Dipl. Biol. Robert Heinen

Office:	M3-128
Lab:	W7-270
Phone Office	+49-521-106-2908
Phone Lab	+49-521-106-5379
Fax:	+49-521-106-6411
e-mail:	rheinen{at}techfak. uni-bielefeld.de
Postal-Address:	Technische Fakultät Universität Bielefeld GK Bioinformatik Postfach 100 131 D-33501 Bielefeld

In November 2003 he joined the graduate school for Bioinformatics (Graduiertenkolleg Bioinformatik ) as a PhD student at the University of Bielefeld. His supervisor is PD Dr. Thomas Schmitt-John at the department of Developmental Biology & Molecular Pathology at the University of Bielefeld.

His field of research is the prediction and characterization of functional non-translated RNA-elements with a focus on microRNAs. MicroRNAs are highly conserved ~22 nt long RNAs. They are a recently discovered new class of noncoding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. MicroRNAs repress the translation through imperfect base pair binding to 3'UTR sequences of target genes. Up to now more than 200 miRNAs have been identified in human and mouse, but target genes have not been identified yet with only few exceptions. In this PhD thesis project new miRNA targets are predicted by the tool RNAhybrid (Rehmsmeier et. al 2004; RNA 10(10):1507-17). Next some interesting predicted high scoring targets are validated by cell culture reporter assays. Finally the biological function of validated miRNA/target interactions will be characterised in vivo.

HomePage Developmental Biology & Molecular Pathology
HomePage AG-PI