for Biophysical ChemistryHost: Alex Stark, Clemens Plaschka
A detailed analysis of the (static and dynamic) local conformations of proteins
Speaker: Alexandre G de BrevernInstitute: INSERM - French National Institute of Health and Medical ResearchHost: Oliviero Carugo
The genetic basis for diversification of leaf form: from understanding to reconstructing
Speaker: Miltos TsiantisInstitute: MPI for Plant Breeding ResearchHost: Yasin Dagdas
HistONe and HistOFF: Measuring Nucleosome Exchange Dynamics
Speaker: Gilad YaakovInstitute: Weizmann Institute of Science, RehovotHost: Fred Berger
Molecular mechanism and folding dynamics of large non-coding RNAs
Speaker: Marco MarciaInstitute: EMBL GrenobleHost: Kristina Djinovic-Carugo
Microbial Storage Compounds
Speaker: Michaela DippoldInstitute: Georg-August-Universität GöttingenHost: Andreas Richter, Wolfgang Wanek
Genomic and developmental features of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis - insights into the evolution of Bilateria
Speaker: Uli TechnauInstitute: University of Vienna
Remembering who we are: how chromatin controls cell identity
Speaker: Susan GasserInstitute: University of Lausanne
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: BRAGULAT TEIXIDOR Helena (Otsuka), SALEWSKIJ Kirill (Penninger), KAGAWA Harunobu (Rivron)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Understanding the genetic basis of adaptation to changing climate
Speaker: Kelly SwartsInstitute: GMI
German translation of "Max Perutz and the Secret of Life" by Georgina Ferry
On the occasion of the newly published German translation of the biography "Max Perutz and the Secret of Life", the Austrian Academy of Sciences together with the Max Perutz Labs invite to the presentation of the book including a discussion.
From Basic Biology and CRISPR screening to public health and SARS-CoV-2 sequencing
Speaker: Uli EllingInstitute: IMBA
Single-cell and population mechanisms controlling neural stem cell maintenance in the zebrafish adult brain
Speaker: Laure Bally-CuifInstitute: Institut Pasteur and CNRS UMR3738Host: SFB Neuro Stem Modulation
Proteasomes in action - mechanisms and distribution of human proteasomes
Speaker: David HaselbachInstitute: IMP
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: CASEY Alexandra (Dolan), CERRON ALVAN Luis Miguel (Leeb), SIDHAYE Jaydeep (Knoblich)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Dual inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and neprilysin - a potential new therapy for hypertension and heart failure
Speaker: Ed SturrockInstitute: University of KapstadtHost: Tim Skern
RNA-protein interactions and the structure of the genetic code
Speaker: Bojan ZagrovicInstitute: Max Perutz Labs
Antarctic Research on Methane Production in Oxygenated Waters in Ice Covered Lakes
Speaker: Wei LiInstitute: Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryHost: Christopher Sedlacek
Structural insights into tail-anchored membrane protein biogenesis by the GET insertase complex
Speaker: Melanie McDowellInstitute: MPI for BiophysicsHost: Sebastian Falk
Imaging processes of cell division across scales
Speaker: Jan EllenbergInstitute: EMBL HeidelbergHost: Shotaro Otsuka
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: LOUBIERE Vincent (Stark), NGUYEN Vu (Mittelsten Scheid), STANKUNAS Edvinas (Köhler)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Jan-Michael PetersInstitute: IMP
Virus-host strategies to gain the upper hand during infections
Speaker: Gus VersteegInstitute: Max Perutz Labs
Leveraging the patient as the model to dissect and target metastasis
Speaker: Karuna GaneshInstitute: Sloan Kettering InstituteHost: Anna Obenauf
Mechanism of MCM helicase loading and regulation by CDK revealed by cryo-EM
Speaker: Tom MillerInstitute: University of CopenhagenHost: Clemens Plaschka
Life at Nature Genetics: what we do, how scientific publishing works, and how I got here
Speaker: Michael FletcherInstitute: Editor at Nature GeneticsHost: Alex Stark
Long-term single-cell quantification: New tools for old questions
Speaker: Timm SchroederInstitute: ETH ZurichHost: Manuela Baccarini
Cell competition: a paradigm to understand growth control and heterogeneity in complex tissues
Speaker: Stephanie EllisInstitute: Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Noelia UrbanInstitute: IMBA
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: LEYVA GONZALEZ Marco (Tanaka), MILJKOVIC Frane (Köhler), PINTER Theresa (Busslinger)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Andreas MartinInstitute: University of California, BerkeleyHost: David Haselbach
Title to be announced
Speaker: Alexey AmuntsInstitute: Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm UniversityHost: Silvia Ramundo
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: KHANDEKAR Ameya (Martinez), SCHOLZ Julia (Otsuka), BAUER Bernd (Martens)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Jay ShendureInstitute: University of WashingtonHost: Alex Stark
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: PASSERA Alessandro (Balzarotti), MILIVOJEV Nadja (Raible), HOLCIK Laurenz (Von Haeseler)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: IGOLKINA Anna (Nordborg), KRAMMER Teresa (Tanaka), AMANN Sascha Josef (Haselbach)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
European Worm Meeting 2022
We cordially invite you to the 2022 European Worm Meeting (EWM) taking place in Vienna, July 27-30. The meeting is hosted by the University of Vienna.
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: SCHMIDT Clara (Mendjan), GOGOVA Rebeca (Clausen), SAAD RODRIGUES Carolina (Schlögelhofer)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: YU Changwei (Brennecke), HAENDELER Simon (Von Haeseler), ALMEIDA Bernardo (Stark)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: SEONG Jinwoo (Rivron), NAVA GARCIA Marintia Mayola (Dagdas), DENEKE Victoria (Pauli)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Xin ChenInstitute: Johns Hopkins UniversityHost: Fred Berger
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: KELLNER Max Josef (Penninger), LEITNER Marie-Christin (Mendjan), HORN Sabrina (Peters)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Mark DawsonInstitute: Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreHost: Johannes Zuber
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: OTSUKI Leo (Tanaka), LEV Itamar (Zimmer), HODAKOVA Zuzana (Haselbach)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Dominique BergmannInstitute: Stanford UniversityHost: Liam Dolan
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: BABADEI Olga (Decker), HOLZMANN Viktoria (Rivron), AYALA MUNOZ Farja (Plaschka)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Yves BarralInstitute: ETH ZurichHost: Shotaro Otsuka
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: TAKACS Zsuzsanna (Gerlich), DE LA CONCEPCION Juan Carlos (Dagdas), FEDL Anna (Busslinger)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Sophie PetropoulosInstitute: Karolinska InstitutetHost: Nicolas Rivron
Title to be announced
Speaker: Benoit BruneauInstitute: Gladstone InstitutesHost: Sasha Mendjan
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: GALLI Lucrezia (Tanaka), TERIYAPIROM Isaree (Koo), JACOBS Jelle (Stark)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Richard FlavellInstitute: Yale University School of MedicineHost: Meinrad Busslinger
Title to be announced
Speaker: Bernd BukauInstitute: ZMBHHost: Elif Karagäz
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: POPOVA Mariia (Peters), RITSCHKA Birgit (Tanaka), DOMBEY Rodolphe (Mari-Ordonez)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: INCARBONE Marco (Mittelsten Scheid), GRUNDMANN Lorenz (Haselbach), NEMCKO Filip (Stark)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: TELONI Federico (Gerlich), WALLNER Eva-Sophie (Dolan), PUSHPA BOSE Greeshma (Urban)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: LIU Haijun (Nordborg), NAVALAYE Tsimafei (Ameres), NAAS Julia (Von Haeseler)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: CHUGUNOVA Anastasia (Pauli), RÖTZER Johannes (Dolan), JONSSON Gustav (Penninger)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: KLAUS Loni (Stark), BENEDUM Johannes (Slade), LITTLEBOY Jamie (Knoblich)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Daniel MucidaInstitute: Rockefeller UniversityHost: Meinrad Busslinger
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: ANTONIOLI Sumire (Leonard), LI Chong (Knoblich), PABST Gabriel (Zuber)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be announced
Speaker: Lacra BintuInstitute: Stanford UniversityHost: Alex Stark
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: DIEZMA Laura (Nordborg/Mari-Ordonez), GHOSH Dipannita (Grade), PATEL Rajvi (Matos)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Title to be annouced
Speaker: Adele MarstonInstitute: Wellcome Centre Cell Biology, University of EdinburghHost: Daniel Gerlich, Joao Matos
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: KORDIC Darja (Clausen), DEIBER Sebastian (Dolan), GEHRE Maja (Brennecke)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: ZMAJKOVIC Jakub (Zuber), MAURER Eric (Peters), NOGALES MORAL Adrian (Köhler)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: HUETTER Christiane (Menche), BASSAT Elad (Tanaka), PETRZILEK Jan (Ameres)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: KALIS Robert (Zuber), NAJM Ramsey (Knoblich), GEROCZ Emoke (Gerlich)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: AUGUSTO Pedro (Zimmer), POLISSENI Claudio (Tanaka), ELEWAUT Anais (Obenauf)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: GUO Pin (Dolan), DAO Pauline (Tessmar), JAVALI Alok(Rivron)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: STUART Hannah (Tanaka), KORESHOVA Alevtina (Burga), ZHAN Ni (Dagdas)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: CRONIN Shona (Obenauf), KANNO Tatsuo (Berger), PACHINGER Claudia (Dammermann)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: SHUKLA Vikas (Berger), RODRIGUEZ TERRONES Diego (Tanaka), WIDEN Sonya (Burga)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: VOICHEK Yoav (Norborg), SESTINI Giovanni (Rivron), PETROULAKI Vasiliki (Matos)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: BRUNNER Hanna (Haselbach), FRIDRICH Arie (Berger), AKULOVA Vasilina (Swarts)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: DE SANTIS Martina (Rivron), BUENDIA Daniel (Mari-Ordonez), VISANPATTANASIN Supapat (Plaschka)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: VOJTEK Matus (Stark), LEHMANN Christian (Knoblich), LEE Du-Hwa (Belkhadir)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: SPICER Maximilian (Gerlich), ESTIVILL I CAPAAROS Guillem (Obenauf), MURPHY Paul (Clausen)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: JÄGER Christina (Van der Veeken), PRADHAN Saurabh (Rivron), RAFANEL Baptiste (Brennecke)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: BELACIC Katarina (Haselbach), HARVEY Zachary (Berger), MILOJKOVIC Lidija (Urban)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: GOMEZ SEGALAS Alba (Balzarotti), KOLESNIKOVA Sofia (Gerlich), HANDLER Dominik (Brennecke)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: BAUCELLS Julia (Dammermann), PANAROTTO-PERICLES Melanie (Peters), VOICHEK Maya Shinan (Brennecke)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: DMITRIEV Vladimir (Goloborodko), HISANAGA Tetsuya (Berger), KHALDIEH Nina (Ameres)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: SOMMER Theresa (Rivron), SHIRZADIAN YAZD Mehrta (Balzarotti), VERTESY Abel (Knoblich)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: POLIKARPOVA Anastasia (Tanaka), CHAKRABORTY Oisorjo (Grade), CORSI Flavia (Goloborodko)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: FESSELET Jeanne (Kovarik), KHAURATOVIC Uladzislava (Matos/Golobordko), SHEN Jingyi (Obenauf)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: PERNEBRINK Mattias (Tanaka), HOHMANN Ulrich (Brennecke/Plaschka), MANOLOVA Toni (Falk)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: WU Shuangyang (Dolan), SCARAMUZZA Federico (Tessmar), KROGULL Daniel (Burga)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: HEIDARI KHOEI Heidar (Rivron), BELL Caelan (Gerlich), GALUSKA Philipp (Djinovic)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: ABDRAKHMANOV Alibek (Dagdas), WILLIAMS Thomas (Clausen), GEISMANN Maximilian (Balzarotti)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: JELENIC Stela (Saha), PACHECO FIALLOS Franics Belen (Plaschka), FONTES OLIVEIRA Tiago Manuel (Penninger)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: NAGUMO WONG Sakurako (Knoblich), LORENZO ORTS Laura (Pauli), ROSS James (Burga)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: RAFFL Gerald (Ameres), SAJTOS Bettina (Zuber), ISHIHARA Keisuke (Tanaka)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: STEINACKER Thomas (Gerlich), EDER Stephanie (Zimmer), TIKANOVA Polina (Burga)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: SCHELLHAAS Ulla (Plaschka/Ameres), RUSCH Emma (Goloborodko), CLAVEL Marion (Dagdas)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: RADHAKRISHNA PILLAI Balashankar (Saha), ADELMANN Leonie (Raible), BLAHA Andreas (Pauli)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: VULIN Milica (Obenauf), MEREITER Stefan (Penninger), BINDL Michael (Leeb)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
Monday Seminar (Internal)
Speaker: LORBEER Franziska (Stark), MULVEY Hugh (Dolan), PÜHRINGER Florian (Burga)Institute: Open only to IMP/IMBA/GMI/Max Perutz Labs
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