Prof. Dr. Ingrid Hoffmann

Multipolar mitotic spindle

A cell's division is controlled and regulated by the cell cycle. The process requires an intricate coordination – uncontrolled divisions can lead to tumors. Therefore, cells have regulators (regulatory proteins) that control the cell cycle at various stages (checkpoints). When a cell is about to divide, these proteins regulate, for instance, the onset of the duplication of genetic material. If cell cycle control is activated, it inhibits cell division. Thus, the cell has time to perform repair work in the DNA or, if a damage is irreparable, to induce cell death. Our goal is to gain deeper insights into the regulation of the cell cycle in normal and in tumor cells. Furthermore, we are studying a small organelle, the centrosome, which is required to build up the mitotic spindle. Our aim is to understand its function and duplication in coordination with the cell cycle. The findings obtained may provide new approaches for specific interference in the cell cycle of transformed cells.

Cancer cells often harbor aberrant numbers of centrosomes that might cause aneuploidy, a hallmark of many cancer cells. Our aim is therefore to identify and characterize the regulatory proteins that control duplication of the centrosome. We would like to understand how this process is controlled in normal cells and how it is deregulated in cancer cells. Furthermore, we are studying the function of cell cycle regulatory phosphatases and their role in carcinogenesis.