Research interests

  • mechanism of force generation in multiprotein complexes using single particle cryo electron microscopy
  • catalytic enzymes that hydrolyse ATP or fixate carbon dioxide
  • high-resolution snapshots of biological assemblies in different physiological states

Research Units in UniSysCat

Awards (selection)

2014 Care-For-Rare Award
2009 Emmy Noether Award
1999 Biotechnica Award for outstanding Diploma Thesis

Prof. Dr. Petra Wendler
U Potsdam
Institute of Biochemistry and Biology
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25
14476 Potsdam-Golm
+49 (0)331 977-5130
+49 (0)331 977-5128
pewendler(at)uni-potsdam.de
www.uni-potsdam.de/ibb-biochemie

Publications (selection)

J. Y. Bhat, G. Miličić, G. Thieulin-Pardo, A. Bracher, A. Maxwell, S. Ciniawsky, O. Mueller-Cajar, J.R. Engen, F. U. Hartl, P. Wendler, M. Hayer-Hartl, Mechanism of enzyme repair by the AAA+ chaperone Rubisco activase, Molecular Cell 2017, 67, 744–756.

T. Hauser, J. Y. Bhat, G. Miličić, P. Wendler, F. U. Hartl, A. Bracher, M. Hayer-Hartl, Structure and mechanism of the Rubisco assembly chaperone Raf1, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 2015, 22, 720–728.

S. Ciniawsky, I. Grimm, D. Saffian, W. Girzalsky, R. Erdmann, P. Wendler, Molecular snapshots of the Pex1/6 AAA+ complex in action, Nature Communications 2015, 6, 7331.

M. Kock, M. N. Nunes, M. Hemann, S. Kube, R. J. Dohmen, F. Herzog, P. C. Ramos, P. Wendler, Proteasome assembly from 15S precursors involves major conformational changes and recycling of the Pba1–Pba2 chaperone, Nature Communications 2015, 6, 6123.

S. Kube, N. Kapitein, T. Zimniak, F. Herzog, A. Mogk, P. Wendler, 6 Å cryo EM structure of the contractile VipA/B nanomachine in type VI effector secretion, Cell Reports 2014, 8, 20–30.

P. Wendler, S. Ciniawsky, M. Kock, S. Kube, Structure and function of the AAA+ nucleotide binding pocket, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 2012, 1823, 2–14.

O. Mueller-Cajar, M. Stotz, P. Wendler, F. U. Hartl, A. Bracher, M. Hayer-Hartl, Structure and function of the AAA+ protein CbbX, a red-type Rubisco activase, Nature 2011, 479, 194–199.

P. Wollmann, S. Cui, R. Viswanathan, O. Berninghausen, M. N. Wells, M. Moldt, G. Witte, A. Butryn, P. Wendler, R. Beckmann, D. T. Auble, K. P. Hopfner, Structure and mechanism of the Swi2/Snf2 remodeller Mot1 in complex with its substrate TBP, Nature 2011, 475, 403–407.

P. Wendler, J. Shorter, D. Snead, C. Plisson, D. K. Clare, S. Lindquist, H. Saibil, Motor mechanism for protein threading through Hsp104, Molecular Cell 2009, 34, 81–92.

P. Wendler, J. Shorter, C. Plisson, A. Cashikar, S. Lindquist, H. Saibil, Atypical AAA+ subunit packing creates an expanded cavity for disaggregation by the protein-remodeling factor Hsp104, Cell 2007, 131, 1366–1377.