Deutsch
  • HEK-293T cells infected with Chlamydia trachomatis expressing chlamydial deubiquitinase Cdu1-FLAG
Chair of Microbiology

Prof. Dr. Vera Kozjak-Pavlovic

Contact information:  

Tel.: +49 (0)931-31 88061
E-mail: vera.kozjak@uni-wuerzburg.de
Room: C226

ORCID number
Research Gate
Linkedin

Eva-Maria Hörner

Room: C237
Phone: +49 931 31-87916

Lina Kafuri-Cifuentes

Room: C237
Phone: +49 931 31-81950

Ravisha Rawal

Room: C239
Phone: +49 931 31- 87446

Academic Career

1995-2000:  Undergraduate studies at the Department of Molecular Biology and 
                       Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Serbia;
                       Applied Biochemistry Major

1999-2001:  Research in the group of Dr. Branka Vasiljevic, Laboratory for Molecular
                       Genetics of Actinomycetes, Institute for Molecular Genetics and Genetic
                       Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia

2001-2004:  Ph.D. work in the group of Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Pfanner at the
                       Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
                       Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

2005-2007:  Postdoctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Dr. Thomas Rudel,
                       Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany;
                       Alexander von Humboldt research fellowship

2008-2009:  Maternity leave

since 2009  Group leader at the Biocenter, Department of Microbiology,
                      Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Germany

2013:            Habilitation and venia legendi in microbiology, at the Fakulty of Biology,
                      Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Germany

2015:            Marcella Boveri Prize

2021:            Assistant Professor, Chair of Microbiology, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg

  • Boll V, Hermanns T, Uthoff M, Erven I, Hörner EM, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Baumann U, Hofmann K. Functional and structural diversity in deubiquitinases of the Chlamydia-like bacterium Simkania negevensis. Nat Commun. 2023 Nov 13;14(1):7335. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43144-y.
  • Herbert SL, Fick A, Heydarian M, Metzger M, Wöckel A, Rudel T, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Wulff C. Establishment of the SIS scaffold-based 3D model of human peritoneum for studying the dissemination of ovarian cancer.J Tissue Eng. 2022 Mar 23;13:20417314221088514. doi: 10.1177/20417314221088514.
  • Heydarian M, Rühl E, Rawal R, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. Tissue Models for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Research-From 2D to 3D. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022 Feb 11;12:840122. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.840122.
  • Morgenstern M, Peikert CD, Lübbert P, Suppanz I, Klemm C, Alka O, Steiert C, Naumenko N, Schendzielorz A, Melchionda L, Mühlhäuser WWD, Knapp B, Busch JD, Stiller SB, Dannenmaier S, Lindau C, Licheva M, Eickhorst C, Galbusera R, Zerbes RM, Ryan MT, Kraft C, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Drepper F, Dennerlein S, Oeljeklaus S, Pfanner N, Wiedemann N, Warscheid B. Quantitative high-confidence human mitochondrial proteome and its dynamics in cellular context. Cell Metab. 2021 Dec 7;33(12):2464-2483.e18. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.11.001.
  • Yang S, Constantin OM, Sachidanandan D, Hofmann H, Kunz TC, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Oertner TG, Nagel G, Kittel RJ, Gee CE, Gao S. PACmn for improved optogenetic control of intracellular cAMP. BMC Biol. 2021 Oct 18;19(1):227. doi: 10.1186/s12915-021-01151-9.
  • Kunz TC, Rühling M, Moldovan A, Paprotka K, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Rudel T, Fraunholz M. The Expandables: Cracking the Staphylococcal Cell Wall for Expansion Microscopy. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021 Mar 16;11:644750. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.644750.
  • Motaharehsadat Heydarian, Matthias Schweinlin, Thomas Schwarz, Ravisha Rawal, Heike Walles, Marco Metzger, Thomas Rudel*, Vera Kozjak-Pavlovic*. Triple co-culture and perfusion bioreactor for studying the interaction between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and neutrophils: A novel 3D tissue model for bacterial infection and immunity. Journal of Tissue Engineering. 2021 Jan 21; https://doi.org/10.1177/2041731420988802
     
  • Götz R, Kunz TC, Fink J, Solger F, Schlegel J, Seibel J, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Rudel T, Sauer M. Nanoscale imaging of bacterial infections by sphingolipid expansion microscopy. Nat Commun. 2020 Dec 2;11(1):6173. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19897-1.
  • Koch RD, Hörner EM, Münch N, Maier E, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. Modulation of Host Cell Death and Lysis Are Required for the Release of Simkania negevensis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020 Oct 29;10:594932. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.594932.
  • Yang T, Heydarian M, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Urban M, Harbottle RP, Rudel T. Folliculin Controls the Intracellular Survival and Trans-Epithelial Passage of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020 Sep 4;10:422. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00422.
  • Kunz TC, Götz R, Gao S, Sauer M, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. Using Expansion Microscopy to Visualize and Characterize the Morphology of Mitochondrial Cristae. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020 Jul 15;8:617. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.0061
  • Wagner F, Kunz TC, Chowdhury SR, Thiede B, Fraunholz M, Eger D, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. Armadillo repeat-containing protein 1 is a dual localization protein associated with mitochondrial intermembrane space bridging complex. PLoS One. 2019 Oct 23;14(10):e0218303. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218303.
  • Kunz TC, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. Diverse Facets of Sphingolipid Involvement in Bacterial Infections. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2019 Sep 19;7:203. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00203.
  • Heydarian M, Yang T, Schweinlin M, Steinke M, Walles H, Rudel T, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. Biomimetic Human Tissue Model for Long-Term Study of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection. Front Microbiol. 2019 Jul 31;10:1740. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01740.
     
  • Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Herweg JA, Rudel T. The role of host cell organelles in the development of Simkania negevensis. Int J Med Microbiol. 2017 Oct 28. pii: S1438-4221(17)30336-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2017.10.008.
     
  • Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Chowdhury SR, Rudel T (2017) Fragment and Conquer. Cell Host Microbe. 22(3):255-257. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2017.08.014.
     

  • Chowdhury SR, Reimer A, Sharan M, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Eulalio A, Prusty BK, Fraunholz M, Karunakaran K, Rudel T. (2017) J Cell Biol. 216(4):1071-1089. PubMed

  • Chiusolo V, Jacquemin G, Yonca Bassoy E, Vinet L, Liguori L, Walch M, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Martinvalet D. (2017) Granzyme B enters the mitochondria in a Sam50-, Tim22- and mtHsp70-dependent manner to induce apoptosis. Cell Death Differ. 24(4):747-758. PubMed

  • Reimer A, Seufert F, Weiwad M, Ebert J, Bzdyl NM, Kahler CM, Sarkar-Tyson M, Holzgrabe U, Rudel T, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. (2016) Inhibitors of macrophage infectivity potentiator-like PPIases affect neisserial and chlamydial pathogenicity. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 48(4):401-8. PubMed
     
  • Cheng C, Othman EM, Reimer A, Grüne M, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Stopper H, Hentschel U, Abdelmohsen UR. (2016) Ageloline A, new antioxidant and antichlamydial quinolone from the marine sponge-derived bacterium Streptomyces sp. SBT345. Tetrahedron Lett. doi:10.1016/j.tetlet.2016.05.041
     
  • Kozjak-Pavlovic V. (2016) The MICOS complex of human mitochondria. Cell Tissue Res.  367(1):83-93. PubMed
     
  • Gao S, Nagpal J, Schneider MW, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Nagel G, Gottschalk A. (2015) Optogenetic manipulation of cGMP in cells and animals by the tightly light-regulated guanylyl-cyclase opsin CyclOp. Nat Commun. 6:8046. PubMed
     
  • Reimer A, Blohm A, Quack T, Grevelding CG, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Rudel T, Hentschel U, Abdelmohsen UR. (2015) Inhibitory activities of the marine streptomycete-derived compound SF2446A2 against Chlamydia trachomatis and Schistosoma mansoni. J Antibiot (Tokyo). 68(11):674-9. PubMed
     
  • Frank DO, Dengjel J, Wilfling F, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Häcker G, Weber A. (2015) The pro-apoptotic BH3-only protein Bim interacts with components of the translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOM). PLoS One. 10(4):e0123341. PubMed
     
  • Ott C, Dorsch E, Fraunholz M, Straub S, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. (2015) Detailed analysis of the human mitochondrial contact site complex indicate a hierarchy of subunits. PLoS One. 10(3):e0120213. PubMed
     
  • Faulstich M, Hagen F, Avota E, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Winkler AC, Xian Y, Schneider-Schaulies S, Rudel T. (2015) Neutral sphingomyelinase 2 is a key factor for PorB-dependent invasion of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Cell Microbiol. 17(2):241-53. PubMed
     
  • Ioakeimidis F, Ott C, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Violitzi F, Rinotas V, Makrinou E, Eliopoulos E, Fasseas C, Kollias G, Douni E. (2014) A splicing mutation in the novel mitochondrial protein DNAJC11 causes motor neuron pathology associated with cristae disorganization, and lymphoid abnormalities in mice. PLoS One. 9(8):e104237.
    PubMed
     
  • Pfanner N, van der Laan M, Amati P, Capaldi RA, Caudy AA, Chacinska A, Darshi M, Deckers M, Hoppins S, Icho T, Jakobs S, Ji J, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Meisinger C, Odgren PR, Park SK, Rehling P, Reichert AS, Sheikh MS, Taylor SS, Tsuchida N, van der Bliek AM, van der Klei IJ, Weissman JS, Westermann B, Zha J, Neupert W, Nunnari J. (2014) Uniform nomenclature for the mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system. J Cell Biol. 204(7):1083-6.
    PubMed
     
  • Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Prell F, Thiede B, Götz M, Wosiek D, Ott C, Rudel T. (2013) C1orf163/RESA1 Is a Novel Mitochondrial Intermembrane Space Protein Connected to Respiratory Chain Assembly. J Mol Biol. 426(4):908-20.
    Pub Med
     
  • Kato H, Lu Q, Rapaport D, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. (2013) Tom70 is essential for PINK1 import into mitochondria. PLoS One. 8(3):e58435.
    PubMed
     
  • Ott C, Utech M, Goetz M, Rudel T, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. (2013) The requirements for the import of neisserial Omp85 into the outer membrane of human mitochondria. Biosci Rep. 33(2):e00028. PubMed
     
  • Ott C, Ross K, Straub S, Thiede B, Götz M, Goosmann C, Krischke M, Mueller MJ, Krohne G, Rudel T, Kozjak-Pavlovic V. (2012) Sam50 functions in mitochondrial intermembrane space bridging and biogenesis of respiratory complexes. Mol Cell Biol. 32(6):1173-88.
    PubMed
     
  • Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Ott C, Götz M, Rudel T. (2011) Neisserial Omp85 protein is selectively recognized and assembled into functional complexes in the outer membrane of human mitochondria. J Biol Chem. 286(30):27019-26.
    PubMed
     
  • Rudel T, Kepp O, Kozjak-Pavlovic V (2010) Interactions between bacterial pathogens and mitochondrial cell death pathways. Nat Rev Microbiol. 8(10):693-705. PubMed
     
  • Niu H, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Rudel T, Rikihisa Y. (2010) Anaplasma phagocytophilum Ats-1 is imported into host cell mitochondria and interferes with apoptosis induction. PLoS Pathog. 6(2):e1000774. PubMed
     
  • Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Ross K, Götz M, Goosmann C, Rudel T. (2010) A tag at the carboxy terminus prevents membrane integration of VDAC1 in mammalian mitochondria. J Mol Biol. 397(1):219-32. PubMed
     
  • Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Dian-Lothrop EA, Meinecke M, Kepp O, Ross K, Rajalingam K, Harsman A, Hauf E, Brinkmann V, Günther D, Herrmann I, Hurwitz R, Rassow J, Wagner R, Rudel T. (2009) Bacterial porin disrupts mitochondrial membrane potential and sensitizes host cells to apoptosis. PLoS Pathog. 5(10):e1000629.
    PubMed
     
  • Ross K, Rudel T, Kozjak-Pavlovic V (2009) Tom-independent complex formation of Bax and Bak in mammalian mitochondria during TNFa-induced apoptosis. Cell Death Diff  16(5):697-707.
    PubMed
     
  • Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Ross K, Rudel T (2008) Import of bacterial pathogenicity factors into mitochondria. Curr Opin Microbiol 11:9-14.
    PubMed
     
  • Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Ross K, Benlasfer N, Kimmig S, Karlas A, Rudel T (2007) Conserved roles of Sam50 and metaxins in VDAC biogenesis. EMBO Rep 8:576-582.
    PubMed
     
  • Milenkovic D, Kozjak V, Wiedemann N, Lohaus C, Meyer HE, Guiard B, Pfanner N, Meisinger C (2004)
    Sam35 of the mitochondrial protein sorting and assembly machinery is a peripheral outer membrane protein essential for cell viability. J Biol Chem 279:22781-22785.
    PubMed
     
  • Kozjak V, Wiedemann N, Milenkovic D, Lohaus C, Meyer HE, Guiard B, Meisinger C, Pfanner N (2003)
    An essential role of Sam50 in the protein sorting and assembly machinery of the mitochondrial outer membrane. J Biol Chem  278:48520-48523.
    PubMed
     
  • Wiedemann N, Kozjak V, Chacinska A, Schönfisch B, Rospert S, Ryan MT, Pfanner N, Meisinger C (2003) Machinery for protein sorting and assembly in the mitochondrial outer membrane. Nature 424:565-571. PubMed