@phdthesis{Demir2010,
  author    = {Demir, Fatih},
  title     = {Lipid rafts in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-53223},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {Arabidopsis thaliana (A.th.) mesophyll cells play a pivotal role in the regulation of the drought stress response. The signaling \& transport components involved in drought stress regulation within lipid rafts of the plasma membrane were investigated by DRM isolation from highly purified plasma membranes. Detergent treatment with Brij-98 and Triton X-100 resulted in a total of 246 DRM proteins which were identified by nano HPLC-MS/MS. The majority of these proteins could be isolated by Triton X-100 treatment (78.5 \%) which remains the "golden" standard for the isolation of DRMs. Comparing in-gel and in-solution digestion approaches disclosed additional protein identifications for each method but the in-gel approach clearly delivered the majority of the identified proteins (81.8 \%). Functionally, a clear bias on signaling proteins was visible - almost 1/3 of the detected DRM proteins belonged to the group of kinases, phosphatases and other signaling proteins. Especially leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinases and calcium-dependent protein kinases were present in Brij-98 \& Triton X-100 DRMs, for instance the calcium-dependent protein kinase CPK21. Another prominent member of DRMs was the protein phosphatase 2C 56, ABI1, which is a key regulator of the ABA-mediated drought stress response in A.th. The lipid raft localization of the identified DRM proteins was confirmed by sterol-depletion with the chemical drug MCD. Proteins which depend upon a sterol-rich environment are depleted from DRMs by MCD application. Especially signaling proteins exhibited a strong sterol-dependency. They represented the vast majority (41.5 \%) among the Triton X-100 DRM proteins which were no longer detected following MCD treatment. AtRem 1.2 \& 1.3 could be shown to be sterol-dependent in mesophyll cells as well as two CPKs (CPK10 \& CPK21) and the protein phosphatase ABI1. AtRem 1.2 \& 1.3 could be proven to represent ideal plant lipid raft marker proteins due to their strong presence in Triton X-100 DRMs and dependency upon a sterol-rich environment. When fluorescence labeled AtRem 1.2 \& 1.3 were transiently expressed in A.th. leaves, they localized to small, patchy structures at the plasma membrane. CPK21 was an intrinsic member of Triton X-100 DRMs and displayed extreme susceptibility to sterol-depletion by MCD in immunological and proteomic assays. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CPKs) have already been studied to be involved in drought stress regulation, for instance at the regulation of S-type anion channels in guard cells. Hence, further transient expression studies with the anion channel SLAH3, protein kinase CPK21 and its counterpart, protein phosphatase ABI1 were performed in Nicotiana benthamiana. Transient co-expression of CPK21 and the anion channel SLAH3, a highly mesophyll- specific homologue of the guard cell anion channel SLAC1, resulted in a combined, sterol-dependent localization of both proteins in DRMs. Supplementary co-expression of the counterpart protein phosphatase ABI1 induced dislocation of SLAH3 from DRMs, probably by inactivation of the protein kinase CPK21. CPK21 is known to regulate the anion channel SLAH3 by phosphorylation. ABI1 dephosphorylates CPK21 thus leading to deactivation and dislocation of SLAH3 from DRMs. All this regulative events are taking place in DRMs of A.th. mesophyll cells. This study presents the first evidence for a lipid raft-resident protein complex combining signaling and transport functions in A.th. Future perspectives for lipid raft research might target investigations on the lipid raft localization of candidate DRM proteins under presence of abiotic and biotic stress factors. For instance, which alterations in the DRM protein composition are detectable upon exogenous application of the plant hormone ABA? Quantitative proteomics approaches will surely increase our knowledge of the post-transcriptional regulation of gene activity under drought stress conditions.},
  subject      = {Ackerschmalwand},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Nietzer2010,
  author    = {Nietzer, Sarah},
  title     = {Gene and environment interactions in serotonin transporter knockout mice - how stress influences gene expression and neuronal morphology},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-54391},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {Serotonin (5-HT) is an important modulator of many physiological, behavioural and developmental processes and it plays an important role in stress coping reactions. Anxiety disorders and depression are stress-related disorders and they are associated with a malfunction of the 5-HT system, in which the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) plays an important role. 5-Htt knockout (KO) mice represent an artificially hyperserotonergic environment, show an increased anxiety-like behaviour and seem to be a good model to investigate the role of the 5-HT system concerning stress reactions and anxiety disorders. As synaptic proteins (SPs) seem to be involved in stress reactions, the effect of acute immobilization stress on the expression of the three SPs Synaptotagmin (Syt) I, Syt IV and Syntaxin (Stx) 1A was studied in the 5-Htt KO mouse model as well as the expression of the two immediate early genes (IEGs) FBJ osteosarcoma oncogene (c-Fos) and fos-like antigen 2 (Fra-2). Additionally, the expression of the corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) and its two receptors CRHR1 and CRHR2 was investigated as part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress system. Based on gender- and genotype-dependent differences in corticosterone levels, expression differences in the brain were investigated by performing a quantitative real time-PCR study using primer pairs specific for these SPs and for the IEGs c-Fos and Fra-2 in five different brain regions in 5-Htt KO and 5-Htt wild-type (WT) mice. Mainly gender-dependent differences could be found and weaker stress effects on the expression of SPs could be demonstrated. Regarding the expression of IEGs, stress-, gender- and genotype-dependent differences were found mainly in the hypothalamus. Also in the hypothalamus, gender effects were found concerning the expression of CRH and its both receptors. Additionally, in a second study, male 5-Htt WT and male 5-Htt deficient mice were subjected to a resident-intruder-paradigm which stresses the animals through a loser experience. The morphological changes of neurons were subsequently analyzed in Golgi-Cox-stained sections of limbic brain areas in stressed and unstressed animals of both genotypes using the computer-based microscopy system Neurolucida (Microbrightfield, Inc.). While no differences concerning dendritic length, branching patterns and spine density were found in the hippocampus and no differences concerning dendritic length and branching patterns could be shown in the cingulate cortex (CG), pyramidal neurons in the infralimbic cortex (IL) of stressed 5-Htt WT mice displayed longer dendrites compared to unstressed 5-Htt WT mice. The results indicate that, although in this model drastic alterations of neuronal morphology are absent, subtle changes can be found in specific brain areas involved in stress- and anxiety-related behaviour which may represent neural substrates underlying behavioural phenomena.},
  subject      = {Serotonin},
  language  = {en}
}