Our science

Publications Burkhardt Group

Main content

Select publications

(complete list on Google Scholar).

Colgren J, Burkhardt P (2023) Evolution: Was Nuclear to Cytoplasmic Ratio a Key Factor in the Origin of Animal Multicellularity? Current Biology 33, 298-300.

Burkhardt P, Colgren J, Medhus A, Digel L, Naumann B, Soto Angel JJ, Nordmann EL, Sachkova MY, Kittelmann M (2023) Syncytial nerve net in a ctenophore adds insights on the evolution of nervous systems. Science 376 (6642): 293-297.

Burkhardt P (2022) Ctenophores and the evolutionary origin(s) of neurons. Trends in Neurosciences 45 (12): 878-880.

Gahan JM, Kouzel IU, Jansen KO, Burkhardt P, Rentzsch F (2022) Histone demethylase Lsd1 is required for the differentiation of neural cells in Nematostella vectensis. Nature Communications 13 (1):465.

Sachkova MY, Nordmann EL, Soto Angel JJ, Meeda Y, Górski B, Naumann B, Dondorp D, Chatzigeorgiou M, Kittelmann M, Burkhardt, P (2021) Neuropeptide repertoire and 3D anatomy of the ctenophore nervous system. Current Biology 31, 5274–5285.

Burkhardt P and Jékely G (2021) Evolution of Synapses and Neurotransmitter Systems: The Divide-and-Conquer Model for Early Neural Cell-Type Evolution. Current Opinion in Neurobiology (71) 127-138.

Musser JM, Schippers KJ, Nickel M, Mizzon G, Kohn AB , Pape C, Hammel JU, Wolf F, Liang C, Hernández-Plaza A, Achim K, Schieber NL, Francis WR, Vargas S, Kling S, Renkert M, Feuda R, Gaspar I, Burkhardt P, Bork P, Beck M, Kreshuk A, Wörheide G, Huerta-Cepas J, Schwab Y, Moroz LL, Arendt D (2021) Profiling cellular diversity in sponges informs animal cell type and nervous system evolution. Science 374 (6568): 717-723.

Goehde RA*, Naumann B*, Laundon D, Imig C, McDonald K, Cooper BH, Varoqueaux F, Fasshauer D, Burkhardt P (2021) Choanoflagellates and the ancestry of neurosecretory vesicles. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 376: 20190759. (*joint 1^st author).

Sachkova M, Burkhardt P (2019) Exciting times to study the identity and evolution of cell types. Development 146: dev178996.

Laundon D, Larson B, McDonald K, King N, Burkhardt P (2019) The architecture of cell differentiation in choanoflagellates and sponge choanocytes. PLoS Biology 17(4): e3000226.

Morey C, Kienle CN, Klöpper TH, Burkhardt P, Fasshauer D (2017) Evidence for a conserved inhibitory binding mode between the membrane fusion assembly factors Munc18 and syntaxin in animals. Journal of Biological Chemistry 292 (50): 20449-20460.

Burkhardt P, Sprecher SG (2017) Evolutionary origin of synapses and neurons – Bridging the gap. BioEssays 39 (10): 1700024.

Hoffmeyer TT and Burkhardt P (2016) Choanoflagellate models – Monosiga brevicollis and Salpingoeca rosetta. Current Opinion in Genetics and Development (39) 42-47.

Bhattacharyya M*, Stratton MM*, Going CC*, McSpadden E, Huang Y, Susa AC, Elleman A, Cao YM, Pappireddi N, Burkhardt P, Gee C, Barros T, Schulman H, Williams ER, Kuriyan J (2016) Molecular mechanism of activation-triggered subunit exchange in Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Elife 5: e13405. (*joint 1^stauthor).

Burkhardt P (2015) The origin and evolution of synaptic proteins – choanoflagellates lead the way. Journal of Experimental Biology (218): 506-514.

Burkhardt P, Gronborg M, McDonald K, Sulur T, Wang Q, King N (2014) Evolutionary insights into premetazoan functions of the neuronal protein Homer. Mol. Bio. Evo. 31 (9): 2342–2355.

Demircioglu FD, Burkhardt P, Fasshauer D (2014) The SM protein Sly1 accelerates assembly of the ER-Golgi SNARE complex. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 111 (38): 13828-13833.

Colbert KN, Hattendorf DA, Weiss TM, Burkhardt P, Fasshauer D, Weis WI (2013) Syntaxin1a variants lacking an N-peptide or bearing the LE mutation bind to Munc18a in a closed conformation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 110 (31): 12637-42.

Meijer M*, Burkhardt P*, de Wit H, Toonen RF, Fasshauer D, Verhage M (2012) Munc18-1 mutations that strongly impair SNARE-complex binding support normal synaptic transmission. EMBO J. 31 (9): 2156-2168 (*joint 1^st author). (recommended by F1000)

Burkhardt P, Stegmann CM, Cooper B, Kloepper TH, Imig C, Varoqueaux F, Wahl MC, Fasshauer D (2011) Primordial neurosecretory apparatus identified in the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108 (37): 15264-15269.

Burkhardt P, Hattendorf DA, Weis WI, Fasshauer D (2008) Munc18 controls SNARE assembly through its interaction with the syntaxin N-peptide. EMBO J. 27 (7): 923-933.