@phdthesis{RamirezPineda2003,
  author    = {Ramirez Pineda, Jos{\´e} Robinson},
  title     = {Dendritic cells activated by CpG motifs are potent inducers of a Th1 immune response that protects mice against leishmaniasis},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-8410},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {The present investigation report a protocol to obtain dendritic cells (DC) that protects mice against fatal leishmaniasis. DC were generated from bone marrow precursors, pulsed with leishmanial antigen and activated with CpG oligodeoxinucleotides. Mice that were vaccinated with these cells were strongly protected against the clinical and parasitological manifestations of leishmaniasis and developed a Th1 immune response. protection was solid and long-lasting, and was also dependent of the via of administration. Whe the mechanism of protection was studied, it was observed that the availability of the cytokine interleukin-12 at the time of vaccination was a key requirement, but that the source of this cytokine is not the donor cells but unidentified cells from the recipients.},
  subject      = {Leishmaniose},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Hupp2003,
  author    = {Hupp, Thomas},
  title     = {Ab Initio Treatment of Complex Systems Kohn-Sham Orbitals for Multi Reference Methods and the Base Pairing Properties of Xanthine},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-8244},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {Die vorliegende Arbeit besteht aus zwei Teilen. Der erste untersucht die Eignung von LHF-Orbitalen f{\"u}r Multireferenzverfahren. Das Ziel dieses Teils ist eine effizientere Berechnung angeregter Zust{\"a}nde, was zur spektroskopischen Charakterisierung vieler organischer und bioorganischer Molek{\"u}le wichtig ist. Der zweite Teil befasst sich mit bioorganischen Fragestellungen und untersucht die Paarungseigenschaften der Purinbase Xanthin. Es wird unter anderem die unerwartet hohe Stabilit{\"a}t der Xanthin Selbstpaarung in Alanyl-PNA erkl{\"a}rt und es wird untersucht, auf welche Weise Xanthin in der DNA mutagene Fehlpaarungen mit Thymin eingehen kann. Teil1: Im Unterschied zu HF- und Standard-DFT-Methoden f{\"u}hrt der LHF-Ansatz zu einem vollst{\"a}ndig gebundenen Orbitalspektrum, da Coulomb-Selbstwechselwirkungen im LHF-Ansatz exakt korrigiert werden. Durch die Korrektur der Coulomb-Selbstwechselwirkungen sind im LHF-Ansatz auch die Energien der besetzten Orbitale nicht wie in Standard-DFT-Methoden zu h{\"o}heren Werten verschoben, so dass das Koopmans' Theorem g{\"u}ltig bleibt und die besetzten LHF-Orbitale etwas kompakter als Standard-DFT-Orbitale sind. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt, dass beide Eigenschaften deutliche Vorteile f{\"u}r MR-Verfahren darstellen. Die virtuellen LHF-Orbitale sind gut optimiert und erlauben eine effizienteBeschreibung sowohl angeregter Zust{\"a}nde als auch statischer Korrelationseffekte in MRCI und MRPT2-Ans{\"a}tzen. Weiterhin f{\"u}hrt die kompaktere Struktur der besetzten LHF-Orbitale zu einer besseren Beschreibung des kationischen Rumpfes von Rydbergzust{\"a}nden. Andererseits wurden zu beiden genannten Vorteilen auch jeweils ein Beispielmolek{\"u}l gefunden, in dem die Vorteile nicht zum Tragen kommen, und zu deren Beschreibung Orbitale aus HF- oder Standard-DFT-Methoden besser geeignet sind. Diese Beispiele zeigen, dass jeder Einzelfall f{\"u}r sich getestet werden muss, auch wenn die angeregten Zust{\"a}nde der meisten Molek{\"u}le sehr gut mit LHF-Orbitalen beschrieben werden k{\"o}nnen. Teil 2: Im zweiten Teil der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die Paarungseigenschaften von Xanthin und Xanthinderivaten untersucht. Ziel dieses Teils war es, eine Erkl{\"a}rung f{\"u}r die unerwartet hohe Stabilit{\"a}t des Xanthin Alanyl-PNA Selbstpaarung zu finden. Weiterhin wurde untersucht, weshalb Xanthin, das in der DNA u.a. unter chemischem Stress gebildet wird, mutagene Fehlpaarungen mit der Pyrimidinbase Thymin eingehen kann. Stabilit{\"a}t der Xanthin Alanyl PNA: Zun{\"a}chst wurde durch den Vergleich experimenteller und berechneter 13C-NMR-Spektra das Regiosomer von Xanthin bestimmt, welches zu der ungew{\"o}hnlich hohen Stabilit{\"a}t der Xanthin-Xanthin-Selbstpaarung in Alanyl-PNA verantwortlich ist. Zur Untersuchung der Stabilit{\"a}t der Xanthin-Selbstpaarung wurde ein stark vereinfachendes Modell aufgestellt,in dem die Stabilit� at der PNA-Duplexe nur {\"u}ber die Energiebeitr{\"a}ge aus den Wasserstoffbr{\"u}cken (EDim) und der Basenstapelung (EStap) bestimmt wird. Die Dimerisierungs- und Stapelungsenergien unterschiedlicher Paarungen wurden mit DFT- und MP2-Methoden bestimmt. Solvenseffekte wurden {\"u}ber ein Kontinuummodell erfasst und der Einfluss des peptidischen R{\"u}ckgrats auf die Stapelungsgeometrie wurde durch Kraftfeldmethoden ber{\"u}cksichtigt. W{\"a}hrend die einzelnen Energiekomponenten aus den H-Br� ucken und der Basenstapelung keinen eindeutigen Zusammenhang zu den Schmelztemperaturen erkennen lassen, korreliert die Summe aus beiden linear mit den experimentell ermittelten Tm-Werten. Dies bedeutet, dass die Beitr{\"a}ge aus der Entropie, der molekularen Wasserumgebung und der R{\"u}ckgratspannung sich entweder aufheben oder f� ur alle behandelten Systeme sehr {\"a}hnlich sind. Die Stabilit{\"a}t der Xanthin-Xanthin- und die der 2,6-Diaminopurin-Xanthin-Paarung, ergibt sich durch einen erh{\"o}hten Stapelungsbeitrag der Purinpaarungen, w{\"a}hrend die Wasserstoffbr{\"u}cken der Xanthin Selbstpaarung nur wenig zur Stabilisierung des Xanthin-Xanthin und des Xanthin-Diaminopurin-Alanyl-PNA-Doppelstrangs beitragen. Paarungseigenschaften von N9-Xanthin: Zur Untersuchung der Paarungseigenschaften von N9-Xanthin wurden zun� achst H-verbr{\"u}ckte Homodimere von Xanthin untersucht. Hierbei wurden extreme Variationen in den Bindungsst{\"a}rken der einzelnen H-Br{\"u}cken gefunden, die sich zwischen -4 bis -11 kcal/mol in der Gasphase und -2.5 bis -5 kcal/mol im Solvens betragen. Durch Vergleich mit Modellsystemen konnte die starke Varianz der H-Br{\"u}ckenst{\"a}rke auf anziehende bzw. abstoßende sekund{\"a}re elektrostatische Wechselwirkungen zur{\"u}ckgef{\"u}hrt werden. Weiterhin wurde das Homodimer von Hypoxanthin untersucht, bei dem die H-Br{\"u}cken durch eine Erh{\"o}hung der Aromatizit{\"a}t im Pyrimidinring zus{\"a}tzlich verst{\"a}rkt werden, was zu einer deutlichen Stabilisierung des Dimers f{\"u}hrt. Elektronische Effekte m{\"u}ssen vor allem deshalb ber{\"u}cksichtigt werden, da sie im Unterschied zu rein elektrostatischen Effekten deutlich weniger von der Solvensumgebung beein usst werden. Mutagenit{\"a}t von Hypoxanthin und Xanthin: Zur Erkl{\"a}rung der Mutagenit{\"a}t von Hypoxanthin und Xanthin wurden verschiedene neutrale und anionische Watson-Crick Basenpaarungen von Hypoxanthin und Xanthin mit Pyrimidinbasen berechnet. Hierbei wurden u. a. auch tautomere und anionische Formen von Xanthin ber{\"u}cksichtigt. Zur Bewertung der erhaltenen Dimerisierungsenergien wurden die Paarungen danach klassifiziert, ob ihre Geometrien mit denen der kanonischen Basenpaarungen deckungsgleich sind, oder ob sie in einer verzerrten Watson-Crick Geometrie vorliegen, was die Einbaurate in die DNA aufgrund des r{\"a}umlichen Anspruchs der DNA-Polymerase vermindert. Die Rechnungen zeigen, dass Xanthin nur mit Cytosin Watson-Crick-Paarungen eingehen kann, welche jedoch nur sehr schwach gebunden sind. In der neutralen Form scheint eine dreiz{\"a}hnige Basenpaarung unter Beteiligung einer tautomeren Form des Xanthins etwas stabiler zu sein als die zweiz{\"a}hnige Paarung von Diketoxanthin mit Cytosin. Da die Dimerisierungsenergie sowohl der neutralen als auch der anionischen Basenpaarung nur wenig unter 0 kcal/mol liegt, ist der Einbau der Xanthin-Cytosin-Paarung in die DNA zwar aufgrund der g{\"u}nstigen Geometrie m{\"o}glich, wird aber nicht durch einen Energiebeitrag aus den H-Br{\"u}cken verst{\"a}rkt. Die im Vergleich zur Guanin-Cytosin Paarung deutlich geringere Aromatizit{\"a}t von Xanthin zu Cytosin ist im Einklang mit dem experimentellen Befund, dass die Cytosin-Xanthin Paarung deulich langsamer als die Guanin-Cytosin Paarungen in die DNA eingebaut werden. W{\"a}hrend die Rechnungen nur eine geringe Aromatizit{\"a}t von Xanthin zu Cytosin vorhersagen, scheint das Anion von Xanthin in der Lage zu sein, eine sehr stabile Basenpaarung mit Thymin einzugehen. Allerdings muss die Dimerisierungsenergie die schlechtere Anpassung in die Bindungstasche der DNA-Polymerase ausgleichen, da die Paarung in einer etwas verzerrten Watson-Crick Geometrie vorliegt. Insgesamt wird die Paarung daher nicht schneller in die DNA eingebaut, wie erwartet aufgrund der H-Br{\"u}ckenst{\"a}rken, stattdessen besitzt sie eine {\"a}hnliche Einbaurate wie die geometrisch g{\"u}nstigere aber weniger stabile Xanthin-Cytosin Paarung.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Noskov2003,
  author    = {Noskov, Andrey},
  title     = {Structural and functional studies of the Interleukin-5 receptor system},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-8195},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {The aim of current work was contribution to the long-term ongoing project on developing human IL-5 agonists/antagonists that intervene with or inhibit IL-5 numerous functions in cell culture and/or in animal disease models. To facilitate design of an IL-5 antagonist variant or low-molecular weight mimetics only capable of binding to the specific receptor alpha chain, but would lack the ability to attract the receptor common \&\#946;-chain and thus initiate receptor complex activation it is necessary to gain the information on minimal structural and functional epitopes. Such a strategy was successfully adopted in our group on example of Interleukin 4. To precisely localize minimal structural epitope it is essential to have structure of the ligand in its bound form and especially informative would be structure of complex of the ligand and its specific receptor alpha chain. For this purpose large quantities (tens of milligrams), retaining full biological activity IL-5 and extracellular domain of IL-5 specific receptor \&\#945;-chain were expressed in a bacterial expression system (E.coli). After successful refolding proteins were purified to 95-99\% Stable and soluble receptor:ligand complex was prepared. Each established purification and refolding procedures were subjected to optimization targeting maximal yields and purity. Produced receptor:ligand complex was applied to crystallization experiments. Microcrystals were initially obtained with a flexible sparse matrix screening methodology. Crystal quality was subsequently improved by fine-tuning of the crystallization conditions. At this stage crystals of about 800x150x30µm in size can be obtained. They possess desirable visible characteristics of crystals including optical clarity, smooth facecs and sharp edges. Crystals rotate plane polarized light reflecting their well internal organization. Unfortunately relative slimness and sometimes cluster nature of the produced crystals complicates acquisition of high-resolution dataset and resolution of the structure. With some of obtained crystals diffraction to a resolution up to 4{\AA} was observed.},
  subject      = {Interleukin 5},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Majidifard2003,
  author    = {Majidifard, Mahmoud Reza},
  title     = {Biostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy, ammonite taxonomy and microfacies analysis of the Middle and Upper Jurassic of northeastern Iran},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-8045},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {The Middle and Upper Jurassic sedimentary successions of Alborz in northern Iran and Koppeh Dagh in northeastern Iran comprise four formations; Dalichai, Lar (Alborz) and Chaman Bid, Mozduran (Koppeh Dagh). In this thesis, the biostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy, microfacies, depositional environments and palaeobiogeography of these rocks are discussed with special emphasis on the abundant ammonite fauna. They constitute a more or less continuous sequence, being confined by two tectonic events, one at the base, in the uppermost part of the Shemshak Formation (Bajocian), the so-called Mid-Cimmerian Event, the other one at the top (early Cretaceous), the so-called Late-Cimmerian Event. The lowermost unit constitutes the uppermost member of a siliciclastic and partly continental depositional sequence known as Shemshak Formation. It contains a fairly abundant ammonite fauna ranging in age from Aalenian to early Bajocian. The following unit (Dalichai Formation) begins everywhere with a significant marine transgression of late Bajocian age. The following four sections were measured: The Dalichai section (97 m) with three members; the Golbini-Jorbat composite section (449 m) with three members of the Dalichai Formation (414 m) and two members of the Lar Formation (414 m); the Chaman Bid section (1556 m) with seven members, and the Tooy-Takhtehbashgheh composite section (567 m) with three members of the Chaman Bid Formation (567 m) and four members of the Mozduran Formation (1092 m). Altogether, 80 species of ammonites from the Dalichai and Chaman Bid formations belonging to 30 genera and 16 families are described. Among the taxa Phylloceratidae are most abundant, followed by Ataxioceratidae, Perisphinctidae, and Cardioceratidae. Pachyceratidae are the least common family. The ammonite fauna is of low diversity and is concentrated in several levels. Some of the ammonite genera and species are recorded from Iran for the first time. These include Pachyceras lalandei, Cardioceras praecordatum, Microbajocisphinctes sp., Geyssantia geyssanti, Larcheria schilli, Passendorferia sp., Sequeirosia sp., Phanerostephanus subsenex, Nothostephanus sp., Nannostephanus cf. subcomutus, Parawedekindia callomoni, Physodoceras sp., Extrenodites sp.. Biostratigraphically, thirty ammonite zones have been recognized for the Middle and Upper Jurassic successions at the four studied sections. Based on ammonites, the Dalichai Formation ranges from the Upper Bajocian to Callovian (Dalichai section) and from the Upper Bajocian to Lower Tithonian (Golbini-Jorbat section), the Chaman Bid Formation ranges from the ?Bathonian to Lower Tithonian (Chaman Bid section) and from the Upper Bajocian to Middle Kimmeridgian (Tooy-Takhtehbashgheh section), the Lar Formation ranges from the Middle to Upper Tithonian (Golbini-Jorbat section), and the Mozduran Formation from the Upper Kimmeridgian to ?Tithonian. Forty-four Microfacies types are briefly described. They were grouped into 16 facies associations, which then were interpreted in terms of their palaeoenvironments. They are part of a carbonate system consisting of a platform and adjacent slope to basin. Five major environments are represented: Tidal flat, shelf lagoon, and platform margin barrier as parts of the carbonate platform, and slope to basin representing open marine conditions. The sediments of the Dalichai and Chaman Bid formations are the slope and basinal sediments of the diachronous Lar and Mozduran formations, which formed an extensive carbonate platform in the Middle and Upper Jurassic.},
  subject      = {Chorasan},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Musch2003,
  author    = {Musch, Patrick},
  title     = {Large-Scale Applications of Multi-Reference Methods in Chemistry and Development of a Multi-Reference Moller-Plesset Perturbation Theory Program},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-7741},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {The first part of this work focuses on the characterization of systems which complex electronic structures require the application of multi-reference methods. The anti-tumor efficacy of the natural product Neocarzinostatin is based on the formation of diradicals and causes DNA cleavage and finally cytolysis. Computations on model systems performed in the present work show the influence of structural features on the mode of action and the efficacy of this antitumor-antibiotic. The cyclization of systems related to the enyne-cumulene framework like the enyne-allenes was investigated earlier and relations to the more unusual class of enyne-ketenes are analyzed. The class of enyne-ketenes (and also the enyne-allenes) show a broad spectrum of possible intermediates (diradicals, zwitterions, allenes). The electronic structures of these intermediates are also possible for the (heteroatom substituted) 1,2,4-cyclohexatriene and a model for their energetic sequence based on high-level multi-reference computations is proposed. In all three projects the application of multi-reference approaches is necessary to obtain a comprehensive picture of the reactivity and electronic structure but also shows up the limits inherently existing in the currently available programs with respect to the size of the molecules. In the second part, algorithms for a multi-reference Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (MR-MP2) program, designed to perform large-scale computations, were developed and implemented. The MR-MP2 approach represents the most cost-effective multireference ansatz and requires an efficient evaluation of the Hamilton matrix for which an algorithm is designed to instantly recognize only non-vanishing matrix elements and to employ the recurring interaction patterns of the Hamilton matrix. The direct construction of the Hamilton matrix is additionally parallelized to work on cluster environments.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Kocher2003,
  author    = {Kocher, Nikolaus},
  title     = {Experimental charge density studies of highly polar bonds},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-7614},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {The main aim of this work was the classification of highly polar E-N (E = Al, Si, P) and Li-E' (E' = C, N, O) bonds in terms of ionic (closed-shell) or covalent (shared) interactions. To answer this question the experimentally determined electron density was analyzed using Bader's theory of 'Atoms in Molecules' (AIM). This allows a quantitative evaluation of properties derived from the electron density, such as the Laplacian, the ellipticitiy and the ratio of the highest charge concentration perpendicular to the bond path, to the largest charge depletion along the bonding vector. Most of these properties were monitored along the entire bonding region and not limited to the BCP as in former studies. The analyses are completed by the calculation of the electronic energy densities Hl at the BCPs and the integration of atomic basins also defined within the AIM theory. The electrostatic potential (ESP) was computed from the multipole parameters to reveal preferred reactive sites of the structures under investigation. Apart from that, the multipole formalism was applied to problematic crystal structures in order to open this method for twinned samples or those including disordered groups in the molecule.},
  subject      = {Elektronendichte},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Attia2003,
  author    = {Attia, Mohamad Ibrahim},
  title     = {Design, synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of certain GABAB agonists},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-7551},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {Ziel dieser Arbeit war die Synthese von (RS)-5-Amino-3-aryl(methyl)-pentans{\"a}ure Hydrochloride, 3-Aminomethyl-5-chlor-benzols{\"a}ure Hydrochlorid und(RS)-4-Amino-3-(4´-ethynyl(jod)-phenyl)-butans{\"a}ure Hydrochloride und die Testung der pharmakologischen Aktivit{\"a}t dieser Verbindungen. Die synthetisierten Verbindungen wurden als GABAB-Rezeptor Agonisten, in einem auf Ca2+-Messungen basierenden Funktional-Assay (in vitro tsA Zellen mit GABAB1b/GABAB2/G\&\#945;q-z5 transfektiert), getestet und daraus ein Struktur-Aktivit{\"a}ts Modell abgeleitet. Im allgemein Teil dieser Arbeit wird ein {\"U}berblick, {\"u}ber die Neurotransmitter- Rezeptoren (Liganden gesteuerte Ionen-Kanal-Rezeptoren und G Protein-gekoppelte Rezeptoren) des zentralen Nervensystems und deren Agonisten und Antagonisten, gegeben. Eine ausf{\"u}hrliche Diskussion zur Synthesestrategie der Verbindungen der Zwischenstufen und der Ausgangsmaterialien wird in den Schemata 2-6 beschrieben. Die synthetisierten Verbindungen wurden als GABAB Agonisten gepr{\"u}ft. Zus{\"a}tzlich wurden diese im 3D Homologie Modell mit FlexiDock Programm gedockt. Daraus wurde ein Modell zur Voraussage der Aktivit{\"a}t von Analogen und Homologen des Baclofens abgeleitet. Letztendlich wurde ein Pharmakophor-Modell f{\"u}r GABAB Agonisten mit DISCO (DIStance COmparisons) Programm erstellt.},
  subject      = {Baclofen},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Roth2003,
  author    = {Roth, Martin},
  title     = {Functional and developmental characterisation of matrix binding sites in decapentaplegic},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-7542},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {In the last years it became evident that many cytokines do not only bind to their specific cell surface receptors but also interact with components of the extracellular matrix. Mainly in Drosophila, several enzymes were identified, that are involved in glycosaminoglycan synthesis. Mutations in these enzymes mostly result in disturbances of several signaling pathways like hedgehog, wingless, FGF or dpp. In most cases it was, due to these pleiotropic effects, not possible to examine the relevance of matrix interactions for single pathways. The aim of this work was to examine the relevance of matrix interactions for the TGF-ß superfamily member DPP. Based on the fact that DPP is highly homologous to human BMP-2, the basic N-terminus of mature DPP was mutated, which has been shown to contain a heparin-binding site in BMP-2. Thus, a wildtype variant (D-MYC), a deletion variant (D-DEL), which lacked the whole basic part of the N-terminus and a duplication variant (D-DUP), which contained a second copy of the basic core moitiv, were generated. In order to characterise the variants biochemically, they were expressed in E.coli and refolded in a bioactive form. In chicken limbbud assay, the deletion variant was much more active than the wildtype variant, comparable to data of BMP-2. By means of biacore mesurements with the immobilised ectodomain of the high affinity type I receptor thick veins, it could be demonstrated, that the variants differ only in matrix binding and not in their receptor affinity. Different matrix binding was shown by Heparin FPLC. The biological relevance of the matrix interaction of DPP was examined in transgenic flies. To allow expression of the different variants under the control of various Gal4 driver lines, they were cloned behind an UAS-promoter site. In early tracheal development, a strong dependence of DPP signaling on matrix binding was observed. While ectopic expression of the deletion variant caused only minor defects, the branching pattern was strongly disturbed by overexpression of wildtype and duplication variant. Ubiquitous expression of the variants in the wing imaginal disc caused overproliferation of the disc and expansion of the omb target gene expression. The extent of phenotypes correlated with the matrix binding ability of the variants. Corresponding disturbances of the wing vein pattern was observed in adult flies. By the crossing of different dpp allels, transheterozygous animals were created, that lack dpp only in imaginal discs. Expression of the variants under the control of a suitable dpp-Gal4 driver line revealed insights into the biological relevance of matrix binding on DPP gradient formation and specific target gene activation in wing imaginal discs. It was shown, that all variants were able to generate a functional DPP gradient with correct expression of the target genes omb and spalt. Again a correlation between extent of target gene domains and matrix binding ability of the corresponding variants was found. Thus by mutating the N-terminus of DPP, it could be shown that this is responsible for DPP`s matrix interaction. Also the relevance of matrix binding of DPP in different tissues was examined. It turned out, that the reorganisation of tracheal branching by DPP strongly depends on matrix interactions wheras the establishing of a gradient in wing imaginal discs depends only gradually on matrix interactions. Based on these data a model for the action of DPP/TGFßs as morphogens was established. While a deletion of matrix binding leads to a decrease in specific bioactivity of the cytokine, the latter is increased by additional matrix binding sites.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Schulz2003,
  author    = {Schulz, Heidi},
  title     = {Towards a comprehensive description of the human retinal transcriptome: identification and characterization of differentially expressed genes},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-7278},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {The human retina is a multilayered neuroectodermal tissue specialized in the transformation of light energy into electric impulses which can be transmitted to the brain where they are perceived as vision. Since the retina is easily accessible and functional aspects are directly recordable, the study of this tissue has been at the forefront of neuroscience research for over a century. Studies have revealed that the distinct functions of the retina require a large degree of differentiation which is achieved by the coordinated function of approximately 55 different cell types. The highly structured anatomy and the functional differentiation of the retina is a result of its distinctive transcriptome and proteome. Due to the complexity of the retina it has been difficult to estimate the number of genes actively transcribed in this tissue. Great efforts in the elucidation of retinal disease genes have led to the identification of 139 retina disease loci with 90 of the corresponding genes cloned thus far . In contrast to the success in the hereditary disorders, efforts to identify the genetic factors conferring manifestations known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have revealed sparse results. AMD is a retinal disease affecting a significant percentage of the older population. This disorder is likely due to exogenic as well as genetic factors. To further our understanding of retinal physiology and facilitate the identification of genes underlying retinal degenerations, particularly AMD, our efforts concentrated on the systematic analysis of the retinal transcriptome. Since approximately half of all retinal degeneration-associated genes identified to date are preferentially expressed in retina, it is plausible that the investigation of gene expression profiles and the identification of retina-expressed transcripts could be an important starting point for characterizing candidate genes for the retinal diseases. The expressed sequence tags approach included the assessment of all retinal expressed sequence tags (EST) clusters indexed in the UniGene database and of 1080 single-pass ESTs derived from an in-house generated human retina suppression subtracted hybridization (SSH) cDNA library. In total, 6603 EST clusters were evaluated during this thesis and detailed in-silico analysis was performed on 750 EST clusters. The expression of the genes was evaluated using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), followed by confirmation using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), as well as conventional and virtual Northern blot analysis. The expression profiling of 337 selected EST clusters led to the identification of 111 transcripts, of which 60 are specific or abundant to the retina, 3 are expressed at high levels in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and 48 are expressed in brain as well as in retina. The EST approach used to select candidate transcripts allowed us to assess the effectiveness of the two available resources, the UniGene database and the retinal SSH (retSSH) cDNA library. From the results obtained, it is evident that the generation of suppression subtracted libraries to identify cell-specific transcripts constitutes the most straight-forward and efficient strategy. In addition to the high percentage of candidate genes that are identified from an SSH cDNA library, it has the added benefit that genes expressed at low levels can be identified. Furthermore, comparison of our retina-enriched gene set with previously published studies demonstrated only limited overlap of the identified genes further confirming the valuable source of retinal genes from our retinal SSH cDNA library. The effort of our and other groups has resulted in the establishment of the full-length coding sequence of 55 of the 111 genes uniquely or preferentially expressed in the retina. Using various methods such as bioinformatical analysis, EST assembly, cDNA library screening, and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) a number of genes were cloned in the scope of this thesis including C1orf32, C4orf11, C7orf9, C12orf7, C14orf29, DAPL1, and GRM7. Bioinformatic analyses and cDNA library screening were used to isolate the full-length cDNA sequence and determine the genomic organization of C7orf9, also identified as RFRP. This 1190 bp retina-specific transcript from chromosome 7p15.3 encodes a precursor protein for at least two small neuropeptides, referred to as RFRP-1 and RFRP-3. Since C7orf9 is localized in the critical region for dominant cystoid macular dystrophy (CYMD) its role in the pathology was investigated. Southern blot analysis and sequencing of samples from two affected individuals of the original pedigree used to localize the disease gene excluded the gene from involvement in this disease. Multiple isoforms of the C12orf7 gene were assembled from a number of clones identified from library screenings, PCR amplifications, and RACE experiments. The gene variants, transcribed from chromosome 12q13.13, have been found to be expressed exclusively in retina. Because of the multiple alternative splicing of the gene, we can only speculate about the nature of the protein it encodes. The longest transcript, which includes all six exons plus the last intervening sequence, encodes a 471 aa protein which contains a nuclear localization signal and five ankyrin repeats. The existence of many isoforms is also observed in mouse suggesting that they may have a relevant role in cellular physiology. Five novel splice variants of the glutamate metabotropic receptor 7 (GRM7) resulting from the use of alternative 3'-end exons were identified and characterized. One of the novel variants, GRM7_v3, encodes a 924 aa protein and is therefore the longest putative GRM7 protein reported to date. Even though they are not retina-specific, the isoforms are preferentially expressed in the nervous system. Although the functional properties of the specific carboxyl-termini are still unclear, it is known that axon targeting of GRM7_v1 is mediated by the last 60 aa of the protein. Hence the novel isoforms may direct the protein to specific subcellular localizations. The C1orf32 gene, preferentially expressed in retina, is organized in 10 exons and is transcribed from chromosome 1q24.1. Bioinformatic analyses of the 639 aa putative protein not only identified the mouse and rat orthologous genes but also the LISCH7 gene as a potential member of the same family. Since the LISCH7 protein has been shown to function as a low density lipoprotein receptor, the C1orf32 protein may be involved in retinal lipid homeostasis. Disturbances in lipid metabolism have been proposed as one of the pathways involved in AMD etiology. Thus, the role of C1orf32 in this complex disease should be investigated. Expression analyses of the death-associated protein-like 1 (DAPL1) gene revealed that it is expressed in both the retina and the RPE at high levels. The 552 bp transcript encodes a 107 aa putative protein and is transcribed from chromosome 2q24.1. In-silico analyses identified an additional 12 related proteins from various species which share high similarity constituting a novel protein family. The similarity to the death-associated-protein (DAP) is particularly interesting since this protein has been found to be indispensable for programmed cell death. Therefore, DAPL1 is an excellent candidate for retinal disease as apoptosis is generally the ultimate cause in retinal degeneration. The retina-specific C4orf11 and C14orf29 genes localized on chromosome 4q21.22 and 14q22.1, respectively, are both transcribed in more than one isoform. The encoded proteins do not contain any known domains but because of their retina-specific expression they may be important for proper retinal physiology. As part of the long-term goals of the project, several of the cloned genes are being genotyped to construct single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) maps. Projects to investigate haplotype frequencies of candidate genes in large cohorts of controls and AMD patients are ongoing. Thus, by establishing a collection of 111 genes expressed exclusively or preferentially in the retina, the present work has laid the foundation for future research in retinal diseases.},
  subject      = {Netzhaut},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Pavel2003,
  author    = {Pavel, Ioana-Emilia},
  title     = {Vibrational spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations, a powerful approach for the characterization of pharmaceuticals and new organometallic complexes},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-7186},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {In the current work, several well-known pharmaceuticals (1,4-dihydrazinophthalazine sulfate, caffeine, and papaverine hydrochloride) and new organometallic compounds (nickel(II) cupferronato complexes NiL2An, L = PhN2O2-, n = 1, A = o-phenanthroline (1), o,o'-bipyridine (2) and n = 2, A = H2O (3), o-NH2Py (4), o-C6H4(NH2)2 (5); silylene-bridged dinuclear iron complexes [Cp(OC)2Fe]2SiX2 (X = H (6), F (7), Cl (8), Br (9), I (10)); 3-silaoxetane 3,3-dimethyl-2,2,4,4-tetraphenyl-1-oxa-3-silacyclobutane (11) and 3-silathietane 3,3-dimethyl-2,2,4,4-tetraphenyl-1-sila-3-thiacyclobutane (12) compounds), which have successfully been characterized by using vibrational spectroscopy in conjunction with accurate density functional theory (DFT) calculations, are presented. The DFT computed molecular geometries of the species of interest reproduced the crystal structure data very well and in conjunction with IR and Raman measurements helped us to clarify the structures of the compounds, for which no experimental data were available; and this, especially for the new organometallic compounds, where the X-Ray analysis was limited by the non-availability of single crystals (3, 5, 10). Furthermore, a natural population analysis (NPA) and natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations together with a detailed analysis of the IR and Raman experimental as well as calculated spectra of the new organometallic compounds, allowed us to study some special bonding situations (1-12) or to monitor the structural changes observed with the change in temperature during the Raman experiments (11, 12). By combining these two methods (DFT and vibrational spectroscopy), the auspicious results obtained on the organometallic compounds 6-12 and overall in literature, made us confident of the power of theoretical calculations in aiding the interpretation of rich SERS spectra by solving some interesting issues. Consequently, the Raman and SERS spectra of well-known pharmaceuticals (1,4-dihydrazinophthalazine sulfate, caffeine, and papaverine hydrochloride) or new potentially biological active organometallic complexes (1-5), that were synthetized by our coworkers, were discussed with the assistance of the accurate results obtained from DFT calculations (structural parameters, harmonic vibrational wavenumbers, Raman scattering activities), and many previous incomplete assignments have been analyzed and improved. This allowed us to establish the vibrational behavior of these biological compounds near a biological artificial model at different pH values or concentrations (Ag substrate), taking into account that information about the species present under particular conditions could be of great importance for the interpretation of biochemical processes. The total electron density of molecules and the partial charges situated on selected atoms, which were determined theoretically by NPA, allowed us to establish the probability of different atoms acting as an adsorptive site for the metal surface. Moreover, a closer examination of the calculated orbitals of molecules brought further arguments on the presence or absence of the photoproducts at the Ag surface during the irradiation (1,4-dihydrazinophthalazine sulfate). Overall, the results provide a benchmark illustration of the virtues of DFT in aiding the interpretation of rich vibrational spectra attainable for larger polyatomic adsorbates by using SERS, as well as in furnishing detailed insight into the relation between the vibrational properties and the nature of the Ag substrate-adsorbate bonding. Therefore, we strongly believe that theoretical calculations will become a matter of rapidly growing scientific and practical interest in SERS.},
  subject      = {Arzneimittel},
  language  = {en}
}