Ph.D. Theses

The mammalian CLOCK:BMAL1 transcription factor complex and its coactivators CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300 and mixed-lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1) play a central role in circadian transcriptional regulation and chromatin modification. The interactions of BMAL1’s C-terminal transactivation domain (TAD) with the KIX domain of CBP/p300 (activating) and with CRY1 (repressing) as well as the BMAL1 G-region preceding the TAD regulate the circadian oscillations [...]

De novo protein design represents an exciting opportunity to explore the conformational space unsampled by nature and develop novel protein folds and functionality. One of the current challenges in the protein design field is the design of proteins that change their conformation in response to environmental cues [...]

The Arabidopsis thaliana E3 ubiquitin ligase SAUL1 (SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED E3 UBIQUITIN LIGASE 1), which acts as a positive regulator during pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), is characterized by two intriguing hallmarks.(i) On the one hand, SAUL1 is guarded by two heteromeric nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat protein (NLR) complexes. These initiate an inducible effector-triggered immunity (ETI) in the saul1 1 mutant [...]

Peroxisomes are dynamic eukaryotic organelles that require import of their membrane and matrix proteins by soluble receptors in the cytosol. Their biogenesis, protein import, and proliferation are regulated by a distinct set of proteins, collectively called peroxins.Two peroxins, Pex3 and Pex19, are involved in the insertion of various Peroxisomal Membrane Proteins (PMPs) in the peroxisomal membrane and are thus crucial for its formation [...]

Utrahochenergetische kosmische Strahlung (ultra-high-energy cosmic rays -- UHECR) besteht aus ionisierten Atomkernen mit den höchsten Teilchenergien, die je gemessen wurden. Zwar wurden die Quellen von UHECRs noch nicht eindeutig identifiziert, doch gibt es deutliche Anzeichen, dass sie extragalaktisch sind. [...]

Measurements of the luminosity and of top quark pair production in association with a Z boson ($\mathrm{t}\bar{\mathrm{t}}\mathrm{Z}$) in proton-proton collisions with the CMS experiment at the LHC are presented.The luminosity measurement of the CMS experiment is calibrated with the Van der Meer (VdM) method, based on data collected during beam separation scans. A calibration of the length scale is performed using data from constant-separation scans. [...]

Medium-Mn steel has drawn tremendous attention recently for automotive lightweight applications, because of its excellent combination of high strength and superior formability. The present work aims at an in-depth understanding of the process-microstructure-property relationship in medium-Mn steel. [...]

Dark Matter composes a significant part of the Universe, while its physical nature remains unknown. This thesis presents two searches for Dark Matter produced in association with heavy Standard Model particles using pp collision data at a center-of-mass energy of s√=13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. [...]

The Charge-density-wave (CDW) is a static modulation of the density of conduction electrons which is accompanied by a periodic distortion of the lattice. Although CDW mechanisms have been established in one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) systems, the driving force behind the CDW remains an enigma for three-dimensional (3D) systems. [...]