Prof. Dr. Marina Mikhaylova
Neuronal networks in the mammalian brain operate in intricate circuits to regulate cognitive processes such as learning, memory, emotions, or instinctive behavior. Neurons connect to each other via synapses, which are frequently located on small protrusions on the dendrites – hence called dendritic spines. Activity-dependent modulation of synapses is the core mechanism of synaptic function. How can selective contacts be weakened or strengthened? Understanding dynamic changes at synapses requires a deeper insight into the molecular machinery involved in targeted delivery and removal of proteins which are key components of dendritic spines.
The Optobiology Group strives to uncover the dynamic changes of synapse function and architecture by investigating the following:
- Synaptic plasticity and stability
- Molecular, structural, and functional diversity of glutamatergic synapses
- mRNA targeting and local protein translation, processing, recycling, and degradation in tuning of synaptic inputs.
The role of microtubule and actin cytoskeleton as well as trafficking rules and signaling controlling active organelle transport and positioning are of particular interest in this regard.
The Mikhaylova Group’s research is thus positioned at the interface between neuroscience, cell biology, biophysics and biochemistry and offers a high potential for collaborative projects across the different fields of life sciences.
- Biochemical and molecular biology methods
- Protein-protein interaction assays
- Cell and tissue culture
- Fluorescence microscopy
- Confocal spinning disc
- TIRF
- FRAP
- Photo-activation
- 2P microscopy
- Live imaging
- Super-resolution and single molecule imaging
- Cell-free reconstitution assays
Current position
| 2020 - present | Tenure track W2 Professor of Optobiology at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE) |
Positions held
| 2015 - 2020 | Research Group Leader at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (DE) |
| 2012 - 2015 | Postdoctoral Researcher at the Utrecht Universitet (NL) |
| 2010 - 2012 | Postdoctoral Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg (DE) |
| 2004 - 2005 | Research Assistant at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg (DE) |
Academic Education
| 2005 - 2010 | Doctoral Degree in Neurobiology at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg (DE) |
| 1999 - 2004 | Study in Biology at Bashkir State University, Ufa (RU) |
Honors/Awards/Fellowships
| 2020 | Offer for the W3 professorship for Transport processes with focus on Biophotonics at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf - declined |
| 2015 | DFG Emmy-Noether grant to establish Research Group at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (DE) |
| 2013 | Marie-Curie IEF for doing postdoctoral research at the Dev. of Cell Biology, Utrecht University (NL) |
| 2012 | EMBO long-term fellowship for doing postdoctoral research at the Dev. of Cell Biology, Utrecht University (NL) |
| 2010 | Nomination for 'Nachwuchspreise der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, 2010' at the annual meeting of Leibniz Society in Düsseldorf (DE) |
| 2009 | Selected to participate at the 59th Meeting of Nobel Laureates 2009 19th Forum dedicated to Chemistry, Lindau (DE) |
DFG-funded projects
| 2021 - present | FOR 5228 - 'Membrane trafficking processes underlying presynaptic proteostasis' |
| 2018 - present | SFB 1315 - 'Mechanisms and disturbances in memory consolidation: From synapses to systems' |
| 2015 - 2023 | FOR 2419 - 'Plasticity versus Stability - Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic Strength' |
| 2018 - 2022 | SFB 877 - 'Proteolysis as a regulatory Event in Pathophysiology' |
| 2019 - 2021 | DFG Major Instrumentation Initiatives - 'Analysis of highly dynamic sub-cellular mechanisms by Lattice Light Sheet Microscopy' |
| 2014 - 2021 | DFG Emmy Noether Programme - Independent Junior Research Group |
Selected activities
| 2023 - present | HU representative at the Charité Medical Senate |
| 2016 - present | Reviewing for the DFG (Germany), ANR (France), MRC (UK), FWF (Austria), NWO (Netherlands) |
| 2015 - present | Reviewing for Neuron, Cell Reports, EMBO Journal, EMBO Reports, Plos Biology, Journal of Neuroscience, CMLS |
Selected publications
- Konietzny A, Grendel J, Kadek A, Bucher M, Han Y, Hertrich N, Dekkers DHW, Demmers JAA, Grünewald K, Uetrecht C, Mikhaylova M. Caldendrin and myosin V regulate synaptic spine apparatus localization via ER stabilization in dendritic spines. EMBO J. 2022 Feb 15;41(4):e106523. doi: 10.15252/embj.2020106523.
- Bucher M, Niebling S, Han Y, Molodenskiy D, Hassani Nia F, Kreienkamp HJ, Svergun D, Kim E, Kostyukova AS, Kreutz MR, Mikhaylova M. Autism-associated SHANK3 missense point mutations impact conformational fluctuations and protein turnover at synapses. Elife. 2021 May 4;10:e66165. doi: 10.7554/eLife.66165.
- van Bommel B, Konietzny A, Kobler O, Bär J, Mikhaylova M. F-actin patches associated with glutamatergic synapses control positioning of dendritic lysosomes. EMBO J. 2019 Aug 1;38(15):e101183. doi: 10.15252/embj.2018101183.
- Mikhaylova M, Bär J, van Bommel B, Schätzle P, YuanXiang P, Raman R, Hradsky J, Konietzny A, Loktionov EY, Reddy PP, Lopez-Rojas J, Spilker C, Kobler O, Raza SA, Stork O, Hoogenraad CC, Kreutz MR. Caldendrin Directly Couples Postsynaptic Calcium Signals to Actin Remodeling in Dendritic Spines. Neuron. 2018 Mar 7;97(5):1110-1125.e14. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.01.046.
- Katrukha EA, Mikhaylova M, van Brakel HX, van Bergen En Henegouwen PM, Akhmanova A, Hoogenraad CC, Kapitein LC. Probing cytoskeletal modulation of passive and active intracellular dynamics using nanobody-functionalized quantum dots. Nat Commun. 2017 Mar 21;8:14772. doi: 10.1038/ncomms14772.
- Bär J, Kobler O, van Bommel B, Mikhaylova M. Periodic F-actin structures shape the neck of dendritic spines. Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 14;6:37136. doi: 10.1038/srep37136.
- Mikhaylova M, Bera S, Kobler O, Frischknecht R, Kreutz MR. A Dendritic Golgi Satellite between ERGIC and Retromer. Cell Rep. 2016 Jan 12;14(2):189-99. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.12.024.
- Mikhaylova M, Cloin BM, Finan K, van den Berg R, Teeuw J, Kijanka MM, Sokolowski M, Katrukha EA, Maidorn M, Opazo F, Moutel S, Vantard M, Perez F, van Bergen en Henegouwen PM, Hoogenraad CC, Ewers H, Kapitein LC. Resolving bundled microtubules using anti-tubulin nanobodies. Nat Commun. 2015 Aug 11;6:7933. doi: 10.1038/ncomms8933. PMID: 26260773; PMCID: PMC4918323.
- Karpova A, Mikhaylova M, Bera S, Bär J, Reddy PP, Behnisch T, Rankovic V, Spilker C, Bethge P, Sahin J, Kaushik R, Zuschratter W, Kähne T, Naumann M, Gundelfinger ED, Kreutz MR. Encoding and transducing the synaptic or extrasynaptic origin of NMDA receptor signals to the nucleus. Cell. 2013 Feb 28;152(5):1119-33. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2013.02.002. PMID: 23452857.
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van Spronsen M, Mikhaylova M, Lipka J, Schlager MA, van den Heuvel DJ, Kuijpers M, Wulf PS, Keijzer N, Demmers J, Kapitein LC, Jaarsma D, Gerritsen HC, Akhmanova A, Hoogenraad CC. TRAK/Milton motor-adaptor proteins steer mitochondrial trafficking to axons and dendrites. Neuron. 2013 Feb 6;77(3):485-502. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.11.027.