Bio

Originally from a tiny village in Northern Germany, Andreas moved to the city for his bachelor’s from the University of Hamburg. After graduating with a master’s in biochemistry from the University of Tübingen in Southwestern Germany, Andreas moved abroad for his PhD to Vienna, Austria. At the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), he discovered a complex on the sperm surface that connects to the egg membrane. Having studied the function of intricate membrane protein complexes, Andreas made the journey overseas to join the Pleiner lab and investigate how the cell manages and coordinates their production. In his free time, Andreas enjoys hiking in summer and skiing in winter.

Honors & Awards

  • PhD Fellow, Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF), Germany (09/2020 - 08/2022)

Professional Education

  • PhD, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria, Molecular Biology: Sperm-Egg Interaction (2025)
  • M.Sc., Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany, Biochemistry (2019)
  • B.Sc., University of Hamburg, Germany, Molecular Life Sciences (2016)

Stanford Advisors

Contact

  • Academic
    ablaha@stanford.edu
    University - Scholar Department: Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology Position: Postdoctoral Scholar

Additional Info

All Publications

  • A conserved fertilization complex bridges sperm and egg in vertebrates. Cell Deneke, V. E., Blaha, A., Lu, Y., Suwita, J. P., Draper, J. M., Phan, C. S., Panser, K., Schleiffer, A., Jacob, L., Humer, T., Stejskal, K., Krssakova, G., Roitinger, E., Handler, D., Kamoshita, M., Vance, T. D., Wang, X., Surm, J. M., Moran, Y., Lee, J. E., Ikawa, M., Pauli, A. 2024; 187 (25): 7066-7078.e22

    Abstract

    Fertilization, the basis for sexual reproduction, culminates in the binding and fusion of sperm and egg. Although several proteins are known to be crucial for this process in vertebrates, the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using an AlphaFold-Multimer screen, we identified the protein Tmem81 as part of a conserved trimeric sperm complex with the essential fertilization factors Izumo1 and Spaca6. We demonstrate that Tmem81 is essential for male fertility in zebrafish and mice. In line with trimer formation, we show that Izumo1, Spaca6, and Tmem81 interact in zebrafish sperm and that the human orthologs interact in vitro. Notably, complex formation creates the binding site for the egg fertilization factor Bouncer in zebrafish. Together, our work presents a comprehensive model for fertilization across vertebrates, where a conserved sperm complex binds to divergent egg proteins-Bouncer in fish and JUNO in mammals-to mediate sperm-egg interaction.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.035

    View details for PubMedID 39423812

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0995-4228