Signal perception at the cell surface and transduction of this signal to the cell's interior is essential to all life forms. Plants have evolved membrane-integral receptor proteins and associated signaling cascades that drastically differ from the well-studied systems in animals. Our aim is to dissect these signaling pathways in mechanistic detail.

Recent publications

• Christie JM, Arvai AS, Baxter KJ, Heilmann M, Pratt AJ, O'Hara A, Kelly SM, Hothorn M, Smith BO, Hitomi K, Jenkins GI, Getzoff ED (2012) Plant UVR8 photoreceptor senses UV-B by tryptophan-mediated disruption of cross-dimer salt bridges. Science 335:1492-1496
• Hothorn M, Dabi T, Chory J (2011) Structural basis for cytokinin recognition by Arabidopsis histidine kinase 4. Nature Chem Biol 7:766-68
• Hothorn M, Belkhadir Y, Dreux M, Dabi T, Noel JP, Wilson IA, Chory J (2011) Structural basis of steroid hormone perception by the receptor kinase BRI1. Nature 474(7352):467-71
• Jaillais Y, Hothorn M, Belkhadir Y, Dabi T, Nimchuk ZL, Meyerowitz EM, Chory J (2011) Tyrosine phosphorylation controls brassinosteroid receptor activation by triggering membrane release of its kinase inhibitor. Genes Dev 25(3):232-7
• Hothorn M, Van den Ende W, Lammens W, Rybin V, Scheffzek K (2010) Structural insights into the pH-controlled targeting of plant cell-wall invertase by a specific inhibitor protein. PNAS 107(4):17427-32
• Hothorn M, Neumann H, Lenherr ED, Wehner M, Rybin V, Hassa PO, Uttenweiler A, Reinhardt M, Schmidt A, Seiler J, Ladurner AG, Herrmann C, Scheffzek K, Mayer A (2009) Catalytic core of a membrane-associated eukaryotic polyphosphate polymerase. Science 324(5926):513-6

 
Ongoing projects in the lab are supported by the Max Planck Society, by an European Research Council starting grant, by a Career Development Award from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Organisation, and by a FEBS postdoctoral fellowship (to Julia Santiago-Cuellar).