Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences

PD. Dr. rer. nat. Laura Zelarayán-Behrend

Research Group Leader, Principal Investigator Institute of Phamacology and Toxicology


  • Biochemistry Study, National University of Tucumán (UNT), Argentina, 1996-2001
  • Diploma-Biochemist (officially approved) University of Hamburg, Germany, 2004
  • Postgraduate studies in Molecular Biology, University of Hamburg, Germany, 2003-2005
  • Doctoral Thesis, Centre of Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg (ZMNH), University of Hamburg, Germany, 2002-2005
  • Habilitation, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany, 2010-2015
  • Research Group Leader, Principal Investigator, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, since 2010



Major Research Interests


  • Molecular Cardiology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Molecular Pharmacology
  • Cardiovascular Genetic
  • Epigenetic and Biochemistry



Homepage Department/Research Group

https://pharmacology.umg.eu/research/zelarayan-lab/

Selected Recent Publications


  • 1. M. Iyer, Sankari Nagarajan, Monique Woelfer, Eric Schoger, Sara Khadjeh, Maria Patapia Zafiriou, Vijayalakshmi Kari, Jonas Herting, Sze Ting Pang, Tobias Weber, Franziska S. Rathjens, Thomas H. Fischer, Karl Toischer, Gerd Hasenfuss, Claudia Noack, Steven A. Johnsen and
    Laura C. Zelarayán (2018). A context-specific cardiac beta-catenin and GATA4 interaction influences TCF7L2 occupancy and remodels chromatin driving disease progression in the adult heart. Nucleic Acids Research doi: 10.1093/nar/gky049 (IF 11.561).

  • 2. Zafiriou, M.P., C. Noack, B. Unsold, M. Didie, E. Pavlova, H.J. Fischer, H.M. Reichardt, M.W. Bergmann, A. El-Armouche, W. Hubertus-Zimmermann, and L.C. Zelarayan (2014) Erythropoietin responsive cardiomyogenic cells contribute to heart repair post myocardial infarction. Stem Cells 32(9):2480-91 (IF 5.587).

  • 3. Renger A, Zafiriou MP, Noack C, Pavlova E, Becker A, Sharkova K, Bergmann MW, El-Armouche A, Zimmermann WH,
    Zelarayan LC (2013). The Four and a Half LIM-domain (FHL) 2 Controls Early Cardiac Cell Commitment and Expansion via Regulating beta-catenin-Dependent Transcription. Stem Cells 31:928-40 (IF 5.587).

  • 4. Noack C, Zafiriou MP, Schaeffer HJ, Renger A, Pavlova E, Dietz R, Zimmermann WH, Bergmann MW, Zelarayan LC (2012) Krueppel-like factor 15 regulates Wnt/beta-catenin transcription and controls cardiac progenitor cell fate in the postnatal heart. EMBO Mol Med 4: 992-1007 (IF 10.293).

  • 5. Zelarayan LC, Noack C, Sekkali B, Kmecova J, Gehrke C, Renger A, Zafiriou MP, van der Nagel R, Dietz R, de Windt LJ, Balligand JL, Bergmann MW (2008). Beta-Catenin downregulation attenuates ischemic cardiac remodeling through enhanced resident precursor cell differentiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105: 19762-19767 (IF 9.504).