Disciplinary Publications
Biology
MatK impacts differential chloroplast translation by limiting spliced tRNA-K(UUU) abundance
Plants are able to rapidly adapt to changing environmental conditions. One fundamental adjustment is the expression of chloroplast genes. The essential splicing factor Maturase K has been anticipated to play a generally important role in cholorplast gene regulation, but its importance has so far made it rather difficult to study its function and targets in detail. Together, the Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Group (Kerstin Kaufmann) and the Molecular Genetics Group (Christian Schmitz-Linneweber) investigated which transcripts Maturase K preferably targets and how this translates to a differential expression of functional chloroplast gene groups. Check out their The Plant Journal Article!
Modeling indicates degradation of mRNA and protein as a potential regulation mechanisms during cold acclimation
When temperatures drop, plants must quickly adjust — but how do their cells stay stable when everything from reaction speed to protein activity depends on temperature? Chloroplasts, the green “powerhouses” of plant cells, are at the heart of this challenge. Christian Schmitz-Linneweber & Edda Klipp studied tobacco plants exposed to low temperatures and found that key photosynthetic proteins hardly changed in amount - a surprising result! To understand why, they built a mathematical model describing how genes are transcribed and proteins produced or degraded. The model revealed that plants may keep chloroplast proteins stable by finely tuning mRNA and protein degradation rates, even as temperatures shift. This balance helps plants maintain their photosynthetic machinery - and keep growing - in a changing climate.
Acclimation in plants – the Green Hub consortium
Plants can’t escape stress — but they can acclimate. This built-in flexibility helps them adjust to shifting temperatures, light, and other environmental challenges. The DFG-funded Green Hub consortium, including Christian Schmitz-Linneweber, Kerstin Kaufmann & Edda Klipp, explores how plants sense and respond to these changes, focusing on the chloroplast as a key hub for stress signaling and adaptation. Using model species like Arabidopsis, tobacco, and Chlamydomonas, they investigate how gene expression, metabolism, and signaling networks drive acclimation. Their ultimate goal: apply these insights to “smart breeding” of crops such as Camelina sativa to enhance yield and resilience under future climate conditions.
Identification of clustered organellar short (cos) RNAs and of a conserved family of organellar RNA-binding proteins, the heptatricopeptide repeat proteins, in the malaria parasite
The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum relies on mitochondrial gene expression to survive - yet its mitochondrial ribosome is an evolutionary mystery. Unlike most organisms, Plasmodium’s ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is fragmented into many small pieces, raising the question: how are these fragments assembled into a working ribosome? Kai Matuschewski & Christian Schmitz-Linneweber identified clusters of short organellar RNA fragments (cosRNAs) that likely mark the footprints of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) within the parasite’s mitochondria. Inspired by similar mechanisms in plants, the team discovered a new family of helical-hairpin-repeat proteins, which they named heptatricopeptide repeat (HPR) proteins. Several of these HPR proteins localize to mitochondria and bind RNA — pointing to a crucial role in organizing and stabilizing fragmented rRNAs. The findings reveal a previously unknown molecular toolkit used by Plasmodium and related parasites to maintain mitochondrial gene expression, offering new insights into the evolution of organellar biology — and potentially, novel targets to disrupt parasite survival.
Thaer Institute
Closing the loop: Utilization of composted tomato plant residues as fertilizer and soil amendment
The escalating issue of horticultural waste disposal presents a significant environmental and resource management challenge. In particular, tomato plant residues, a byproduct of greenhouse tomato production, represent a substantial source of untapped nutrients and organic matter. Traditional disposal methods contribute to waste accumulation and environmental burden, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives. The Biosystems Engineering Group (Uwe Schmidt) and the Urban Plant Ecophysiology Group (Christian Ulrichs) investigated the potential of composting tomato plant residues as a viable fertilizer and soil amendment for lettuce cultivation. Harnessing the natural decomposition process to transform waste into a nutrient-rich substrate could allow closing nutrient cycles and reducing reliance on conventional fertilizers. Check out their Scientia Horticulturae Article!
Psychology
Lagged Multidimensional Recurrence Quantification Analysis for Determining Leader–Follower Relationships Within Multidimensional Time Series
Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) is a powerful technique for analyzing the nonlinear dynamics of time series data. However, traditional RQA is limited to univariate time series. To address this limitation, Multidimensional RQA has been developed to analyze the joint dynamics of multivariate time series. The Social and Organizational Psychology Group (Ursula Hess) and the Psychological Assessment Group (Matthias Ziegler) developed a novel extension of Multidimensional RQA, called Lagged Multidimensional RQA, which allows for the investigation of relationships between different variables within a multivariate time series. Find out more about the utilization of Lagged Multidimensional RQA in analyzing joint action research data, specifically focusing on the shared dynamics between facial expressions and heart rate in their Psychological MethodsArticle!
Linking Brain Age Gap to Mental and Physical Health in the Berlin Aging Study II
Not all brains age at the same pace. Using MRI scans and machine learning, researchers from the Berlin Aging Study II, including Sebastian Markett & Denis Gerstorf estimated each participant’s ‘brain age’—how old their brain appears compared to their actual age. The findings reveal that people whose brains appeared older than their chronological age tended to have lower cognitive performance, less education, and lower income. They were also more likely to show unhealthy lifestyle and metabolic markers, such as high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and heavy drinking. Together, these results highlight that the brain age gap - the difference between biological and chronological brain age—captures meaningful links between lifestyle, health, and cognition. Understanding what accelerates or protects against brain aging may be key to promoting mental and physical health in later life.
The measurement of within-person affect variation.
As studies increasingly track how people’s emotions fluctuate over time - sometimes many times a day - researchers face new challenges in how to measure these moment-to-moment experiences. Manuel Voelkle & Denis Gerstorf reviewed articles published in Emotion since 2005 and revealed that there’s still no consensus on the best tools to assess affective variation within individuals (as opposed to differences between people). Many studies still use instruments originally designed for between-person comparisons, which may not reliably capture emotional change at the individual level. They highlight that reliability estimates for within-person emotional variation are rarely reported, even though they’re crucial for interpreting dynamic emotional data. Furthermore, they call for standardized instruments and reporting practices to ensure that findings from intensive longitudinal studies can be compared and integrated across research groups. In short: As emotion research moves toward understanding how feelings unfold in real time, the field needs better, shared tools to measure what’s really changing within us.
The interplay of personality and functional health in old and very old age: Dynamic within-person interrelations across up to 13 years.
Are we healthy because we feel positive, or do we feel positive because we’re healthy? To untangle this complex relationship, Manuel Voelkle & Denis Gerstorf used data spanning 13 years from the Berlin Aging Study, tracking over 500 adults aged 70 to 103. They examined how personality traits - especially extraversion and neuroticism - and functional health (physical and sensory performance) influence each other over time. The results show a dynamic two-way connection: in the “young-old” (ages 70–84), higher neuroticism predicts later declines in health, whereas in the “oldest-old” (85+), it’s worsening health that predicts increased neuroticism. Similarly, decreases in extraversion and declines in health go hand in hand, regardless of age. Using continuous-time models, they also found that the strength of these links depends on how much time passes between observations. Together, these findings show that personality and health continuously shape one another throughout late life - but the balance of influence shifts as we age.
The Subjective Health Horizon Questionnaire (SHH-Q): Assessing Future Time Perspectives for Facets of an Active Lifestyle
How far into the future do people imagine themselves staying active, curious, and engaged with life? Manuel Voelkle & Denis Gerstorf introduce the Subjective Health Horizon Questionnaire (SHH-Q) - a new tool designed to measure how individuals perceive their future possibilities across four dimensions: novelty-seeking, physical fitness, work goals, and life goals. Analyzing data from over 1,300 older adults in the Berlin Aging Study II, they confirmed that these four aspects form distinct yet connected facets of our personal “health horizon.” Importantly, those who envisioned more future opportunities for exploration showed better memory performance, while those with stronger expectations of future physical fitness had healthier metabolic profiles. The SHH-Q opens new ways to study how people’s outlook on their future links to cognition, health, and motivation—revealing that how far we see ourselves going may shape how well we age.
Chemistry
SERS Spectra Indicate the Molecular Effects of 7‐Nitrobenz-2-oxa- 1,3-diazole (NBD) on Living Cells
NBD-Cl is a fluorescent labeling reagent widely used to track biomolecules such as lipids and proteins or to monitor enzyme activities. However, the potential impact of NBD labeling on cellular metabolism remains a concern. The Optical Nanospectroscopy Group (Janina Kneipp) and the Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry Group (Christoph Arenz) investigated the molecular changes induced by NBD-Cl and NBD-ceramide (NBDCER) in the endolysosomal compartments of 3T3 fibroblast cells and J774 macrophage cells to identify specific molecular alterations and understand their implications for cellular function. Find out more about the 'hidden' contributions of the NBD group in their The Journal of Physical Chemistry C Article!
Structure and Interaction of Ceramide-Containing Liposomes with Gold Nanoparticles as Characterized by SERS and Cryo-EM
How do the building blocks of cell membranes interact with nanomaterials? Using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and cryo-electron microscopy, Christoph Arenz & Janina Kneipp explored how gold nanoparticles interact with ceramide, a key lipid involved in both membrane structure and cell signaling. By analyzing SERS spectra of liposomes made from different lipid mixtures, the team uncovered distinct vibrational fingerprints that reveal how ceramide and other lipid head groups (such as phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidic acid) interact at the molecular level. Interestingly, pure ceramide formed densely packed, layered structures rather than typical liposomes—structures that may enhance its intermolecular bonding. These findings provide valuable spectral “signatures” for identifying ceramide in complex biological systems, advancing our ability to use SERS as a nanoscale probe of lipid organization and membrane–nanoparticle interactions.
Optical Nanosensing of Lipid Accumulation due to Enzyme Inhibition in Live Cells
What happens inside cells when drugs alter lipid metabolism? Christoph Arenz & Janina Kneipp used gold nanoparticles as nanosensors to track subtle biochemical changes in living cells treated with common tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) - desipramine, amitriptyline, and imipramine. Using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), they captured molecular “fingerprints” of lipids accumulating in lysosomes, a hallmark of disturbed lipid metabolism. The nanospectroscopic data, combined with electron microscopy and X-ray nanotomography, showed that TCAs trigger the buildup of sphingomyelin and cholesterol, pointing to an impairment of the enzyme acid sphingomyelinase. To unravel the complex spectral data, they employed machine learning tools - notably surrogate minimal depthanalysis - to identify key molecular interactions and distinguish the biochemical effects of the three drugs. Together, these results reveal how advanced nanotechnology and AI-based analysis can expose the hidden molecular footprints of drug action - providing a powerful approach to study how pharmaceuticals reshape cellular biochemistry.
SERS and Cryo-EM Directly Reveal Different Liposome Structures during Interaction with Gold Nanoparticles
Gold nanoparticles and liposomes are key building blocks in modern nanobiotechnology — from biosensors to drug delivery. Christoph Arenz & Janina Kneipp combined surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to take a direct, label-free look at how gold nanoparticles interact with lipid membranes. They found that the outcome depends on the chemical environment: at high citrate levels, nanoparticles disrupt and even destroy the liposome’s bilayer, while at lower citrate concentrations, they simply attach to its intact surface. The vibrational “fingerprints” of the lipids revealed that cholesterol and lipid composition crucially shape these interactions, stabilizing or weakening contact points. By bridging structural imaging with molecular spectroscopy, the study shows how nanoscale tweaks can control the behavior of lipid–nanoparticle composites — a step toward designing smarter, more targeted drug delivery systems.
Physics
Giant diffusion of underdamped particles in a biased periodic potential
How does a particle move through a landscape of repeating hills and valleys under a steady push? Benjamin Lindner & Igor Sokolov explored the diffusive properties of Brownian motion in a biased periodic potential—a system where random noise and external forces combine in surprising ways. Using analytical approaches and numerical simulations, they uncover regions where diffusion is dramatically amplified—a phenomenon known as giant enhancement of diffusion. The results reveal that under certain forces and temperatures, noise can actually boost transport efficiency instead of hindering it. A simple two-state theory captures this counterintuitive interplay between order, randomness, and motion.