Göttinger Graduiertenzentrum für Neurowissenschaften, Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften

Dobbelstein, Matthias, Prof. Dr.

Professor of Molecular Oncology


  • 1993 Dr. med., University of Munich
  • 1993 – 1996 Postdoctoral fellow, Princeton University, USA
  • 1997 – 2004 Group leader, University of Marburg
  • 2004 – 2005 Professor of Molecular Oncology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense
  • since 2005 Head of the Department of Molecular Oncology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen



Major Research Interests

We are trying to understand the response of cancer cells to chemotherapy. In particular, we are analyzing the impaired replication of DNA and the damage response that results from injury to DNA. Our focus is on the signaling cascades driven by DNA damage, and on the activation of the tumor suppressor p53. Technologies include the use of large scale siRNA transfection, followed by automated fluorescence microscopy, and the analysis of DNA replication by incorporation of artificial nucleosides. As a disease model, we are investigating the response of colorectal cancer to therapy. On top of classical, DNA damaging chemotherapeutics, we are evaluating other broadly acting, yet non-genotoxic drug candidates, e. g. inhibitors of histone deacetylases and heat shock proteins. On long term, we are aiming at improving the response of tumor cells to chemotherapy by combining traditional and targeted therapeutic approaches.

Some of my lectures are available as youtube videos, at the channel mdobbelstein.
Please see http://www.youtube.com/user/mdobbelstein?feature=results_main.




Homepage Department/Research Group

https://molonc.umg.eu/



Selected Recent Publications


  • Wohlberedt K, Klusmann I, Derevyanko PK, Henningsen K, Choo JAMY, Manzini V, Magerhans A, Giansanti C, Eischen CM, Jochemsen AG, Dobbelstein M (2020) Mdm4 supports DNA replication in a p53-independent fashion. Oncogene 39(25):4828-4843
  • Klusmann I, Wohlberedt K, Magerhans A, Teloni F, Korbel JO, Altmeyer M, Dobbelstein M (2018) Chromatin modifiers Mdm2 and RNF2 prevent RNA:DNA hybrids that impair DNA replication. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Nov 27;115(48):E11311-E11320
  • Schulz-Heddergott R, Stark N, Edmunds SJ, Li J, Conradi LC, Bohnenberger H, Ceteci F, Greten FR, Dobbelstein M*, Moll UM* (2018) Therapeutic Ablation of Gain-of-Function Mutant p53 in Colorectal Cancer Inhibits Stat3-Mediated Tumor Growth and Invasion. Cancer Cell. Aug 13;34(2):298-314
  • Sriraman A, Dickmanns A, Najafova Z, Johnsen SA, Dobbelstein M (2018) CDK4 inhibition diminishes p53 activation by MDM2 antagonists. Cell Death Dis. Sep 11;9(9):918
  • Li Y, Köpper F, Dobbelstein M (2018) Inhibition of MAPKAPK2/MK2 facilitates DNA replication upon cancer cell treatment with gemcitabine but not cisplatin. Cancer Lett. Apr 25
  • Wienken M, Moll UM, Dobbelstein M (2017) Mdm2 as a chromatin modifier. J Mol Cell Biol. 2017 Feb 1;9(1):74-80. doi: 10.1093/jmcb/mjw046
  • Kramer D, Stark N, Schulz-Heddergott R, Erytch N, Edmunds S, Roßmann L, Bastians H, Concin N, Moll UM, Dobbelstein M (2017) Strong antitumor synergy between DNA crosslinking and HSP90 inhibition causes massive premitotic DNA fragmentation in ovarian cancer cells. Cell Death Differ. 24(2):300-316. doi: 10.1038/cdd.2016.124. Epub 2016 Nov 11
  • Klusmann I, Rodewald S, Müller L, Friedrich M, Wienken M, Li Y, Schulz-Heddergott R, Dobbelstein M (2016) p53 Activity Results in DNA Replication Fork Processivity. Cell Rep. 17(7):1845-1857. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.10.036
  • Kari V, Mansour WY, Raul SK, Baumgart SJ, Mund A, Grade M, Sirma H, Simon R, Will H, Dobbelstein M, Dikomey E, Johnsen SA (2016) Loss of CHD1 causes DNA repair defects and enhances prostate cancer therapeutic responsiveness. EMBO Rep. 2016 Nov;17(11):1609-1623
  • Sriraman A, Li Y, Dobbelstein M (2016) Fortifying p53 - beyond Mdm2 inhibitors. Aging (Albany NY). 8(9):1836-1837. doi: 10.18632/aging.101073. No abstract available
  • Sriraman A, Radovanovic M, Wienken M, Najafova Z, Li Y, Dobbelstein M (2016) Cooperation of Nutlin-3a and a Wip1 inhibitor to induce p53 activity. Oncotarget. 7(22):31623-38. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.9302
  • Krönung SK, Beyer U, Chiaramonte ML, Dolfini D, Mantovani R, Dobbelstein M (2016) LTR12 promoter activation in a broad range of human tumor cells by HDAC inhibition. Oncotarget. 7(23):33484-97. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.9255
  • Wienken M, Dickmanns A, Nemajerova A, Kramer D, Najafova Z, Weiss M, Karpiuk O, Kassem M, Zhang Y, Lozano G, Johnsen SA, Moll UM, Zhang X, Dobbelstein M (2015) MDM2 Associates with Polycomb Repressor Complex 2 and Enhances Stemness-Promoting Chromatin Modifications Independent of p53. Mol Cell. 2016 Jan 7;61(1):68-83. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2015.12.008. Epub 2015 Dec 31