World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Nikolaus Pfanner

Nikolaus Pfanner

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Biology and Biochemistry
Germany
2026
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Molecular Biology
Germany
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Molecular Biology

D-Index
140
Citations
54709
World Ranking
130
National Ranking
8

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
140
Citations
54712
World Ranking
278
National Ranking
19

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Germany Leader Award
  • 2026 - Research.com Molecular Biology in Germany Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Germany Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Germany Leader Award
  • 2005 - Member of Academia Europaea
  • 2000 - German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina - Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Biochemistry and Biophysics
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

Overview

Nikolaus Pfanner is affiliated with the University of Freiburg in Germany and works primarily in the fields of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology. Their research focuses significantly on Molecular Biology, with additional contributions in Clinical Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Spectroscopy, and Materials Chemistry.

The main topics addressed in their work include:

  • Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
  • ATP Synthase and ATPases Research
  • Metabolism and Genetic Disorders
  • RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
  • RNA modifications and cancer
  • Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease

Frequent co-authors collaborating with Nikolaus Pfanner include Thomas Becker, Nils Wiedemann, Heike Rampelt, Caroline Lindau, and Patrick Horten.

They have published extensively in several scientific venues, with multiple publications in Cell Reports, Nature, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics, and Cell Metabolism.

Recent papers associated with Pfanner cover various aspects of mitochondrial biology and protein transport. Some of these publications are:

  • "Quantitative high-confidence human mitochondrial proteome and its dynamics in cellular context," 2021, Cell Metabolism
  • "Shaping the mitochondrial inner membrane in health and disease," 2020, Journal of Internal Medicine
  • "Mitochondrial complexome reveals quality-control pathways of protein import," 2023, Nature
  • "Mitochondrial protein transport: Versatility of translocases and mechanisms," 2023, Molecular Cell
  • "Mitochondrial sorting and assembly machinery operates by β-barrel switching," 2021, Nature

The scientist's work is recognized through membership in prestigious organizations and academies, including the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (noted for Biochemistry and Biophysics), the Academia Europaea since 2005, and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Best Publications

  • Importing Mitochondrial Proteins: Machineries and Mechanisms

    Agnieszka Chacinska;Carla M Koehler;Dusanka Milenkovic;Trevor James Lithgow

  • The proteome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondria

    Albert Sickmann;Jörg Reinders;Yvonne Wagner;Cornelia Joppich

  • Requirement for hsp70 in the mitochondrial matrix for translocation and folding of precursor proteins.

    Pil-Jung Kang;Joachim Ostermann;Joachim Ostermann;Jeffery Shilling;Walter Neupert

  • Mitochondrial Machineries for Protein Import and Assembly.

    Nils Wiedemann;Nikolaus Pfanner

  • Mitochondrial protein import.

    Franz-Ulrich Hartl;Nikolaus Pfanner;Donald W. Nicholson;Walter Neupert

  • Mitochondrial proteins: from biogenesis to functional networks

    Nikolaus Pfanner;Bettina Warscheid;Nils Wiedemann

  • Mitochondrial protein import: from proteomics to functional mechanisms

    Oliver Schmidt;Nikolaus Pfanner;Chris Meisinger

  • Versatility of the mitochondrial protein import machinery

    Nikolaus Pfanner;Andreas Geissler

  • Tom40 forms the hydrophilic channel of the mitochondrial import pore for preproteins

    Kerstin Hill;Kirstin Model;Michael T. Ryan;Klaus Dietmeier

  • Global Analysis of the Mitochondrial N-Proteome Identifies a Processing Peptidase Critical for Protein Stability

    F-Nora Vögtle;Stefanie Wortelkamp;René P Zahedi;Dorothea Becker;Dorothea Becker

  • Essential role of Mia40 in import and assembly of mitochondrial intermembrane space proteins.

    Agnieszka Chacinska;Sylvia Pfannschmidt;Nils Wiedemann;Vera Kozjak

  • Role of an energized inner membrane in mitochondrial protein import. Delta psi drives the movement of presequences.

    J. Martin;K. Mahlke;N. Pfanner

  • Absence of cardiolipin in the crd1 null mutant results in decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced mitochondrial function

    Feng Jiang;Michael T. Ryan;Michael Schlame;Ming Zhao

  • Machinery for protein sorting and assembly in the mitochondrial outer membrane

    Nils Wiedemann;Vera Kozjak;Agnieszka Chacinska;Birgit Schönfisch

  • Toward the complete yeast mitochondrial proteome: multidimensional separation techniques for mitochondrial proteomics.

    Joerg Reinders;René P. Zahedi;Nikolaus Pfanner;Chris Meisinger

  • The protein import machinery of mitochondria.

    Nils Wiedemann;Ann E. Frazier;Nikolaus Pfanner

  • Dual Role of Mitofilin in Mitochondrial Membrane Organization and Protein Biogenesis

    Karina von der Malsburg;Judith M. Müller;Maria Bohnert;Silke Oeljeklaus

  • Mitochondrial import and the twin-pore translocase

    Peter Rehling;Katrin Brandner;Nikolaus Pfanner

  • Mitochondrial presequence translocase: switching between TOM tethering and motor recruitment involves Tim21 and Tim17.

    Agnieszka Chacinska;Maria Lind;Maria Lind;Ann E. Frazier;Jan Dudek

  • Mitochondrial protein import

    Nikolaus Pfanner;Harald K. Müller;Matthew A. Harmey;Walter Neupert

Frequent Co-Authors

Chris Meisinger
Chris Meisinger University of Freiburg
Nils Wiedemann
Nils Wiedemann University of Freiburg
Bernard Guiard
Bernard Guiard Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS
Walter Neupert
Walter Neupert Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
Martin van der Laan
Martin van der Laan Saarland University
Peter Rehling
Peter Rehling University of Göttingen
Agnieszka Chacinska
Agnieszka Chacinska IMol Polish Academy of Sciences
Thomas Becker
Thomas Becker Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Wolfgang Voos
Wolfgang Voos University of Bonn
Michael T. Ryan
Michael T. Ryan University of Sydney

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