New insights into the function of a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers decipher the structure-function relationship of the multifunctional protein clusterin for the first time

09-Sep-2025 - Carriers of clusterin risk alleles have an increased likelihood of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). In order to better understand the function of the associated protein, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry have deciphered the molecular basis for the chaperone ...

New tool maps microbial diversity with unprecedented details

The innovative tool allows the analysis of structural genomic variations in microbial populations

26-Jun-2024 - Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen developed the groundbreaking tool SynTracker. SynTracker expands traditional microbial analysis by considering genomic structural variation to complement existing SNP-based methods. This innovation reveals more precision and depths of ...

The enzyme with the iron heart

Results could lead to new biocatalysts for sustainable biotechnology

11-Dec-2023 - Nitrogenases are the only enzymes capable of reducing atmospheric nitrogen to bioavailable nitrogen (ammonia), a process essential for all life on Earth. Using cryogenic electron microscopy, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, Germany, have now solved ...

Beethoven’s genome: New study reveals hereditary diseases and a family mystery

Scientists have sequenced the composer’s genome using five genetically matching hair locks

24-Mar-2023 - The study shows Beethoven was predisposed to liver disease, and infected with Hepatitis B, which – combined with his alcohol consumption – may have contributed to his death. Furthermore, DNA from modern relatives points to an extramarital ‘event’ in Beethoven’s paternal line. Johannes Krause, ...

How to find marker genes in cell clusters

New method facilitates identification of cell-type specific genes in single-cell data

06-Jul-2022 - The thousands of cells in a biological sample are all different and can be analyzed individually, cell by cell. Based on their gene activity, they can be sorted into clusters. But which genes are particularly characteristic of a given cluster, i.e. what are its “marker genes”? A new statistical ...

Molecular scales on biological membranes: Mass-Sensitive Particle Tracking

New method to determine location and size changes of unlabeled proteins on membranes via their mass

06-Oct-2021 - A large proportion of biologically relevant processes take place at membranes. Studying the dynamics of these processes in real time and without disturbing the biological system is still a major methodological challenge. A team led by Petra Schwille, director at the MPI of Biochemistry (MPIB), ...

New tool helps to ‘spot the difference’ in genome organisation

This enables scientists to track down causes of diseases more quickly

22-Oct-2020 - The way DNA is organized in the cell nucleus is very important for the normal development and function of the cell. A mutation that affects the packaging of the genetic material in the cell nucleus can lead to developmental disorders or diseases such as cancer. A team of scientists from the Max ...

New method: Y chromosomes of Neandertals and Denisovans now sequenced

Neandertals have adopted male sex chromosome from modern humans

28-Sep-2020 - An international research team led by Martin Petr and Janet Kelso of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, has determined Y chromosome sequences of three Neandertals and two Denisovans. These Y chromosomes provide new insights into the relationships and ...

DNA from extinct humans discovered in cave sediments

New method retrieve hominin DNA from cave sediments – even in the absence of skeletal remains

02-May-2017 - While there are numerous prehistoric sites in Europe and Asia that contain tools and other human-made artefacts, skeletal remains of ancient humans are scarce. Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have therefore looked into new ways to get ...

New test for ancient DNA authenticity throws doubt on Stone Age wheat trade

09-Nov-2015 - A cooperation of scientists at the MPI for Developmental Biology in Tübingen and the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology developed a new test to verify the authenticity of ancient DNA. They applied the test to a sample from submerged sediment off the Isle of Wight, thought to provide evidence of ...