Dr. Andrè Scheffel
Group: “Algal Biomineralization”
New Position: Chair of Microalgal cell and molecular Biology (Heisenberg)
Dr. Andrè Scheffel’s group investigated the biology of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) biogenesis and morphogenesis in unicellular algae termed coccolithophores. By focusing on Emiliania huxleyi, the most prominent coccolithophore in the world’s oceans and Pleurochrysis carterae as model coccolithophores they employed biochemical and genomic/molecular biology approaches to identify the proteins involved in coccolith biogenesis and morphogenesis.To pave the way for functional in vivo analysis of the identified members of the coccolith-forming machinery they developed transformtion systems and genetic tools for both coccolithophores. The projects of the group involved a broad spectrum of methods in biochemistry (protein isolation and purification, identification, and charakterization), molecular and cell biology (e.g. genetic transformation of algae, organelle isolation, flow cytometry, flourescence and electron microscopy).