Research

Main Research Interests: intracellular transport, nuclear pore complexes, importins & exportins, intrinsically disordered proteins & phase separation, recombinant antibodies

Dirk Görlich is a biochemist. His research focuses on transport processes in cells. He is interested to learn how transport signals are processed, how nuclear pore complexes operate as highly efficient transport vehicles and how intrinsically unordered nuclear pore proteins (FG domains) assemble into a selective permeability barrier.

Transport processes are essential for every lifeform that contains a cell nucleus (eucaryotes). The nucleus requires proteins and cytoplasma, whereas the cytoplasma requires molecules (tRNA, mRNA) and ribosomes. Since the nucleus is protected by two membranes, which are impermeable for macromolecules, transport is conducted by nuclear pore complexes. They are embedded in the nuclear envelope and function as gates. Dirk Görlich investigates these nuclear pores, especially their permeability. On the one hand, the pores avoid mixing of the substances inside of the nucleus with the cytoplasma. On the other hand, they allow large macromolecules to pass through, after recognizing them as import-, or export substrates, respectively (importin-exportin complexes).

Görlich identified the receptor for translating ribosomes and the protein-conducting channel of the endoplasmic reticulum, namely the heterotrimeric Sec61αβγ complex. He also successfully reconstituted a fully functional membrane “translocon” from purified components. Further, he demonstrated its capacity to transport secretory proteins across the membrane of the endoplasmatic reticulum and integrated type I and type II membrane proteins into the lipid bilayer.

He also discovered the first importins as mediators of protein import into the cell nucleus. He put forward the RanGTP-gradient model to explain the directionality and energetics of nuclear transport, and his group was instrumental in discovering and characterizing exportins, which mediate export from the cell nucleus.

Career

• since 2005 Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen
• 2001-2005 Professor for Molecular Biology und Vice Director of the Center for Molecular Biology, University Heidelberg
• 1996-2005 Research group leader at the Center for Molecular Biology, University Heidelberg
• 1993-1995 Postdoc at the laboratory of R. A. Laskey, Cambridge, UK
• 1993 PhD in biochemistry the Humboldt University Berlin
• 1990-1993 Researcher at the laboratory of Tom A. Rapoport, Berlin
• 1989 Diploma in biochemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
• 1985-1989 Study of biochemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg

Projects

• since 2010 DFG  project “Strukturelle Prinzipien der Substraterkennung durch Exportine“, subproject of SFB 860 “Integrative Strukturbiologie dynamischer makromolekularer Komplexe“
• since 2007 Involved in the DFG-postgraduate school GSC 226 “Göttinger Graduiertenschule für Neurowissenschaften, Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften“
• 2004-2007 DFG project “Transportprozesse zwischen Zellkern und Zytoplasma“, subproject of SFB 638 „Dynamik makromolekularer Komplexe im biosynthetischen Transport“
• 2002-2007 DFG project “Understanding complete transport cycles mediated by importin beta-type nuclear transport receptors in situ and in living cells“, subproject of SPP 1050 “Funktionelle Architektur des Zellkerns“
• 1999-2002 DFG project “Time-of-Flight-Hybrid-Massenspektrometrie mit Electrospray Ionization zur Identifizierung und biochemischen Charakterisierung physiologischer und pathogenetischer Signaltransduktions- und Interaktionspartner von Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) und Presenilinen bei neuronaler Entwicklung, Plastizität“
• 1998-2007 DFG project “Die Rolle der GTPase Ran bei der Translokation durch den Kernporenkomplex“, subproject of SPP 1050 “Funktionelle Architektur des Zellkerns“
• 1998-2003 DFG project “Mechanismen und Komponenten des Kern-Zytoplasma-Transports“, subproject of SFB 352 “Molekulare Mechanismen intrazellulärer Transportprozesse“
• 1996-2004 Involved in the DFG-postgraduate school 230 “Molekulare Zellbiologie“

Honours and Memberships

• 2024 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine, Fondation Louis Jeantet, Geneva, Switzerland
• 2022 WLA Prize of the World Laureates Association (WLA), Shanghai, China
• 2018 Research Award for animal welfare of the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (together with Tino Pleiner)
• since 2005 Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• 2001 Alfried Krupp-Förderpreis für junge Hochschullehrer
• since 1997 Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
• 1997 Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Preis
• 1997 EMBO Gold Medal
• 1994 Falcon-Preis, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zellbiologie
• 1993 Karl Lohmann-Preis der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Biologische Chemie