ZMB Member Erich Gulbins

ZMB Member
Erich Gulbins

Next ZMB-Member
Erich Gulbins portrait
© E. Gulbins

Prof. Dr. Erich Gulbins

Director of:

Department of Molecular Biology

University Hospital Essen
Hufelandstraße 55
45122 Essen

Research Overview

  1. Regulation and function of sphingolipids in bacterial infections, in particular pneumonia
    1.1. Role of ceramide and sphingosine in cystic fibrosis
    1.2. Molecular mechanisms of anti-bacterial effects of sphingosine
    1.3. Development of novel treatments of pneumonia with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus
    1.4. Regulation and function of sphingolipids in systemic infections with S. aureus and mycobacteria.
  2. Sphingolipids in tumor therapy, with a focus on the regulation and function of sphingolipids in the immune system of the tumor host.
  3. Regulation and function of acid sphingomyelinase/ceramide in auto-immune disorders, in particular multiple sclerosis.
  4. The acid sphingomyelinase-ceramide-acid ceramidase axis as target of antidepressants. Role of this system in the pathogenesis and treatment of major depressive disorder.
  5. Targeting the mitochondrial Kv1.3 channel with novel specific inhibitors to treat cancer.

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Selected Publications

    Journal articles

  • Chestnykh, Daria; Mühle, Christiane; Schumacher, Fabian; Kalinichenko, Liubov S.; Löber, Stefan; Gmeiner, Peter; Alzheimer, Christian; von Hörsten, Stephan; Kleuser, Burkhard; Uebe, Steffen; Ekici, Arif B.; Gulbins, Erich; Kornhuber, Johannes; Jin, Hee Kyung; Bae, Jae-sung; Lourdusamy, Anbarasu; Müller, Christian P.
    Acid sphingomyelinase activity suggests a new antipsychotic pharmaco-treatment strategy for schizophrenia
    In: Molecular Psychiatry, Vol. 30, 2025, Nr. 7, pp. 2891 – 2906
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Angi, Beatrice; Varanita, Tatiana; Puthenparampil, Marco; Scattolini, Valentina; Donadon, Michael; Tavakoli, Mitra; Favero, Marta; El Boustani, Maguie; Soddemann, Matthias; Biasutto, Lucia; Arcidiacono, Diletta; Ongaro, Alberto; Mattarei, Andrea; Trentin, Livio; Wilson, Gregory; Gulbins, Erich; Gallo, Paolo; Szabo, Ildiko
    Selective inhibition of mitochondrial Kv1.3 prevents and alleviates multiple sclerosis in vivo
    In: EMBO Molecular Medicine, 2025, in press
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Choi, Byung Jo; Park, Min Hee; Park, Kang Ho; Han, Wan Hui; Yoon, Hee Ji; Jung, Hye Yoon; Hong, Ju Yeon; Chowdhury, Md Riad; Kim, Kyung Yeol; Lee, Jihoon; Song, Im-Sook; Pang, Minyeong; Choi, Min-Koo; Gulbins, Erich; Reichel, Martin; Kornhuber, Johannes; Hong, Chang-Won; Kim, Changho; Kim, Seung Hyun; Schuchman, Edward H.; Jin, Hee Kyung; Bae, Jae-sung
    Immunotherapy targeting plasma ASM is protective in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
    In: Nature Communications, Vol. 14, 2023, Nr. 1, 1631
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Hoertel, Nicolas; Sánchez-Rico, Marina; Herrera-Morueco, Juan José; de la Muela, Pedro; Gulbins, Erich; Kornhuber, Johannes; Carpinteiro, Alexander; Becker-Flegler, Katrin; Cougoule, Céline; Limosin, Frédéric
    Comorbid medical conditions are a key factor to understand the relationship between psychiatric disorders and COVID-19-related mortality : Results from 49,089 COVID-19 inpatients
    In: Molecular Psychiatry, Vol. 27, 2022, Nr. 3, pp. 1278 – 1280
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Kornhuber, Johannes; Hoertel, Nicolas; Gulbins, Erich
    The acid sphingomyelinase/ceramide system in COVID-19
    In: Molecular Psychiatry, Vol. 27, 2022, Nr. 1, pp. 307 – 314
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Kalinichenko, Liubov S.; Mühle, Christiane; Jia, Tianye; Anderheiden, Felix; Datz, Maria; Eberle, Anna-Lisa; Eulenburg, Volker; Granzow, Jonas; Hofer, Martin; Hohenschild, Julia; Huber, Sabine E.; Kämpf, Stefanie; Kogias, Georgios; Lacatusu, Laura; Lugmair, Charlotte; Taku, Stephen Mbu; Meixner, Doris; Tesch, Nina; Praetner, Marc; Rhein, Cosima; Sauer, Christina; Scholz, Jessica; Ulrich, Franziska; Valenta, Florian; Weigand, Esther; Werner, Markus; Tay, Nicole; Mc Veigh, Conor J.; Haase, Jana; Wang, An-Li; Abdel-Hafiz, Laila; Huston, Joseph P.; Smaga, Irena; Frankowska, Malgorzata; Filip, Malgorzata; Lourdusamy, Anbarasu; Kirchner, Philipp; Ekici, Arif B.; Marx, Lena M.; Suresh, Neeraja Puliparambil; Frischknecht, Renato; Fejtova, Anna; Saied, Essa M.; Arenz, Christoph; Bozec, Aline; Wank, Isabel; Kreitz, Silke; Hess, Andreas; Bäuerle, Tobias; Ledesma, Maria Dolores; Mitroi, Daniel N.; Miranda, André M.; Oliveira, Tiago G.; Gulbins, Erich; Lenz, Bernd; Schumann, Gunter; Kornhuber, Johannes; Müller, Christian P.
    Neutral sphingomyelinase mediates the co-morbidity trias of alcohol abuse, major depression and bone defects
    In: Molecular Psychiatry, Vol. 26, 2021, Nr. 12, pp. 7403 – 7416
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Hoertel, Nicolas; Sánchez-Rico, Marina; Cougoule, Céline; Gulbins, Erich; Kornhuber, Johannes; Carpinteiro, Alexander; Becker, Katrin Anne; Reiersen, Angela M.; Lenze, Eric J.; Seftel, David; Lemogne, Cédric; Limosin, Frédéric
    Repurposing antidepressants inhibiting the sphingomyelinase acid/ceramide system against COVID-19 : Current evidence and potential mechanisms
    In: Molecular Psychiatry, Vol. 26, 2021, Nr. 12, pp. 7098 – 7099
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Lang, Judith; Bohn, Patrick; Bhat, Hilal; Jastrow, Holger; Walkenfort, Bernd; Cansiz, Feyza; Fink, Julian; Bauer, Michael; Olszewski, Dominik; Ramos-Nascimento, Ana; Duhan, Vikas; Friedrich, Sarah-Kim; Becker-Flegler, Katrin; Krawczyk, Adalbert; Edwards, Michael J.; Burchert, Andreas; Huber, Magdalena; Friebus-Kardash, Justa; Göthert, Joachim Rudolf; Hardt, Cornelia; Probst, Hans Christian; Schumacher, Fabian; Köhrer, Karl; Kleuser, Burkhard; Babiychuk, Eduard B.; Sodeik, Beate; Seibel, Jürgen; Greber, Urs F.; Lang, Philipp A.; Gulbins, Erich; Lang, Karl S.
    Acid ceramidase of macrophages traps herpes simplex virus in multivesicular bodies and protects from severe disease
    In: Nature Communications, Vol. 11, 2020, Nr. 1, pp. 1338
    DOI, Online Full Text (Open Access)
  • Carpinteiro, Alexander; Edwards, Michael J.; Hoffmann, Markus; Kochs, Georg; Gripp, Barbara; Weigang, Sebastian; Adams, Constantin; Carpinteiro, Elisa; Gulbins, Anne; Keitsch, Simone; Sehl, Carolin; Soddemann, Matthias; Wilker, Barbara; Kamler, Markus; Bertsch, Thomas; Lang, Karl S.; Patel, Sameer; Wilson, Gregory C.; Walter, Silke; Hengel, Hartmut; Pöhlmann, Stefan; Lang, Philipp A.; Kornhuber, Johannes; Becker, Katrin; Ahmad, Syed A.; Fassbender, Klaus; Gulbins, Erich
    Pharmacological Inhibition of Acid Sphingomyelinase Prevents Uptake of SARS-CoV-2 by Epithelial Cells
    In: Cell Reports Medicine, Vol. 1, 2020, Nr. 8, 100142
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Gulbins, Anne; Schumacher, Fabian; Becker, Katrin Anne; Wilker, Barbara; Soddemann, Matthias; Boldrin, Francesco; Müller, Christian P.; Edwards, Michael J.; Goodman, Michael; Caldwell, Charles C.; Kleuser, Burkhard; Kornhuber, Johannes; Szabo, Ildiko; Gulbins, Erich
    Antidepressants act by inducing autophagy controlled by sphingomyelin–ceramide
    In: Molecular Psychiatry, Vol. 23, 2018, Nr. 12, pp. 2324 – 2346
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Gulbins, Anne; Schumacher, Fabian; Becker, Katrin Anne; Wilker, Barbara; Soddemann, Matthias; Boldrin, Francesco; Müller, Christian P.; Edwards, Michael J.; Goodman, Michael; Caldwell, Charles C.; Kleuser, Burkhard; Kornhuber, Johannes; Szabo, Ildiko; Gulbins, Erich
    Antidepressants regulate autophagy by targeting acid sphingomyelinase
    In: Molecular Psychiatry, Vol. 23, 2018, Nr. 12, pp. 2251
    DOI
  • Becker-Flegler, Katrin; Riethmüller, Joachim; Seitz, Aaron P.; Gardner, Aaron; Boudreau, Ryan; Kamler, Markus; Kleuser, Burkhard; Schuchman, Edward; Caldwell, Charles C.; Edwards, Michael J.; Grassmé, Heike; Brodlie, Malcolm; Gulbins, Erich
    Sphingolipids as targets for inhalation treatment of cystic fibrosis
    In: Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, Vol. 133, 2018, pp. 66 – 75
    DOI
  • Hoehn, Richard S; Jernigan, Peter L; Japtok, Lukasz; Chang, Alex L; Midura, Emily F; Caldwell, Charles C; Kleuser, Burkhard; Lentsch, Alex B; Edwards, Michael J; Gulbins, Erich; Pritts, Timothy A
    Acid Sphingomyelinase Inhibition in Stored Erythrocytes Reduces Transfusion-Associated Lung Inflammation
    In: Annals of Surgery, Vol. 265, 2017, Nr. 1, pp. 218 – 226
    DOI, Online Full Text (Open Access)
  • Leanza, Luigi; Romio, Matteo; Becker-Flegler, Katrin; Azzolini, Michele; Trentin, Livio; Managò, Antonella; Venturini, Elisa; Zaccagnino, Angela; Mattarei, Andrea; Carraretto, Luca; Urbani, Andrea; Kadow, Stephanie; Biasutto, Lucia; Martini, Veronica; Severin, Filippo; Peruzzo, Roberta; Trimarco, Valentina; Egberts, Jan-Hendrik; Hauser, Charlotte; Visentin, Andrea; Semenzato, Gianpietro; Kalthoff, Holger; Zoratti, Mario; Gulbins, Erich; Paradisi, Cristina; Szabo, Ildiko
    Direct pharmacological targeting of a mitochondrial ion channel selectively kills tumor cells in vivo
    In: Cancer Cell, Vol. 31, 2017, Nr. 4, pp. 516 – 531.e10
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Item, Flurin; Wueest, Stephan; Lemos, Vera; Stein, Sokrates; Lucchini, Fabrizio C.; Denzler, Rémy; Fisser, Muriel C.; Challa, Tenagne D.; Pirinen, Eija; Kim, Youngsoo; Hemmi, Silvio; Gulbins, Erich; Gross, Atan; O'Reilly, Lorraine A.; Stoffel, Markus; Auwerx, Johan; Konrad, Daniel
    Fas cell surface death receptor controls hepatic lipid metabolism by regulating mitochondrial function
    In: Nature Communications, Vol. 8, 2017, pp. 480
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Müller, Christian P.; Kalinichenko, Liubov S.; Tiesel, Jens; Witt, Matthias; Stöckl, Thomas; Sprenger, Eva; Fuchser, Jens; Beckmann, Janine; Praetner, Marc; Huber, Sabine E.; Amato, Davide; Mühle, Christiane; Büttner, Christian; Ekici, Arif B.; Smaga, Irena; Pomierny-Chamiolo, Lucyna; Pomierny, Bartosz; Filip, Malgorzata; Eulenburg, Volker; Gulbins, Erich; Lourdusamy, Anbarasu; Reichel, Martin; Kornhuber, Johannes
    Paradoxical antidepressant effects of alcohol are related to acid sphingomyelinase and its control of sphingolipid homeostasis
    In: Acta Neuropathologica, Vol. 133, 2017, Nr. 3, pp. 463 – 483
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Grassmé, Heike; Henry, Brian; Ziobro, Regan; Becker, Katrin Anne; Riethmüller, Joachim; Gardner, Aaron; Seitz, Aaron P.; Steinmann, Jörg; Lang, Stephan; Ward, Christopher; Schuchman, Edward H.; Caldwell, Charles C.; Kamler, Markus; Edwards, Michael J.; Brodlie, Malcolm; Gulbins, Erich
    β1-Integrin Accumulates in Cystic Fibrosis Luminal Airway Epithelial Membranes and Decreases Sphingosine, Promoting Bacterial Infections
    In: Cell Host & Microbe, Vol. 21, 2017, Nr. 6, pp. 707 – 718.e8
    DOI, Online Full Text (Open Access)
  • Nojima, Hiroyuki; Freeman, Christopher M.; Schuster, Rebecca M.; Japtok, Lukasz; Kleuser, Burkhard; Edwards, Michael J.; Gulbins, Erich; Lentsch, Alex B.
    Hepatocyte exosomes mediate liver repair and regeneration via sphingosine-1-phosphate
    In: Journal of Hepatology, Vol. 64, 2016, Nr. 1, pp. 60 – 68
    DOI, Online Full Text (Open Access)
  • Henry, Brian D; Babiychuk, Eduard B; Draeger, Annette; Kadioglu, Aras; Gulbins, Erich; Scherag, Andre; Wolfmeier, Heidi; Luginbühl, Miriam; Japtok, Lukasz; Kleuser, Burkhard; Steinmann, Jörg; Mühlemann, Kathrin; Edwards, Michael J; Ziobro, Regan; Bricio-Moreno, Laura; Gore, Suzanna; Becker-Flegler, Katrin; Neill, Daniel R
    Engineered liposomes sequester bacterial exotoxins and protect from severe invasive infections in mice
    In: Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 33, 2015, Nr. 1, pp. 81 – 88
    DOI
  • Carpinteiro, Alexander; Becker-Flegler, Katrin; Japtok, Lukasz; Hessler, Gabriele; Keitsch, Simone; Požgajovà, Miroslava; Schmid, Kurt Werner; Adams, Constantin; Müller, Stefan; Kleuser, Burkhard; Edwards, Michael J.; Grassmé, Heike; Helfrich, Iris; Gulbins, Erich
    Regulation of hematogenous tumor metastasis by acid sphingomyelinase
    In: EMBO Molecular Medicine, Vol. 7, 2015, Nr. 6, pp. 714 – 734
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Pewzner-Jung, Yael; Tavakoli Tabazavareh, Shaghayegh; Grassmé, Heike; Becker, Katrin A.; Japtok, Lukasz; Steinmann, Jörg; Joseph, Tammar; Lang, Stephan; Tuemmler, Burkhard; Schuchman, Edward H.; Lentsch, Alex B.; Kleuser, Burkhard P.; Edwards, Michael J. R.; Futerman, Anthony H.; Gulbins, Erich
    Sphingoid long chain bases prevent lung infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa
    In: EMBO Molecular Medicine, Vol. 6, 2014, Nr. 9, pp. 1205 – 1214
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Gulbins, Erich; Palmada, Monica; Reichel, Martin; Lüth, Anja; Böhmer, Christoph; Amato, Davide; Müller, Christian P.; Tischbirek, Carsten H.; Groemer, Teja W.; Tabatabai, Ghazaleh; Becker-Flegler, Katrin; Tripal, Philipp; Staedtler, Sven; Ackermann, Teresa F.; Van Brederode, Johannes; Alzheimer, Christian; Weller, Michael; Lang, Undine E.; Kleuser, Burkhard; Grassmé, Heike; Kornhuber, Johannes
    Acid sphingomyelinase-ceramide system mediates effects of antidepressant drugs
    In: Nature Medicine, Vol. 19, 2013, Nr. 7, pp. 934 – 938
    DOI
  • Leanza, L; Trentin, L; Becker-Flegler, Katrin; Frezzato, F; Zoratti, M; Semenzato, G; Gulbins, Erich; Szabo, I
    Clofazimine, Psora-4 and PAP-1, inhibitors of the potassium channel Kv1.3, as a new and selective therapeutic strategy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
    In: Leukemia, Vol. 27, 2013, Nr. 8, pp. 1782 – 1785
    DOI
  • Gulbins, Erich; Kolesnick, Richard N
    It takes a CAD to kill a tumor cell with a LMP
    In: Cancer Cell, Vol. 24, 2013, Nr. 3, pp. 279 – 281
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Leanza, Luigi; Henry, Brian; Sassi, Nicola; Zoratti, Mario; Chandy, K. George; Gulbins, Erich; Szabò, Ildikò
    Inhibitors of mitochondrial Kv1.3 channels induce Bax/Bak-independent death of cancer cells
    In: EMBO Molecular Medicine, Vol. 4, 2012, Nr. 7, pp. 577 – 593
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Zhang, Yang; Li, Xiang; Carpinteiro, Alexander; Goettel, Jeremy A.; Soddemann, Matthias; Gulbins, Erich
    Kinase suppressor of Ras-1 protects against pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections
    In: Nature Medicine, Vol. 17, 2011, Nr. 3, pp. 341 – 346
    DOI
  • Gulbins, Erich
    Lipids control mucus production in cystic fibrosis
    In: Nature Medicine, Vol. 16, 2010, Nr. 3, pp. 267 – 268
    DOI
  • Teichgräber, Volker; Ulrich, Martina; Endlich, Nicole; Riethmüller, Joachim; Wilker, Barbara; De Oliveira-Munding, Cheyla Conceição; Van Heeckeren, Anna M.; Barr, Mark L.; Von Kürthy, Gabriele; Schmid, Kurt Werner; Weller, Michael; Tümmler, Burkhard; Lang, Florian; Grassme, Heike; Döring, Gerd; Gulbins, Erich
    Ceramide accumulation mediates inflammation, cell death and infection susceptibility in cystic fibrosis
    In: Nature Medicine, Vol. 14, 2008, Nr. 4, pp. 382 – 391
    DOI (Open Access)
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