Prof. Dr. Christof Niehrs

Project Leader B01

German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
Division of Molecular Embryology
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280
69120 Heidelberg

niehrs@dkfz.de

https://www.dkfz.de/en/mol_embryology/index.php
Prof. Dr. Christof Niehrs

Professional Career

since 2010

Founding and Scientific Director

Institute for Molecular Biology (IMB) Mainz

since 2010

Chair of Developmental Biology (W3)

Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz

2008-2010

Co-Director

DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg

2006-2008

Chair of the Scientific Council

DKFZ (Wissenschaftlicher Rat)

2004-2010

Coordinator

Research Program Cell and Tumor Biology, DKFZ, Heidelberg

2000-2010

Chair of Molecular Embryology (C4)

DKFZ and Heidelberg University

since 1994

Head of Division of Molecular Embryology

DKFZ, Heidelberg

1990-1993

Postdoctoral research fellow

E.M. De Robertis, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

1997

Habilitation and venia legendi

Faculty of Biology (Zoology), Heidelberg University

1990

Ph.D.

EMBL, Heidelberg; Advisor: Dr. W.B. Huttner

1985

Diploma in Biochemistry

Free University of Berlin

Achievements & Awards

2017

ERC Advanced Grant II

European Research Council (ERC)

2016

Honorary Member

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

2012

Member

Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz

2009

ERC Advanced Grant I

European Research Council (ERC)

2007

Member

Heidelberg Academy of the Sciences

2003

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award

DFG (German Research Foundation)

2003

Member

Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina Halle

2002

Research Award

Federal State of Baden-Württemberg

2001

Otto Mangold Award

German Society of Developmental Biology

2000

EMBO Gold Medal Award

European Molecular Biology Organization

1999

Biology Award

Academy of Sciences, Göttingen

1999

EMBO Member

European Molecular Biology Organization

Publications

DEAD box RNA helicases act as nucleotide exchange factors for casein kinase 2

Fatti E, Hirth A, Švorinić A, Günther M, Stier G, Cruciat CM, Acebrón SP, Papageorgiou D, Sinning I, Krijgsveld J, Höfer T, Niehrs C. Sci Signal. 2023 Apr 25;16(782):eabp8923. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.abp8923. Epub 2023 Apr 25. PMID: 37098120

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Mucociliary Wnt signaling promotes cilia biogenesis and beating

Seidl C, Da Silva F, Zhang K, Wohlgemuth K, Omran H, Niehrs C. Nat Commun. 2023 Mar 6;14(1):1259. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-36743-2. PMID: 36878953

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Primary cilia are WNT-transducing organelles whose biogenesis is controlled by a WNT-PP1 axis

Zhang K, Da Silva F, Seidl C, Wilsch-Bräuninger M, Herbst J, Huttner WB, Niehrs C. Dev Cell. 2023 Jan 23;58(2):139-154.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.12.006. PMID: 36693320

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Uncoupling the BMP receptor antagonist function from the WNT agonist function of R-spondin 2 using the inhibitory peptide dendrimer RWd

Lee H, Sun R, Niehrs C. J Biol Chem. 2022 Jan 12:101586. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101586. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 35032551

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The role of Xenopus developmental biology in unraveling Wnt signalling and antero-posterior axis formation

Niehrs C. Dev Biol. 2022 Feb;482:1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.11.006. Epub 2021 Nov 21. PMID: 34818531

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A MET-PTPRK kinase-phosphatase rheostat controls ZNRF3 and Wnt signaling

Kim M, Reinhard C, Niehrs C. Elife. 2021 Sep 30;10:e70885. doi: 10.7554/eLife.70885.
PMID: 34590584

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RSPO2 inhibits BMP signaling to promote self-renewal in acute myeloid leukemia

Sun R, He L, Lee H, Glinka A, Andresen C, Hübschmann D, Jeremias I, Müller-Decker K, Pabst C, Niehrs C. Cell Rep. 2021 Aug 17;36(7):109559. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109559.
PMID: 34407399

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R-spondins are BMP receptor antagonists in Xenopus early embryonic development

Lee H, Seidl C, Sun R, Glinka A, Niehrs C. Nat Commun. 2020 Nov 4;11(1):5570. 

PMID: 33149137

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The tumor suppressor PTPRK promotes ZNRF3 internalization and is required for Wnt inhibition in the Spemann organizer

Chang LS, Kim M, Glinka A, Reinhard C, Niehrs C. Elife. 2020 Jan 14;9. pii: e51248. PMID: 31934854

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Cancer cell specific inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by forced intracellular acidification

Melnik S, Dvornikov D, Müller-Decker K, Depner S, Stannek P, Meister M, Warth A, Thomas M, Muley T, Risch A, Plass C, Klingmüller U, Niehrs C, Glinka A. Cell Discov. 2018 Jul 3;4:37. PMID: 29977599

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Stk33 is required for spermatid differentiation and male fertility in mice

Martins LR, Bung RK, Koch S, Richter K, Schwarzmüller L, Terhardt D, Kurtulmus B, Niehrs C, Rouhi A, Lohmann I, Pereira G, Fröhling S, Glimm H, Scholl C. Dev Biol. 2018 Jan 1;433(1):84-93. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.11.007. Epub 2017 Nov 16. PMID: 29155043

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Angiopoietin-like 4 Is a Wnt Signaling Antagonist that Promotes LRP6 Turnover

Kirsch N, Chang LS, Koch S, Glinka A, Dolde C, Colozza G, Benitez MDJ, De Robertis EM, Niehrs C. Dev Cell. 2017 Oct 9;43(1):71-82.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.09.011. PMID: 29017031

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Parkinson associated receptor GPR37 is an ER chaperone for LRP6

Berger BS, Acebron SP, Herbst J, Koch S, Niehrs C. EMBO Rep. 2017 May;18(5):712-725. doi: 10.15252/embr.201643585. Epub 2017 Mar 24. PMID: 28341812

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Posttranscriptional Wnt signaling governs epididymal sperm maturation

Koch S, Acebron SP, Herbst J, Hatiboglu G, Niehrs C. Cell. 2015 Nov 19;163(5):1225-1236. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.10.029. PMID: 26590424

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Maternal Wnt/STOP signaling promotes cell division during early Xenopus embryogenesis

Huang YL, Anvarian Z, Döderlein G, Acebron SP, Niehrs C. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 May 5;112(18):5732-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1423533112. Epub 2015 Apr 21. PMID: 25901317

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Mitotic wnt signaling promotes protein stabilization and regulates cell size

Acebron SP, Karaulanov E, Berger BS, Huang YL, Niehrs C. Mol Cell. 2014 May 22;54(4):663-74. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2014.04.014. Epub 2014 May 15. PMID: 24837680

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RNA helicase DDX3 is a regulatory subunit of casein kinase 1 in Wnt-beta-catenin signaling

Cruciat CM, Dolde C, de Groot RE, Ohkawara B, Reinhard C, Korswagen HC, Niehrs C. Science. 2013 Mar 22;339(6126):1436-41. doi: 10.1126/science.1231499. Epub 2013 Feb 14.
PMID: 23413191

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Loss of Dickkopf-1 Restores Neurogenesis in Old Age and Counteracts Cognitive Decline

Seib DR, Corsini NS, Ellwanger K, Plaas C, Mateos A, Pitzer C, Niehrs C, Celikel T, Martin-Villalba A. Cell Stem Cell. 2013 Feb 7;12(2):204-14. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2012.11.010. PMID: 23395445

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Cell cycle control of wnt receptor activation

Davidson G, Shen J, Huang YL, Su Y, Karaulanov E, Bartscherer K, Hassler C, Stannek P, Boutros M, Niehrs C. Dev Cell. 2009 Dec;17(6):788-99. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2009.11.006. PMID: 20059949

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Wnt induces LRP6 signalosomes and promotes dishevelled-dependent LRP6 phosphorylation

Bilic J, Huang YL, Davidson G, Zimmermann T, Cruciat CM, Bienz M, Niehrs C. Science. 2007 Jun 15;316(5831):1619-22. doi: 10.1126/science.1137065.
PMID: 17569865

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Casein kinase 1 gamma couples Wnt receptor activation to cytoplasmic signal transduction

Davidson G, Wu W, Shen J, Bilic J, Fenger U, Stannek P, Glinka A, Niehrs C. Nature. 2005 Dec 8;438(7069):867-72. doi: 10.1038/nature04170.
PMID: 16341016

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