Prof. Dr. Cristina Paulino
Universität Heidelberg,
Biochemie-Zentrum der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
E-mail: cristina.paulino@bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
Phone: +49 6221 544173
Research Area
Structural Biology
Position and Status
Professor
Scholarships and awards
2022 Call for W3 Professorship, University of Saarland, DE (declined)
2022 Award from the Netherlands Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NVBMB), NL
2017 – 2018 Postdoctoral Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (early termination)
2016 – 2017 Independent Postdoctoral fellowship from the University of Zurich, CH
2014 PhD awarded with the highest distinction (summa cum laude)
2009 – 2013 PhD Fellowship from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation
University training and degree
2006 - 2008 MSc in Biochemistry, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, DE
2003 – 2006, BSc in Biochemistry, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, DE
01/2004 – 04/2004 - BSc thesis work at the University of Milan (IT). Supervisor: Dr. Gabriella Consonni.
Advanced academic qualifications
2014, PhD, thesis supervisor Prof. Dr. Werner Kühlbrandt, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, DE
Postgraduate professional career
2023 - present - Professor for Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Biochemistry Center, Heidelberg University, DE
2022 - 2023 - Associate Professor in Structural Biology and Membrane Enzymology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB), University of Groningen, NL
2017 - 2022 - Assistant Professor in Structural Biology and Membrane Enzymology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB), University of Groningen, NL
2014 - 2017 - Postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Dr. Raimund Dutzler, University of Zurich, CH
Coordinating functions and editorial work
2023 – present Lead manager and steering committee member of the HD-CryoNET platform and CellNetworks Core Technology Platform, Heidelberg University, DE
2022 – present Chair and spokesperson of the Structural Biology workgroup of the German Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM), DE
2017 – present Executive Board member of The Netherlands Electron Microscopy Infrastructure (NEMI), NL
2017 – present Vice-Chair of User Advisory Board of the Netherlands Centre for Electron Nanoscopy (NeCEN), NL
2019 – 2023 Board member of WISE, the female network of the faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Groningen, NL
2020 – 2022 SBGrid Consortium Steering Committee
2018 – 2020 Editorial Advisory Board member of the Journal of General Physiology
2019 Member of the selection & appointment advisory committee for the 2019 Rosalind Franklin Professor Program at the University of Groningen, NL
2019 Scientific Advisory Board member of BRAINSTRUC Initiative, DK
- Kalienkova, V., Peter, M. F., Rheinberger, J. & Paulino, C. Structures of a sperm-specific solute carrier gated by voltage and cAMP. Nature 623, 202-209 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06629-w
- Thangaratnarajah, C., Nijland, M., Borges-Araújo, L., Jeucken, A., Rheinberger, J., Marrink, S. J., Souza, P. C. T., Paulino, C. & Slotboom, D. J. Expulsion mechanism of the substrate- translocating subunit in ECF transporters. Nature Communications 14, 4484 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40266-1
- Silberberg, J. M., Stock, C., Hielkema, L., Corey, R. A., Rheinberger, J., Wunnicke, D., Dubach, V. R. A., Stansfeld, P. J., Hänelt, I. & Paulino, C. Inhibited KdpFABC transitions into an E1 off-cycle state. eLife 11, e80988 (2022). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.80988
- Thangaratnarajah C, Rheinberger J, Paulino C*, Slotboom DJ* , (2021) Insights into the bilayer- mediated toppling mechanism of a folate-specific ECF transporter by cryo-EM, PNAS 24, 118(34); https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2105014118
- Garibsingh, R.-A. A., Ndaru, E., Garaeva, A. A., Shi, Y., Zielewicz, L., Zakrepine, P., Bonomi, M., Slotboom, D. J., Paulino, C., Grewer, C. & Schlessinger, A. Rational design of ASCT2 inhibitors using an integrated experimental-computational approach. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118, e2104093118 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2104093118
- Sikkema, H. R., van den Noort, M., Rheinberger, J., de Boer, M., Krepel, S. T., Schuurman- Wolters, G. K., Paulino, C. & Poolman, B. Gating by ionic strength and safety check by cyclic- di-AMP in the ABC transporter OpuA. Science Advances 6, eabd7697 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd7697
- Garaeva, A. A., Guskov, A., Slotboom, D. J. & Paulino, C. A one-gate elevator mechanism for the human neutral amino acid transporter ASCT2. Nature Communications 10, 3427 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11363-x
- Alvadia, C., Lim, N. K., Clerico Mosina, V., Oostergetel, G. T., Dutzler, R. & Paulino, C. Cryo- EM structures and functional characterization of the murine lipid scramblase TMEM16F. eLife 8, e44365 (2019). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.44365
- Garaeva, A. A., Oostergetel, G. T., Gati, C., Guskov, A., Paulino, C. & Slotboom, D. J. Cryo-EM structure of the human neutral amino acid transporter ASCT2. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 25, 515-521 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-018-0076-y
- Paulino, C., Kalienkova, V., Lam, A. K. M., Neldner, Y. & Dutzler, R. Activation mechanism of the calcium-activated chloride channel TMEM16A revealed by cryo-EM Nature 552, 421-425 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature24652