PIANO LAB
Mechanistic Cell Biology
Institute of Human Genetics
Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne
RESEARCH
We integrate in vitro reconstitution with cell manipulation and live-cell imaging to investigate
THE INHERITANCE OF MITOCHONDRIA DURING CELL DIVISION
The segregation of the mitochondrial network between the nascent daughter cells does not occur randomly. However, the molecular mechanisms that are driving the partition of the organelles during mitosis are still poorly understood. Our goal is to elucidate how the mitotic kinases orchestrate the fission of mitochondria at mitotic entry and coordinate it with genome segregation.
Picture source:Â https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7990722/
THE REGULATION OF MITOCHONDRIAL DYNAMICS IN MITOSIS
In symmetric cell division, to ensure that both daughter cells receive a sufficient amount of functional mitochondria, the mother cell must reshuffle the organelles in the cytosol before the cell division is completed. The molecular details of this process are still poorly understood. We aim to identify which proteins are involved and how they cooperate to drive the redistribution of mitochondria along the actin cytoskeleton.
Picture source: Zeiss
THE IMPACT OF MITOCHONDRIAL DYNAMICS ON CHROMOSOME SEGREGATION
What happens when the mitochondrial network is not correctly reorganized at mitotic entry? We want to elucidate how errors in the fragmentation and redistribution of mitochondria can affect the organization of the mitotic spindle and the correct segregation of the chromosomes during cell division.
MOLECULAR BASIS OF HUMAN DISEASES
There are numerous mutations associated with inherited diseases and cancer that affect the function of proteins involved in mitochondrial dynamics. Our goal is to elucidate the impact of some of these mutations on cell proliferation and how these defects may contribute to the disease development.
Picture source: cdascher / Getty Images
METHODOLOGIES
Our research is interdisciplinary.
We combine biochemical assays using recombinant proteins with cellular assays.
IN VITRO RECONSTITUTION
"What I cannot create, I do not understand" is a famous quote from Richard Feynman. We also believe that in order to finally elucidate the molecular events that control the reorganization of mitochondria in mitosis, we must be able to reconstruct them. We do so by designing biochemical assays using purified recombinant proteins that recapitulate the molecular reactions that are actually occurring in mitosis at mitochondria, but that we are not able to detect/measure by simply observing the cell.