Research output per year
Research output per year
Viikinkaari 5, Biocenter 2
00790 Helsinki
Finland
Finland
PL 63 (Haartmaninkatu 8)
00014
Finland
Research activity per year
Flagship Executive Officer, 1.4.2019-31.12.2026, iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship
Director, Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, 14.9.2015-31.3.2019
Vice Director, Academy of Finland Center of Excellence in Translational Genome-Scale Biology, 2014-2019
Kinase signaling linking metabolism and growth control
Major human diseases such as diabetes and cancer are due to deregulat- ed signaling stemming from genetic alterations and extrinsic factors. Signaling in pathways and in larger networks typically involves sequential activation of kinases phosphorylating substrates and thus relaying and amplifying signals ultimately mod- ulating transcriptional responses in target gene sets. Our longstanding interest is to characterize signaling pathways regulating mammalian cell growth and how these impinge on transcriptional responses in human disease.
tabolism are the transcriptional kinases Cdk7 and Cdk8 mediating signals to RNA polymerase II. We are investigating the molecular mechanisms and in vivo functions of Cdk7 and Cdlk8 combining mouse molecular genetics with Drosophila knockdown strategies and cell-based screening approaches. Recent discoveries include identify- ing that Cdk7 acts as a roadblock to adipogenesis and that this presumed ubiquitous basal transcription factor is not expressed in fat tissues. Our goal is to understand the basis for the specificity of transcriptional regulation by metazoan Cdk7 and Cdk8 and their contribution to growth control and differentiation.
One of the rare kinases acting normally to restrict tumor growth is the LKB1ser- ine/threonine kinase critical for activation of at least 14 related kinases involved in metabolism and polarity regulation. We are interested in how LKB1 mediates its tumor suppressing function, and recently identified that LKB1 signaling in mesen- chymal cells is required for suppression of epithelial hyperproliferation in a mouse polyposis model and likely also in the human Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. We are cur- rently extending investigations of tumor suppression mechanisms of the LKB1 tu- mor suppressor kinase from hereditary polyposis to sporadic cancer (lung, uterine cervix). For this a combination of tissue- and cell type specific targeting approaches in vivo (conditional mouse models) and in vitro (2D and 3D RNAi & conditional dele- tions) of LKB1 and LKB1 substrate mutations will be used with a specific interest in the Nuak2 and AMPK kinases and cytoskeletal regulation.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Meeting Abstract › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Professional
Mäkelä, T. (Project manager), Adhikari, S. (Participant), Aldahdooh, J. M. F. (Participant), Ariotta, V. (Participant), Arjama, M. A. (Participant), Atarsaikhan, G. (Participant), Bao, J. (Participant), Barreiro, K. (Participant), Bhalke, M. S. (Participant), Bollepalli, S. (Participant), Brandt, J. A. J. (Participant), Chernenko, A. (Participant), Dashi, G. (Participant), Eloranta, K. (Participant), Eriksson, M. R. (Participant), Feodoroff, M. J. (Participant), Fey, E. (Participant), Gerber, L. J. (Participant), Grönholm, M. (Participant), Hannula, S. A. (Participant), Heistman, V. (Participant), Henriksson, M. E. J. (Participant), Hiitola, E. T. J. (Participant), Huttunen, A. T. (Participant), Hyyppä, S. P. P. (Participant), Högel-Starck, C. S. P. (Participant), Ianevski, A. (Participant), Ikonen, N. (Participant), Jansouz, S. (Participant), Jha, S. (Participant), Junquera Mencía, A. (Participant), Kalashnikov, I. (Participant), Kampanellou, E. (Participant), Karabayev, D. (Participant), Karhemo, P.-R. (Participant), Karling, T. S. (Participant), Kekkonen, J. (Participant), Kolikova, Y. (Participant), Krami Senhaji, O. (Participant), Kuisma-van der Linden, M. S. (Participant), Kumari, R. (Participant), Kuosmanen, A. (Participant), Kurki, V. (Participant), Kuusela, S. (Participant), Kücükel, H. (Participant), Langohr, L. (Participant), Lavikka, K. A. (Participant), Le Joncour, V. (Participant), Lehto, T.-P. (Participant), Leivonen, S.-K. (Participant), Liljeström, M. (Participant), Lindfors, I. S. (Participant), Lindgren, H. (Participant), Luck, T. J. (Participant), Lähdeniemi, I. A. K. (Participant), Maarala, A. I. (Participant), Maljanen, K. J. (Participant), Marchi, G. (Participant), Martikainen, E. M. (Participant), Meriranta, L. (Participant), Metsäranta, N. A. C. (Participant), Miihkinen, M. S. (Participant), Moradi, N. (Participant), Nader, K. M. (Participant), Nagaraj, A. (Participant), Nguyen, M. (Participant), Niemeyer, F. (Participant), Niemiec, I. (Participant), Nylén, M. M. (Participant), Palin, K. (Participant), Palva, A. (Participant), Parsons, A. O. (Participant), Perez Villatoro, F. R. (Participant), Pietiäinen, V. (Participant), Pirinen, I. E. (Participant), Pirttikoski, A. A. (Participant), Pitko, I. M. (Participant), Polianskyte-Prause, Z. (Participant), Puhka, M. (Participant), Quintero, I. B. (Participant), Rachidi, S. E. (Participant), Rajalaakso, M. T. (Participant), Rodosthenous, R. (Participant), Saad, J. (Participant), Sanjaya, P. (Participant), Seppälä, T. T. (Participant), Seref Vujaklija, C. (Participant), Shah, S. (Participant), Sorri, S. P. (Participant), Suni, V. (Participant), Suutala, A. (Participant), Suvela, M. (Participant), Sysivirta, L. K. M. (Participant), Udayani, J. E. (Participant), Verkasalo, H. M. (Participant), Viiri, L. E. (Participant), Vilkkavaara Cancocak, Y. (Participant), Vähärautio, A. (Participant), Vänttinen, I. M. (Participant), Västrik, I. (Participant), Väänänen, J. (Participant), Wang, W. (Participant) & Zhang, X. (Participant)
Suomen Akatemia Projektilaskutus, Academy of Finland
01/09/2022 → 31/12/2026
Project: Research Council of Finland: Finnish Flagship Programme
Mäkelä, T. (Project manager)
Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH
01/02/2022 → 31/12/2026
Project: Corporate funding
Mäkelä, T. (Recipient), 2002
Prize: Prizes and awards
Kremneva, E. (Chair of organizing committee), Kolikova, Y. (Member of organizing committee), Laakkonen, P. (Member of organizing committee), Vanharanta, S. (Member of organizing committee), Varjosalo, M. (Member of organizing committee), Wahl, H. (Member of organizing committee), Sankkila-Forsström, S. S. (Member of organizing committee), Duàn, H. (Speaker: Presenter), Karhemo, P.-R. (Speaker: Presenter), Miihkinen, M. S. (Speaker: Presenter), Liljeström, M. (Member of organizing committee), Pietiäinen, V. (Speaker: Presenter), Ganesan, A. (Poster Presentation), Saad, J. (Poster Presentation), Holmström, S. (Poster Presentation), Brodkin, J. H. (Poster Presentation), Mendoza Ortiz, E. D. (Poster Presentation), Sundaresan, S. (Poster Presentation), Chiaro, J. (Poster Presentation), Giannoula, Y. (Poster Presentation), Portaankorva, A. M. (Speaker: Presenter), Mustjoki, S. (Speaker: Presenter), Mäkelä, T. (Speaker: Presenter), Atarsaikhan, G. (Poster Presentation), Filppu, P. (Poster Presentation), Russo, S. (Poster Presentation), Pikkusaari, S. K. (Poster Presentation), Ryzhenkov, A. (Poster Presentation), Newman, R. G. D. (Speaker: Presenter), Arffman, M. E. (Speaker: Presenter), Kumari, R. (Poster Presentation), Leppiniemi, S. A. (Poster Presentation), Sanjaya, P. (Poster Presentation), Feodoroff, M. J. (Poster Presentation), Karabayev, D. (Poster Presentation), Jäntti, J. M. (Poster Presentation), Wong Ramirez, J. R. C. (Poster Presentation), Kalander, K. O. (Poster Presentation), Bouhlal, J. O. V. (Speaker: Presenter), Kuusela, S. (Speaker: Presenter), Fey, E. (Speaker: Presenter), Krami Senhaji, O. (Poster Presentation), Moradi, N. (Poster Presentation), Polso, M. M. M. (Poster Presentation), Antignani, G. (Poster Presentation), Maljanen, K. J. (Poster Presentation), Langohr, L. (Poster Presentation), Anil, A. (Poster Presentation), Smolander, P. J. (Poster Presentation), Feodoroff, M. J. (Poster Presentation), Alsaed, B. (Poster Presentation), Mogollon Figueroa, I. (Poster Presentation), Ryzhenkov, A. (Poster Presentation) & Henriksson, M. E. J. (Poster Presentation)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organisation and participation in conferences, workshops, courses, seminars
Liljeström, M. (Participant), Hackman, T. (Participant), Mäkelä, T. (Participant), Mustjoki, S. (Participant), Viitala, A. (Participant), Nykopp, T. K. (Participant) & Tamminen-Sirkiä, J. (Participant)
Activity: Other activity types › Other
Mäkelä, T. (Chair)
Activity: Membership types › Membership or other role in national/international committee, council, board
Mäkelä, T. (Board member)
Activity: Membership types › Membership or other role in public Finnish or international organization
Mäkelä, T. (Chair)
Activity: Membership types › Membership or other role in national/international committee, council, board
15/01/2020
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
31/07/2019
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
18/04/2019
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
08/01/2019
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
Mäkelä, T., Immonen, T. & Kankuri, E.
11/09/2018
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media