Jürgen Lassak

PD Dr. Jürgen Lassak is an active faculty member at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), affiliated with the Department of Microbiology within the Graduate School Life Science Munich (LSM). His research program focuses on fundamental mechanisms of bacterial physiology, with particular emphasis on protein translation regulation and specialized metabolic pathways.

Dr. Lassak's primary research interests center on bacterial translation mechanisms, especially the role of elongation factor EF-P in resolving ribosome stalling at polyproline sequences, and the metabolism of non-canonical compounds such as Maillard reaction products (e.g., Nε-carboxymethyllysine). His work integrates molecular genetics, biochemical analysis, and structural biology to investigate post-translational modifications, ribosome function, and bacterial adaptation to metabolic stressors. Key themes include proline codon usage, enzyme catalysis in detoxification pathways, and regulatory networks controlling specialized metabolism.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2020-2024) reveals consistent focus on translation elongation mechanisms and bacterial metabolism of advanced glycation end-products. His research demonstrates how bacteria exploit unconventional nutrient sources through specialized enzymes like decarboxylases and transaminases, while his work on EF-P and paralogs provides fundamental insights into translational regulation. The publications span high-impact journals covering molecular microbiology, biochemistry, and bacterial genetics.

As a core faculty member of LSM, Dr. Lassak contributes to doctoral education in life sciences at LMU. His laboratory employs genetic, biochemical, and structural approaches to address questions in bacterial physiology, with implications for understanding microbial adaptation and potential biotechnological applications. Current research directions include characterization of novel protein modifications and metabolic pathways in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas species.