Christian Biertümpfel
Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany
Biography
Christian Biertümpfel obtained his Ph.D. degree from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg, Germany. His Ph.D. research focused on the crystallization and characterization of Holliday junction resolvases. During his postdoctoral time at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA, he was able to solve a first crystal structure of a Holliday junction resolvase from T4 phages in complex with a DNA four-way junction. Furthermore, together with Wei Yang he determined the structure and mechanism of human DNA polymerase η functioning as a molecular splint. After a short period at the Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, NIH, he moved to the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany as a Max Planck Research Group Leader. Recently, the Biertümpfel lab obtained structural information on the human Holliday junction resolvase GEN1 and they found for the first time a chromodomain extending a nuclease domain.
Abstract
Abstract : Holliday junction resolvase GEN1 functions as a versatile DNA sensor and processor