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Publications

2023

de Capitani, J., Mutschler, H.
The Long Road to a Synthetic Self-Replicating Central Dogma.
Biochemistry in press (2023).

Salditt, A., Karr, L., Salibi, E., Le Vay, K., Braun, D.*, Mutschler, H.*
Ribozyme-mediated RNA synthesis and replication in a model Hadean microenvironment.
Nat Commun 14, 1495 (2023).

Salibi, E.#, Peter, B. #, Schwille, P.*, Mutschler, H.*
Periodic temperature changes drive the proliferation of self-replicating RNAs in vesicle populations.
Nat Commun 14, 1222 (2023).

Hürtgen, D., Mascarenhas, J. #, Vibhute, M. A. #, Weise, L. I. Mayr, V. S., Sourjik, V.*, Mutschler, H.*
Engineering a Synthetic RNA Segregation System.
ChemSystemsChem, e202200028 (2023).

Vibhute, M. A. *, Mutschler, H.*
A Primer on Building Life‐Like Systems.
ChemSystemsChem 5, e202200033 (2023).

2022

Le Vay K., Salibi E., Ghosh B., Tang TY-D.*, Mutschler H.*
Ribozyme-phenotype coupling in peptide-based coacervate protocells
bioRxiv 2022.10.25.513667

Salditt A., Karr L., Salibi E., Braun D.*, Mutschler H.*
Complete RNA replication cycles in a Hadean microcompartment,
19 September 2022, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square

Salibi E., Peter B., Schwille P.*, Mutschler H.*
Exchange, catalysis and amplification of encapsulated RNA driven by periodic temperature changes,
12 September 2022, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square

Wagner, A., Weise, L.I. & Mutschler, H.
In vitro characterisation of the MS2 RNA polymerase complex reveals host factors that modulate emesviral replicase activity.
Communications Biology, 2022, 5, 264

Szokoli D., Le Vay K.K., Mutschler, H.
PCR Methods for the Generation of Catalytic ssDNA.
Methods in Molecular Biology, 2022, 2439, 27-44

Le Vay K.K. & Mutschler, H.
Generation of RNA with 2′, 3′-Cyclic Phosphates by Deoxyribozyme Cleavage in Frozen Solutions
Methods in Molecular Biology, 2022, 2439, 301-309

Iglesias-Artola, J.M., Drobot, B., Kar, M., Tang, T-YD., Mutschler, H. Kreysing, M.
Charge-density reduction promotes ribozyme activity in RNA–peptide coacervates via RNA fluidization and magnesium partitioning.
Nature Chemistry, 2022, in press

2021

Le Vay K*#, Song EY#, Ghosh B, Tang T-YD*, Mutschler H*.
Enhanced ribozyme-catalyzed recombination and oligonucleotide assembly in peptide-RNA condensates.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2021, 60, 26096-26104
*corresponding, #contributed equally

Matreux T#, Le Vay K#, Schmid A, Aikkila P, Belohlavek L, Çalışkanoğlu AZ, Salibi E, Kühnlein A, Springsklee C, Scheu B, Dingwell DB, Braun D, Mutschler H*, Mast CB*.
Heat flows in rock cracks naturally optimize salt compositions for ribozymes.
Nature Chemistry (2021).
#contributed equally, *corresponding authors

Wagner A, Weise L, Mutschler H.
In vitro characterisation of the MS2 RNA polymerase complex reveals novel host factors that modulate leviviral replicase activity,
12 April 2021, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square

2020

Libicher K, Mutschler H. 
Probing self-regeneration of essential protein factors required for in vitro translation activity by serial transfer (2020),
Chemical Communications, 2020, 56, 15426-15429

Song EY, Jiménez EI, Lin H, Le Vay, K, Krishnamurthy R*, Mutschler H*. 
Prebiotically plausible RNA activation compatible with ribozyme‐catalyzed ligation (2020),
Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2020, 60, 2952-2957
*co-corresponding

Donau C, Späth F, Sosson M, Kriebisch B, Schnitter F, Tena-Solsona M,Kang HS, Salibi E, Sattler M, Mutschler H, Job Boekhoven J. 
Active coacervate droplets as a model for membraneless organelles and protocells (2020),
Nature Communications, 11, 5167

Le Vay K, Mutschler H,
How DNA and RNA subunits might have formed to make the first genetic alphabet (2020),
Nature, 582, 33-34

Libicher K, Hornberger R, Heymann M, Kriebisch B, Mutschler H.
In vitro self-replication and multicistronic expression of large synthetic genomes (2020),
Nature Communications, 11, 904

2019

Le Vay K*, Salibi E#, Song Y#, Mutschler H*.
Nucleic acid catalysis under potential prebiotic conditions (2019), 
Chemistry—An Asian Journal, https://doi.org/10.1002/asia.201901205
*corresponding authors, #contributed equally

Mutschler H*, Robinson T*, Tang TYD*, Wegner S*
Special Issue on Bottom‐Up Synthetic Biology (2019), 
ChemBioChem, 20, 2533-2534

Weise LI, Heymann M, Mayr V, Mutschler H.
Cell-free expression of RNA encoded genes using MS2 replicase (2019), 
Nucleic Acids Research, gkz817

Le Vay K and Mutschler H.
The difficult case of an RNA-only origin of life (2019) 
Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, ETLS20190024

Morasch M, Liu J, Dirscherl C, Ianeselli A, Kühnlein A, Le Vay K, Schwintek P, Islam S, Corpinot M, Scheu B, Dingwell D, Schwille P, Mutschler H, Powner M, Mast C, and Braun D.
Heated gas bubbles enrich, crystallize, dry, phosphorylate, and encapsulate prebiotic molecules (2019) 
Nature Chemistry, 11, 779-788

Le Vay K, Weise LI, Libicher K, Mascarenhas J, Mutschler H.
Templated Self‐Replication in Biomimetic Systems (2019) 
Advanced BioSystems, 3, 1800313

2018

Mutschler H#*, Taylor AI*, Porebski BT, Lightowlers A, Houlihan G, Abramov M, Herdewijn P, Holliger P#.
Random-sequence genetic oligomer pools display an innate potential for ligation and recombination (2018) 
eLife, 7:e43022 
#corresponding authors, *joint first-authors

Drobot B, Iglesias-Artola JM*, Le Vay K*, Mayr V, Kar M, Kreysing M#Mutschler H#, Tang TYD#.
Compartmentalized RNA catalysis in membrane - free coacervate protocells (2018) 
Nature Communications, 9, 3643 
#corresponding authors, *contributed equally

Weise LI, Libicher K, Mutschler H.
Copy, paste, repeat – über die Synthese von Minimalzellen (2018) 
BIOspektrum, 4, 365-367.

Schwille P, Spatz J, Landfester K, Bodenschatz E, Herminghaus S, Sourjik V, Erb T, Bastiaens P, Lipowsky R, Hyman A, Dabrock P, Baret JC, Vidakovic-Koch T, Bieling P, Dimova R, Mutschler H, Robinson T, Tang D, Wegner S, Sundmacher K.
MaxSynBio ‐ Avenues towards creating cells from the bottom up (2018) 
Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 130, 13566-13577

Litschel T, Ganzinger KA, Movinkel T, Heymann M, Robinson T, Mutschler H*, Schwille P*.
Freeze-thaw cycles induce content exchange between cell-sized lipid vesicles (2018) 
New Journal of Physics, 20, 055008
*corresponding authors

before 2018

Cozens C*, Mutschler H*, Nelson GM, Houlihan G, Taylor AI, Holliger P.
Enzymatic Synthesis of Nucleic Acids with Defined Regioisomeric 2′-5′ Linkages (2015) 
Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 54, 15570–15573
*joint first-author

Mutschler H, Wochner A, Holliger P.
Freeze-thaw cycles as drivers of complex ribozyme assembly. (2015) 
Nature Chemistry, 7, 502–508

Mutschler H, Holliger P.
Non-canonical 3'-5' extension of RNA with prebiotically plausible ribonucleoside 2', 3'-cyclic phosphates. (2014) 
Journal of the American Chemical Society, 136, 5193–5196.

Mutschler H, Meinhart A.
ε/ζ systems: their role in resistance, virulence, and their potential for antibiotic development. (2011) 
Journal of Molecular Medicine, 89, 1183-1194.

Mutschler H, Gebhardt M, Shoeman RL, Meinhart A.
A novel mechanism of programmed cell death in bacteria by toxin-antitoxin systems corrupts peptidoglycan synthesis. (2011) 
PLoS Biology, 9, e1001033.

Lunde BM, Reichow SL, Kim M, Suh H, Leeper TC, Yang F, Mutschler H, Buratowski S, Meinhart A, Varani G.
Cooperative interaction of transcription termination factors with the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain. (2010) 
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 17, 1195-1201.

Mutschler H, Reinstein J, Meinhart A.
Assembly dynamics and stability of the pneumococcal epsilon zeta antitoxin toxin (PezAT) system from Streptococcus pneumoniae. (2010) 
Journal of Biological Chemistry, 285, 21797-806.

Kress W, Mutschler H, Weber-Ban E.
Both ATPase domains of ClpA are critical for processing of stable protein structures. (2009) 
Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284, 31441-52.

Vasiljeva L, Kim M*, Mutschler H*, Buratowski S, Meinhart A.
The Nrd1-Nab3-Sen1 termination complex interacts with the Ser5-phosphorylated RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain. (2008) 
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 15, 795-804.
*contributed equally

Kress W, Mutschler H, Weber-Ban E.
Assembly pathway of an AAA+ protein: tracking ClpA and ClpAP complex formation in real time. (2007) 
Biochemistry, 46, 6183-93.

Patents

Use of a new class of nucleotide sugar as antibiotic or cytostatic agent, Mutschler H, Meinhart A. WO Patent 2,012,038,097 (2012)

Book Chapters

Mutschler H, Meinhart A.
Type II Toxin-Antitoxin Loci: The Epsilon/Zeta Family
in: Prokaryotic Toxin-Antitoxins, 205-223. Springer Berlin Heidelberg (2013)

Location & approach

The campus of TU Dort­mund University is located close to interstate junction Dort­mund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dort­mund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is "Dort­mund-Eichlinghofen" (closer to Campus Süd), and from B 1 / A 40 "Dort­mund-Dorstfeld" (closer to Campus Nord). Signs for the uni­ver­si­ty are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dort­mund.

To get from Campus Nord to Campus Süd by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at Campus Nord and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.

TU Dort­mund University has its own train station ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät"). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dort­mund main station ("Dort­mund Hauptbahnhof") and Düsseldorf main station via the "Düsseldorf Airport Train Station" (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 20 or 30 minutes). The uni­ver­si­ty is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.

You can also take the bus or subway train from Dort­mund city to the uni­ver­si­ty: From Dort­mund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station "Stadtgarten", usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At "Stadtgarten" you switch trains and get on line U42 towards "Hombruch". Look out for the Station "An der Palmweide". From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dort­mund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dort­mund main station to the stop "Dort­mund Kampstraße". From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop "Dort­mund Wittener Straße". Switch to bus line 447 and get off at "Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S".

The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dort­mund University. There are two stations on Campus Nord. One ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S") is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the uni­ver­si­ty directly with the city of Dort­mund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the "Technologiepark" and (via Campus Süd) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at Campus Nord and offers a direct connection to Campus Süd every five minutes.

The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.

The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent "Technologiepark".

Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English).