Michael Kiebler

BIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC POSITION:
Head of Instutute, Institute of Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany

EDUCATION:
• PhD in biochemistry (1993), University of Munich, Germany
• Postdoctoral work with Eric Kandel (1993-1996), Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
• Postdoctoral work with Carlos Dotti (1997-1999), EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany
• Fellowship at the associate professor level (Excellence program Neuroscience), from the Hertie-Foundation, Frankfurt, Germany

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
My laboratory is interested in studying the molecular mechanisms of how RNAs are transported in ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs) along microtubules into dendrites of polarized neurons (Kiebler & Bassell, Neuron 2006). A particular focus has been the family of Staufen proteins, which belong in the class of double-strand RNA binding proteins, and its associated proteins, e.g. Barentsz, eIF4AIII, kinesins. Here, we employ time-lapse videomicroscopy of living, mature hippocampal neurons in order to visualize bidirectional movement of Staufen-GFP labeled particles from the cell body into dendrites and vice versa (Köhrmann et al, MBC 1999). The biochemistry unit of my lab is currently isolating Staufen-containing particles from rat brain that represent RNP transport intermediates to identify the bona fide cargo RNAs (Mallardo et al, PNAS 2003).

In an independent line of research, we are aiming to directly visualize local protein synthesis at individual synapses in living mature hippocampal neurons. In collaboration with Matthias Hentze (EMBL, Heidelberg), Paolo Macchi generated an inducible fluorescent system based on GFP that allows for the uncoupling of dendritic mRNA transport from subsequent protein synthesis at the single cell level (Macchi et al, MBC 2003; Götze et al, 2003). We are now using this convenient IRE-based tool to visualize local protein synthesis at individual, activated synapses of mature hippocampal neurons by time-lapse videomicroscopy.

The laboratory uses a number of different techniques to address neuronal polarity, synaptic function and the molecular mechanisms of how synaptic strength can be strengthened.

- dissociated hippocampal neurons in culture
- transient transfection of hippocampal neurons
- generation of recombinant Semliki Forest Virus and infection of neurons
- expression of wild type and mutant untagged/tagged proteins in neurons
- mutagenesis
- siRNA in neurons
- fluorescent timelapse videomicroscopy
- confocal microscopy
- in situ hybridization in neurons
- fluorescent labeling of RNAs and injection into living neurons
- biochemical isolation of RNP particles
- expression of recombinant proteins
- raising polyclonal antibodies in various organisms

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Various members of my lab assist me with making evaluations for Faculty of 1000: Jacki Heraud, Martin Mickl, Alex Raposo, Luci Schoderböck and Georgia Vendra.

HOME PAGE
http://www.meduniwien.ac.at/kieblerlab