Research Areas

Cell division, adhesion and migration are tightly regulated during embryonic development. Dysregulation of these processes often lead to developmental diseases or malignant transformation. Our lab uses the cutting-edge microscopy, multi-omics and gene-editing approaches to decipher the underlying mechanisms of mitosis, cell adhesion and their interplay. We aim to understand the biological relevance of these mechanisms in the three-dimensional environment and tumor progression. 

Highlights

1. Deciphering the molecular mechanism underlying focal adhesion disassembly at mitotic entry

2. The role of human phosphatase CDC14A in cell migration and adhesion

Honors

• 2022 Young Investigator Award of German Society for Matrix Biology

• 2022 Junior Scientist Publication Award of Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry

• 2016 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad

Related News

CDK1-cyclin-B1-induced kindlin degradation drives focal adhesion disassembly at mitotic entry.  

Selected Publications

1. Nan-Peng Chen#; Jonas Aretz; Reinhard Fässler#; CDK1–cyclin-B1-induced kindlin degradation drives focal adhesion disassembly at mitotic entry, Nature Cell Biology, 2022, 24: 723-736. (#corresponding authors)(Faculty Opinions recommended: https://facultyopinions.com/article/742068317)

2. Nan-Peng Chen; Zhiqi Sun; Reinhard Fässler; The Kank family proteins in adhesion dynamics, Current Opinion In Cell Biology, 2018, 54(1): 130-136

3. Nan-Peng Chen; Borhan Uddin; Robert Hardt; Wen Ding; Marko Panic; Ilaria Lucibello; Patricia Kammerer; Thomas Ruppert; Elmar Schiebel; Human phosphatase CDC14A regulates actin organization through dephosphorylation of epithelial protein lost in neoplasm, PNAS, 2017, 114(20): 5201-5206

4. Borhan Uddin*; Nan-Peng Chen*; Marko Panic; Elmar Schiebel ; Genome editing through large insertion leads to the skipping of targeted exon, BMC genomics, 2015, 16(1): 1-10. (#co-first authors)

5. Patrick Partscht; Alexander Simon; Nan‐Peng Chen; Sylvia Erhardt; Elmar Schiebel; The HIPK2/CDC14B-MeCP2 axis enhances the spindle assembly checkpoint block by promoting cyclin B translation, Science Advances, 2023, 9(3)

6. Alba Zuidema; Paul Atherton; Maaike Kreft; Liesbeth Hoekman; Onno B. Bleijerveld; Nagarjuna Nagaraj; Nan-Peng Chen; Reinhard Fassler; Arnoud Sonnenberg; PEAK1 Y635 phosphorylation regulates cell migration through association with Tensin3 and integrins, Journal of Cell Biology, 2022, 221(8)

7. Borhan Uddin; Patrick Partscht; Nan‐Peng Chen; Annett Neuner; Manuel Weiß; Robert Hardt; Aliakbar Jafarpour; Bernd Heßling; Thomas Ruppert; Holger Lorenz; Gislene Pereira; Elmar Schiebel; The human phosphatase CDC 14A modulates primary cilium length by regulating centrosomal actin nucleation, EMBO reports, 2018, 20(1)

8. Guang‐Rong Yan; Chuan‐Le Xiao; Gui‐Wei He; Xing‐Feng Yin; Nan‐Peng Chen; Ya Cao; Qing‐Yu He; Global phosphoproteomic effects of natural tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein, on signaling pathways, Proteomics, 2010, 10(5): 976-986