Prof Christian Münch; Institute of Molecular Systems Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
Christian studied Biochemistry at the University of Tübingen and the Max Planck Institutes in Martinsried and Tübingen (Germany). He obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge (UK) in 2011, working on protein aggregation and prion-like processes in neurodegenerative diseases with Anne Bertolotti at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. For his postdoctoral work, Christian joined Wade Harper’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School to study cellular protein quality control and the mitochondrial unfolded protein response. From 2016-2024, Christian was an independent group leader and since 2023 endowed Lichtenberg-Professor at the Institute of Biochemistry 2. In 2024, Christian became director of the new Institute of Molecular Systems Medicine at the Goethe University Frankfurt.
Balanced protein homeostasis (proteostasis) in the different cellular compartments is critical for maintaining function and survival. Proteostasis involves the control of protein folding, processing and degradation. In mitochondria, protein import adds further complexity to the maintenance of proteostasis. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate both intra- and extra-mitochondrial processes to adapt mitochondrial proteostasis to changing conditions. My talk will focus on our recent results investigating the interplay of protein quality control mechanisms inside and outside the mitochondria. I will present data on the consequences of mitochondrial protein misfolding and the subsequent retrograde signalling via the mitochondrial unfolded protein response. We have found molecular links between perturbed stress signalling and mitochondrial dysfunction that are intricately linked to the senescence process. I will present underlying mechanisms and discuss the implications for senescence.
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