Kjærulff Lab
Our research efforts revolves around Drosophila (the fruit fly), a powerful genetic model system. The focus is basic cell biology, but with a keen view on medical relevance.
Our research efforts revolves around Drosophila (the fruit fly), a powerful genetic model system. The focus is basic cell biology, but with a keen view on medical relevance.
Our current main interest is the intracellular transport of organelles and molecules. This process is vital for all cells, and particularly important for neurons due to their extreme polarity and size. Cargoes transported inside neurons include synaptic vesicle precursors, dense core vesicles, endosomes, lysosomes, autophagosomes, neurotransmitter receptors, ion channels, mRNA, neurofilaments, and scaffolding proteins. Deficient intracellular transport in neurons is very often associated with neurological disease.
The evolutionary highly conserved family of small GTPases denoted Rab proteins (Rabs) are master regulators of intracellular transport. The Rab GTPases control budding of transport vesicles from the donor compartment, binding of the vesicles to molecular motors (kinesin, dynein, myosin), and vesicle tethering and fusion to the target compartment.
We pursue the molecular principles underlying axonal transport of dense core vesicles, which contain neuropeptides, peptide hormones, and neurotrophic factors. We have found that Rab2 is required for axonal transport of both dense core vesicles and endo-lysosomal organelles (Lund et al., Cell Reports 2021). Following up on this study, we recently obtained experimental evidence suggesting a model where the dynein motor protein is recruited and activated by a complex of the adaptor proteins Syd and RUFY, which is anchored to dense core vesicles by Rab2 and Arl8, another small GTPase (Lund et. al, Journal of Cell Biology, in revision).
We have previously also demonstrated an important role for Rab2 in the biogenesis of lysosomes (Lund et al., Autophagy 2018).
Recent key publications (note: not in chronological order)
- Viktor K. Lund, Antony Chirco, Michela Caliari, Andreas Haahr Larsen, Ulrik Gether, Kenneth Lindegaard Madsen, Michael Wierer, Ole Kjaerulff. Rab2 and Arl8/BORC control retrograde axonal transport of dense core vesicles via Syd/dJIP3/4 and RUFY dynein adaptors. bioRxiv 2025.05.28.656585; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.28.656585.
Manuscript in revision in Journal of Cell Biology. - Lund VK, Lycas MD, Schack A, Andersen RC, Gether U, Kjaerulff O. Rab2 drives axonal transport of dense core vesicles and lysosomal organelles. Cell Reports 2021, 35:108973.
- Viktor K. Kund, Kenneth L. Madsen, Ole Kjaerulff. Drosophila Rab2 controls endosome-lysosome fusion and LAMP delivery to late endosomes. Autophagy 2018, 14:1520-1542.
- Rita C. Andersen, Matthew D. Lycas, Jan H. Schmidt, Nikolaj R. Christensen, Viktor, K. Lund, joscha Rombach, Mikkel Stoklund, Donnie S. Stapleton, Gith Noes-Holt, Mark P. Keller, Anna M. Jansen, Rasmus Herlo, Ole Kjærulff, Birgitte Holst, Alan D. Attie, Ulrik Gether, Kenneth L. Madsen. Coding variants identified in diabetic patients alter PICK1 BAR domain function in insulin granule biogenesis. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2022, 132:e144904.
- Freja Herborg, Kathrine L. Jensen, Sasha Tolstoy, Natascha V. Arends, Leonie P. Posselt, Aparna Shekar, Jenny I Aguilar, Viktor K. Lund, Kevin Erreger, Mattias Rickhag, Matthew D. Lycas, Markus N. Lonsdale, Troels Rahbek-Clemmensen, Andreas T. Sørensen, Amy H. Newman, Annemette Løkkegaard, Ole Kjaerulff, Thomas Werge for the iPSYCH researchers, Lisbeth B. Møller, Heinrich J.G. Matthies, Aurelio Galli, Lena E. Hjermind, Ulrik Gether. Identifying dominant-negative actions of a dopamine transporter variant in patients with parkinsonism and neuropsychiatric disease. Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight 2021, 6:e151496.
- An amphipathic helix encodes cellular curvature sensing and directs function of the BAR domain protein PICK1. Herlo R, Lycas MD, Lund VK, Jansen AM, Khelashvili G, Chan R, Bhatia V, Pedersen TS, Albornoz PBC, Johner N, Christensen N, Erlandsson S, Stoklund M, Larsen JB, Weinstein H, Kjærulff O, Stamou D, gether U, Madsen KL.
Cell Reports 2018, 23:2056-2069.
- Drosophila genetics, including mutagenesis, RNA interference, and transgenesis
- Protein-protein interaction screening using proximity-dependent biotinylation in combination with mass spectrometry
- Live imaging of axonal transport and peptide neurotransmitter release
- Protein biochemistry
- Immunohistochemistry
- AlphaFold structural modelling
- Drosophila behavioral assays
- Image analysis (ImageJ/Fiji)
Lab members
| Name | Title | Job responsibilities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search in Name | Search in Title | Search in Job responsibilities | |
| Anders Bohl Verhein Pedersen | Animal Keeper | Kjærulff lab |
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| Ole Kjærulff | Associate Professor | Kjærulff lab |
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| Viktor Karlovich Lund | Postdoc | Kjærulff Lab |
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