Göttinger Graduiertenzentrum für Neurowissenschaften, Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften

Richter-Dennerlein, Ricarda, Prof. Dr.


  • 2011: PhD at the Newcastle University (UK), Institute for Ageing and Health
  • 2011 - 2014: Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cologne, Institute for Genetics (EMBO long-term fellowship)
  • 2014 - 2016: Postdoctoral fellow at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Cellular Biochemistry
  • 2016 - 2023: Emmy-Noether research group leader at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Cellular Biochemistry
  • Since 2023: W2 Professor, University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Molecular Biology



Major Research Interests

The assembly pathway of the mammalian mitochondrial ribosome

The human mitochondrial ribosome has a vital role as it synthesizes the core subunits of the oxidative phosphorylation system. Defects in mitochondrial ribosome biogenesis and function are associated with severe early-onset human diseases mostly affecting high-energy demanding tissues such as brain and heart. Thus, it is critical to elucidate the molecular basis of ribosome biogenesis, the role of involved assisting factors and the key quality control steps to broaden our understanding of the diverse clinical presentations of a growing group of patients exhibiting mitochondrial translation deficiency.
Additionally, we focus on translation termination, ribosome recycling and ribosome rescue in human mitochondria. Ribosomes can be stalled during translation and need to be rescued and recycled. Defects in associated quality control pathways lead to neurological disorders, however, the molecular mechanism and the involved key players are still ill-defined. Thus, we aim to understand how stalled and non-functional ribosomes are eliminated in human mitochondria.

Homepage Department/Research Group

https://biochemie.uni-goettingen.de/

Selected Recent Publications


  • Nadler F, Lavdovskaia E, Krempler A, Cruz-Zaragoza LD, Dennerlein S, Richter-Dennerlein R (2022) Human mtRF1 terminates COX1 translation and its ablation induces mitochondrial ribosome-associated quality control. Nature Communications, 13, 6406
  • Lavdovskaia E, Hillen HS, Richter-Dennerlein R (2022) Hierarchical folding of the catalytic core during mitochondrial ribosome biogenesis. Trends Cell Biol. 32(3): 182-185
  • Nadler F, Lavdovskaia E, Richter-Dennerlein R (2022) Maintaining mitochondrial ribosome function: The role of ribosome rescue and recycling factors. RNA Biology, 19(1): 117-131
  • Richter-Dennerlein R., Korwitz, A., Haag, M., Tatsuta, T., Dargazanli, S., Baker, M., Decker, T., Lamkemeyer, T., Rugarli, E.I., and Langer, T. (2014). DNAJC19, a Mitochondrial Cochaperone Associated with Cardiomyopathy, Forms aKleiber N, Lemus-Diaz N, Stiller C, Heinrichs M, Mai MMQ, Hackert P, Richter-Dennerlein R, Höbartner C, Bohnsack KE, Bohnsack M (2022) The RNA methyltransferase METTL8 installs m3C32 in mitochondrial tRNAsThr/Ser(UCN) to optimise tRNA structure and mitochondrial translation. Nature Communications 13, 209
  • Cruz-Zaragoza LD, Dennerlein S, Linden A, Yousefi R, Lavdovskaia E, Aich A, Falk R, Gomkale R, Schöndorf T, Bohnsack MT, Richter-Dennerlein R, Urlaub H, Rehling P (2021) An in vitro system to silence mitochondrial gene expression. Cell 184(23): 5824-5837
  • Hillen HS, Lavdovskaia E, Nadler F, Hanitsch E, Linden A, Bohnsack K, Urlaub H, Richter-Dennerlein R. (2021) Structural basis of GTPase-mediated mitochondrial ribosome biogenesis and recycling. Nature Communications 12, 3672
  • Maiti P, Lavdovskaia E, Barrientos A, Richter-Dennerlein R (2021) Role of GTPases in Driving Mitoribosome Assembly. Trends Cell Biol. 31(4): 284-297
  • Lavdovskaia E, Denks K, Nadler F, Steube E, Linden A, Urlaub H, Rodnina M, Richter-Dennerlein R (2020) Dual function of GTPBP6 in biogenesis and recycling of human mitochondrial ribosomes. Nucleic Acids Research. 48(22):12929–42
  • Lavdovskaia E, Kolander E, Steube E, Mai MMQ, Urlaub H, Richter-Dennerlein R (2018). The human Obg protein GTPBP10 is involved in mitoribosomal biogenesis. Nucleic Acids Research 46, 8471–8482
  • Richter-Dennerlein R, Oeljeklaus S, Lorenzi I, Ronsör C, Bareth B, Schendzielorz AB, Wang C, Warscheid B, Rehling P, Dennerlein S (2016) Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis Adapts to Influx of Nuclear-Encoded Protein. Cell 167: 471–483
  • Richter-Dennerlein R, Dennerlein S, Rehling P (2015) Integrating mitochondrial translation into the cellular context. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 16: 586–592
  • Richter-Dennerlein R, Korwitz A, Haag M, Tatsuta T, Dargazanli S, Baker M, Decker T, Lamkemeyer T, Rugarli EI, Langer T (2014) DNAJC19, a Mitochondrial Cochaperone Associated with Cardiomyopathy, Forms a Complex with Prohibitins to Regulate Cardiolipin Remodeling. Cell Metabolism 20: 158–171