Research profile PD Dr. Hans-Peter Schmitz

The Schmitz group is involved in the study of the role of endocytosis in the maintenance of cell polarity with special emphasis on fast cell growth using the filamentous growing Ascomycete Ashbya gossypii as a model. Another focus is the influence of light exposure on growth, sporulation and the production of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and the underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms, as well as the comparative bioinformatic analysis of different yeasts and fungi.

Research topics

• Maintenance of cell polarity in rapidly growing cells
• Endocytosis and cell polarity
• Gene regulation under light exposure

Model systems

• Clathrin-dependent endocytosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Ashbya gossypii
• Sporulation regulation under light in Ashbya gossypii
• Influence of light on the biosynthesis of riboflavin
• Bioinformatic Analysis of the wine yeast Hanseniaspora uvarum genome

Methods

• Classical yeast and fungal genetics
• Comparative genome analysis of yeast and fungal genomes
• Epistasis analyses to elucidate complex regulatory networks
• Epifluorescence microscopy and TIRF-mirkoscopy to study dynamic processes during endoytosis and sporulation
• Differential RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR analyses
• Mass spectrometry for determination of the proteome

Selected publications

• Wabner D, Overhageböck T, Nordmann D, Kronenberg J, Kramer F, Schmitz HP (2019):  Analysis of the protein composition of the spindle pole body during sporulation in Ashbya gossypii. PLoS One 14.
• Langenberg AK, Bink FJ, Wolff L, Walter S, von Wallbrunn C, Grossmann M, Heinisch JJ, Schmitz HP (2017):  Glycolytic Functions Are Conserved in the Genome of the Wine Yeast Hanseniaspora uvarum, and Pyruvate Kinase Limits Its Capacity for Alcoholic Fermentation. Appl Environ Microbiol 83.
• Nordmann D, Lickfeld M, Warnsmann V, Wiechert J, Jendretzki A, Schmitz HP (2014):  The small GTP-binding proteins AgRho2 and AgRho5 regulate tip-branching, maintenance of the growth axis and actin-ring-integrity in the filamentous fungus Ashbya gossypii. PLoS One 9.