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Nothing works without the correct form: For most proteins, there are millions of ways in which these molecules, composed of long chains of amino acids, can be folded - but only one way is the right one. Researchers in the department "Cellular Biochemistry" at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried examine how this origami in cells works and what happens if something goes awry. Franz Ulrich Hartl and his team are interested in both the underlying mechanisms and the structure of the molecules involved.
Epigenetics - packaging artists in the cell
Methyl attachments to histone proteins determine the degree of packing of the DNA molecule. They thereby determine whether a gene can be read or not. In this way, environment can influence the traits of an organism over generations. more
Biomaterials - patent solutions from nature
Animals and plants can produce amazing materials such as spider webs, wood or bone using only a few raw materials available. How do they achieve this? And what can engineers learn from them? more
The discovery that bacteria use a kind of immune system to fight viruses initially was only interesting for microbiologists. But when the discovery that CRISPR/Cas9 system is able to manipulate genes of many organisms was made, also non-scientists were alerted. But how does this method works? more
Cancer-like metabolism and human brain size evolution
The size of the human brain increased profoundly during evolution. A certain gene that is only found in humans triggers brain stem cells to form a larger pool of stem cells. As a consequence, more neurons can arise, which paves the way to a bigger brain. This brain size gene is called ARHGA ... more
Bacterial infection does not automatically lead to illness; many germs only become dangerous when they occur in large numbers. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin have discovered that the body has a receptor, which doesn’t recognize bacteria themselves, b ... more
Synchro swimmers under the microscope
Not only birds, fish and even crowds of people show collective movement patterns, motile bacteria also form currents and vortices when their cell density exceeds a certain size. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg have now been able to show how sw ... more
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.
The research institutes of the Max Planck Society perform basic research in the interest of the general public in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. In particular, the Max Planck Society takes up new and innovative research areas that German universiti ... more
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