CV

Dr. med. Katja Höpker

Academic education

2022 - present Senior physician (Oberärztin) for pulmonology
2021 - Boarded specialist for internal medicine and pulmonology (Fachärztin für Innere Medizin und Pneumologie)
2017 - 2021 Resident (Assistenzärztin) in pulmonology, supervisor: PD Dr. Konrad Frank, Department III of Internal Medicine and Cystic Fibrosis Center Department of Pediatrics, supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jörg Dötsch, University Hospital Cologne
2015 Boarded specialist for internal medicine and nephrology (Fachärztin für Innere Medizin und Nephrologie)
2008 - 2015 Resident (Assistenzärztin) Department II of Internal Medicine, supervisor: Prof. Dr. Thomas Benzing, University Hospital Cologne
2006 - 2007 Resident (Assistenzärztin) Department II of Internal Medicine, supervisor: Prof. Dr. Gerd Walz, University Hospital Freiburg
1997 - 2005 Medical School University of Freiburg, Germany

Scientific degrees

2020 Habilitation: “Regulation of the DNA damage response signal transduction in carcinogenesis and degenerative kidney diseases”, University of Cologne, 2020, mentor: Prof. Dr. Thomas Benzing
2006 Doctorate:” Identification of the transport-protein PACS-1 as a nephrocystin interacting protein”, University of Freiburg, 2006, degree: summa cum laude, supervisor: Prof. Dr. Gerd Walz

Scientific career

04/2022 – present Oberärztin (senior physician) and Research Group Leader Pulmonology, Internal Medicine III, University Hospital of Cologne
2008 – 2017 Postdoctoral researcher and Research Group Leader, Nephrolab, Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of Cologne

Honors/ Awards/ Memberships

2022 – present Member of the steering committee of the Lung Cancer Center Cologne/Solingen (Vorstandsmitglied Lungenkrebszentrum Köln/Solingen, LuKS)
2022 - present Member the of CoPf-program “Coaching for Future Female Professors”
2022 Travelgrant of SFB1399 for a workshop for endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy of the European Respiratory Society (ERS)
2020 - present Member of the European Respiratory Society (ERS)
2020 - present Member of the German Society of pulmonology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pneumologie)
2019-2020 Gusyk-family-support-position for researchers with family responsibilities (Gusyk-Familienförderstelle Universität zu Köln)
2015 - present Member of the German Society for Internal Medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Innere Medizin DGIM)
2013-2015 Köln-Fortune stipend for female habilitation prospects (Köln Fortune Stipendium zur Förderung des weiblichen Wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses mit dem Ziel der Habilitation)
2014 3. Professorinnenprogramm University of Cologne
2014 - present Member of the editorial board of the journal “Frontiers in Pediatrics”

10 most relevant publications

  • Welcker D, Jain M, Khurshid S, Jokić M, Höhne M, Schmitt A, Frommolt P, Niessen CM, Spiro J, Persigehl T, Wittersheim M, Büttner R, Fanciulli M, Schermer B, Reinhardt HC, Benzing T, Höpker K. AATF suppresses apoptosis, promotes proliferation and is critical for Kras-driven lung cancer. Oncogene. 2018 Jan 11. doi: 10.1038/s41388-017-0054-6. Epub 2018 Jan 11. PubMed PMID: 29321668

  • Elia AE, Rellos P, Haire LF, Chao JW, Ivins FJ, Hoepker K, Mohammad D, Cantley LC, Smerdon SJ, Yaffe MB. The molecular basis for phospho-dependent substrate targeting and regulation of Plks by the Polo-box domain. Cell 2003 Oct 3;115(1):83-95. PubMed PMID: 14532005

  • Jain M, Kaiser RWJ, Hoehne M, Göbel H, Müller RU, Fogo AB, Benzing T, Schermer B, Höpker K*, Slaats GG*. Inactivation of AATF in renal cells induces accumulation of DNA damage and nephronophthisis. Kidney Int. 2019 Apr;95(4):846-858. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2018.10.034. Epub 2019 Feb 13. PMID: 30770218. *Equal contribution

  • Höpker K*, Hagmann H*, Khurshid S, Chen S, Hasskamp P, Seeger-Nukpezah T, Schilberg K, Heukamp L, Lamkemeyer T, Los ML, Thomas RK, Lowery D, Roels F, Fischer M, Liebau MC, Resch U, Kisner T, Röther F, Bartram MP, Müller RU, Fabretti F, Kurschat P, Schumacher B, Gaestel M, Medema RH, Yaffe MB, Schermer B, Reinhardt HC, Benzing T. AATF/Che-1 acts as a phosphorylation-dependent molecular modulator to repress p53 driven apoptosis. EMBOJ. 2012 Oct 17;31(20):3961-75. PubMed PMID: 22909821. *Equal contribution

  • Bruno T, De Nicola F , Corleone G, Catena V , Goeman F, Pallocca M, Sorino C, Bossi G, Amadio B, Cigliana G , Ricciardi MR, Petrucci MT, Spugnini EP, Baldi A , Cioce M, Cortese G, Mattei E, Merola R, Gianelli U, Baldini L, Pisani F , Gumenyuk S, Mengarelli A, Höpker K, Benzing T, Vincenzi B, Floridi A, Passananti C, Blandino G, Iezzi S, Fanciulli M. Che-1/AATF-induced transcriptionally active chromatin promotes cell proliferation in multiple myeloma. Blood Adv 2020 Nov 24;4(22):5616-5630. .PMID: 33186461

  • Desantis A, Bruno T, Catena V, de Nicola F, Goeman F, Iezzi S, Sorino C, Gentileschi MP, Germoni S, Monteleone V, Pellegrino M, Kann M, d'Onorio de Meo P, Pallocca M, Höpker K, Moretti F, Mattei E, Reinhardt HC, Floridi A, Passananti C, Benzing T, Blandino G, Fanciulli M. Che-1 modulates the decision between cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by its binding to p53. Cell Death Dis. 2015 May 21;6:e1764. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2015.117. PubMed PMID: 25996291

  • Kaiser RWJ, Ignarski M, Van Nostrand EL, Frese CK, Jain M, Cukoski S, Heinen H, Schaechter M, Seufert L, Bunte K, Frommolt P, Keller P, Helm M, Bohl K, Höhne M, Schermer B, Benzing T, Höpker K, Dieterich C, Yeo GW, Müller RU, Fabretti F. A protein-RNA interaction atlas of the ribosome biogenesis factor AATF. Sci Rep. 2019 Jul 30;9(1):11071. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-47552-3. PMID: 31363146

  • Ignarski M, Rill C, Kaiser RWJ, Kaldirim M, Neuhaus R, Esmaillie R, Li X, Klein C, Bohl K, Petersen M, Frese CK, Höhne M, Atanassov I, Rinschen MM, Höpker K, Schermer B, Benzing T, Dieterich C, Fabretti F, Müller RU. The RNA-Protein Interactome of Differentiated Kidney Tubular Epithelial Cells. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2019 Apr;30(4):564-576. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2018090914. Epub 2019 Mar 13. PubMed PMID: 30867249

  • Schermer B*, Höpker K*, Omran H, Ghenoiu C, Fliegauf M, Fekete A, Horvath J, Köttgen M, Hackl M, Zschiedrich S, Huber TB, Kramer-Zucker A, Zentraf H, Blaukat A, Walz G, Benzing T. Phosphorylation by casein kinase 2 induces PACS-1 binding of nephrocystin and targeting to cilia. EMBO J. 2005 Dec 21;24(24):4415-25. PubMed PMID: 16308564. *Equal contribution

  • Liebau MC*, Müller RU*, Höpker K*, Schmedding I, Zank S, Schairer B, Fabretti F, Höhne M, Bartram MP, Dafinger C, Hackl M, Burst V, Habbig S, Zentgraf H, Blaukat A, Walz G, Genzing T, Schermer B. Nephrocystin-4 regulates Pyk2-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of nephrocystin-1 to control targeting to monocilia. J Biol Chem. 2011 Apr 22:286(16):14237-45. PubMed PMID: 19281745. *Equal contribution

Contact Information

Dr. med. Katja Höpker SFB1399
Dr. med. Katja Höpker

Research Group leader

University Hospital Cologne

Clinic III for Internal Medicine

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

CV