June 2014 – Vanderbilt / Leipzig University

by Thomas Ebert (postdoc at Leipzig University): From January 3rd, 2014 – April 4th 2014, I had the opportunity to stay at the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, Tennessee as a visiting scholar. In our group in Leipzig (headed by Prof. Mathias Fasshauer), we focus on adipocyte-secreted proteins, so called adipokines, in renal dysfunction. To investigate adipokines in diabetic nephropathy (DN), a severe consequence of long-term diabetes mellitus, animal studies are vitally important. The group of Prof. Raymond C. Harris (Chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at VUMC) introduced the enos db/db-mouse as the currently best mouse model to study

Prof. Dr. Annette G. Beck-Sickinger (Leipzig University, Institute of Biochemistry) 21-28 July 2014, Vanderbilt University Many ligands of GPCR belong to the family of peptides and proteins. This includes all class B GPCR ligands, e. g. calcitonin, glucagon and the pharmacologically relevant GLP-1, from which modified analogies have entered the anti-diabetic market recently (e. g. Exenentide, Liraglutide, etc.). But also in the family of class A GPCR different peptide and protein hormones (angiotensin, bradykinin, chemokines, FSH, etc.) play an important role in physiology. Peptide ligands have some unique properties. They can be obtained by solid phase peptide synthesis and chemically modified with specific side-chain protection strategies. This includes selective labeling with

Research stay at the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC)

Summer School on CHEMICAL BIOLOGY OF GPCR LIGANDS