Karl Forchhammer

Karl Forchhammer is a full Professor at the University of Tübingen, chairing the Department of Microbiology/Organismic Interactions within the Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT). He received his education at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, earning a Doctorate in Microbiology with a thesis on selenocysteine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli, for which he received the VAAM Promotionspreis in 1992. His academic career includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institut Pasteur and associate professorship at the Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen (1999-2007).

• Current Roles:
  • Chair of Microbiology/Organismic Interactions, University of Tübingen
  • Editor for FEBS Journal
  • Scientific Advisory Board member, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology
  • DFG panel member (Microbiology, Virology, Immunology)

His research focuses on:

• PII Signal Transduction Proteins: Molecular mechanisms of 2-oxoglutarate sensing, ATP/ADP binding dynamics, and regulatory roles in carbon-nitrogen balance across bacteria, archaea, and chloroplasts.
• Nitrogen Starvation Response: Molecular basis of chlorosis in Synechocystis and Synechococcus species, including nblA gene regulation and sodium bioenergetics during dormancy.
• Metabolic Engineering Applications: Development of FRET sensors for metabolite detection and optimization of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production in cyanobacteria.
• Carbon Regulation Systems: Structural analysis of SbtB redox-sensitive loops, c-di-AMP signaling in diurnal metabolism, and PirC-mediated phosphoglycerate mutase inhibition.
• Technological Innovations: Creation of SCAGE method for cyanobacterial transport and development of magnetic bead immunoassays for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Scientific contributions include:

• Discovery of plant kingdom's first glutamine sensory mechanism through PII evolution
• Elucidation of PII-NAGK functional conservation over 1.2 billion years
• Identification of 2-oxoglutarate binding site in PII proteins
• Demonstration of sodium bioenergetics' critical role in cyanobacterial developmental transitions
• Development of metabolite FRET sensors for real-time metabolic monitoring
• Establishment of PHB production platforms without nitrogen starvation

His lab has trained 15+ PhD students and 3+ PostDocs, with collaborations spanning microbial biotechnology, structural biology, and environmental systems. Recent publications highlight:

• 2025 work on natural microbial community-enhanced bioplastic production
• 2024 structural studies of PII-regulated enzymes
• 2023-2024 investigations into glycogen metabolism and redox regulation
• 2022-2023 studies on c-di-AMP signaling and toxin-antitoxin systems