@phdthesis{Wagh2005,
  author    = {Wagh, Dhananjay Anil},
  title     = {"Bruchpilot" -molecular and functional characterization of a novel active zone protein at the Drosophila synapse},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-14989},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {Chemical neurotransmission is a complex process of central importance for nervous system function. It is thought to be mediated by the orchestration of hundreds of proteins for its successful execution. Several synaptic proteins have been shown to be relevant for neurotransmission and many of them are highly conserved during evolution- suggesting a universal mechanism for neurotransmission. This process has checkpoints at various places like, neurotransmitter uptake into the vesicles, relocation of the vesicles to the vicinity of calcium channels in order to facilitate Ca2+ induced release thereby modulating the fusion probability, formation of a fusion pore to release the neurotransmitter and finally reuptake of the vesicles by endocytosis. Each of these checkpoints has now become a special area of study and maintains its own importance for the understanding of the overall process. Ca2+ induced release occurs at specialized membrane structures at the synapse known as the active zones. These are highly ordered electron dense grids and are composed of several proteins which assist the synaptic vesicles in relocating in the vicinity of Ca2+ channels thereby increasing their fusion probability and then bringing about the vesicular fusion itself. All the protein modules needed for these processes are thought to be held in tight arrays at the active zones, and the functions of a few have been characterized so far at the vertebrate active zones. Our group is primarily interested in characterizing the molecular architecture of the Drosophila synapse. Due to its powerful genetics and well-established behavioural assays Drosophila is an excellent system to investigate neuronal functioning. Monoclonal antibodies (MABs) from a hybridoma library against Drosophila brain are routinely used to detect novel proteins in the brain in a reverse genetic approach. Upon identification of the protein its encoding genetic locus is characterized and a detailed investigation of its function is initiated. This approach has been particularly useful to detect synaptic proteins, which may go undetected in a forward genetic approach due to lack of an observable phenotype. Proteins like CSP, Synapsin and Sap47 have been identified and characterized using this approach so far. MAB nc82 has been one of the shortlisted antibodies from the same library and is widely used as a general neuropil marker due to the relative transparency of immunohistochemical whole mount staining obtained with this antibody. A careful observation of double stainings at the larval neuromuscular junctions with MAB nc82 and other pre and post-synaptic markers strongly suggested an active zone localization of the nc82 antigen. Synaptic architecture is well characterized in Drosophila at the ultrastructural level. However, molecular details for many synaptic components and especially for the active zone are almost entirely unknown. A possible localization at the active zone for the nc82 antigen served as the motivation to initiate its biochemical characterization and the identification of the encoding gene. In the present thesis it is shown by 2-D gel analysis and mass spectrometry that the nc82 antigen is a novel active zone protein encoded by a complex genetic locus on chromosome 2R. By RT-PCR exons from three open reading frames previously annotated as separate genes are demonstrated to give rise to a transcript of at least 5.5 kb. Northern blots produce a prominent signal of 11 kb and a weak signal of 2 kb. The protein encoded by the 5.5 kb transcript is highly conserved amongst insects and has at its N-terminus significant homology to the previously described vertebrate active zone protein ELKS/ERC/CAST. Bioinformatic analysis predicts coiled-coil domains spread all over the sequence and strongly suggest a function involved in organizing or maintaining the structure of the active zone. The large C-terminal region is highly conserved amongst the insects but has no clear homologues in veretebrates. For a functional analysis of this protein transgenic flies expressing RNAi constructs under the control of the Gal4 regulated enhancer UAS were kindly provided by the collaborating group of S.Sigrist (G\&\#1616;ttingen). A strong pan-neuronal knockdown of the nc82 antigen by transgenic RNAi expression leads to embryonic lethality. A relatively weaker RNAi expression results in behavioural deficits in adult flies including unstable flight and impaired walking behavior. Due to this peculiar phenotype as observed in the first knockdown studies the gene was named "bruchpilot" (brp) encoding the protein "Bruchpilot (BRP)" (German for crash pilot). A pan-neuronal as well as retina specific downregulation of this protein results in loss of ON and OFF transients in ERG recordings indicating dysfunctional synapses. Retina specific downregulation also shows severely impaired optomotor behaviour. Finally, at an ultrastructural level BRP downregulation seems to impair the formation of the characteristic T-shaped synaptic ribbons at the active zones without significantly altering the overall synaptic architecture (in collaboration with E.Asan). Vertebrate active zone protein Bassoon is known to be involved in attaching the synaptic ribbons to the active zones as an adapter between active zone proteins RIBEYE and ERC/CAST. A mutation in Bassoon results in a floating synaptic ribbon phenotype. No protein homologous to Bassoon has been observed in Drosophila. BRP downregulation also results in absence of attached synaptic ribbons at the active zones. This invites the speculation of an adapter like function for BRP in Drosophila. However, while Bassoon mutant mice are viable, BRP deficit in addition to the structural phenotype also results in severe behavioural and physiological anomalies and even stronger downregulation causes embryonic lethality. This therefore suggests an additional and even more important role for BRP in development and normal functioning of synapses in Drosophila and also in other insects. However, how BRP regulates synaptic transmission and which other proteins are involved in this BRP dependant pathway remains to be investigated. Such studies certainly will attract prominent attention in the future.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Yang2015,
  author    = {Yang, Zhenghong},
  title     = {A systematic study of learned helplessness in Drosophila melanogaster},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-112424},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {The learned helplessness phenomenon is a specific animal behavior induced by prior exposure to uncontrollable aversive stimuli. It was first found by Seligman and Maier (1967) in dogs and then has been reported in many other species, e.g. in rats (Vollmayr and Henn, 2001), in goldfishes (Padilla, 1970), in cockroaches (Brown, 1988) and also in fruit flies (Brown, 1996; Bertolucci, 2008). However, the learned helplessness effect in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) has not been studied in detail. Thus, in this doctoral study, we investigated systematically learned helplessness behavior of Drosophila for the first time. Three groups of flies were tested in heatbox. Control group was in the chambers experiencing constant, mild temperature. Second group, master flies were punished in their chambers by being heated if they stopped walking for 0.9s. The heat pulses ended as soon as they resumed walking again. A third group, the yoked fly, was in their chambers at the same time. However, their behavior didn't affect anything: yoked flies were heated whenever master flies did, with same timing and durations. After certain amount of heating events, yoked flies associated their own behavior with the uncontrollability of the environment. They suppressed their innate responses such as reducing their walking time and walking speed; making longer escape latencies and less turning around behavior under heat pulses. Even after the conditioning phase, yoked flies showed lower activity level than master and control flies. Interestingly, we have also observed sex dimorphisms in flies. Male flies expressed learned helplessness not like female flies. Differences between master and yoked flies were smaller in male than in female flies. Another interesting finding was that prolonged or even repetition of training phases didn't enhance learned helplessness effect in flies. Furthermore, we investigated serotonergic and dopaminergic nervous systems in learned helplessness. Using genetic and pharmacological manipulations, we altered the levels of serotonin and dopamine in flies' central nervous system. Female flies with reduced serotonin concentration didn't show helpless behavior, while the learned helplessness effect in male flies seems not to be affected by a reduction of serotonin. Flies with lower dopamine level do not display the learned helplessness effect in the test phase, suggesting that with low dopamine the motivational change in learned helplessness in Drosophila may decline faster than with a normal dopamine level.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Brembs2000,
  author    = {Brembs, Bj{\"o}rn},
  title     = {An Analysis of Associative Learning in Drosophila at the Flight Simulator},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-1039},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2000},
  abstract  = {Most natural learning situations are of a complex nature and consist of a tight conjunction of the animal's behavior (B) with the perceived stimuli. According to the behavior of the animal in response to these stimuli, they are classified as being either biologically neutral (conditioned stimuli, CS) or important (unconditioned stimuli, US or reinforcer). A typical learning situation is thus identified by a three term contingency of B, CS and US. A functional characterization of the single associations during conditioning in such a three term contingency has so far hardly been possible. Therefore, the operational distinction between classical conditioning as a behavior-independent learning process (CS-US associations) and operant conditioning as essentially behavior-dependent learning (B-US associations) has proven very valuable. However, most learning experiments described so far have not been successful in fully separating operant from classical conditioning into single-association tasks. The Drosophila flight simulator in which the relevant behavior is a single motor variable (yaw torque), allows for the first time to completely separate the operant (B-US, B-CS) and the classical (CS-US) components of a complex learning situation and to examine their interactions. In this thesis the contributions of the single associations (CS-US, B-US and B-CS) to memory formation are studied. Moreover, for the first time a particularly prominent single association (CS-US) is characterized extensively in a three term contingency. A yoked control shows that classical (CS-US) pattern learning requires more training than operant pattern learning. Additionally, it can be demonstrated that an operantly trained stimulus can be successfully transferred from the behavior used during training to a new behavior in a subsequent test phase. This result shows unambiguously that during operant conditioning classical (CS-US) associations can be formed. In an extension to this insight, it emerges that such a classical association blocks the formation of an operant association, which would have been formed without the operant control of the learned stimuli. Instead the operant component seems to develop less markedly and is probably merged into a complex three-way association. This three-way association could either be implemented as a sequential B-CS-US or as a hierarchical (B-CS)-US association. The comparison of a simple classical (CS-US) with a composite operant (B, CS and US) learning situation and of a simple operant (B-US) with another composite operant (B, CS and US) learning situation, suggests a hierarchy of predictors of reinforcement. Operant behavior occurring during composite operant conditioning is hardly conditioned at all. The associability of classical stimuli that bear no relation to the behavior of the animal is of an intermediate value, as is operant behavior alone. Stimuli that are controlled by operant behavior accrue associative strength most easily. If several stimuli are available as potential predictors, again the question arises which CS-US associations are formed? A number of different studies in vertebrates yielded amazingly congruent results. These results inspired to examine and compare the properties of the CS-US association in a complex learning situation at the flight simulator with these vertebrate results. It is shown for the first time that Drosophila can learn compound stimuli and recall the individual components independently and in similar proportions. The attempt to obtain second-order conditioning with these stimuli, yielded a relatively small effect. In comparison with vertebrate data, blocking and sensory preconditioning experiments produced conforming as well as dissenting results. While no blocking could be found, a sound sensory preconditioning effect was obtained. Possible reasons for the failure to find blocking are discussed and further experiments are suggested. The sensory preconditioning effect found in this study is revealed using simultaneous stimulus presentation and depends on the amount of preconditioning. It is argued that this effect is a case of 'incidental learning', where two stimuli are associated without the need of reinforcement. Finally, the implications of the results obtained in this study for the general understanding of memory formation in complex learning situations are discussed.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Franz2009,
  author    = {Franz, Mirjam},
  title     = {Analyse der Hangover Funktion w{\"a}hrend der Entwicklung von Ethanol-induziertem Verhalten},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-35591},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2009},
  abstract  = {Die Entwicklung von Ethanoltoleranz ist ein Indikator f{\"u}r eine m{\"o}gliche Abh{\"a}ngigkeit von Alkohol. Der genaue molekulare Mechanismus der Ethanoltoleranzentwicklung ist jedoch nicht bekannt. Drosophila erm{\"o}glicht die molekulare und ph{\"a}notypische Untersuchung von verschiedenen Mutanten mit ver{\"a}nderter Toleranz und kann so zu einem besseren Verst{\"a}ndnis beitragen. Die hangAE10 Mutante entwickelt eine reduzierte Ethanoltoleranz, wobei dieser Ph{\"a}notyp auf Defekte in der zellul{\"a}ren Stressantwort zur{\"u}ckzuf{\"u}hren ist. F{\"u}r ein besseres Verst{\"a}ndnis, in welchen molekularen Mechanismen bzw. Signalwegen HANG wirkt, wurde die Funktion des Proteins auf zellul{\"a}rer Ebene analysiert und m{\"o}gliche Zielgene charakterisiert. Die auff{\"a}llige Proteinstruktur von HANG spricht f{\"u}r eine Interaktion mit Nukleins{\"a}uren. Immunhistochemische Analysen von ektopisch exprimiertem Hangover Protein ergaben, dass dieses nicht mit der DNA co-lokalisiert und auch nicht an polyt{\"a}nen Chromosomen nachgewiesen werden kann. Die ektopische Expression von HANG in Speicheldr{\"u}senzellen zeigte eine punktf{\"o}rmige Verteilung des Proteins innerhalb des Zellkerns. Dieses punktf{\"o}rmige Expressionsmuster wird h{\"a}ufig in RNA-bindenden Proteinen gefunden. Deshalb wurden Co-Lokalisationsstudien von HANG mit Markern f{\"u}r RNAmodifizierende Proteine durchgef{\"u}hrt. Dabei wurde keine Interaktion mit verschiedenen Markerproteinen des Spleißapparates gefunden. Mithilfe von in vitro Experimenten konnte aber die Bindung von RNA an bestimmten Hangover Proteinbereichen nachgewiesen werden Diese Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass HANG eine RNA-regulierende Funktion hat. In einem cDNA Microarray Experiment wurde das Gen dunce als m{\"o}gliches Zielgen von Hangover identifiziert. Das Gen dunce kodiert f{\"u}r eine Phosphodiesterase, welche spezifisch cAMP hydrolysiert. Zur Best{\"a}tigung der cDNA Microarray Experimente wurden die dnc Transkriptunterschiede in Wildtyp und hangAE10 Mutante mithilfe von semiquantitativer RT-PCR f{\"u}r jede der vier Gruppen untersucht. Dabei konnte eine Reduktion der dncRMRA-Transkriptgruppe in hangAE10 Mutanten nachgewiesen werden. Aufgrund dieser Ergebnisse wurde die dncRMRA -spezifische dnc\&\#916;143 Mutante hergestellt und auf Verhaltensebene analysiert. Die Experimente zeigten, dass sowohl dnc1, als auch die dnc\&\#916;143 Mutante eine reduzierte Ethanoltoleranz und Defekte in der zellul{\"a}ren Stressantwort aufweisen. F{\"u}r die Rettung der reduzierten Toleranz von hangAE10 und dnc\&\#916;143 in dncRMRA-spezifischen Neuronen wurde die dncRMRA Promotor- GAL4 Linie hergestellt. Die reduzierte Ethanoltoleranz der dnc\&\#916;143 Mutanten konnte {\"u}ber die Expression von UAS-dnc mit der dncRMRA-GAL4 Linie auf Wildtyp Level gerettet werden. Die reduzierte Toleranz der hangAE10 Mutante konnte mithilfe derselben GAL4 Linie verbessert werden. Dies beweist, dass in beiden Mutanten dieselben Zellen f{\"u}r die Entwicklung von Ethanoltoleranz ben{\"o}tigt werden und sie wahrscheinlich in der gleichen Signaltransduktionskaskade eine Funktion haben. Aufgrund der Anf{\"a}lligkeit der UAS/ GAL4 Systems gegen{\"u}ber Hitze war es außerdem nicht m{\"o}glich die Defekte der zellul{\"a}ren Stressantwort von dnc\&\#916;143 bzw. hangAE10 Fliegen zu retten. Die Rettung der reduzierten Ethanoltoleranz der dcn\&\#916;143 Mutante f{\"u}hrte außerdem zu der Vermutung, dass die cAMP Regulation eine wichtige Funktion bei der Ethanoltoleranzentwicklung hat. {\"U}ber die Expression von cAMP-regulierenden Proteinen in dncRMRA-spezifischen Neuronen wurde der Einfluss von cAMP bei Ethanol-induziertem Verhalten {\"u}berpr{\"u}ft. Bei der {\"U}berexpression von dunce und rutabaga konnte weder eine Ver{\"a}nderung f{\"u}r die Ethanolsensitivit{\"a}t, noch f{\"u}r die Toleranzentwicklung festgestellt werden. Eine Erkl{\"a}rung hierf{\"u}r w{\"a}re, dass Ver{\"a}nderungen in der cAMP Konzentration {\"u}ber R{\"u}ckkopplungsmechanismen zwischen Dunce und Rutabaga ausgeglichen werden k{\"o}nnen. F{\"u}r eine genauere Aussage m{\"u}sste jedoch die cAMP Konzentration in diesen Fliegen gemessen werden. Die {\"U}berexpression von pka- in dncRMRA spezifischen Zellen f{\"u}hrt zu einer erh{\"o}hten Ethanolresistenz. Das bedeutet, dass die Modulation der cAMP Konzentration durch dunce und rutabaga in dncRMRA spezifischen Zellen keinen Einfluss auf Ethanol-induziertes Verhalten hat, wohingegen die St{\"a}rke der cAMP vermittelten Signalverarbeitung {\"u}ber die cAMP-abh{\"a}ngige PKA zu Ver{\"a}nderungen im Verhalten f{\"u}hrt. F{\"u}r Mutanten des cAMP Signalweges ist außerdem bekannt, dass sie Defekte im olfaktorischen Lernen bzw. Ged{\"a}chtnis aufweisen. Deshalb wurden die dnc\&\#916;143, dnc1 und hangAE10 Mutanten in diesem Paradigma getestet. Sowohl dnc1, als auch dnc\&\#916;143 Fliegen zeigten einen reduzierten Performance Index f{\"u}r das zwei und 30 Minuten Ged{\"a}chtnis. Nach 180 Minuten verhielten sich die dnc\&\#916;143 Mutanten nicht mehr unterschiedlich zum Wildtyp, die dnc1 Mutante zeigte jedoch immer noch eine Reduktion des Performance Index im Vergleich zur Kontrolle. Demnach ist in dnc\&\#916;143 Mutanten nur das Kurzzeitged{\"a}chtnis betroffen, wohingegen hangAE10 Mutanten keine Reduktion des Performance Index f{\"u}r das olfaktorische Kurzzeitged{\"a}chtnis aufweisen. Die unterschiedlichen Ergebnisse der beiden Mutanten in der Ged{\"a}chtnisentwicklung deuten außerdem daraufhin, dass Lernen und Ged{\"a}chtnis in dnc\&\#916;143 und hangAE10 Mutanten von der Toleranzentwicklung unabh{\"a}ngig {\"u}ber unterschiedliche cAMP-abh{\"a}ngige Signaltransduktionskaskaden reguliert werden.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Batsching2016,
  author    = {Batsching, Sophie Johanna},
  title     = {Behavior under uncontrollable stress in \(Drosophila\) \(melanogaster\) - Learned Helplessness revisited},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-145416},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {In order to select the appropriate behavior, it is important to choose the right behavior at the right time out of many options. It still remains unclear nowadays how exactly this is managed. To address this question, I expose flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to uncontrollable stress to study their behavior under restrictive circumstances by using the so-called shock box. Exposing animals to uncontrollable stress may have an impact on subsequent behavior and can last for some time. The animal learns that whatever it does, it cannot change the situation and therefore can develop something called learned helplessness. The term was first conceptualized by two American psychologists Maier and Seligman (1967), who discovered this phenomenon while doing experiments with dogs. They found out that dogs which are exposed to inescapable stress, later fail in a learning task ('shuttle box'). In this work the walking patterns of three different types of experimental flies, walking in a small dark chamber, were evaluated. Using the triadic design (Seligman and Maier, 1967), flies were either exposed to electric shock randomly (yoked), could turn it off by being active (master) or did not receive punishment at all (control). Master flies were shocked whenever they sat for more than 0.9 seconds. At the same time yoked flies received a shock as well independent of what they were doing, to ensure the same amount of shocks received and to create random punishment pattern for the yoked group. With this so-called no-idleness paradigm flies were conditioned either 10 minutes, which resulted in a short (3 minutes) after-effect, or 20 minutes that turned out to be more stable (10 minutes). In a second part, the behavior during the 20 minute conditioning and a 10 minutes post-test was described in detail. Female flies of the yoked group developed lower activity levels, longer pauses and walked more slowly than master and control flies during conditioning. In the time after the shocks while still in the box, the yoked flies also reduced the frequency and duration of walking bouts as well as their walking speed. Additionally, they took more time to resume walking after the onset of an electric shock than master flies (escape latency) and turned out to make less pauses lasting between 1-1.5 seconds which supports the finding concerning the escape latency. Male flies, tested under the same conditions, showed a slightly weaker after-effect regarding the difference between master and yoked during conditioning and post-test when compared to female flies. When comparing the 20 minutes conditioning with subsequent 10 minutes test in the heat and the shock box in parallel, one finds the same effect: Flies which do not have control over the shocks, lower their activity, make less but longer pauses and walk more slowly than their respective master flies. Despite the similar effect of heat and shock on the flies, some differences between the devices occurred, which can partly be explained by different humidity conditions as well as by different surfaces within the chambers. When the control over the shocks is given back to the yoked flies, it takes them about seven minutes to realize it. One could also show that dopamine levels in the brain were reduced in comparison to flies which did not receive shocks. Yoked flies also were impaired in a place learning task (place learning) and their reaction to light (exit from the box towards the light) directly after conditioning. After characterizing the walking behavior in the chambers, the study deals with the question whether the effects observed in the chambers transfer to different environments. In free walk they only differed from flies which did not receive electric shocks and no effect of uncontrollability was transferred to courtship behavior. Handling as the cause could be excluded. Since handling could be exclude to be the cause of losing the effect, I assumed that the behavior shown in the boxes are context depend. Not only were the after-effects of inescapable shock subject of the current research also the impact of the rearing situation on the response to electric shock was investigated in the present study. Flies which grew up in a single-reared situation turned out to be less affected by inescapable stress in both sexes. In the next part, the first steps to unravel the neuronal underpinning were taken. A mutant - fumin - which is defective in the dopamine re-uptake transporter showed less reaction to inescapable foot shocks, while a mutant for the gene which encodes an adenylate cyclase (rutabaga2080) resulted in a good score during conditioning, but showed no stable after-effect. Downregulating the expression of the adenylate cyclase gene (rutabaga) in different parts of the mushroom bodies showed, that rutabaga is necessary in the α'β'-lobes for expressing the differences between master and yoked flies in the no-idleness paradigm. The study further confirmed previous findings, that rutabaga is needed in operant but not in classical conditioning. As a result, the study could show that not the stimulus itself causes the state of uncontrollability but the fact that the fly learned that it was not in control of the stimulus. This state turned out to be context and time dependent.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Mentzel2008,
  author    = {Mentzel, Benjamin Tobias},
  title     = {Biochemische und ph{\"a}notypische Untersuchungen zur Funktion der p21-aktivierten Kinase DPAK3 in Drosophila melanogaster},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-30290},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2008},
  abstract  = {Gegenstand dieser Arbeit ist das Drosophila melanogaster Protein DPAK3, ein Vertreter der hochkonservierten Familie der p21-aktivierten Kinasen (PAK). DPAK3 und seine Homologen aus anderen Insektenarten und C. elegans k{\"o}nnen aufgrund eines Vergleichs der Proteinsequenz und struktureller Merkmale in eine eigenen Untergruppe 1* innerhalb der Gruppe 1 der PAK-Proteine eingeordnet werden. Das Genom von Drosophila kodiert noch f{\"u}r zwei weitere PAK-Proteine, das zur Gruppe 1 geh{\"o}rende DPAK1 und das Gruppe 2 PAK-Protein Mbt. Wie die klassischen Gruppe 1 PAK-Proteine bildet DPAK3 im inaktiven Zustand Dimere. DPAK3 interagiert mit den GTP-gebundenen Formen der RhoGTPasen Rac1, Rac2 und Cdc42. Durch die Bindung dieser Proteine geht DPAK3 aus dem dimeren in den monomeren Zustand {\"u}ber und seine Kinaseaktivit{\"a}t wird durch diese Bindung gesteigert. DPAK3 ist f{\"u}r die Ausbildung der korrekten Morphologie kultivierter Drosophila Zellen erforderlich und beeinflußt die Regulation des Aktinzytoskeletts. Weiterhin konnte CK2beta, die regulatorische Untereinheit der Casein Kinase 2, als neuer Regulator von p21-aktivierten Kinasen identifiziert werden. Das Genom von Drosophila besitzt drei Transkriptionseinheiten, die f{\"u}r CK2beta', CK2betatestes und f{\"u}nf verschiedene Isoformen von CK2beta kodieren. Eine vergleichende Analyse zeigt, daß alle CK2beta-Proteine mit DPAK1, DPAK3 und in geringerem Maß auch mit Mbt interagieren und in der Lage sind, die Aktivit{\"a}t der PAK-Proteine in vitro zu hemmen. Die Bindung von CK2beta an DPAK3 wird, wie bei allen anderen Serin- / Threoninkinasen, die bisher als Interaktionspartner von CK2beta identifiziert wurden, {\"u}ber die Kinasedom{\"a}ne von DPAK3 vermittelt. Die Bildung des aus zwei katalytischen CK2a und zwei CK2beta Untereinheiten bestehenden CK2-Holoenzyms h{\"a}ngt von der F{\"a}higkeit von CK2beta ab, Dimere zu bilden. Es konnte gezeigt werden, daß die Bildung eines b-b Dimers f{\"u}r die Interaktion mit und Regulation von DPAK3 nicht erforderlich ist. In vivo wurden die bisher bekannten Dpak3 Allele untersucht, wobei kein gesichertes Nullallel identifiziert werden konnte. Durch enzymatisch katalysierte Rekombination wurde eine neue Deletion hergestellt, die das komplette Leseraster von Dpak3 entfernt. Mit Hilfe von genetischen Mosaiken wurde die Rolle von DPAK3 in der Augenentwicklung untersucht. Durch den Verlust der Genfunktion von Dpak3 wird die Ausbildung der korrekten Struktur der Komplexaugen nur leicht beeintr{\"a}chtigt. Bei der Analyse einer Dpak1 Mutante wurde dasselbe Ergebnis erzielt. Gleichzeitiger Verlust der Genfunktion von Dpak1 und Dpak3 hingegen f{\"u}hrt zu massiven strukturellen Defekten. DPAK1 und DPAK3 erf{\"u}llen somit zumindest teilweise redundante Funktionen in der Augenentwicklung. Es wird Gegenstand zuk{\"u}nftiger Studien sein m{\"u}ssen, die gemeinsamen und getrennten Funktionen dieser PAK-Proteine in Drosophila aufzukl{\"a}ren.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Kibler2002,
  author    = {Kibler, Eike Mathias U.},
  title     = {Casein-Kinase-2-Beta und neuronale Entwicklungsprozesse},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-4202},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2002},
  abstract  = {Die Pilzk{\"o}rper von Drosophila melanogaster stellen eine f{\"u}r die Lebensf{\"a}higkeit dieses Organismus entbehrliche Gehirnstruktur dar. Die Entwicklungsprozesse, die der Bildung dieser zentralnerv{\"o}sen Struktur zugrunde liegen, sind gut erforscht. Die neuronalen Stammzellen, die f{\"u}r die Bildung dieser Gehirnstruktur verantwortlich sind, sind identifiziert und experimentell gut zug{\"a}nglich. Daher bietet sich die Drosophila-Pilzk{\"o}rperentwicklung als neurogenetisches Modellsystem an, grundlegende Mechanismen der Gehirnentwicklung durch die Untersuchung von Pilzk{\"o}rperstrukturmutanten zu erforschen. In dieser Arbeit wurde mushroom bodies undersized P1 (mbuP1) als eine durch Transposon- Insertion in den Casein-Kinase-2ß-Genlokus verursachte, hypomorphe Mutation identifiziert, die zu einer starken Verringerung der Anzahl der die Pilzk{\"o}rper bildenden intrinsischen Neurone f{\"u}hrt. Eine Reversion des mbuP1-Pilzk{\"o}rperph{\"a}notyps konnte unter anderem durch die Expression von Casein-Kinase-2ß-(CK2ß)-Transgenen im mbuP1-Hintergrund erzielt werden. Durch Rekombination wurde ein fertiler mbuP1-Stamm etabliert, der nun die Untersuchung der zellul{\"a}ren mbuP1-Defekte erm{\"o}glicht. Eine partielle, letale Deletion der CK2ß-Transkriptionseinheit wurde erzeugt. Die Letalit{\"a}t dieser Deletion konnte sowohl durch ein genomisches CK2ß-Transgen als auch durch die ubiquit{\"a}re Expression einer CK2ß-cDNA gerettet, und hierdurch die essentielle Funktion der CK2ß-Transkriptionseinheit in Drosophila belegt werden. Durch die ubiquit{\"a}re Expression von in vitro-mutagenisierten CK2ß-cDNAs im CK2ß-Letalhintergrund wurde gezeigt, daß die Phosphorylierung der regulatorischen CK2ß-Untereinheit durch die katalytisch aktive CK2\&\#945;-Untereinheit kein lebensnotwendiger Prozess ist. Gleichartige Experimente wurden zur Untersuchung der funktionellen Bedeutung eines CK2ß-Zinkfingermotivs und eines CK2ß-Destruction-Box-Motivs durchgef{\"u}hrt. Diese legen nahe, daß das Zinkfingermotiv im Gegensatz zum Destruction-Box-Motiv f{\"u}r die in vivo-Funktion der CK2ß-Untereinheit essentiell ist. Expression der in vitro-mutagenisierten CK2ß-cDNAs im mbuP1-Hintergrund werden die funktionelle Bedeutung der ausgetauschten Aminos{\"a}uren f{\"u}r die Pilzk{\"o}rperentwicklung zeigen. Eine letale genetische Interaktion von mbuP1 mit einer Mutation des Drosophila-MAP-Kinase-Gens rolled (rlSem) und eine lebensf{\"a}hige Interaktion von mbuP1 mit einer Mutation des Drosophila-S6-Kinase-p90rsk-Gens ignorant (ignP1), bei der Fl{\"u}gel- und Augenent-wicklungsdefekte zu beobachten sind, wurden gefunden. Es wurde zudem gezeigt, daß rlSem als Suppressor des Pilzk{\"o}rperph{\"a}notyps eines schw{\"a}cheren mbu-Allels wirkt. Hierdurch konnte eine Beteiligung der Casein-Kinase-2 an MAP-Kinase-Signal{\"u}bertragungswegen wahrscheinlich gemacht werden.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Grotemeyer2019,
  author    = {Grotemeyer, Alexander},
  title     = {Characterisation and application of new optogenetic tools in \(Drosophila\) \(melanogaster\)},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-17879},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-178793},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Since Channelrhodopsins has been described first and introduced successfully in freely moving animals (Nagel et al., 2003 and 2005), tremendous impact has been made in this interesting field of neuroscience. Subsequently, many different optogenetic tools have been described and used to address long-lasting scientific issues. Furthermore, beside the 'classical' Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), basically a cation-selective ion channel, also altered ChR2 descendants, anion selective channels and light-sensitive metabotropic proteins have expanded the optogenetic toolbox. However, in spite of this variety of different tools most researches still pick Channelrhodopsin-2 for their optogenetic approaches due to its well-known kinetics. In this thesis, an improved Channelrhodopsin, Channelrhodopsin2-XXM (ChR2XXM), is described, which might become an useful tool to provide ambitious neuroscientific approaches by dint of its characteristics. Here, ChR2XXM was chosen to investigate the functional consequences of Drosophila larvae lacking latrophilin in their chordotonal organs. Finally, the functionality of GtACR, was checked at the Drosophila NMJ. For a in-depth characterisation, electrophysiology along with behavioural setups was employed. In detail, ChR2XXM was found to have a better cellular expression pattern, high spatiotemporal precision, substantial increased light sensitivity and improved affinity to its chromophore retinal, as compared to ChR2. Employing ChR2XXM, effects of latrophilin (dCIRL) on signal transmission in the chordotonal organ could be clarified with a minimum of side effects, e.g. possible heat response of the chordotonal organ, due to high light sensitivity. Moreover, optogenetic activation of the chordotonal organ, in vivo, led to behavioural changes. Additionally, GtACR1 was found to be effective to inhibit motoneuronal excitation but is accompanied by unexpected side effects. These results demonstrate that further improvement and research of optogenetic tools is highly valuable and required to enable researchers to choose the best fitting optogenetic tool to address their scientific questions.},
  subject      = {Optogenetik},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Herter2015,
  author    = {Herter, Eva Kristine},
  title     = {Characterization of direct Myc target genes in Drosophila melanogaster and Investigating the interaction of Chinmo and Myc},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122272},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {The correct regulation of cell growth and proliferation is essential during normal animal development. Myc proteins function as transcription factors, being involved in the con-trol of many growth- and proliferation-associated genes and deregulation of Myc is one of the main driving factors of human malignancies. The first part of this thesis focuses on the identification of directly regulated Myc target genes in Drosophila melanogaster, by combining ChIPseq and RNAseq approaches. The analysis results in a core set of Myc target genes of less than 300 genes which are mainly involved in ribosome biogenesis. Among these genes we identify a novel class of Myc targets, the non-coding small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). In vivo studies show that loss of snoRNAs not only impairs growth during normal development, but that overexpression of several snoRNAs can also enhance tumor development in a neu-ronal tumor model. Together the data show that Myc acts as a master regulator of ribo-some biogenesis and that Myc's transforming effects in tumor development are at least partially mediated by the snoRNAs. In the second part of the thesis, the interaction of Myc and the Zf-protein Chinmo is described. Co-immunoprecipitations of the two proteins performed under endogenous and exogenous conditions show that they interact physically and that neither the two Zf-domains nor the BTB/POZ-domain of Chinmo are important for this interaction. Fur-thermore ChIP experiments and Myc dependent luciferase assays show that Chinmo and Myc share common target genes, and that Chinmo is presumably also involved in their regulation. While the exact way of how Myc and Chinmo genetically interact with each other still has to be investigated, we show that their interaction is important in a tumor model. Overexpression of the tumor-suppressors Ras and Chinmo leads to tu-mor formation in Drosophila larvae, which is drastically impaired upon loss of Myc.},
  subject      = {Myc},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Putz2002,
  author    = {Putz, Gabriele},
  title     = {Characterization of memories and ignorant (S6KII) mutants in operant conditioning in the heat-box},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-4195},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2002},
  abstract  = {Learning and memory processes of operant conditioning in the heat-box were analysed. Age, sex, and larval desity were not critical parameters influencing memory, while low or high activity levels of flies were negatively correlated with their performance. In a search for conditioning parameters leading to high retention scores, intermittent training was shown to give better results than continuous training. As the memory test is the immediate continuation of the conditioning phase just omitting reinforcement, we obtain a memory which consists of two components: a spatial preference for one side of the chamber and a stay-where-you-are effect in which the side preference is contaminated by the persistence of heat avoidance. Intermittent training strengthens the latter. In the next part, memory retention was investigated. Flies were trained in one chamber and tested in a second one after a brief reminder training. With this direct transfer, memory scores reflect an associative learning process in the first chamber. To investigate memory retention after extended time periods, indirect transfer experiments were performed. The fly was transferred to a different environment between training and test phases. With this procedure an after-effect of the training was still observed two hours later. Surprisingly, exposure to the chamber without conditioning also lead to a memory effect in the indirect transfer experiment. This exposure effect revealed a dispositional change that facilitates operant learning during the reminder training. The various memory effects are independent of the mushroom bodies. The transfer experiments and yoked controls proved that the heat-box records an associative memory. Even two hours after the operant conditioning procedure, the fly remembers that its position in the chamber controls temperature. The cAMP signaling cascade is involved in heat-box learning. Thus, amnesiac, rutabaga, and dunce mutants have an impaired learning / memory. Searching for, yet unknown, genes and signaling cascades involved in operant conditioning, a Drosophila melanogaster mutant screen with 1221 viable X-chromosome P-element lines was performed. 29 lines with consistently reduced heat avoidance/ learning or memory scores were isolated. Among those, three lines have the p[lacW] located in the amnesiac ORF, confirming that with the chosen candidate criteria the heat-box is a useful tool to screen for learning and /or memory mutants. The mutant line ignP1 (8522), which is defective in the gene encoding p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (S6KII), was investigated. The P-insertion of line ignP1 is the first Drosophila mutation in the ignorant (S6KII) gene. It has the transposon inserted in the first exon. Mutant males are characterized by low training performance, while females perform well in the standard experiment. Several deletion mutants of the ignorant gene have been generated. In precise jumpouts the phenotype was reverted. Imprecise jumpouts with a partial loss of the coding region were defective in operant conditioning. Surprisingly, null mutants showed wild-type behavior. This might indicate an indirect effect of the mutated ignorant gene on learning processes. In classical odor avoidance conditioning, ignorant null mutants showed a defect in the 3-min, 30-min, and 3-hr memory, while the precise jumpout of the transposon resulted in a reversion of the behavioral phenotype. Deviating results from operant and classical conditioning indicate different roles for S6KII in the two types of learning.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {en}
}