Prof. Dr. Markus Wahl
Freie Universität Berlin
Institut für Chemie und Biochemie
Takustr. 6
14195 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0) 30 838-53456
E-mail: markus.wahl@fu-berlin.de
Research Area
Biochemistry
Position and Status
Professor (W3)
Scholarships and awards
2020 - Reinhart Koselleck Grant, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
2014 - Elected Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
2011 - Award for Excellent Teaching, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin
1999, 2001 - Postdoctoral Fellowship, Peter und Traudl Engelhorn-Stiftung
1999 - Sidhu Award, Pittsburgh Diffraction Society
1997 - Postdoctoral Fellowship, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
1996 - Presidential Fellowship, The Ohio State University
1995 - Chung Soo Yoo Award, Pittsburgh Diffraction Society
1995 - Graduate Research Award, Department of Biochemistry, The Ohio State University
1993 - Wilbur Wright Canaga Fellowship, The Ohio State University
1991 - University Fellowship, The Ohio State University
1990 - Fulbright Fellowship, Fulbright Association
University training and degree
1992 - 1993 - Master thesis with Alan G. Marshall, The Ohio State University
1991 - 1993 - Study of Biochemistry, The Ohio State University
1990 - 1991 - Fulbright Fellow in Biochemistry, University of Rochester
1987 - 1990 - Study of Biochemistry, Leibniz Universität Hannover (Vordiplom 1989)
Advanced academic qualifications
2002 - Habilitation (venia legendi) in Biochemistry
Technische Universität München; Mentor: Robert Huber
1996 - PhD in Biochemistry, The Ohio State University; Mentor: Muttaiya Sundaralingam
Postgraduate professional career
2019 - present - Faculty Member, International Max-Planck-Research School “Biology and Computation”, Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
2017 - present - Head of the Joint Research Group “Macromolecular Crystallography”, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin/Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
2009 - present - Professor (W3) of Structural Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin
2012 - 2016 - Faculty Member, IRI Graduate School “Single Molecule RNA Biology“, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
2011 - 2015 - Faculty Member, Leibniz Graduate School “Molecular Biophysics“, Leibniz- Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Berlin-Buch
2008 - 2009 - Professor (W2) of Macromolecular Crystallography, Georg-August- Universität Göttingen
2008 - 2009 - Faculty Member, International Max-Planck Research School “Physics of Biological and Complex Systems“, Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
2007 - 2009 - Faculty Member, Graduate School “Biomolecules: Structure-Function- Dynamics”, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
2006 - Call as a Professor (W3) of Biochemistry, Universität Bayreuth; declined
2003 - 2009 - Faculty Member, International Max-Planck Research School “Molecular Biology“, Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie and Georg- August-Universität Göttingen
2002 - 2009 - Research Group Leader, Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max-Planck- Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen (tenured in 2007)
2002 - 2008 - Lecturer (Privatdozent), Technische Universität München
1997 - 2002 - Postdoctoral fellow with Robert Huber, Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Martinsried
1996 - Postdoctoral research fellow with Muttaiya Sundaralingam, The Ohio State University
Coordinating functions and editorial work
2022 – present - Contact person of the Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie e.V. at Freie Universität Berlin
2021 – present - Member of the Scientific Advisory Board, Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics and Molecular Biosciences
2020 – present - Elected member of the Review Board “Foundations of Biology and Medicine – Structural Biology”, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
2020 – present - Founding Member, Berlin Integrative Structural Biology Network
2011 - present - Member of the Executive Committee of the Collaborative Research Center 958 “Scaffolding of Membranes“
2009 - present - Founding Member “Joint Berlin MX Laboratory“
2018 - Chair, Symposium “Nucleic Acids and Interactions with Proteins”, 31st European Crystallographic Meeting, Oviedo, Spain
2017 - Chair, Symposium “Interactions Between Proteins and Nucleic Acids”, 24th IUCr Congress, Hyderabad, India
2014 - 2015 - Member of the Organizing Committee, 40. FEBS Congress “The Biochemical Basis of Life“, 2015, Berlin
2012 - 2016 - Co-Spokesperson of the Einstein Network “Single Molecule RNA Biology - Dynamics and Function of RNA from Transcription to Degradation“
Most important publications
- Said, N., Hilal, T., Sunday, N. D., Khatri, A., Bürger, J., Mielke, T., Belogurov, G. A., Loll, B., Sen, R., Artsimovitch, I. & Wahl, M. C. Steps toward translocation-independent RNA polymerase inactivation by terminator ATPase ρ. Science 371, eabd1673 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd1673
- Pei, H.-H., Hilal, T., Chen, Z. A., Huang, Y.-H., Gao, Y., Said, N., Loll, B., Rappsilber, J., Belogurov, G. A., Artsimovitch, I. & Wahl, M. C. The δ subunit and NTPase HelD institute a two-pronged mechanism for RNA polymerase recycling. Nature Communications 11, 6418 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20159-3
- Huang, Y.-H., Hilal, T., Loll, B., Bürger, J., Mielke, T., Böttcher, C., Said, N. & Wahl, M. C. Structure-Based Mechanisms of a Molecular RNA Polymerase/Chaperone Machine Required for Ribosome Biosynthesis. Molecular Cell 79, 1024-1036.e1025 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2020.08.010
- Krupp, F., Said, N., Huang, Y.-H., Loll, B., Bürger, J., Mielke, T., Spahn, C. M. T. & Wahl, M. C. Structural Basis for the Action of an All-Purpose Transcription Anti-termination Factor. Molecular Cell 74, 143-157.e145 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2019.01.016
- Said, N., Krupp, F., Anedchenko, E., Santos, K. F., Dybkov, O., Huang, Y.-H., Lee, C.-T., Loll, B., Behrmann, E., Bürger, J., Mielke, T., Loerke, J., Urlaub, H., Spahn, C. M. T., Weber, G. & Wahl, M. C. Structural basis for λN-dependent processive transcription antitermination. Nature Microbiology 2, 17062 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.62
- Mozaffari-Jovin, S., Wandersleben, T., Santos, K. F., Will, C. L., Lührmann, R. & Wahl, M. C. Inhibition of RNA Helicase Brr2 by the C-Terminal Tail of the Spliceosomal Protein Prp8. Science 341, 80-84 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1237515
- Wahl, M. C., Will, C. L. & Lührmann, R. The Spliceosome: Design Principles of a Dynamic RNP Machine. Cell 136, 701-718 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2009.02.009
- Mukherjee, K., Sharma, M., Urlaub, H., Bourenkov, G. P., Jahn, R., Südhof, T. C. & Wahl, M. C. CASK Functions as a Mg<sup>2+</sup>-Independent Neurexin Kinase. Cell 133, 328-339 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2008.02.036
- Liu, S., Li, P., Dybkov, O., Nottrott, S., Hartmuth, K., Lührmann, R., Carlomagno, T. & Wahl, M. C. Binding of the Human Prp31 Nop Domain to a Composite RNA-Protein Platform in U4 snRNP. Science 316, 115-120 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1137924
- Diaconu, M., Kothe, U., Schlünzen, F., Fischer, N., Harms, J. M., Tonevitsky, A. G., Stark, H., Rodnina, M. V. & Wahl, M. C. Structural Basis for the Function of the Ribosomal L7/12 Stalk in Factor Binding and GTPase Activation. Cell 121, 991-1004 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2005.04.015