Zoological Institute

Zoological Institute

brainswick

The Zoological Institute of the TU Braunschweig consists of the following subdivisions: Evolutionary Biology, Molecular Cell Biology, Cellular Neurobiology, Cell Physiology and Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology.  More information about the subdivisions is found on the individual pages.

The institute is spread over three locations:  The centrally located Biocenter in Spielmannstr. 7 (Cellular Neurobiology, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Molecular Cell Biology, Cell Physiology), the adjacent old building in Spielmannstr. 8 (Molecular Cell Biology, Cell Physiology) and the building in Mendelssohnstr. 4 (Evolutionary Biology), near the Sports Center.

There are about 70 employees at the institute.  They come from Brasil, Egypt, China, Estonia, France, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Ukraine, Venezuela...  

Our reseach focusses on...

Cellular Neurobiology
Our brain has a tremendously complicated task to perform: It must process a continuous flow of sensory information and at the same time store and retrieve memories, some for a lifetime. The transmission of chemical messengers between nerve cells takes place at the synapses as well as the generation and storage of new information codes.
Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
The transparent zebrafish embryo offers a powerful combination of genetics with in vivo imaging. By using the broad repertoire of molecular and genetic methods available in zebrafish, we try to dissect the underlying molecular network governing neuronal differentiation, homeostasis and regeneration directly in vivo.
Evolutionary Biology
Biodiversity - the diversity of animals, plants and micro-organisms - is, despite its enormous importance, only recorded and understood to a small extent. Therefore, there is no doubt that research into species diversity remains one of the greatest challenges in biology: Which processes lead to the emergence of species? Why have certain strain lines produced greater species diversity and ecological and morphological diversity than others?
Cell Physiology
Excitatory and inhibitory transmission between neurons in the brain needs to be thoroughly regulated and coordinated. Deregulation of this coordination ultimately results in nervous system disorders. A core aspect of our work concerns the study of the brain at the molecular level, by investigating RNA editing and alternative RNA splicing. In particular, we analyze key components of the molecular machine responsible for inhibition of electrical impulses, i.e. glycine receptors (GlyR) and GABA type A receptors (GABA(A)R) as well as the postsynaptic scaffold protein gephyrin.
Molecular Cell Biology
Our team is mainly concerned with the molecular mechanisms that control the formation and remodeling of different cellular actin structures. The actin cytoskeleton forms different structures with innumerable functions. These range from highly organized, contractile bundles of actin and myosin filaments, such as those found in skeletal or heart muscles, to highly transient actin accumulations in endo- or phagocytosis or the highly dynamic cell extensions of migrating cells, such as lamellipodia and filopodia.
Announcements
At this point we would like to draw your attention to current seminars, conferences or publications...