Institute of Cell Biology

Head

Lukas A. Huber

Administration

Gertrude Huber

Tel: +43 512 9003 70172
Fax: +43 512 9003 73100
Email: gertrude.huber@i-med.ac.at

About the institute

The institute studies molecular mechanisms that maintain cellular function and organisation. To address these fundamental questions we use a combination of genetic model systems (yeast, mouse and human cells), microscopy and quantitative proteomics. We provide an international and dynamic research environment for Masters’ and PhD students as well as postdoctoral fellows. We are an integral part of and we also coordinate the international MCBD (Molecular and Cellular Biology of Disease) PhD programme and the Cellular Basis of Diseases (DOC82) doc.funds programme. In addition, we are involved in several EU projects and we have numerous national and international collaborations with academic partners and biotech companies. We promote scientific partnerships between basic research and hospitals.

The institute is organised in five research groups:

The Huber Laboratory

Lysosomal mTOR Signalling – The Crossroads Between Signal Transduction and Endosomal Biogenesis

Selected Publications:

  • A substrate-specific mTORC1 pathway underlies Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome. Napolitano G, Di Malta C, Esposito A, de Araujo MEG, Pece S, Bertalot G, Matarese M, Benedetti V, Zampelli A, Stasyk T, Siciliano D, Venuta A, Cesana M, Vilardo C, Nusco E, Monfregola J, Calcagnì A, Di Fiore PP, Huber LA, Ballabio A. Nature. 2020 Sep;585(7826):597-602. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2444-0. Epub 2020 Jul 1. PMID: 32612235
  • LAMTOR/Ragulator is a negative regulator of Arl8b- and BORC-dependent late endosomal positioning. Filipek PA, de Araujo MEG, Vogel GF, De Smet CH, Eberharter D, Rebsamen M, Rudashevskaya EL, Kremser L, Yordanov T, Tschaikner P, Fürnrohr BG, Lechner S, Dunzendorfer-Matt T, Scheffzek K, Bennett KL, Superti-Furga G, Lindner HH, Stasyk T, Huber LA. J Cell Biol. 2017 Dec 4;216(12):4199-4215. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201703061. Epub 2017 Oct 9. PMID: 28993467 Free PMC article.
  • Crystal structure of the human lysosomal mTORC1 scaffold complex and its impact on signaling. de Araujo MEG, Naschberger A, Fürnrohr BG, Stasyk T, Dunzendorfer-Matt T, Lechner S, Welti S, Kremser L, Shivalingaiah G, Offterdinger M, Lindner HH, Huber LA, Scheffzek K. Science. 2017 Oct 20;358(6361):377-381. doi: 10.1126/science.aao1583. Epub 2017 Sep 21. PMID: 28935770

Current Funding:

  • FWF P 32608 and P 26682, and FWF DOC 82 doc.fund Cellular Basis of Diseases: Molecular Control of Metabolism and Inflammation

The Teis Laboratory - Membrane Proteostasis and Signalling

Selected Publications:

  • Complementary α-arrestin-ubiquitin ligase complexes control nutrient transporter endocytosis in response to amino acids. Ivashov V, Zimmer J, Schwabl S, Kahlhofer J, Weys S, Gstir R, Jakschitz T, Kremser L, Bonn GK, Lindner H, Huber LA, Leon S, Schmidt O, Teis D. Elife. 2020 Aug 3;9:e58246. doi: 10.7554/eLife.58246. PMID: 32744498
  • ESCRT-III/Vps4 Controls Heterochromatin-Nuclear Envelope Attachments. Pieper GH, Sprenger S, Teis D, Oliferenko S. Dev Cell. 2020 Apr 6;53(1):27-41.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.01.028. Epub 2020 Feb 27. PMID: 32109380
  • Endosome and Golgi-associated degradation (EGAD) of membrane proteins regulates sphingolipid metabolism. Schmidt O, Weyer Y, Baumann V, Widerin MA, Eising S, Angelova M, Schleiffer A, Kremser L, Lindner H, Peter M, Fröhlich F, Teis D. EMBO J. 2019 Aug 1;38(15):e101433. doi: 10.15252/embj.2018101433. Epub 2019 May 27. PMID: 31368600

Current Funding:

  • FWF P 32161, P 30263 and P 29583
  • Coordination of FWF Doctoral Program DOC82: Cellular Basis of Diseases: Molecular Control of Metabolism and Inflammation

The Vietor Laboratory

Regulatory Mechanisms of Cell Differentiation

Selected Publications:

  • A Dedicated Evolutionarily Conserved Molecular Network Licenses Differentiated Cells to Return to the Cell Cycle. Miao ZF, Lewis MA, Cho CJ, Adkins-Threats M, Park D, Brown JW, Sun JX, Burclaff JR, Kennedy S, Lu J, Mahar M, Vietor I, Huber LA, Davidson NO, Cavalli V, Rubin DC, Wang ZN, Mills JC.Dev Cell. 2020 Oct 26;55(2):178-194.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.07.005. Epub 2020 Aug 7.PMID: 32768422
  • LAMTOR/Ragulator regulates lipid metabolism in macrophages and foam cell differentiation. Lamberti G, De Smet CH, Angelova M, Kremser L, Taub N, Herrmann C, Hess MW, Rainer J, Tancevski I, Schweigreiter R, Kofler R, Schmiedinger T, Vietor I, Trajanoski Z, Ejsing CS, Lindner HH, Huber LA, Stasyk T.FEBS Lett. 2020 Jan;594(1):31-42. doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.13579. Epub 2019 Aug 26.PMID: 31423582
  • Fluorescent thermal shift‑based method for detection of NF‑κB binding to double‑stranded DNA. Leitner PD, Vietor I, Huber LA, Valovka T. Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 27;11(1):2331. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-81743-1. PMID: 33504856

Current Funding:

  • IMPULSE Iran Austria

The Vogel Laboratory

Intracellular Cargo Transport in Congenital Intestinal Diseases

Selected Publications:

  • AP1S1 missense mutations cause a congenital enteropathy via an epithelial barrier defect. Klee KMC, Janecke AR, Civan HA, Rosipal Š, Heinz-Erian P, Huber LA, Müller T, Vogel GF. Hum Genet. 2020 Oct;139(10):1247-1259. doi: 10.1007/s00439-020-02168-w. Epub 2020 Apr 18. PMID: 32306098 Free PMC article.
  • Co-existence of ABCB11 and DCDC2 disease: Infantile cholestasis requires both next-generation sequencing and clinical-histopathologic correlation. Vogel GF, Maurer E, Entenmann A, Straub S, Knisely AS, Janecke AR, Müller T. Eur J Hum Genet. 2020 Jun;28(6):840-844. doi: 10.1038/s41431-020-0613-0. Epub 2020 Mar 20. PMID: 32203204
  • The haemochromatosis gene Hfe and Kupffer cells control LDL cholesterol homeostasis and impact on atherosclerosis development. Demetz E, Tymoszuk P, Hilbe R, Volani C, Haschka D, Heim C, Auer K, Lener D, Zeiger LB, Pfeifhofer-Obermair C, Boehm A, Obermair GJ, Ablinger C, Coassin S, Lamina C, Kager J, Petzer V, Asshoff M, Schroll A, Nairz M, Dichtl S, Seifert M, von Raffay L, Fischer C, Barros-Pinkelnig M, Brigo N, Valente de Souza L, Sopper S, Hirsch J, Graber M, Gollmann-Tepeköylü C, Holfeld J, Halper J, Macheiner S, Gostner J, Vogel GF, Pechlaner R, Moser P, Imboden M, Marques-Vidal P, Probst-Hensch NM, Meiselbach H, Strauch K, Peters A, Paulweber B, Willeit J, Kiechl S, Kronenberg F, Theurl I, Tancevski I, Weiss G. Eur Heart J. 2020 Oct 21;41(40):3949-3959. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa140. PMID: 32227235

Current Funding:

  • ÖNB Anniversary Fund 18019, TWF Grant 0404/2386, ÖGKJ research grant

The Schmidt Laboratory

Regulation of cellular lipid homeostasis

Selected Publications

  • TOR complex 2 (TORC2) signaling and the ESCRT machinery cooperate in the protection of plasma membrane integrity in yeast. Schmidt O*, Weyer Y, Sprenger S, Widerin MA, Eising S, Baumann V, Angelova M, Loewith R, Stefan CJ, Hess MW, Fröhlich F, Teis D. J Biol Chem. 2020 Aug 21;295(34):12028-12044. doi: 10.1074/jbc.RA120.013222. Epub 2020 Jul 1. PMID: 32611771
  • Endosome and Golgi-associated degradation (EGAD) of membrane proteins regulates sphingolipid metabolism. Schmidt O, Weyer Y, Baumann V, Widerin MA, Eising S, Angelova M, Schleiffer A, Kremser L, Lindner H, Peter M, Fröhlich F, Teis D. EMBO J. 2019 Aug 1;38(15):e101433. doi: 10.15252/embj.2018101433. Epub 2019 May 27. PMID:31368600 
  • Complementary α-arrestin-ubiquitin ligase complexes control nutrient transporter endocytosis in response to amino acids. Ivashov V, Zimmer J, Schwabl S, Kahlhofer J, Weys S, Gstir R, Jakschitz T, Kremser L, Bonn GK, Lindner H, Huber LA, Leon S, Schmidt O*, Teis D. 2020 Aug 3;9:e58246. doi: 10.7554/eLife.58246.PMID: 32744498

Current Funding

  • Lipotype – Lipid excellence award 2019 (#2)

The Valovka Laboratory

Molecular Basis of Rare Genetic Disorders

Selected Publications:

  • Novel PCNT variants in MOPDII with attenuated growth restriction and pachygyria. Waich S, Janecke AR, Parson W, Greber-Platzer S, Müller T, Huber LA, Valovka T, Vodopiutz J. Clin Genet. 2020 Sep;98(3):282-287. doi: 10.1111/cge.13797. Epub 2020 Jul 7. PMID: 32557621
  • Characteristic facial features and cortical blindness distinguish the DOCK7-related epileptic encephalopathy. Haberlandt E, Valovka T, Janjic T, Müller T, Blatsios G, Karall D, Janecke AR. Mol Genet Genomic Med. 2021 Jan 20:e1607. doi: 10.1002/mgg3.1607. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33471954
  • Fluorescent thermal shift-based method for detection of NF-κB binding to double-stranded DNA. Leitner PD, Vietor I, Huber LA, Valovka T. Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 27;11(1):2331. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-81743-1. PMID: 33504856