Michael Sendtner, PhD
Professor of Neurobiology
Director of the Institute of Clinical Neurobiology
Julius Maximilians University Würzburg, Germany
Research
The Sendtner Lab is investigating the roles of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), both essential regulators of neural plasticity. They are interested in how these factors and their receptors modulate the axonal cytoskeleton and presynaptic function in motoneurons and modulate circuits for movements and higher brain functions in the hippocampus, striatum and cerebral cortex. In motoneurons local synthesis of new proteins can take place in axons and axon terminals. The lab is interested in identifying ribosomal structures and mechanisms for local axonal protein synthesis, using 3D Electron Tomography analyses coupled with advanced immune-light microscopy. Further, they study signaling pathways that affect actin dynamics in axons, dendrites and also the nucleus of motoneurons. Another focus i.a. is axonal autophagy. As dysregulation of autophagy can contribute to neurodegeneration, they are interested in the molecular signaling mechanisms that direct synaptic vesicles and components of presynaptic active zones into autophagy, and how these mechanisms contribute to synaptic plasticity and functional maintenance at neuromuscular endplates and other types of synapses.
Selected workshop-related publications
hnRNP R and its main interactor, the noncoding RNA 7SK, coregulate the axonal transcriptome of motoneurons.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115(12): E2859-E2868. doi: 10.1073/pnas.
Briese M, Saal-Bauernschubert L, Changhe J, Moradi M, Ghanawi H, Uhl M, Appenzeller S, Backofen R, Sendtner M. (2018)
Plekhg5-regulated autophagy of synaptic vesicles reveals a pathogenic mechanism in motoneuron disease.
Nature Communications. 678. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00689-z.
Lüningschrör, P., Binotti, B., Dombert, B., Heimann, P., Perez-Lara, A., Slotta, C., Thau-Habermann, N., Rüth von Collenberg, C., Karl, F., Damme. M., Horowitz, A, Maystadt, I., Füchtbauer, A., Füchtbauer, E.M., Jablonka, S., Blum, R., Üçeyler, N., Petri, S., Kaltschmidt, B., Jahn, R., Kaltschmidt, C. and Sendtner, M. (2017)
Differential roles of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-actin in axon growth and collateral branch formation in motoneurons.
Journal of Cell Biology 216:793-814. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201604117.
Moradi, M., R. Sivadasan R, Saal L, Luningschror P, Dombert B, Rathod RJ, Dieterich DC, Blum R, Sendtner M (2017).
C9ORF72 interaction with cofilin modulates actin dynamics in motor neurons.
Nature Neuroscience. 19:1610-18. doi: 10.1038/nn.4407.
Sivadasan R, Hornburg D, Drepper C, Frank N, Jablonka S, Hansel A, Lojewski X, Sterneckert J, Hermann A, Shaw PJ, Ince PG, Mann M, Meissner F, Sendtner M (2016)
Neurofilament depletion improves microtubule dynamics via modulation of Stat3/stathmin signaling.
Acta Neuropathologica 132, 93-110, 2016. doi: 10.1007/s00401-016-1564-y.
Yadav P., Selvaraj, B.T., Bender, F.L., Behringer, M., Moradi, M., Sivadasan, R., Dombert, B., Blum, R., Asan, E., Sauer, M., Julien, J.P. Sendtner, M. (2016)
Selected Reviews
Autophagy in the presynaptic compartment.
Current Opinions in Neurobiology. 51:80-85. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.02.023
Lüningschrör P, Sendtner M. (2018)
Developmental regulation of SMN expression: pathophysiological implications and perspectives for therapy development in spinal muscular atrophy.
Gene Therapy. doi: 10.1038/gt.2017.46.
Jablonka S, Sendtner M. (2017)