Protein Misfolding and Neurodegeneration

About

We develop diagnostic tests, vaccines, and therapeutics against protein aggregation and neurodegeneration in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and ALS.

Research Topics

Protein misfolding
protein aggregation
neurodegeneration
Parkinson's disease
Alzheimer's disease
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
prions, laboratory diagnostics
vaccine development
drug development

Contact

Prof. Dr. Erdem Gültekin Tamgüney

IBI-7

Building 05.8v / Room 2019

+49 2461/61-5070

E-Mail

We are investigating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease that damage the brain and lead to motor deficits and/or cognitive impairment and dementia. These diseases are characterized by misfolding and aggregation of specific neuronal proteins, such as α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease and amyloid-β and tau in Alzheimer's disease, resulting in neuronal damage and loss. The focus of our research is to better understand the cellular and systemic spread of toxic protein aggregates, to develop a diagnostic laboratory test for early detection of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, and to develop vaccine and drug candidates for the protection and therapeutic treatment of patients with Parkinson's and other synucleinopathies.

Members

Liang Ma

Sara Reithofer

Alumni:

Verena Pesch

Anja Schaffrath

Jessica Schneide

Katja Jansen

Chiara Kroepel

Projects and Cooperations

International collaborations

University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Prof. Dr. Holger Wille)

Vaccine development for Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies

Calibr, Scripps Research, La Jolla, California, USA (Dr. Arnab Chatterjee)

Drug development for Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies

National collaborations

Universität Rostock (Prof. Dr. Gabriele Doblhammer)

Investigation of infectious diseases as risk factors in Parkinson’s diseases and dementia

University Hospital Cologne (Prof. Dr. Michael Barbe, Prof. Dr. Özgür Onur, PD Dr. Michael Sommerauer)

Establishment of the Köln-Jülich-Biobank and development of diagnostics for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease

Lead Discovery Center GmbH, Dortmund (Dr. Bert Klebl, Dr. Jan Eickhoff)

Drug development for Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies

Priavoid GmbH, Düsseldorf (Dr. Antje Willuweit)

Development of D-peptides as therapeutics for Parkinson’s disease

Internal Collaborations

Dr. Oliver Bannach

Development of sFIDA as a diagnostic laboratory test for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease

Prof. Dr. Gunnar Schröder

Cryo-EM based structure analysis of alpha-synuclein fibrils

Prof. Dr. Birgit Strodel

Supercomputer-aided drug development for the treatment of synucleinopathies

Prof. Dr. Dieter Willbold und Dr. Jeannine Mohrlüder

Selected Publications

Blömeke L, Pils M, Kraemer-Schulien V, Dybala A, Schaffrath A, Kulawik A, Rehn F, Cousin A, Nischwitz V, Willbold J, Zack R, Tropea TF, Bujnicki T, Tamgüney G, Weintraub D, Irwin D, Grossman M, Wolk DA, Trojanowski JQ, Bannach O, Chen-Plotkin A, Willbold D
Quantitative detection of α-synuclein and tau oligomers and other aggregates by digital single particle counting
NPJ Parkinsons Dis, 8, 68 (2022)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-022-00330-x

Lohmann S, Grigoletto J, Bernis ME, Pesch V, Ma L, Reithofer S, Tamgüney G
Ischemic stroke causes Parkinson's disease-like pathology and symptoms in transgenic mice overexpressing alpha-synuclein
Acta Neuropathol Commun, 10, 26 (2022)

https://rdcu.be/cHITe

Woerman AL and Tamgüney G
Body-first Parkinson’s disease and variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease – similar or different?
Neurobiol Dis, 164, 105625 (2022)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105625

Fink A, Doblhammer G, Tamgüney G
Recurring gastrointestinal infections increase the risk of dementia
J Alzheimers Dis 84, 797-806 (2021)

https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-210316

Santur K, Reinartz E, Lien Y, Tusche M, Altendorf T, Sevenich M, Tamgüney G, Mohrlüder J, Willbold D
Ligand-induced stabilization of the native human superoxide dismutase 1
ACS Chem Neurosci 12, 2520-2528 (2021)

https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00253

Van Den Berge N, Ferreira N, Mikkelsen TW, Alstrup AKO, Tamgüney G, Karlsson P, Terkelsen AJ, Nyengaard JR, Jensen PH, Borghammer P
Ageing promotes pathological alpha-synuclein propagation and autonomic dysfunction in wild-type rats
Brain 144, 1853-1868 (2021)

https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awab061

Bernis ME and Tamgüney G
Bioluminescence imaging of neuroinflammation in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease
Methods Mol Biol 2081, 147-159 (2020)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9940-8_10

Van Den Berge N, Ferreira N, Gram H, Mikkelsen TW, Alstrup AKO, Casadei N, Tsung-Pin P, Riess O, Nyengaard JR, Tamgüney G, Jensen PH, Borghammer P
Evidence for bidirectional and trans-synaptic parasympathetic and sympathetic propagation of alpha-synuclein in rats
Acta Neuropathol 138, 535-550 (2019)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-019-02040-w

Lohmann S, Bernis ME, Babila JT, Ziemski A, Grigoletto J, Tamgüney G
Oral and intravenous transmission of α-synuclein fibrils to mice
Acta Neuropathol 138, 515-533 (2019)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-019-02037-5

Nerius M, Doblhammer G, Tamgüney G
GI infections are associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease
Gut 66, 1-2 (2020)

https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2019-318822

Wüsten KA, Reddy PP, Smiyakin A, Bernis ME, Tamgüney G
A bioluminescent cell assay to quantify prion protein dimerization
Sci Rep 8, 14178 (2018)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32581-1

Tamgüney G and Korczyn AD
A critical review of the prion hypothesis of human synucleinopathies
Cell Tissue Res 373, 213-220 (2017)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-017-2712-y

Breid S, Bernis ME, Babila JT, Garza MC, Wille H, Tamgüney G
Bioluminescence imaging of neuroinflammation in transgenic mice after peripheral inoculation of alpha-synuclein fibrils
J Vis Exp (122) e55503 (2017)

https://doi.org/10.3791/55503

Tachu BJ, Wüsten KA, Garza MC, Wille H, Tamgüney G
An easy method for bacterial expression and purification of wild-type and mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1)
Protein Expr Purif 134, 63-71 (2017)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pep.2017.04.001

Breid S, Bernis ME, Babila JT, Garca MC, Wille H, Tamgüney G
Neuroinvasion of α-synuclein prionoids after intraperitoneal and intraglossal inoculation
J Virol 90, 9182-9193 (2016)

https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01399-16

Bernis ME, Babila JT, Breid S, Wüsten KA, Wüllner U, Tamgüney G
Prion-like propagation of human brain-derived alpha-synuclein in transgenic mice expressing human wild-type alpha-synuclein
Acta Neuropathol Commun 3, 75 (2015)

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-015-0254-7

Tamgüney G, Giles K, Oehler A, Johnson NL, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB
Chimeric elk/mouse prion proteins in transgenic mice
J Gen Virol 94, 443-452 (2013)

https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.045989-0

Tamgüney G, Richt JA, Hamir AN, Greenlee JJ, Miller MW, Wolfe LL, Sirochman TM, Young AJ, Glidden DV, Johnson NL, Giles K, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB
Salivary prions in sheep and deer
Prion 6, 52-61(2012)

https://doi.org/10.4161/pri.6.1.16984

Tamgüney G, Miller WM, Wolfe LL, Sirochman TM, Glidden DV, Palmer C, Lemus A, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB
Asymptomatic deer excrete infectious prions in feces
Nature 461, 529-532 (2009)

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08289

Tamgüney G, Francis KP, Giles K, Lemus A, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB
Measuring prions by bioluminescence imaging
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106, 15002-15006 (2009)

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0907339106

Tamgüney G, Miller WM, Giles K, Lemus A, Glidden DV, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB
Transmission of scrapie and sheep-passaged bovine spongiform encephalopathy prions to transgenic mice expressing elk prion protein
J Gen Virol 90, 1035-1047 (2009)

https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.007500-0

Tamgüney G, Giles K, Glidden DV, Lessard P, Wille H, Tremblay P, Groth DF, Yehiely F, Korth C, Moore RC, Tatzelt J, Rubinstein E, Boucheix C, Yang X, Stanley P, Lisanti MP, Dwek RA, Rudd PM, Moskovitz J, Epstein CJ, Dawson Cruz T, Kuziel WA, Maeda N, Sap J, Hsiao Ashe K, Carlson GA, Tesseur I, Wyss-Coray T, Mucke L, Weisgraber KH, Mahley RW, Cohen FE, Prusiner SB
Genes contributing to prion pathogenesis
J Gen Virol 89, 1777-1788 (2008)

https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.2008/001255-0

Safar JG, Lessard P, Tamgüney G, Freyman Y, Deering C, Letessier F, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB
Transmission and detection of prions in feces
J Infect Dis 198, 81-89 (2008)

https://doi.org/10.1086/588193

Tamgüney G, Giles K, Bouzamondo-Bernstein E, Bosque PJ, Miller MW, Safar J, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB
Transmission of elk and deer prions to transgenic mice
J Virol 80, 9104-9114 (2006)

https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00098-06

Tamgüney G, van Snick J, Fickenscher H
Autocrine stimulation of rhadinovirus-transformed T cells by the chemokine CCL1/I-309 Oncogene 23, 8475-8485 (2004)

https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1207903

Greve T*, Tamgüney G*, Fleischer B, Fickenscher H, Bröker BM
Downregulation of p56^lck kinase activity in T cells of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) correlates with the non-transforming and apathogenic properties of herpesvirus saimiri in its natural host
J Virol 75, 9252-9261 (2001) (*equal contribution)

https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.86.11.7998

Gröschl M, Rauh M, Wagner R, Neuhuber W, Metzler M, Tamgüney G, Zenk J, Schoof E, Dörr HG, Blum WF, Rascher W, Dötsch J
Identification of leptin in human saliva
J Clin Endocrinol Metab 86, 5234-5239 (2001)

https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.86.11.7998

Hiller C, Tamgüney G, Stolte N, Mätz‑Rensing K, Lorenzen D, Hör S, Thurau M, Wittmann S, Slavin S, Fickenscher H
Herpesvirus saimiri pathogenicity enhanced by thymidine kinase of herpes simplex virus
Virology 278, 445‑455 (2000)

https://doi.org/10.1006/viro.2000.0665

Last Modified: 28.06.2024

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Structural Biochemistry (IBI-7)

Protein Misfolding and Neurodegeneration

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