Center for Tumor Biology and Immunology (ZTI)

Pörschke, J., Heidemann, S., Nehring, H.P., Lluch, A., Szymański, W., Finkernagel, F., Preußer, C., Bhagwat, A.M., Stamm, T.J., Sommerfeld, L., Helmprobst, F., Müller, R., Reinartz, S., Graumann, J., Pogge von Strandmann, E. and Gómez-Serrano, M. (2026). Tumor-associated macrophages display differential protein cargo sorting in extracellular vesicles associated with poor survival in ovarian cancer. Mol. Med. 32:16.

Preußer, C., Gläser, M., Graumann, J., Szymański, W., Bachurski, D., Gómez-Serrano, M., Jacob, R., Reinartz, S. and Pogge von Strandmann, E. (2025). Extracellular vesicles from ovarian cancer tumor spheroids harbor disease-related and survival-associated proteins. Extracell. Vesicles Circ. Nucleic Acids 6, 677-686.

Steitz, A.M., Reinartz, S., Beutgen, V.M., Müller, R., Pogge von Strandmann, E. and Gómez-Serrano, M. (2025). Elucidating the mechanistic role of ovarian cancer biomarkers: Lessons learnt from affinity-proteomics. Crit. Rev. Oncol. Hematol., 214:104823.

Sivakumar, S., Lieber, S., Dietze, R., Keber, C., Beutgen, V., Sutor, E.C., Heidemann, S., Finkernagel, F., Teply-Szymanski, J., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Roth, K., Reinartz, S., Graumann, J., Müller-Brüsselbach, S. and *Müller, R. (2025). Basal cell adhesion molecule (BCAM) promotes mesothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and tumor angiogenesis through paracrine signaling. Cell Commun. Signal. 23:136.

Hammoud, M., Meena, C., Dietze, R., Hoffmann, N., Szymanski, W., Finkernagel, F., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Graumann, J., *Pogge von Strandmann, E. and *Müller, R. (2024). Arachidonic acid impairs natural killer cell functions by disrupting signaling pathways driven by activating receptors and reactive oxygen species. Cell Commun. Signal. 22:555.

Dietze, R., Szymanski, W., Ojasalu, K., Finkernagel, F., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Graumann, J. and *Müller, R. (2024). Phosphoproteomics reveals selective regulation of signaling pathways by lysophosphatidic acid species in macrophages. Cells 13:810.

Neuhaus, F., Lieber, S., Shinkevich, V., Steitz, A.M., Raifer, H., Roth, K., Finkernagel, F., Worzfeld, T., Burchert, A., Keber, C., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Reinartz, S., Beutgen, V.M., Graumann, J., Pauck, K., Garn, H., Gaida, M., *Müller, R. and *Huber, M. (2024). Reciprocal crosstalk between Th17 and mesothelial cells promotes metastasis-associated adhesion of ovarian cancer cells. Clin. Transl. Med. 14:e1604.

Steitz, A.M., Schröder, C., Knuth, I., Keber, C.U., Sommerfeld, L., Finkernagel, F., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Müller-Brüsselbach, S., Worzfeld, T., Huber, M., Beutgen, V.M., Graumann, J., Pogge von Strandmann, E., *Müller, R. and *Reinartz, S. (2023). TRAIL-dependent apoptosis of peritoneal mesothelial cells by NK cells promotes ovarian cancer invasion. iScience 26, 108401.

Ojasalu, K., Lieber, S., Sokol, A.M., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Bullwinkel, I., Finkernagel, F., Reinartz, S., Müller-Brüsselbach, S., Grosse, R., Graumann, J. and *Müller, R. (2023). The lysophosphatidic acid-regulated signal transduction network in ovarian cancer cells and its role in actomyosin dynamics, cell migration and entosis. Theranostics 13, 1921-1948.

Sivakumar, S., Lieber, S., Librizzi, D., Keber, C., Sommerfeld, L., Finkernagel, F., Roth, K., Reinartz, S., Bartsch, J.W., Graumann, J., *Müller-Brüsselbach, S. and *Müller, R. (2023). Basal cell adhesion molecule (BCAM) promotes metastasis-associated processes in ovarian cancer. Clin. Transl. Med. 13:e1176.

Preußer, C., Stelter, K., Tertel, T., Linder, M., Helmprobst, F., Szymanski, W., Graumann, J., Reinartz, S., Giebel, B., Müller, R., Weber, G. and *Pogge von Strandmann, E. (2022). Isolation of native EVs from primary biofluids – Free-flow electrophoresis as a novel approach to purify ascites-derived EVs. J. Extracell. Biol., DOI: 10.1002/jex2.71.

Sommerfeld, L., Knuth, I., Finkernagel, F., Pesek, J., Nockher, W.A., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Müller-Brüsselbach, S., *Müller, R. and *Reinartz, S. (2022). Prostacyclin released by cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes immunosuppressive and pro-metastatic macrophage polarization in the ovarian cancer microenvironment. Cancers 14, 6154.

Hammoud M.K., Dietze, R., Pesek, J., Finkernagel, F., Unger, A., Bieringer, T., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Bhagwat, A.M., Nockher, W.A., Reinartz, S., Müller-Brüsselbach, S., Graumann, J. and *Müller, R. (2022). Arachidonic acid, a clinically adverse mediator in the ovarian cancer microenvironment, impairs JAK-STAT signaling in macrophages by perturbing lipid raft structures. Mol. Oncol. 16, 3146-3166

Sommerfeld, L., Finkernagel, F., Jansen, J. M., Wagner, U., Nist, A., Stiewe, Müller-Brüsselbach, S., Sokol, A.M., Graumann, J., *Reinartz, S. and *Müller, R. (2021). The multicellular signaling network of ovarian cancer metastases. Clin. Transl. Med. 11, e633.

Dietze, R., Hammoud, M., Gómez-Serrano, M., Unger, A., Bieringer, T., Finkernagel, F., Sokol, A., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Reinartz, S., Ponath, V., Preußer, C., Pogge von Strandmann, E., Müller-Brüsselbach, S., Graumann, J. and *Müller, R. (2021). Phosphoproteomics identify arachidonic-acid-regulated signal transduction pathways modulating macrophage functions with implications for ovarian cancer. Theranostics 11, 1377-1395.

Ojasalu, K., Brehm, C., Hartung, K., Nischak, M., Finkernagel, F., Rexin, P., Nist, A., Pavlakis, E., Stiewe, T., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Gattenlöhner, S., Bräuninger, S., Müller-Brüsselbach, S., Reinartz, S. and *Müller, R. (2020). Upregulation of mesothelial genes in ovarian carcinoma cells is associated with an unfavorable clinical outcome and the promotion of cancer cell adhesion. Mol. Oncol. 14, 2142–2162.

Steitz, A.M., Steffes, A., Finkernagel, F., Unger, A., Sommerfeld, L., H., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Graumann, J., *Müller, R. and *Reinartz, S. (2020). Tumor-associated macrophages promote ovarian cancer cell migration by secreting transforming growth factor beta induced (TGFBI) and tenascin C. Cell Death Dis., 11, 249.

Graumann, J., Finkernagel, F., Reinartz, S., Stief, T., Brödje, D., Renz, H., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Worzfeld, T., Pogge von Strandmann, E. and *Müller, R. (2019). Multi-platform affinity proteomics identify proteins linked to metastasis and immune suppression in ovarian cancer plasma. Front. Oncol. 9:1150.

Finkernagel, F., Reinartz, S., Schuldner, M., Malz, A., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Worzfeld, T., Graumann, J., Pogge von Strandmann, E. and *Müller, R. (2019). Dual-platform affinity proteomics identifies links between the recurrence of ovarian carcinoma and proteins released into the tumor microenvironment. Theranostics 9, 6601-6617.

Schuldner, M., Dörsam, B., Shatnyeva, O., Reiners, K.S., Kubarenko, A., Hansen, H.P., Finkernagel, F., Roth, K., Theurich, S., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Paschen, A., Knittel, G., Reinhardt, H.C., Müller, R., Hallek, M. and Pogge von Strandmann, E. (2019). Exosome-dependent immune surveillance at the metastatic niche requires BAG6 and CBP/p300-dependent acetylation of p53. Theranostics 9, 6047-6062.

Reinartz, S., Lieber, S., Pesek, J., Brandt, D.T., Asafova, A., Finkernagel, F., Watzer, B., Nockher, W.A., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Konzer, A., Graumann, J., Grosse, R., Worzfeld, T., Müller-Brüsselbach, S. and *Müller, R. (2019). Cell-type-selective pathways and clinical associations of lysophosphatidic acid biosynthesis and signaling in the ovarian cancer microenvironment. Mol. Oncol. 23, 185-201.

Lieber, S., Reinartz, S., Raifer, H., Finkernagel, F., Dreyer, T., Bronger, H., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Worzfeld, T., *Müller, R. and *Huber, M. (2018). Prognosis of ovarian cancer is associated with effector memory CD8+ T cell accumulation in ascites, CXCL9 levels and activation-triggered signal transduction in T cells. Oncoimmunology 7:e1424672.

Worzfeld, T., Finkernagel, F., Reinartz, S., Konzer, K., Adhikary, T., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Wagner, U., Looso, M., Graumann, J. and *Müller, R. (2018). Proteotranscriptomics reveal signaling networks in the ovarian cancer microenvironment. Mol. Cell. Proteomics 17, 270-289.

Vyas, M., Reinartz, S., Hoffmann, N., Reiners, K.S., Lieber, S., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., *Müller, R. and *Pogge von Strandmann, E. (2017). Soluble NKG2D ligands in the ovarian cancer microenvironment are associated with an adverse clinical outcome and decreased memory effector T cells independent of NKG2D down-regulation. Oncoimmunology 6(9):e1339854.

Adhikary, T., Wortmann, A., Finkernagel, F., Lieber, S., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Wagner, U., Müller-Brüsselbach, S. Reinartz, S. and *Müller, R. (2017). Interferon signaling in ascites-associated macrophages is linked to a favorable clinical outcome in a subgroup of ovarian carcinoma patients. BMC Genomics 18: 243.

Pogge von Strandmann, E., Reinartz, S., Wagner, U. and *Müller, R. (2017). Tumor-host cell interactions in ovarian cancer: pathways to therapy failure. Trends Cancer 3, 137-148.

Worzfeld, T., Pogge von Strandmann, E., Huber, M., Adhikary, T., Reinartz, S., Wagner, U. and *Müller, R. (2017). The unique molecular and cellular microenvironment of ovarian cancer. Front. Oncol. 7; doi:10.3389/fonc.2017.00024.

Finkernagel, F., Reinartz, S., Lieber, S., Adhikary, T., Wortmann, A., Hoffman, N., Bieringer, T., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Müller-Brüsselbach, S. and *Müller, R. (2016). The transcriptional signature of human ovarian carcinoma macrophages is associated with extracellular matrix reorganization. Oncotarget. 17, 75339-75352.

Pogge von Strandmann, E. and Müller, R. (2016). Shipping drug resistance: Extracellular vesicles in ovarian cancer. Trends Mol. Med. 22, 741-743.

Reinartz, S., Finkernagel, F., Adhikary, T., Rohnalter, V., Schumann, T., Schober, Y., Nockher, A.W., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Jansen, J.M., Wagner, U., Müller-Brüsselbach, S. and *Müller, R. (2016). A transcriptome-based global map of signaling pathways in the ovarian cancer microenvironment associated with clinical outcome. Genome Biol. 17: 108.

Rohnalter, V., Roth, K., Finkernagel, F., Adhikary, T., Obert, J., Dorzweiler, K., Bensberg, M., Müller-Brüsselbach, S. and *Müller, R. (2015). A multi-stage process including transient polyploidization and EMT precedes the emergence of chemoresistent ovarian carcinoma cells with a dedifferentiated and pro-inflammatory secretory phenotype. Oncotarget 6, 40005-40025.

Schumann, T., Adhikary, T., Wortmann, A., Finkernagel, F., Lieber, S., Schnitzer, E., Legrand, N., Schober, Y, Nockher, A. W., Toth, P.M., Diederich, W.E., Nist, A., Stiewe, T., Wagner, U., Reinartz, S., Müller-Brüsselbach, S. and *Müller, R. (2015). Deregulation of PPARβ/δ target genes in tumor-associated macrophages by fatty acid ligands in the ovarian cancer microenvironment. Oncotarget 6, 13416-13433.

Reinartz, S., Schumann, T., Finkernagel, F., Wortmann, A., Jansen, J.M., Meissner, W., Krause, M., Schwörer, A.-M., Wagner, U., Müller-Brüsselbach, S. and *Müller, R. (2014). Mixed-polarization phenotype of ascites-associated macrophages in human ovarian carcinoma: correlation of CD163 expression, cytokine levels and early relapse. Int. J. Cancer 134, 32-42.