| 1960 | Dipl.-Uebersetzer, University of Heidelberg |
| 1970 | Dr. rer. nat, University of Tuebingen |
| 1970-74 | Postdoc, MPI Tuebingen |
| 1974-79 | Group Leader, EMBL, Heidelberg |
| 1979-84 | Heisenberg Fellow, MPI for Medical Research Heidelberg and Dept. of Biology, University of Heidelberg |
| 1984-91 | Group Leader, ZMBH, Heidelberg |
| 1991- 2006 |
Director, Institute of Developmental Neurobiology, ZMNH, Hamburg |
ZMBH,Im Neuenheimer Feld 282 |
H. Chica Schaller
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| Developmental Neurobiology In early development of the nervous system intercellular communication is important for establishing network patterns. One main aim of our research was to find out how extracellular signals are transmitted over appropiate receptor complexes to the interior of the cell to regulate proliferation, differentiation, pattern formation and behavior. One of the external signals, which influences early events in neuronal and neuroendocrine development, is the neuropeptide head activator (HA). HA was first discovered in the coelenterate hydra, later also in other animals. The structure of the undecapeptide HA was found to be identical from hydra to humans. In hydra HA stimulates head-specific growth and regeneration, acting as growth factor at picomolar concentrations for cell proliferation and, at nanomolar concentrations, as signal for cell determination. In mammals HA has several functions, the most prominent being stimulation of proliferation of neural and other precursor cells, stabilization of nerve cell survival, and enhancement of neurite outgrowth. HA also plays a role in abnormal development by acting as growth factor in tumors especially of neuroectodermal or neuroendocrine origins. In the adult brain HA is involved in memory consolidation and acts as positive factor in the arousal system. In neurodengerative disorders like Alzheimer and Parkinson disease HA and HA interacting molecules seem to have neuroprotective functions.
Selected Publications: Ignatov, A, Robert, J, Gregory-Evans, C, Schaller, HC (2006), RANTES stimulates Ca2+ mobilization and inositol triphosphorate (IP3) formation in cells transfected with G protein-coupled receptor 75. Br J Pharmacol. 149, 490-497 (see Abstract). Rezgaoui, M, Susens, U, Ignatov, A, Gelderblom, M, Glassmeier, G, Franke, I, Urny J, Imai, Y, Takahashi, R, Schaller, HC (2006), The neuropeptide head activator is a high-affinity ligand for the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor GPR37. J Cell Sci. 119 , 542-549. Erratum in: J Cell Sci 2006 119 , 970 (see Article). Susens, U, Hermans-Borgemeyer, I, Urny, J, Schaller, HC (2006), Characterisation and differential expression of two very closely related G-protein-coupled receptors, GPR139 and GPR142, in mouse tissue and during mouse development. Neuropharmacology, 50 , 512-520 (see Article). Ignatov, A, Hermans-Borgemeyer, I, Schaller, HC (2004), Cloning and characterisation of a novel G-protein-coupled receptor with homology to galanin receptors. Neuropharmacology, 46 , 1114-1120 (see Article). Ignatov, A, Lintzel, J, Hermans-Borgemeyer, I, Kreienkamp, HJ, Joost, P, Thomsen, S, Methner, A, Schaller, HC (2003), Role of the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR12 as high-affinity receptor for sphingosylphosphorylcholine and its expression and function in brain development. J Neurosci. 23 , 907-914 (see Article). Boels, K, Glassmeier, G, Herrmann, D, Riedel, IB, Hampe, W, Kojima, I, Schwarz, JR, Schaller, HC (2001), The neuropeptide head activator induces activation and translocation of the growth-factor-regulated Ca(2+)-permeable channel GRC. J Cell Sci. 114 , 3599-3606 (see Article). Wittenberger, T, Schaller, HC, Hellebrand, S (2001), An expressed sequence tag (EST) data mining strategy succeeding in the discovery of new G-protein coupled receptors. J Mol Biol., 307, 799-813 (see Article). Hampe, W, Riedel, IB, Lintzel, J, Bader, CO, Franke, I, Schaller, HC (2000), Ectodomain shedding, translocation and synthesis of SorLA are stimulated by its ligand head activator. J Cell Sci. 113 , 4475-4485 (see Article). Hampe, W, Urny, J, Franke, I, Hoffmeister-Ullerich, SA, Herrmann, D, Petersen, CM, Lohmann, J, Schaller, HC (1999), A head-activator binding protein is present in hydra in a soluble and a membrande-anchored form. Development, 126, 4077-4086 (see Article).
Schaller, HC, Bodenmuller, H (1981), Isolation and amino acid sequence of a morphogenetic peptide from hydra. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 78 , 7000-7004 (see Abstract).
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