Dr. Maximilian Breuer

Research Interest

Using the zebrafish model, I am interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying rare disorders. More specifically, I aim to investigate the metabolic changes occurring in cardiovascular diseases both before onset and during disease. The zebrafish is a remarkably effective model to investigate such disorders and early development.

In previous projects, I focused on developing zebrafish models for rare metabolic disorders such as neurotransmitter deficiencies and urea cycle disorders, as well as characterizing the mechanisms underlying CHARGE syndrome caused by mutations in the CHD7 gene.

Education and work experiences

INRS – Centre Armand Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada

Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Kessen Patten, 2018-2020

Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg, Germany

PhD (Dr. rer. nat), 2014-2018

(“Characterizing the function and role of three dihydropteridine reductase homologs Qdpra, Qdprb1 and Qdprb1 in the embryonic development of Danio rerio”)

Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany

M.Sc. (Biochemistry with focal point “stem cells”), 2011-2013

(“The influence of Atoh8 on the embryonic development of zebrafish”)

University of Victoria, B.C., Canada

B.Sc. (Biochemistry), 2008-2011

Publications

• Vedder  V  L, Reinberger T, Haider S M I, Eichelmann L, Odenthal N, Abdelilah-Seyfried S,  Aherrahrou Z, Breuer M,  Erdmann J  (2023). pyHeart4Fish: Chamber-specific heart phenotype  quantification of zebrafish in high-content screens. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 11, 1143852. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2023.1143852 

• Jamadagni  P, Breuer M , Schmeisser K , Cardinal T  , Kassa B , Parker J A , Pilon N , Samarut E,  Patten S A (2021). Chromatin remodeller CHD7 is required for GABAergic neuron development by promoting PAQR3 expression. EMBO reports, e50958. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202050958

• Breuer M,  Patten S A  (2020). A Great Catch for Investigating Inborn Errors of Metabolism-Insights Obtained from Zebrafish. Biomolecules, 10(9), 1352. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10091352

• Himmelreich N, Dimitrov B, Geiger V, Zielonka M, Hutter A M, Beedgen L, Hüllen A, Breuer M, Peters V, Thiemann K C, Hoffmann G F, Sinning I, Dupré T, Vuillaumier-Barrot S, Barrey C, Denecke J, Kölfen W, Düker G, Ganschow R, Lentze M J, Thiel C (2019). Novel variants and clinical symptoms in four new ALG3-CDG patients, review of the literature, and identification of AAGRP-ALG3 as a novel ALG3 variant with alanine and glycine-rich N-terminus. Human mutation, 40(7), 938–951. https://doi.org/10.1002/humu.23764

• Breuer M, Guglielmi L, Zielonka M, Hemberger V, Kölker S, Okun J G, Hoffmann G F, Carl M, Sauer S W, Opladen T (2019). QDPR homologues in Danio rerio regulate melanin synthesis, early gliogenesis, and glutamine homeostasis. PloS one, 14(4), e0215162. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215162

• Zielonka M, Breuer M, Okun J G, Carl M, Hoffmann G F, Kölker S (2018). Pharmacologic rescue of hyperammonemia-induced toxicity in zebrafish by inhibition of ornithine aminotransferase. PloS one, 13(9), e0203707. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203707

• Dimitrov B, Himmelreich N, Hipgrave Ederveen A L, Lüchtenborg C, Okun J G, Breuer M, Hutter A M, Carl M, Guglielmi L, Hellwig A, Thiemann K C, Jost M, Peters V, Staufner C, Hoffmann G F, Hackenberg A, Paramasivam N, Wiemann S, Eils R, Schlesner M,Thiel C (2018). Cutis laxa, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and altered cellular metabolomics as additional symptoms in a new patient with ATP6AP1-CDG. Molecular genetics and metabolism, 123(3), 364–374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymgme.2018.01.008

• Kopajtich R, Murayama K, Janecke A R, Haack T B, Breuer M, Knisely A S, Harting I, Ohashi T, Okazaki Y, Watanabe D, Tokuzawa Y, Kotzaeridou U, Kölker S, Sauer S, Carl M, Straub S, Entenmann A, Gizewski E, Feichtinger R G, Mayr J A, Staufner C (2016). Biallelic IARS Mutations Cause Growth Retardation with Prenatal Onset, Intellectual Disability, Muscular Hypotonia, and Infantile Hepatopathy. American journal of human genetics, 99(2), 414–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.05.027