Dr Kai Erdmann

Senior Lecturer

Department of Biomedical Science
& Centre for Membrane Interactions and Dynamics (CMIAD)
The University of Sheffield
Western Bank
Sheffield S10 2TN

email: K.Erdmann@sheffield.ac.uk

Career history

• 2012-present: Senior Lecturer, University of Sheffield
• 2006-2012: Privatdozent, Group leader, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
• 2005-2006: Research Associate, Yale University School of Medicine, USA
• 2003-2005: Feodor Lynen Fellow (Alexander von Humboldt foundation), Yale University School of Medicine, USA
• 1998-2003: Junior group leader, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
• 1996-1998: Postdoctoral work, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
• 1993-1996: PhD, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
• 1987-1992: Diploma, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany

Research interests

Membrane trafficking and signalling in polarised cells. Role of multi-PDZ domain proteins in cancer formation, metastasis and tumor invasion.
Our group is interested in the regulation of membrane trafficking and its relation to human diseases. In particular we are interested in the molecular mechanism leading to Lowe syndrome, a X-linked disease characterized by congenital cataracts, mental retardation and kidney failure. Moreover, we analyze the molecular function of multi-PDZ domain proteins (PTPN13 and FRMPD2) in vesicular trafficking and signal transduction as well as their role in cancer development and progression.

Activities and distinctions Coordinator of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) TRANSPOL Visiting scientist Yale University School of Medicine (Sept/Oct. 2011) Eurotrans-Bio (ETB) Award (2011) (consortium) Feodor Lynen postdoctoral fellow (Alexander von Humboldt foundation) (2003-2005)

Funding DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) Fritz Thyssen foundation EU

Recent publications

Hagemann, N., Hou, X., Goody, R.S., Itzen, A., Erdmann, K.S.
Crystal structure of the Rab binding domain of OCRL1 in complex with Rab8 and functional implications of the OCRL1/Rab8 module for Lowe syndrome.
Small GTPases (2012), in press.

Hou, X., Hagemann, N., Schoebel, S., Blankenfeldt, W., Goody, R.S., Erdmann, K.S.*,  Itzen, A.*
A structural basis for Lowe syndrome caused by mutations in the Rab binding domain of OCRL1.
EMBO J., 30, 1659-1670 (2011). [*corresponding author]

Stenzel, N., Fetzer, C.P., Heumann, R., and Erdmann, K.S.
PDZ-domain-directed basolateral targeting of the peripheral membrane protein FRMPD2 in epithelial cells.
J. Cell Sci., 122, 3374-3384 (2009).

Mao, Y., Balkin, D.M., Zoncu, R., Erdmann, K.S., Tomasini, L., Hu, F., Jin, M.M., Hodson, M.E., and De Camilli, P.
A PH domain within OCRL bridges clathrin-mediated membrane trafficking to phosphoinositide metabolism.
EMBO J., 28, 1831-1842. (2009).