Christian R. Eckmann

Christian R. Eckmann

studied Molecular Genetics for a diploma at the University of Vienna, Austria, from 1990 to 1995 and continued to obtain a PhD in Genetics in 1998. His research work as a postdoc (1999-2002) and research associate (2002-2003) was conducted at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA. In 2004, he moved to the Max Planck Institute for Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, were he worked as an independent junior group leader (2004-2010) and as a senior group leader (2010-2014). In 2015, he became a Heisenberg Fellow and research group leader at the Institute of Biology at the MLU and since 2016 he holds a Heisenberg Professorship of Developmental Genetics at the MLU. His current research interests are to understand how IDRs of the RNA helicase LAF1 contribute to RNA granule integrity and control post-transcriptional mRNA regulation.

Project within the RTG

DDX3 RNA helicases: IDRs that integrate RNA granule dynamics with cytoplasmic gene expression regulation

The DDX3 RNA helicase, LAF-1, contains two large, intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), and associates with microscopically visible, germ cell-specific ribonucleoprotein particles (P granules) in the developing C. elegans embryo. The content of LAF-1-containing granules and their mode of mRNA regulation will be investigated within RTG2467.

Key publications

Kisielnicka E, Minasaki R, Eckmann CR. MAPK signaling couples SCF-mediated degradation of translational regulators to oocyte meiotic progression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018, 115: E2772-E2781.

Saha S, Weber CA, Nousch M, Adame-Arana O, Hoege C, Hein MY et al. Polar positioning of phase-separated liquid compartments in cells regulated by an mRNA competition mechanism. Cell. 2016, 166: 1572-1584.

Nakel K, Bonneau F, Eckmann CR, Conti E. Structural basis for the activation of the C. elegans noncanonical cytoplasmic poly(A)-polymerase GLD-2 by GLD-3. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015, 112: 8614-8619.


Website: https://www.biologie.uni-halle.de/institutsbereich_genetik/heisenberg- fellow/2954640_3004625/