Biography summary
Dr Dichtl’s did his PhD studies at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany and at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland working on the molecular toxicity of lithium and the processing of ribosomal RNA and transfer RNA precursors. Supported by an EMBO long-term fellowship he then took up post-doctoral work at the Biocenter, in Basel Switzerland where he studied the mechanisms of pre-mRNA polyadenylation and transcription termination. A highly competitive and prestigious Foerderprofessur grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) allowed him to establish his own research group at the Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Switzerland. There, he expanded his research activities to the analyses of chromatin modifying enzymes and the assembly of multi-protein complexes. Dr Dichtl’s laboratory relocated to Deakin University at the end of 2010. In 2014 he won an ARC Discovery Project grant to study the mechanisms of protein complex formation.
Research interests
1) The role and regulation of alternative polyadenylation in health and disease.
Pre-mRNA 3’ end formation is an essential RNA maturation step that impacts on virtually all aspects of mRNA function. The process adds a tail of approximately 250 adenosines to the 3’ end of mRNA and determines the length of the 3’ Un-Translated Region (3’UTR), which is targeted by a large number of regulatory factors. Control of 3’UTR length via alternative Polyadenylation (APA) is an important mechanism to control gene expression. We are interested in the regulation of APA and how it is integrated with cellular signaling pathways.
2) The function and regulation of the Set1C histone methyltransferase.
Histone modifying enzymes regulate diverse processes that occur in association with chromatin. We performed extensive yeast two-hybrid screening in order to identify novel cellular roles for the Set1C chromatin-modifying enzyme. This resulted in a recent publication in Science (Acquaviva et al., 2013), where we identified the molecular mechanisms, which link chromatin modification of histone H3 lysine 4 to the formation of double strand DNA breaks, to initiate the process of meiotic recombination.
3) Co-translational protein complex formation.
Multi-protein complexes constitute some of the most relevant molecular units of cellular function. Despite their important role it remains mysterious how eukaryotic cells manage to assemble with precision hundreds of different complexes in the crowded cytoplasmic compartment that produces thousands of nascent proteins at the same time. Recently published work from our laboratory demonstrated that assembly of protein complexes can be initiated on nascent proteins as they emerge from the ribosome (Halbach et al, 2009). We are currently investigating the functional significance of co-translational protein interactions.
Units taught
SLE212 Biochemistry (Unit chair)
SLE222 Biochemical Metabolism (Unit chair)
Several exiting Honours projects as well as SLE314 Research projects are available in my lab! Please write me an email if you would like to have a chat about those projects!
Publications
Julia Choate, Danica Vojisavljevic, Fiona Carroll, David Carroll, Caitlin Filby, Bernhard Dichtl
(2022), Vol. 12, pp. 92-103, Higher Education Studies, Toronto, Ont., C1
R Turner, P Harrison, A Swaminathan, C Kraupner-Taylor, B Goldie, M See, A Peterson, R Schittenhelm, D Powell, D Creek, B Dichtl, T Beilharz
(2021), Vol. 10, eLife, England, C1
R Turner, L Henneken, M Liem-Weits, P Harrison, A Swaminathan, R Vary, I Nikolic, K Simpson, D Powell, T Beilharz, B Dichtl
(2020), Vol. 26, pp. 969-981, RNA, United States, C1
N Williams, B Dichtl
(2018), Vol. 46, pp. 197-206, Biochemical Society Transactions, C1
A role for Mog1 in H2Bub1 and H3K4me3 regulation affecting RNAPII transcription and mRNA export
P Oliete-Calvo, J Serrano-Quílez, C Nuño-Cabanes, M Pérez-Martínez, L Soares, B Dichtl, S Buratowski, J Pérez-Ortín, S Rodríguez-Navarro
(2018), Vol. 19, EMBO Reports, England, C1
T Beilharz, P Harrison, D Miles, M See, U Le, M Kalanon, M Curtis, Q Hasan, J Saksouk, T Margaritis, F Holstege, V Geli, B Dichtl
(2017), Vol. 205, pp. 185-199, Genetics, United States, C1
The COMPASS subunit Spp1 links histone methylation to initiation of meiotic recombination
L Acquaviva, L Szekvolgyi, B Dichtl, B Dichtl, L De, A Nicolas, V Geli
(2013), Vol. 339, pp. 215-218, Science, Washington, D.C., C1
Polyglutamine tracts as modulators of transcriptional activation from yeast to mammals
L Atanesyan, V Günther, B Dichtl, O Georgiev, W Schaffner
(2012), Vol. 393, pp. 63-70, Biological chemistry, Berlin, Germany, C1-1
S Holbein, S Scola, B Loll, B Dichtl, W Hübner, A Meinhart, B Dichtl
(2011), Vol. 6, pp. 1-10, PLoS One, San Francisco, Calif, C1-1
R Alexander, J Barrass, B Dichtl, M Kos, T Obtulowicz, M Robert, M Koper, I Karkusiewicz, L Mariconti, D Tollervey, B Dichtl, J Kufel, E Bertrand, J Beggs
(2010), Vol. 16, pp. 2570-2580, RNA, Woodbury, N.Y., C1-1
Coupled RNA polymerase II transcription and 3′ end formation with yeast whole-cell extracts
L Mariconti, B Loll, K Schlinkmann, A Wengi, A Meinhart, B Dichtl
(2010), Vol. 16, pp. 2205-2217, RNA, Woodbury, N.Y., C1-1
S Holbein, A Wengi, L Decourty, F Freimoser, A Jacquier, B Dichtl
(2009), Vol. 15, pp. 837-849, RNA, Woodbury, N.Y., C1-1
Cotranslational assembly of the yeast SET1C histone methyltransferase complex
A Halbach, H Zhang, A Wengi, Z Jablonska, I Gruber, R Halbeisen, P Dehe, P Kemmeren, F Holstege, V Geli, A Gerber, B Dichtl
(2009), Vol. 28, pp. 2959-2970, Embo Journal, London, England, C1-1
S Holbein, F Freimoser, T Werner, A Wengi, B Dichtl
(2008), Vol. 36, pp. 353-363, Nucleic acids research, Oxfird, England, C1-1
The role of the putative 3′ end processing endonuclease Ysh1p in mRNA and snoRNA synthesis
M Garas, B Dichtl, W Keller
(2008), Vol. 14, pp. 2671-2684, RNA, Woodbury, N.Y., C1-1
P Dehe, B Dichtl, D Schaft, A Roguev, M Pamblanco, R Lebrun, A Rodríguez-Gil, M Mkandawire, K Landsberg, A Shevchenko, A Shevchenko, L Rosaleny, V Tordera, S Chávez, V Géli
(2006), Vol. 281, pp. 35404-35412, Journal of biological chemistry, Baltimore, Md, C1-1
Coupling between snoRNP assembly and 3' processing controls box C/D snoRNA biosynthesis in yeast
M Morlando, M Ballarino, P Greco, E Caffarelli, B Dichtl, I Bozzoni
(2004), Vol. 23, pp. 2392-2401, EMBO journal, London, England, C1-1
B Dichtl, R Aasland, W Keller
(2004), Vol. 10, pp. 965-977, RNA, Woodbury, N. Y., C1-1
Independent functions of yeast Pcf11p in pre-mRNA 3´ end processing and in transcription termination
M Sadowski, B Dichtl, W Hubner, W Keller
(2003), Vol. 22, pp. 2167-2177, EMBO journal, London, England, C1-1
A Kyburz, M Sadowski, B Dichtl, W Keller
(2003), Vol. 31, pp. 3936-3945, Nucleic acids research, Oxford, England, C1-1
M Morlando, P Greco, B Dichtl, A Fatica, W Keller, I Bozzoni
(2002), Vol. 22, pp. 1379-1389, Molecular and cellular biology, Washington, D. C., C1-1
Yhh1p/Cft1p directly links poly(A) site recognition and RNA polymerase II transcription termination
B Dichtl, D Blank, M Sadowski, W Hubner, S Weiser, W Keller
(2002), Vol. 21, pp. 4125-4135, EMBO journal, London, C1-1
A role for SSU72 in balancing RNA polymerase II transcription elongation and termination
B Dichtl, D Blank, M Ohnacker, A Friedlein, D Roeder, H Langen, W Keller
(2002), Vol. 10, pp. 1139-1150, Molecular cell, Cambridge, Mass., C1-1
Recognition of polyadenylation sites in yeast pre-mRNAs by cleavage and polyadenylation factor
B Dichtl, W Keller
(2001), Vol. 20, pp. 3197-3209, EMBO journal, London, England, C1-1
Yeast Rnt1p is required for cleavage of the pre-ribosomal RNA in the 3' ETS but not the 5' ETS
J Kufel, B Dichtl, D Tollervey
(1999), Vol. 5, pp. 909-917, RNA, Woodbury, N. Y., C1-1
Pop3p is essential for the activity of the RNase MRP and RNase P ribonucleoproteins in vivo
B Dichtl, D Tollervey
(1997), Vol. 16, pp. 417-429, EMBO journal, London, England, C1-1
Lithium toxicity in yeast is due to the inhibition of RNA processing enzymes
B Dichtl, A Stevens, D Tollervey
(1997), Vol. 16, pp. 7184-7195, EMBO journal, London, England, C1-1
Properties of an in vitro selected Pb2+ cleavage motif
T Pan, B Dichtl, O Uhlenbeck
(1994), Vol. 33, pp. 9561-9565, Biochemistry, Washington, D. C., C1-1
Replacement of RNA hairpins by in vitro selected tetranucleotides
B Dichtl, T Pan, A di Renzo, O Uhlenbeck
(1993), Vol. 21, pp. 531-535, Nucleic acids research, Oxford, England, C1-1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Australian Competitive Grants
Co-translational protein complex formation: a fundamental pathway of cellular organization?
Dr Bernhard Dichtl, Asst/Prof Daniel Zenklusen, Asst/Prof Marlene Oeffinger
ARC - Discovery Projects
- 2016: $122,647
- 2015: $120,597
- 2014: $118,475
Industry and Other Funding
Regulation and assembly of the Set1C/COMPASS histone methyltransferase
Dr Bernhard Dichtl
Swiss National Science Fund Research Grant
- 2011: $153,758
Supervisions
Shashank Masaldan
Thesis entitled: Investigating Metal aberrations in Cellular Senescence
Doctor of Philosophy (Life & Env), School of Life and Environmental Sciences