Telomere biology and chromosomal inheritance

Telomere shortening occurs during normal cell proliferation and limits the lifespan of most cell populations. In stem cells and many cancers, telomeric DNA is replenished by the enzyme telomerase. Our group is working on understanding the assembly and regulation of telomerase. Specifically, we are interested in defining the roles of RNA chaperones in telomerase biogenesis, the mechanisms of chromosome end capping and the role telomeres play in maintaining resilience from the cellular to organismal level.

It is our overarching goal to identify compounds that can limit the lifespan of tumour cells or boost the proliferative potential of desired cell populations, and could be used in regenerative therapies or to promote longevity.

Research website

Positions held

  • Since 2021: Director, Centre for Healthy Ageing, Mainz
  • Since 2018: Adjunct Director, Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) and Professor of Molecular Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University, (JGU), Mainz
  • 2013 - 2019: Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, USA
  • 2013 - 2018: Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, USA
  • 2009 - 2013: Early Career Scientist, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Associate Investigator at Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Associate Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, USA
  • 2004 - 2008: Assistant Investigator, Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Assistant Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, USA
  • 2000 - 2002: Research Associate, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA
  • 1998 - 2000: Postdoctoral fellow, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

Education

  • 1998: PhD in Biochemistry, University College London, UK
  • 1994: MPhil in Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, UK
  • 1993: BA in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, UK

Selected publications by Peter Baumann

Páez-Moscoso DJ, Pan L, Sigauke RF, Schroeder MR, Tang W and Baumann P (2018) Pof8 is a La-related protein and a constitutive component of telomerase in fission yeastNat Commun, 9:587 Link

Tseng CK, Wang H-F, Schroeder MR and Baumann P (2018) The H/ACA complex disrupts triplex in hTR precursor to permit processing by RRP6 and PARNNat Commun, 9:5430 Link

Cole CJ, Taylor HL, Neaves WB, Baumann DP, Newton A, Schnittker R and Baumann P (2017) The second known tetraploid species of parthenogenetic tetrapod (Reptilia: Squamata: Teiidae): Description, reproduction, comparisons with ancestral taxa, and origins of multiple clonesBull Museum Comp Zool, 161:285–321 Link

Newton AA, Schnittker RR, Yu Z, Munday SS, Baumann DP, Neaves WB and Baumann P (2016) Widespread failure to complete meiosis does not impair fecundity in parthenogenetic whiptail lizardsDevelopment, 143:4486–4494 Link

Kannan R, Helston RM, Dannebaum RO and Baumann P (2015) Diverse mechanisms for spliceosome-mediated 3’ end processing of telomerase RNANat Commun, 6:6104 Link