MPI-CBG Publications

Sort by

Showing 21 to 30 of 2,331 entries

Show entries

Janek Weißpflog, Christine Steinbach, Frank Simon, Michaela Yuan, Urska Repnik, Simona Schwarz
Synergistic iron ion and sulfate removal via chitosan-engineered yeast biosorbents.
Bioresour Technol, 449 Art. No. 134343 (2026)
PubMed Source

The sustainable removal of iron ions (Fe2+/3+) and sulfate (SO42-) from contaminated water remains a major challenge, particularly in mining-affected regions such as Lusatia (Germany), where both contaminants frequently co-occur at elevated levels. Here, a dual-modification strategy based on chitosan (Cs)-modified yeast cells (Cs@YC) and chitin-glucan complexes (CGC), is presented to enhance biosorption performance. Dried Cs@YC showed improved adsorption capacities compared to unmodified YC, while the combined Cs-functionalized CGC (Cs@CGC) exhibited the highest uptake capacities, reaching 2.09 mmol g-1 for Fe2+/3+ and 0.79 mmol g-1 for SO42- at pH 6. Microscopic and spectroscopic analyses (SEM-EDX, TEM, AFM, XPS) showed that Cs surface functionalization combined with alkaline-induced CGC restructuring increases the density and accessibility of amino and hydroxyl groups and promotes controlled iron (oxyhydr)oxide nucleation and crystallization. Equilibrium modelling using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips isotherms demonstrated that Cs@YC provides high-affinity metal-binding sites with positively charged surface domains that facilitate electrostatic association and adsorption of SO42-. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the synergistic interaction between Cs modification and CGC-based structural tuning in yeast-derived biosorbents for dual Fe2+/3+/SO42- remediation. The results demonstrate that Cs@YC offers promising adsorption performance under controlled laboratory conditions, warranting further evaluation in real mining-affected waters containing competing ions and organic matter.

@article{Weißpflog9181,
author={Janek Weißpflog, Christine Steinbach, Frank Simon, Michaela Yuan, Urska Repnik, Simona Schwarz},
title={Synergistic iron ion and sulfate removal via chitosan-engineered yeast biosorbents.},
journal ={Bioresource technology},
volume={449},
pages={null--null},
year=2026
}

Dominik Sturm^*, Hiba Bensalem^*, Ivo F. Sbalzarini
Spatially Informed Autoencoders for Interpretable Visual Representation Learning.
In: International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR) (2026), Appleton WI, ICLR (2026), 1-35
Open Access Source Full Text

We introduce spatially informed variational autoencoders (SI-VAE) as self-supervised deep-learning models that use stochastic point processes to predict spatial organization patterns from images. Existing approaches to learning visual representations based on variational autoencoders (VAE) struggle to capture spatial correlations between objects or events, focusing instead on pixel intensities. We address this limitation by incorporating a point-process likelihood, derived from the Papangelou conditional intensity, as a self-supervision target. This results in a hybrid model that learns statistically interpretable representations of spatial localization patterns and enables zero-shot conditional simulation directly from images. Experiments with synthetic images show that SI-VAE improve the classification accuracy of attractive, repulsive, and uncorrelated point patterns from 48% (VAE) to over 80% in the worst case and 90% in the best case, while generalizing to unseen data. We apply SI-VAE to a real-world microscopy data set, demonstrating its use for studying the spatial organization of proteins in human cells and for using the representations in downstream statistical analysis.

@proceedings{Sturm9155,
title = {Spatially Informed Autoencoders for Interpretable Visual Representation Learning.},
year = 2026,
editor = {Dominik Sturm, Hiba Bensalem, Ivo F. Sbalzarini},
volume = {International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR)},
series = {},
publisher = {ICLR}
}

Xiaowei Song, Yuefeng Ma, Michael W Chen, Wen Yu, Xiao Yan, Jinheng Xu, Lecheng Lyu, Anthony Hyman, Yifan Dai^#, Richard N Zare^#
Biomolecular condensates mediate C-N bond formation.
Nat Chem Biol, Art. No. doi: 10.1038/s41589-026-02169-2 (2026)
PubMed Source

We discover that biomolecular condensates, formed by intrinsically disordered proteins without inherent chemical activity, can spontaneously drive nonenzymatic reductive amination. These condensates facilitate reactions between amines and aldehydes or ketones, yielding imines, which are subsequently hydrogenated to form alkylated amines leading to C-N bond formation. Our experiments show that condensates modulate the reductive amination of diverse types of metabolite containing carbonyl groups. Using combinatorial metabolomics, we found that condensates generate previously unknown metabolites through the dimerization of natural amines with ketones and aldehydes. Metabolomics in living cells confirms that the ability of condensates in mediating C-N bond formation enables the synthesis of new metabolites and regulates cellular pathways. These findings uncover a previously unrecognized inherent function of biomolecular condensates, redefining their roles in metabolism. This further highlights the broader influence of condensates on chemical homeostasis and biochemical regulation in biological and prebiotic chemistry.

@article{Song9184,
author={Xiaowei Song, Yuefeng Ma, Michael W Chen, Wen Yu, Xiao Yan, Jinheng Xu, Lecheng Lyu, Anthony Hyman, Yifan Dai, Richard N Zare},
title={Biomolecular condensates mediate C-N bond formation.},
journal ={Nature chemical biology},
volume={},
pages={1--1},
year=2026
}

Wen Yu, Yanrun Zhou, Leshan Yang, Xiao Yan, Samuel N Smukowski, Yuefeng Ma, Jiali Fan, Young Ah Goo, Anthony Hyman, Yifan Dai
Origins of the Intrinsic Redox Activity of Biomolecular Condensates.
J Am Chem Soc, Art. No. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6c01750 (2026)
Open Access PubMed Source

How inherent redox activity arises in biomolecular condensates remains unclear. Unlike interfacial systems, such as water microdroplets, where water oxidation underpins redox chemistry, condensates comprise biomolecules that can potentially furnish alternative electron-transfer routes. Here, using electron paramagnetic resonance, electrochemical potentiometry, mass spectrometry, and confocal microscopy assays, we discovered that orthogonal to water oxidation, microenvironment-dependent spontaneous tyrosine oxidation encodes an alternative redox pathway. Through proton-coupled electron transfer, self-induced tyrosine autoxidation in condensates drives the formation of reactive carbon and oxygen species, providing a pathway in parallel to hydroxide oxidation for hydrogen peroxide formation in condensates. This self-induced redox pathway modulates nonequilibrium condensate behaviors, including responses to external chemical perturbations and evolution of the condensate interior microenvironment. By correlating condensate biomolecular composition with inherent redox activities, our work establishes a conceptual framework suggesting that condensate-dependent electron transfer can be critical to define the functions of condensates and deliver a new redox mechanism for cell biology.

@article{Yu9185,
author={Wen Yu, Yanrun Zhou, Leshan Yang, Xiao Yan, Samuel N Smukowski, Yuefeng Ma, Jiali Fan, Young Ah Goo, Anthony Hyman, Yifan Dai},
title={Origins of the Intrinsic Redox Activity of Biomolecular Condensates.},
journal ={Journal of the American Chemical Society},
volume={},
pages={1--1},
year=2026
}

Vaibhav Mahajan, Keshav Gajendra Babu, Markus Mukenhirn, Antje Garside, Vinita Ajit Kini, Trishla Adhikari, Timon Beck, Byung Ho Lee, Kyoohyun Kim, Carsten Werner, Raimund Schlüßler, Alf Honigmann, Sebastian Aland, Anna Taubenberger
Cells Dynamically Adapt Their Nuclear Volumes and Proliferation Rates During Single to Multicellular Transitions.
Adv Sci (Weinh), Art. No. doi: 10.1002/advs.202524325 (2026)
Open Access PubMed Source

Tumor development and progression involve biophysical changes across spatial scales, from the subcellular to the multicellular tissue scale. While cells are known to dynamically regulate their volumes and mechanics in dependence of cell state and function, it is unclear how these properties are controlled in dense multicellular environments like developing tumors. Here, we quantified cell and nuclear volumes of cancer cells forming multicellular spheroids within mechanically tunable biohybrid polymer hydrogels. We quantitatively showed that formation of multicellular structures is associated with marked reductions of cellular and nuclear volumes, cell cycle delays as well as cell mechanical alterations, and that these changes are coupled. Single-to-multicellular transitions led to up to 60% decreases in median nuclear volumes, which was not explained by growth-induced compressive stress. Instead, nuclear volume reductions in emerging clusters arose from cell cycle adaptations, with accumulation of smaller G1-phase cells-reversed by CDK1 inhibition. Additional nuclear downsizing in forming clusters was associated with cell mass density and stiffness increases and reverted upon cell release. Conversely, multicellular-to-single cell transitions during invasion were accompanied by nuclear volume expansion and cell softening. Together, these findings reveal dynamic regulation of cellular and nuclear volumes, mechanics, and cell cycle progression in response to multicellular state.

@article{Mahajan9178,
author={Vaibhav Mahajan, Keshav Gajendra Babu, Markus Mukenhirn, Antje Garside, Vinita Ajit Kini, Trishla Adhikari, Timon Beck, Byung Ho Lee, Kyoohyun Kim, Carsten Werner, Raimund Schlüßler, Alf Honigmann, Sebastian Aland, Anna Taubenberger},
title={Cells Dynamically Adapt Their Nuclear Volumes and Proliferation Rates During Single to Multicellular Transitions.},
journal ={Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)},
volume={},
pages={1--1},
year=2026
}

Naresh Yandrapalli^#, David Thomas Gonzales, Weihua Leng, Cynthia Alsayyah, Nurzhan Abdukarimov, Robert Ernst, T-Y Dora Tang^#
A robust method for on-chip production and manipulation of lipid vesicles by inverted emulsion.
Cell Rep Methods, 6(3) Art. No. 101326 (2026)
Open Access PubMed Source

Lipid vesicles are important as minimal model systems for cellular compartmentalization. They drive major advances in deciphering biological mechanisms by molecular reconstitution; provide rational solutions for primitive compartmentalization in origin-of-life studies; form the basis of synthetic cells and drug delivery vehicles. The emulsion method is a well-established route for producing bilayer lipid vesicles. However, the application of this method in microfluidics requires complex and specialized machinery. The bulk method suffers from the need to physically manipulate the vesicles through oil layers for characterization that can damage the vesicles. Given this, we present a facile and robust method for on-chip production and manipulation of lipid vesicles by the emulsion method. We prepared a simple device that allows preparation, imaging, and collection of activated lipid vesicles. This technique combines minimal processing steps with maximum flexibility in lipid vesicle production and manipulation with direct imaging, thus fast-tracking production lines across disciplines.

@article{Yandrapalli9166,
author={Naresh Yandrapalli, David Thomas Gonzales, Weihua Leng, Cynthia Alsayyah, Nurzhan Abdukarimov, Robert Ernst, T-Y Dora Tang},
title={A robust method for on-chip production and manipulation of lipid vesicles by inverted emulsion.},
journal ={Cell reports methods},
volume={6},
issue ={3},
pages={null--null},
year=2026
}

Hjoerdis Mathilda Lennartz, Suman Khan, Weihua Leng, Kristin Böhlig, Gunar Fabig, Yannick Kieswald, Falk Elsner, Nadav Scher, Michaela Wilsch-Bräuninger, Ori Avinoam, André Nadler
Visualizing suborganellar lipid distribution using correlative light and electron microscopy.
Nat Cell Biol, Art. No. doi: 10.1038/s41556-026-01915-x (2026)
Open Access PubMed Source

Lipids and proteins compartmentalize biological membranes into nanoscale domains, which are crucial for signalling, intracellular trafficking and many other cellular processes. Studying nanodomain function requires the ability to measure protein and lipid localization at the nanoscale. Current methods for visualizing lipid localization do not meet this requirement. Here we introduce a correlative light and electron microscopy workflow to image lipids (Lipid-CLEM), combining near-native lipid probes and on-section labelling by click chemistry. This approach enables the quantification of relative lipid densities in membrane nanodomains. We find differential partitioning of sphingomyelin into intraluminal vesicles, recycling tubules and the boundary membrane of the early endosome, representing a degree of nanoscale organization previously observed only for proteins. We anticipate that our Lipid-CLEM workflow will greatly facilitate the mechanistic analysis of lipid functions in cell biology, allowing for the simultaneous investigation of proteins and lipids during membrane nanodomain assembly and function.

@article{Lennartz9177,
author={Hjoerdis Mathilda Lennartz, Suman Khan, Weihua Leng, Kristin Böhlig, Gunar Fabig, Yannick Kieswald, Falk Elsner, Nadav Scher, Michaela Wilsch-Bräuninger, Ori Avinoam, André Nadler},
title={Visualizing suborganellar lipid distribution using correlative light and electron microscopy.},
journal ={Nature cell biology},
volume={},
pages={1--1},
year=2026
}

Jenna L Wingfield, Lukas Niese, Yosef Avchalumov, Xiaodan Liu, Rahul Grover, Yoshihisa Nakahata, Bindu L Raveendra, Adrian E Gonzalez-Santiago, Jackson P Carter, Ryohei Yasuda, Jason X-J Yuan, Stefan Diez, Sathyanarayanan V Puthanveettil
Intellectual disability-causing mutations in KIF11 impair microtubule dynamics and dendritic arborization.
Nat Commun, Art. No. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70522-z (2026)
Open Access PubMed Source

Microcephaly with or without chorioretinopathy, lymphedema, or intellectual disabilities (MCLID) is a rare disease caused by mutations in the mitotic motor KIF11. However, the specific neuronal functions of KIF11, its mechanisms of microtubule (MT) regulation, and the impact of MCLID mutations on KIF11 function remain underexplored. Here, using live-imaging, we find that KIF11 depletion in postmitotic neurons increases minus-end-out MT dynamics in both axons and dendrites. Introducing MCLID-associated KIF11 mutations, KIF11Y82F and KIF11ΔCterm, significantly reduces MT dynamics, impairs dendritic arborization, and decreases mEPSC frequency. Biochemical analyses reveal that the KIF11ΔCterm mutant disrupts tetramer formation and MT crosslinking, while the KIF11Y82F mutant reduces MT sliding velocity and ATP affinity. Temporal inhibition of KIF11 using a photo-controllable KIF11 increases MT dynamics and dendritic growth. Together, these data reveal that KIF11 is a MT dynamics rheostat and regulator of dendritic arborization in mature neurons, providing essential insights into the molecular mechanisms driving MCLID.

@article{Wingfield9179,
author={Jenna L Wingfield, Lukas Niese, Yosef Avchalumov, Xiaodan Liu, Rahul Grover, Yoshihisa Nakahata, Bindu L Raveendra, Adrian E Gonzalez-Santiago, Jackson P Carter, Ryohei Yasuda, Jason X-J Yuan, Stefan Diez, Sathyanarayanan V Puthanveettil},
title={Intellectual disability-causing mutations in KIF11 impair microtubule dynamics and dendritic arborization.},
journal ={Nature communications},
volume={},
pages={1--1},
year=2026
}

Miquel Vila-Farré^#, Jeremias N Brand, Tobias Boothe, Maren Brockmeyer, Fruzsina Ficze-Schmidt, Markus Grohme, Uri Weill, Kasper H Kluiver, Ludwik Gąsiorowski, Lucija Kauf, Yuliia Kanana, Helena Bilandžija, Marta Riutort, Jochen Rink^#
An integrative taxonomic approach reveals unexplored diversity in Croatian planarians.
Front Zool, Art. No. doi: 10.1186/s12983-026-00603-8 (2026)
Open Access PubMed Source

Freshwater ecosystems are among the most endangered habitats on Earth, with approximately one-fourth of aquatic species at risk of extinction. Effective conservation efforts require comprehensive monitoring and accurate species identification, including often overlooked groups. Planarian flatworms are one such group that, although commonly present in freshwater ecosystems worldwide, remains understudied even in species-rich areas, e.g. Croatia. As a result, the true extent of planarian diversity often remains underappreciated.

@article{Vila-Farré9180,
author={Miquel Vila-Farré, Jeremias N Brand, Tobias Boothe, Maren Brockmeyer, Fruzsina Ficze-Schmidt, Markus Grohme, Uri Weill, Kasper H Kluiver, Ludwik Gąsiorowski, Lucija Kauf, Yuliia Kanana, Helena Bilandžija, Marta Riutort, Jochen Rink},
title={An integrative taxonomic approach reveals unexplored diversity in Croatian planarians.},
journal ={Frontiers in zoology},
volume={},
pages={1--1},
year=2026
}

Shweta Nandakumar, Jonas Bosche, Mirko Wieczorek, Constantin Matteo Albrecht, Belinda König, Mona Grünewald, Ludger Santen, Stefan Diez, Reza Shaebani^#, Laura Schaedel^#
Kinesin-Induced Buckling Reveals the Limits of Microtubule Self-Repair.
Adv Sci (Weinh), Art. No. doi: 10.1002/advs.202521721 (2026)
Open Access PubMed Source

Microtubules are stiff cytoskeletal polymers whose ability to rapidly switch between growth and disassembly relies on a metastable lattice. This metastability is also reflected in their sensitivity to environmental conditions and in intrinsic lattice dynamics, where spontaneous tubulin loss is balanced by tubulin incorporation from solution-a process that also enables microtubules to self-repair when damaged. Whether such intrinsic self-repair is sufficient to preserve microtubule integrity during dynamic molecular motor-induced buckling, which frequently occurs in cells, remains unclear. Here, we show that kinesin-driven microtubule buckling in vitro induces severe lattice damage, leading to extensive tubulin incorporation. In many cases, however, the damage exceeds the microtubules' capacity for self-repair, resulting in breakage. In contrast, microtubules survive continuous buckling substantially longer in the presence of intracellular factors. Our results identify the limits of intrinsic microtubule self-repair and demonstrate that additional cellular mechanisms are essential to maintain microtubule integrity under sustained mechanical load.

@article{Nandakumar9165,
author={Shweta Nandakumar, Jonas Bosche, Mirko Wieczorek, Constantin Matteo Albrecht, Belinda König, Mona Grünewald, Ludger Santen, Stefan Diez, Reza Shaebani, Laura Schaedel},
title={Kinesin-Induced Buckling Reveals the Limits of Microtubule Self-Repair.},
journal ={Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)},
volume={},
pages={1--1},
year=2026
}

^* joint first authors, ^# joint corresponding authors