Alumni

PhD students

Dr. Esra Peker

• PhD project "A two-step mitochondrial protein import pathway to regulate protein stability" [2023]
• Publications e.g. Peker E, Weiss K, Song J, Zarges C, Gerlich S, Boehm V, Trifunovic A, Langer T, Gehring NH, Becker T, Riemer J. (2023) A two-step mitochondrial import pathway couples the disulfide relay with matrix complex I biogenesis, J Cell Biol. 222(7):e202210019.

Dr. Michaela Hoehne

• PhD project "Spatial and temporal control of mitochondrial H2O2 release in intact human cells." [2021]
• Publications e.g. Hoehne MN, Jacobs LJHC, Lapacz KJ, Calabrese G, Murschall LM, Marker T, Kaul H, Trifunovic A, Morgan B, Fricker M, Belousov VV, Riemer J, (2022) Spatial and temporal control of mitochondrial H2O2 release in intact human cells. EMBO J, e10916

Dr. Lena Murschall

• PhD project "The conserved negatively charged C-terminal region of human MIA40 in stabilization of the precursor in the cytosol." [2020]
• Publications e.g. Murschall LM, Gerhards A, MacVicar T, Peker E, Hasberg L, Wawra S, Langer T, Riemer J. (2020) The C-terminal region of the oxidoreductase MIA40 stabilizes its cytosolic precursor during mitochondrial import. BMC Biol. 2020 Aug 6;18(1):96.

Dr. Yannik Finger

• PhD project "Adenylate Kinase 2 is a novel disulfide relay substrate dually targeted to cytosol and mitochondria with a distinct enzymatic profile" [2020]
• Publication e.g. Finger Y*, Habich M*, Gerlich S, Urbanczyk S, Logt E, Koch J, Schu L, Lapacz KJ, Ali M, Petrungaro C, Salscheider SL, Pichlo C, Baumann U, Mielenz D, Brachvogel B, Hofmaann K, Riemer J. (2020). Proteasomal degradation induced by DPP9‐mediated processing competes with mitochondrial protein import. EMBO Journal 2020 Aug e103889 

Dr. Silja Salscheider

• PhD project "MIA40 in complex I assembly" [2020]
• Publications e.g. Salscheider SL*, Gerlich S*, Cabrera-Orefice A*, Peker E, Rothemann RA, Murschall LM, Finger Y, Szczepanowska K, Ahmadi ZA, Guerrero-Castillo S, Erdogan A, Becker M, Ali M, Habich M, Petrungaro C, Burdina N, Schwarz G, Klußmann M, Neundorf I, Stroud DA, Ryan MT, Trifunovic A, Brandt U, Riemer J. (2022) AIFM1 is a component of the mitochondrial disulfide relay that drives complex I assembly through efficient import of NDUFS5. EMBO J. e110784

Dr. Gaetano Calabrese

• PhD project "A NADPH-independent switch-off mechanism protects mitochondrial EGSH from oxidation and H2O2-induced cell death" [2019]
• Publications e.g. Calabrese G, Peker E, Amponsah PS, Hoehne MN, Riemer T, Mai M, Bienert GP, Deponte M, Morgan B, Riemer J. (2019) Hyperoxidation of mitochondrial peroxiredoxin limits H₂O₂-induced cell death in yeast. EMBO J 2019 Aug 7:e101552. doi: 10.15252/embj.2019101552

Dr. Markus Habich

• PhD project "Quality Control Processes in IMS Protein Import" [2019]
• Publications e.g. Habich M, Salscheider SL, Murschall LM, Hoehne MN, Fischer M, Schorn F, Petrungaro C, Ali M, Erdogan AJ, Abou-Eid S, Kashkar H, Dengjel J, Riemer J. (2019) Vectorial Import via a Metastable Disulfide-Linked Complex Allows for a Quality Control Step and Import by the Mitochondrial Disulfide Relay. Cell reports 2019 Jan 15;26(3):759-774.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.12.092.

Dr. Alican Erdogan

• PhD project  “The disulfide relay in the IMS of mammalian mitochondria is crucial for complex I biogenesis” [2018]
• Publications e.g. Friederich MW*, Erdogan AJ*, Coughlin CR 2nd, Elos MT, Jiang H, O'Rourke C, Lovell MA, Wartchow E, Gowan K, Chatfield KC, Chick WS, Spector E, Van Hove JL, Riemer J. (2017) Mutations in the accessory subunit NDUFB10 result in isolated complex I deficiency and illustrate the critical role of intermembrane space import for complex I holoenzyme assembly. Hum Mol Genet. 2017 26 (4): 702-716. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddw431

Dr. Muna Ali

• PhD project “Protein Quality Control in the Mammalian IMS“ [2015]
• Publications e.g. Erdogan AJ*, Ali M*, Habich M*, Salscheider SL, Schu L, Petrungaro C, Thomas LW, Ashcroft M, Leichert LI, Roma LP, Riemer J. (2018) The mitochondrial oxidoreductase CHCHD4 is present in a semi-oxidized state in vivo. Redox Biol. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2018.03.014.

Dr. Carmelina Petrungaro

• PhD project “The Dynamic Redox Proteome of Human Mitochondria“ [2015]
• Publications e.g. Petrungaro C, Zimmermann KM, Küttner V, Fischer M, Dengjel J, Bogeski I, Riemer J. (2015) The Ca(2+)-Dependent Release of the Mia40-Induced MICU1-MICU2 Dimer from MCU Regulates Mitochondrial Ca(2+) Uptake. Cell Metab. 2015 Oct 6;22(4):721-33

Dr. Manuel Fischer

• PhD project  “Protein Import into Mitochondria of Mammalian Cells“ [2014]
• Publications e.g. Fischer M, Horn S, Belkacemi A, Kojer K, Petrungaro C, Habich M, Ali M, Küttner V, Bien M, Kauff F, Dengjel J, Herrmann JM, Riemer J. (2013) Protein import and oxidative folding in the mitochondrial intermembrane space of intact mammalian cells. Mol Biol Cell. 2013 Jul;24(14):2160-2170

Dr. Kerstin Kojer

• PhD project “Glutathione Dynamics in Mitochondria of Intact Cells“ [2013]
• Publications e.g. Kojer K, Bien M, Gangel H, Morgan B, Dick T.P, Riemer J. (2012). Glutathione redox potential in the mitochondrial intermembrane space is linked to the cytosol and impacts the Mia40 redox state. EMBO J. 2012 Jun 15;31(14):3169-82

Dr. Melanie Bien

• PhD project „Mitochondrial Disulfide Bond Formation is Driven by Intersubunit Electron Transfer in Erv1 and Proof Read by Glutathione“ [2010]
• Publications e.g. Bien M, Longen S, Wagener N, Chwalla I, Herrmann JM, Riemer (2010) Mitochondrial disulfide bond formation is driven by intersubunit electron transfer in Erv1 and proofread by glutathione. J. Mol Cell. 37(4):516-28

Dr. Tina Klöppel

• PhD project „Ccs1, Sod1: Mechanismen des Proteinimports in Mitochondrien; Physiologische Bedeutung bei der Bekämpfung von Oxidativem Stress“ [2011]
• Publications e.g. Klöppel C, Suzuki S, Kojer K, Petrungaro C, Longen S, Fiedler S, Keller S, Riemer J (2011). Mia40-dependent oxidation of cysteines in Domain I of Ccs1 controls its distribution between mitochondria and the cytosol. Mol Biol Cell, 22(20):3749-57

Postdocs

Dr. Antonina Shvetsova

• Research focus "The intramitochondrial tick symbiont Midichloria mitochondrii " [2020]

Dr. Yutaka Suzuki

• Research focus "Import of human Ccs" [2010-2013]
• Publications e.g. Suzuki Y, Ali M, Fischer M, Riemer J. (2013) Human copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase 1 mediates its own oxidation-dependent import into mitochondria. Nat Commun. 2013 Sep 12;4:2430