ClinPhysio     GRK 2318 Charité site

DFG Research Training Group "TJ-Train", GRK 2318

Tight junctions and their proteins:
molecular features and actions in health and disease

Coordinator 
Prof. Jörg-Dieter Schulzke
Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
 , phone +49 30 450-514531
  Deputy Coordinator
Prof. Dorothee Günzel
Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
 , phone +49 30 450-514525
Scientific Coordinator
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Rita Rosenthal
 , phone +49 30 450-514527

This page shows the 2nd funding period, 2022 to 2026  1st period, 2017 to 2022

"TJ-Train" (GRK 2318) is a Research Training Group (Graduiertenkolleg) of the German Reseach Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), located in Berlin at sites of the Charité, MDC, and FMP.

  • 1st cohort PhD students (2017 - 2020)

  • 2nd cohort PhD students (2020 - 2023)

  • 3rd cohort PhD students (2023 - 2026)
    For legal reasons, before conclusion of the contract and entry into service, respective names are marked "vorbehaltlich Dienstantritt"

Starting any time, we offer doctoral thesis projects for Charité medical students . For financing the necessary interception of the MSM study, the DFG provides one-year student grants. Applications or just information via tj-train@charite.de or by direct contact to the respective principal investigator.

That's all about:

Very briefly: The tight junction (TJ) connects neighbouring epithelial or endothelial cells and is the central element of barrier function, as it controls paracellular passage of solutes and water. Whether the TJ simply increases tightness or selectively mediates permeability varies greatly in different tissues and is determined by the TJ protein composition. TJs underlie extensive extra- and intracellular signalling, but also regulate epithelial functions and cellular differentiation. Furthermore, numerous TJ proteins serve as receptors for certain pathogens. Thus, TJ proteins are involved in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. Alterations in TJ composition and architecture may e.g. cause unwanted leak flux or antigen passage and may thus maintain disease activity or even directly trigger disease onset.

More detailed   

Scientific meetings and events         Program Retreat 2022 Group photo

Publications of doctoral students

Names and projects A1 to C4  

     A:  Tight junction molecules, structure and function

Details

A1 

Dorothee Günzel1*, Jörg Scheffel2
1Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
2Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

"Impedance analysis of epithelial barrier properties"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Evgeniya Kochina
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Saeed Khomeijani Farahani
MD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Selma Dib
MD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Denisa Daci
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Roman Mannweiler
MD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Ahmad Mouna

Details

A2

Jörg Piontek1*, Daniel Roderer2
1Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
2Structural Bioinformatics & Protein Design, Leibniz Research Institute of Molecular Pharmacology
(FMP), Berlin-Buch
"
Structure-based modification of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin to target claudins"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Joy Weber
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Ayk Waldow
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Laura-Sophie Beier

Details

A3

Michael Fromm*, JörgPiontek*
Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
"Claudin- and TAMP-mediated water transport"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Alina Handreg
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Fabián Martínez-Perafán
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Carlos Ayala-Torres

Details

A4

Martin Lehmann, Volker Haucke*
Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin-Buch
"Dynamic super-resolution imaging of tight junction components, lipids and Ions"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Roman Shobik
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Rozemarijn van der Veen
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Hannes Gonschior

     B:  Tight junction development and regulation

Details

B1

Thomas Willnow*, Annette Hammes
Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin (MDC), Berlin-Buch
"The endocytic receptor LRP2 serves as a central hub for dynamic cellular remodelling in neuronal stem cells and neural crest cells in the developing neural tube"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Alessia Petrella
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Sher Min Mak
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Izabela Kowalczyk

Details

B2

Michael Schumann1*, Michael Hummel2
1Medizinische Klinik m.S. Gastroenterologie, Infektiologie & Rheumatologie, Charité, CBF
2
Molecularpathology Section at the Institute of Pathology, Charité, CCM

"Loss of epithelial polarity as a mechanism in inflammation-induced carcinogenesis"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Xuyue Liu
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Subhakankha (Victor) Manna
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Danielle Cardoso-Silva

Details

B3

Dominik Müller*, Tilman Breiderhoff
Klinik für Pädiatrie m.S. Nephrologie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum
"
The magnesiome, an integrative view of magnesium regulation"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Marah Alhabahbeh
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Amr Al-Shebel
MD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Laura Kröhn
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Murat Seker

Details

B4

Kai Schmidt-Ott1*, Dorothee Günzel2*
1Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

2Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
"Transcriptional integration of tight junction biogenesis in kidney"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Arnold Tsamo
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Shuang Cao
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Janna Leiz
MD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Alexander Holler

     C:  Tight junction modulation in disease

Details

C1

Jörg-Dieter Schulzke*, Roland Bücker
1Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

"Toxin effects on paracellular intestinal barrier functions"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Jana Krause
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Martina Schneemann
MD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Jan-Leo Kaak
MD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Helena Hader
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Praveen Kumar Nattramilarasu
MD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Karem Awad
MD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Lucas Heils
MD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Sholpan Omarova
MD doctoral student, 1st cohort:
Eduard Butkevych

Details

C2

Susanne Krug*
Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
"Interaction of immune cells and TJ proteins in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Kristian Koci
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Lena Voges
MD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Seymanur Yildirim
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Jia-Chen E. Hu

Details C3

Michael Schumann*, Britta Siegmund*
Medizinische Klinik m.S. Gastroenterologie, Infektiologie & Rheumatologie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
"
Polarity of microbiota-exposed intestinal epithelia and its
relevance for the induction of celiac disease
"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Zitong Jiang
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Violaine Dony
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Deborah Delbue
MD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Daphni Siampli

Details

C4

Nina Hering1, Hans-Jörg Epple2*
1Klinik für Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
2
Charité Outpatient Health Center, Infectiology and Hepatology
"
The role of glucagon-like peptide-2 for macromolecule uptake and
immune activation in HIV enteropathy
"
PhD doctoral student, 3rd cohort: Alain Massarani
PhD doctoral student, 2nd cohort: Valerie Masete
PhD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Carolin Grünhagen
MD doctoral student, 1st cohort: Hannah Lutz

    * participating researcher

    Steering committee (01.2024)
  - Jörg Schulzke (statutory member)
  - Rita Rosenthal (statutory member)
  - Maria Balda (external member)
  - Markus Bleich (external member)
  - Dorothee Günzel (PI member, elected by the students)
  - Susanne M. Krug (PI member, elected by the PIs)
  - Joy Weber (student member, elected by the students)
  - Xuyue Liu (student member, elected by the students)

 

Impressum