Participating Groups

Claudia Keller-Valsecchi René Ketting Anton Khmelinskii Julian König Katja Luck Christof Niehrs Stamatis Papathanasiou Helle Ulrich Siyao Wang Sina Wittmann

Regulation of cell fate and gene silencing by liquid-liquid phase separation

The major focus of my lab is gene regulation by small RNAs. Small RNAs are regulatory non-coding RNAs that can have significant effects on translation, RNA stability and on chromatin. We use transgenics, genetics and biochemical and structural approaches to unravel the molecular pathways that are steered by small RNAs. We especially study embryogenesis and germ cell development, using C. elegans and zebrafish model systems.

We are currently working to understand how certain transcripts are selected to be turned into small regulatory RNAs, while others are not. This is crucial to understand, since these molecules fully set the target specificity of the regulatory processes. In addition, we work on understanding how small RNA pathways connect to other aspects of the cell's gene-regulatory programmes, including those active during germ cell specification and differentiation. Finally, an important current aim is to understand how phase separation acts to compartmentalise different steps in small RNA mediated gene regulation.

Research website

Positions held

Since 2022: Executive Director, Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Mainz
Since 2012: Scientific Director, IMB, Mainz; Professor, Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU), Mainz
2010 - 2013: Professor of Epigenetics in Development, University of Utrecht
2005 - 2012: Group Leader, Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht
2000 - 2004: Postdoctoral Researcher, Hubrecht Laboratory, Utrecht
2000: Postdoctoral Researcher, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories

Education

2000: PhD in Molecular Biology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam
1994: Masters in Chemistry, University of Leiden

Selected publications by René Ketting

Bronkhorst AW^#, Lee CY, Möckel MM, Ruegenberg S, de Jesus Domingues AM, Sadouki S, Piccinno R, Sumiyoshi T, Siomi MC, Stelzl L, Luck K^# and Ketting RF^# (2023) An extended Tudor domain within Vreteno interconnects Gtsf1L and Ago3 for piRNA biogenesis in Bombyx mori. EMBO J, 42:e114072 (^#indicates joint correspondence) Link

Podvalnaya N*, Bronkhorst AW*, Lichtenberger R, Hellmann S, Nischwitz E, Falk T, Karaulanov E, Butter F, Falk S^# and Ketting RF^# (2023) piRNA processing by a trimeric Schlafen-domain nuclease. Nature, 622:402–409 (*indicates joint contribution, ^#indicates joint correspondence) Link

Schreier J, Dietz S, Boermel M, Oorschot V, Seistrup AS, de Jesus Domingues AM, Bronkhorst AW, Nguyen DAH, Phillis S, Gleason EJ, L’Hernault SW, Phillips CM, Butter F and Ketting RF (2022) Membrane-associated cytoplasmic granules carrying the Argonaute protein WAGO-3 enable paternal epigenetic inheritance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Cell Biol, 24:217–229 Link

Perez-Borrajero C, Podvalnaya N*, Holleis K*, Lichtenberger R, Karaulanov E, Simon B, Basquin J, Hennig J^#, Ketting RF^# and Falk S^# (2021) Structural basis of PETISCO complex assembly during piRNA biogenesis in C. elegans. Genes Dev, 35:1304–1323 (*indicates joint contribution, ^#indicates joint correspondence) Link

Roovers EF, Kaaij LJT, Redl S, Bronkhorst AW, Wiebrands K, de Jesus Domingues AM, Huang HY, Han CT, Riemer S, Dosch R, Salvenmoser W, Grün D, Butter F, van Oudenaarden A and Ketting RF (2018) Tdrd6a regulates the aggregation of Buc into functional subcellular compartments that drive germ cell specification. Dev Cell, 46:285–301.e9 Link