Group Schraven

Research Profile

Already in the beginning of my career I was very much interested in the functional analysis of lymphoid cell surface receptors that transduce signals, leading to cell activation in response to ligand binding. With a concern for clinical relevance, I initially focused on a functional analysis of the CD2 coreceptor in pathophysiologic situations such as M. Hodgkin, Sarkoidosis and M. Leprae. When it became evident that signal transducing receptors often do not function alone, but rather in cooperation with a variety of other signal transducing molecules such as kinases and phosphatases I started to work on the biochemical and functional analysis of signal transducing receptor complexes in lymphocytes. Our group was the first to demonstrate that the protein tyrosine phosphatase CD45, now known to play an essential regulatory role in lymphoid receptor signal transduction, noncovalently associates with CD2, a signal transducing receptor present on hematopoietic cells. Following the publication of these data in 1990, we started to analyze the molecular composition of the CD2 signalling complex. These experiments provided the basis for the subsequent analysis of the TCR-, CD45- and fyn-complexes in lymphocytes.

I believe that the identification and molecular characterization of signal transducing receptor complexes is a prerequisite for understanding better the development and differentiation of lymphocytes as well as of other hematopoietic cells (e.g. stem cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, granulocytes and platelets). In addition, the elucidation of membrane proximal signalling events in hematopoietic cells provides the basis for understanding better hematopoietic and lymphatic diseases (e.g. aplastic anemias, immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases and leukemias). Finally, these studies could open new perspectives for a pharmacological interference with cellular growth and differentiation processes in the near future.

Contact:

Schraven, Prof. Dr. med. Burkhart