I started studying life sciences at the FH Bonn-Rhein-Sieg in the year of 2004.  For the last year of my studies I went to the HAN University in Nimegen, Netherlands, were I did my Bachelor's degree in the NCMLS in the group of Dr. Harry Dolstra.  Belonging to the Tumor Immunology of the Heamatology Department, I did my Bachelor thesis on the ex vivo generation of clinical grade NK cells for further treatment of graft-versus-host desease after stem cell transplantation.  For my Master degree, I came back o the "Rheinland".  My Master thesis I did in the Praefcke Lab, were I also stayed for my PhD.  

Project description

Bioinformatical analyses identified several mammalian proteins that combine ubiquitin ligase domains with SIMs. The aim of my study is to analyze the localization, SUMO-binding and ubiquitin ligase properties of these proteins. Several of these ligases could already been shown to localize to PML bodies in human cells and their interacted with SUMO-modified proteins in a SIM-dependent manner suggesting that SUMO-SIM interaction is relevant to their function. As a direct proof of STUbL activity, I have reconstituted the ubiquitylation of SUMO-modified substrate proteins in vitro and tested the impact of STUbL overexpression on the stability of these substrates in vivo. I conclude that besides RNF4 several other ULS proteins exist in humans which control the stability of PML and other sumoylated proteins.