Prof. Dr. Ernst J.M. Helmreich (✝︎)

Ernst Helmreich hat u. a. über den Wirkungsmechanismus des Digitalis, über den Stoffwechsel der Fruktose, über die Beziehungen von Fett und Zuckerstoffwechsel, über den Wirkungsmechanismus des Insulin, die Synthese und Sekretion von Antikörpern in lebenden Zellen, über Transportprozesse in der Membran und die Synthese und Sekretion von Antikörpern in lebenden Zellen, über die Rolle des Pyridoxalphosphats in der Katalyse der Glykogenphosphorylase und über die Rolle der G Proteine und der ß-adrenergen Rezeptoren gearbeitet. Außerdem hat er sich um die Entwicklung von Methoden bemüht, fluoreszierende Moleküle zu synthetisieren, um diese in situ zu lokalisieren.

In the course of his scientific life, Ernst Helmreich has worked, among others, on the mechanism of Digitalis action and has discovered an inhibition of cell oxydation by high doses of digitalis (digitoxin). He has studied the metabolism of Fruktose and the differences between the Fructose metabolism and the metabolism of Glucose. Ernst Helmreich investigated the interactions of the fat metabolism with the carbohydrate metabolism, the mechanism of Insulin-action, the synthesis and the secretion of antibodies in living lymphnodecells and transport through the Plasmamembrane of living cells. He has studied the role of the 5’-phosphate of the cofactor pyridoxal 5’-phosphate in the catalysis of  Glykogenphosphorylase. Later, one of his major interests became the mechanism of action of G Protein-coupled ß-adrenergic receptors and their mobility in the plasmamembrane. Ernst Helmreich has also tried to design suitable, fluorescent molecules for the visualization of ß-adrenergic receptors in living cells.