Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Experimentelle Biophysik

Nicolas Liem

In late 2019, I started my PhD thesis at Hegemann lab. My research focuses on the investigation of light-activated phosphodiesterases. These enzyme rhodopsins can break down cyclic nucleotides (e.g. cGMP) depending on the illumination with light in the visible range. They carry a retinal cofactor and are membrane-bound, which makes them interesting as optogenetic tools. For example, they can be combined with cyclases and cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) channels to alter the membrane potential. Further physiological functions may be regulated by cyclic nucleotide levels, which makes these rhodopsins interesting for a broad range of applications.

To characterize and engineer enzyme rhodopsins, I am using electrophysiological techniques and assays with cultured cells and membrane fractions, while relying on molecular biology as a routine labwork.