Group: Rossmanith, Walter

tRNA biology & mitochondria
tRNAs are the adaptor molecules of cellular protein biosynthesis, the molecular link between the genetic code and the amino acid building blocks of proteins. We are interested in the making of tRNAs in a cell and study the enzymes involved in this multistep process. Our interest in mitochondria, the powerhouses and metabolic centres of eukaryotic cells, covers the organelles’ RNA metabolism as well as their malfunction in various, mostly rare degenerative diseases. tRNAs also play a central role in mitochondrial RNA processing and are often responsible for impaired mitochondrial function, and this is where the seemingly unrelated areas come together. We employ a variety of experimental approaches and model systems for our studies, and collaborate with clinicians in the study of patient disease.

Please visit the lab’s website for more information on our research interests.