معرفی
Professor Raffael Schaffrath is a Full Professor of Microbiology at the University of Kassel, Germany, where he heads the Department of Microbiology within the Institute of Biology. His research career spans over three decades with significant contributions to molecular genetics, RNA modifications, and protein modification pathways. Schaffrath maintains active international collaborations, including previous positions at Leicester University and Harvard Medical School.
His educational background includes a Biology Diploma from the University of Münster (1991), PhD from the University of Leicester (1995), and Habilitation in Genetics from the University of Halle (2003). Throughout his career, he has held positions including University Assistant/Lecturer at the University of Halle (1997-2007), Reader in Genetics at Leicester University (2007-2011), and Honorary Reader at Leicester University (2011-2016).
Schaffrath's research primarily focuses on cell growth control mechanisms involving microbial protein toxins, particularly tRNases and ADP ribosyl-transferases. His laboratory investigates the significance of post-transcriptional RNA modifications, with special emphasis on the biology and regulation of the tRNA modifier complex Elongator. Additionally, his work explores the patho-/physiology of post-translational protein modifications, including urmylation and diphthamide formation. His research has important implications for understanding translation regulation, cellular stress responses, and potential connections to human diseases.
Analysis of his recent publications (2022-2025) reveals a strong focus on the structural and functional characterization of the Elongator complex using cryo-EM techniques, diphthamide biosynthesis pathways, and the interplay between tRNA modifications and cellular physiology. His work spans multiple model systems including yeast, Arabidopsis, and human proteins, demonstrating the evolutionary conservation of these modification pathways. A recurring theme is how these molecular modifications affect translational fidelity, stress responses, and developmental processes.
His scientific recognition includes prestigious fellowships such as the Feodor Lynen Fellowship at Harvard Medical School, the Marine Biological Laboratory Molecular Mycology Summer Fellowship, and the Alexander von Humboldt Feodor Lynen Fellowship.
Schaffrath leads the Schaffrath & Stark Labs at the University of Kassel, where his research has been supported by various funding mechanisms including DFG Priority Programs focused on Chemical Biology of Native Nucleic Acid Modifications and Iron-Sulfur for Life. His laboratory utilizes the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a primary model system to study protein and RNA modification pathways that influence mRNA translation, protein synthesis, and cell growth.
The laboratory environment emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, combining molecular genetics, biochemistry, structural biology, and systems biology to unravel the complex networks of post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications that regulate fundamental cellular processes.
