@article{ArmbruesterMendeGelbrichetal.2021, author = {Armbr{\"u}ster, Lotte and Mende, Werner and Gelbrich, G{\"o}tz and Wermke, Peter and G{\"o}tz, Regina and Wermke, Kathleen}, title = {Musical intervals in infants' spontaneous crying over the first 4 months of life}, series = {Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica}, volume = {73}, journal = {Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1159/000510622}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-326093}, pages = {401-412}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Introduction: Perception and memorizing of melody and rhythm start about the third trimester of gestation. Infants have astonishing musical predispositions, and melody contour is most salient for them. Objective: To longitudinally analyse melody contour of spontaneous crying of healthy infants and to identify melodic intervals. The aim was 3-fold: (1) to answer the question whether spontaneous crying of healthy infants regularly exhibits melodic intervals across the observation period, (2) to investigate whether interval events become more complex with age and (3) to analyse interval size distribution. Methods: Weekly cry recordings of 12 healthy infants (6 females) over the first 4 months of life were analysed (6,130 cry utterances) using frequency spectrograms and pitch analyses (PRAAT). A preselection of utterances containing a well-identifiable, noise-free and undisturbed melodic contour was applied to identify and measure melodic intervals in the final subset of 3,114 utterances. Age-dependent frequency of occurrence of melodic intervals was statistically analysed using generalized estimating equations. Results: 85.3\% of all preselected melody contours (n = 3,114) either contained single rising or falling melodic intervals or complex events as combinations of both. In total 6,814 melodic intervals were measured. A significant increase in interval occurrence was found characterized by a non-linear age effect (3 developmental phases). Complex events were found to significantly increase linearly with age. In both calculations, no sex effect was found. Interval size distribution showed a maximum of the minor second as the prevailing musical interval in infants' crying over the first 4 months of life. Conclusion: Melodic intervals seem to be a regular phenomenon of spontaneous crying of healthy infants. They are suggested to be a further candidate for developing an early risk marker of vocal control in infants. Subsequent studies are needed to compare healthy infants and infants at risk for respiratory-laryngeal dysfunction to investigate the diagnostic value of the occurrence of melodic intervals and their age-depending complexification.}, language = {en} } @article{ArenaBisognoGąsioretal.2021, author = {Arena, Roberta and Bisogno, Simona and Gąsior, Łukasz and Rudnicka, Joanna and Bernhardt, Laura and Haaf, Thomas and Zacchini, Federica and Bochenek, Michał and Fic, Kinga and Bik, Ewelina and Barańska, Małgorzata and Bodzoń-Kułakowska, Anna and Suder, Piotr and Depciuch, Joanna and Gurgul, Artur and Polański, Zbigniew and Ptak, Grażyna E.}, title = {Lipid droplets in mammalian eggs are utilized during embryonic diapause}, series = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {118}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, number = {10}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2018362118}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-326085}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Embryonic diapause (ED) is a temporary arrest of an embryo at the blastocyst stage when it waits for the uterine receptivity signal to implant. ED used by over 100 species may also occur in normally "nondiapausing" mammals when the uterine receptivity signal is blocked or delayed. A large number of lipid droplets (LDs) are stored throughout the preimplantation embryo development, but the amount of lipids varies greatly across different mammalian species. Yet, the role of LDs in the mammalian egg and embryo remains unknown. Here, using a mouse model, we provide evidence that LDs play a crucial role in maintaining ED. By mechanical removal of LDs from zygotes, we demonstrated that delipidated embryos are unable to survive during ED. LDs are not essential for normal prompt implantation, without ED. We further demonstrated that with the progression of ED, the amount of intracellular lipid reduces, and composition changes. This decrease in lipid is caused by a switch from carbohydrate metabolism to lipid catabolism in diapausing blastocysts, which also exhibit increased release of exosomes reflecting elevated embryonic signaling to the mother. We have also shown that presence of LDs in the oocytes of various mammals positively corelates with their species-specific length of diapause. Our results reveal the functional role of LDs in embryonic development. These results can help to develop diagnostic techniques and treatment of recurrent implantation failure and will likely ignite further studies in developmental biology and reproductive medicine fields.}, language = {en} } @article{ArandBielerDuerrenbergeretal.2021, author = {Arand, Katja and Bieler, Evi and D{\"u}rrenberger, Markus and Kassemeyer, Hanns-Heinz}, title = {Developmental pattern of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) berry cuticular wax: Differentiation between epicuticular crystals and underlying wax}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {16}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {2}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0246693}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-326053}, year = {2021}, abstract = {The grapevine berry surface is covered by a cuticle consisting of cutin and various lipophilic wax compounds. The latter build the main barrier for transpirational water loss and protect the fruit against environmental factors e.g. pests, mechanical impacts or radiation. The integrety of the fruit surface is one important key factor for post-harvest quality and storage of fruits. Nonetheless, the developmental pattern of cuticular wax was so far only investigated for a very limited number of fruits. Therefore, we performed comparative investigations on the compositional and morphological nature of epicuticular wax crystals and underlying wax during fruit development in Vitis vinifera. The main compound oleanolic acid belongs to the pentacyclic triterpenoids, which occur very early in the development in high amounts inside the cuticle. The amount increases until veraison and decreases further during ripening. In general, very-long chain aliphatic (VLCA) compounds are present in much smaller amounts and alcohols and aldehydes follow the same trend during development. In contrast, the amount of fatty acids constantly increases from fruit set to ripening while wax esters only occur in significant amount at veraison and increase further. Wax crystals at the fruit surface are solely composed of VLCAs and the morphology changes during development according to the compositional changes of the VLCA wax compounds. The remarkable compositional differences between epicuticular wax crystals and the underlying wax are important to understand in terms of studying grape-pest interactions or the influence of environmental factors, since only wax crystals directly face the environment.}, language = {en} } @article{AppellDutkiewiczLopezetal.2021, author = {Appell, J{\"u}rgen and Dutkiewicz, Aldona and L{\´o}pez, Bel{\´e}n and Reinwand, Simon and Sadarangani, Kishin}, title = {H{\"o}lder-type spaces, singular operators, and fixed point theorems}, series = {Fixed Point Theory}, volume = {22}, journal = {Fixed Point Theory}, number = {1}, doi = {10.24193/fpt-ro.2021.1.03}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-326028}, pages = {31-58}, year = {2021}, abstract = {In this note, we give a sufficient condition for the existence of H{\"o}lder-type solutions to a class of fractional initial value problems involving Caputo derivatives. Since imposing (classical or general) global Lipschitz conditions on the nonlinear operators involved leads to degeneracy phenomena, the main emphasis is put on local Lipschitz conditions or fixed point principles of Schauder and Darbo type. To this end, we study continuity and boundedness conditions for linear Riemann-Liouville operators and nonlinear Nemytskij operators in H{\"o}lder spaces of integral type which have much better properties than classical H{\"o}lder spaces.}, language = {en} } @article{AnnasBeiselClementetal.2021, author = {Annas, George J. and Beisel, Chase L. and Clement, Kendell and Crisanti, Andrea and Francis, Stacy and Galardini, Marco and Galizi, Roberto and Gr{\"u}newald, Julian and Immobile, Greta and Khalil, Ahmad S. and M{\"u}ller, Ruth and Pattanayak, Vikram and Petri, Karl and Paul, Ligi and Pinello, Luca and Simoni, Alekos and Taxiarchi, Chrysanthi and Joung, J. Keith}, title = {A code of ethics for gene drive research}, series = {The CRISPR Journal}, volume = {4}, journal = {The CRISPR Journal}, number = {1}, doi = {10.1089/crispr.2020.0096}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-326012}, pages = {19-24}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Gene drives hold promise for use in controlling insect vectors of diseases, agricultural pests, and for conservation of ecosystems against invasive species. At the same time, this technology comes with potential risks that include unknown downstream effects on entire ecosystems as well as the accidental or nefarious spread of organisms that carry the gene drive machinery. A code of ethics can be a useful tool for all parties involved in the development and regulation of gene drives and can be used to help ensure that a balanced analysis of risks, benefits, and values is taken into consideration in the interest of society and humanity. We have developed a code of ethics for gene drive research with the hope that this code will encourage the development of an international framework that includes ethical guidance of gene drive research and is incorporated into scientific practice by gaining broad agreement and adherence.}, language = {en} } @article{AnkerPonikowskiWanneretal.2021, author = {Anker, Stefan D. and Ponikowski, Piotr and Wanner, Christoph and Pfarr, Egon and Hauske, Sibylle and Peil, Barbara and Salsali, Afshin and Ritter, Ivana and Koitka-Weber, Audrey and Brueckmann, Martina and Lindenfeld, JoAnn and Abraham, William T.}, title = {Kidney function after initiation and discontinuation of empagliflozin in patients with heart failure with and without type 2 diabetes: insights from the EMPERIAL trials}, series = {Circulation}, volume = {144}, journal = {Circulation}, number = {15}, organization = {EMPERIAL Investigators and National Coordinators}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.054669}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-326006}, pages = {1265-1267}, year = {2021}, abstract = {No abstract available.}, language = {en} } @article{AndreattaPauli2021, author = {Andreatta, Marta and Pauli, Paul}, title = {Contextual modulation of conditioned responses in humans: A review on virtual reality studies}, series = {Clinical Psychology Review}, volume = {90}, journal = {Clinical Psychology Review}, doi = {10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102095}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325994}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Conditioned response (CRs) triggered by stimuli predicting aversive consequences have been confirmed across various species including humans, and were found to be exaggerated in anxious individuals and anxiety disorder patients. Importantly, contextual information may strongly modulate such conditioned responses (CR), however, there are several methodological boundaries in the translation of animal findings to humans, and from healthy individuals to patients. Virtual Reality (VR) is a useful technological tool for overcoming such boundaries. In this review, we summarize and evaluate human VR conditioning studies exploring the role of the context as conditioned stimulus or occasion setter for CRs. We observe that VR allows successful acquisition of conditioned anxiety and conditioned fear in response to virtual contexts and virtual cues, respectively. VR studies also revealed that spatial or temporal contextual information determine whether conditioned anxiety and conditioned fear become extinguished and/or return. Novel contexts resembling the threatening context foster conditioned fear but not conditioned anxiety, suggesting distinct context-related generalization processes. We conclude VR contexts are able to strongly modulate CRs and therefore allow a comprehensive investigation of the modulatory role of the context over CR in humans leading to conclusions relevant for non-VR and clinical studies.}, language = {en} } @article{AmarPacakSteichenetal.2021, author = {Amar, Laurence and Pacak, Karel and Steichen, Olivier and Akker, Scott A. and Aylwin, Simon J. B. and Baudin, Eric and Buffet, Alexandre and Burnichon, Nelly and Clifton-Bligh, Roderick J. and Dahia, Patricia L. M. and Fassnacht, Martin and Grossman, Ashley B. and Herman, Philippe and Hicks, Rodney J. and Januszewicz, Andrzej and Jimenez, Camilo and Kunst, Henricus P. M. and Lewis, Dylan and Mannelli, Massimo and Naruse, Mitsuhide and Robledo, Mercedes and Ta{\"i}eb, David and Taylor, David R. and Timmers, Henri J. L. M. and Treglia, Giorgio and Tufton, Nicola and Young, William F. and Lenders, Jaques W. M. and Gimenez-Roqueplo, Anne-Paule and Lussey-Lepoutre, Charlotte}, title = {International consensus on initial screening and follow-up of asymptomatic SDHx mutation carriers}, series = {Nature Reviews Endocrinology}, volume = {17}, journal = {Nature Reviews Endocrinology}, doi = {10.1038/s41574-021-00492-3}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325982}, pages = {435-444}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Approximately 20\% of patients diagnosed with a phaeochromocytoma or paraganglioma carry a germline mutation in one of the succinate dehydrogenase (SDHx) genes (SDHA, SDHB, SDHC and SDHD), which encode the four subunits of the SDH enzyme. When a pathogenic SDHx mutation is identified in an affected patient, genetic counselling is proposed for first-degree relatives. Optimal initial evaluation and follow-up of people who are asymptomatic but might carry SDHx mutations have not yet been agreed. Thus, we established an international consensus algorithm of clinical, biochemical and imaging screening at diagnosis and during surveillance for both adults and children. An international panel of 29 experts from 12 countries was assembled, and the Delphi method was used to reach a consensus on 41 statements. This Consensus Statement covers a range of topics, including age of first genetic testing, appropriate biochemical and imaging tests for initial tumour screening and follow-up, screening for rare SDHx-related tumours and management of elderly people who have an SDHx mutation. This Consensus Statement focuses on the management of asymptomatic SDHx mutation carriers and provides clinicians with much-needed guidance. The standardization of practice will enable prospective studies in the near future.}, language = {en} } @article{SchoenfelderLangePrakashetal.2019, author = {Schoenfelder, Sonja M. K. and Lange, Claudia and Prakash, Srinivasa Abishek and Marincola, Gabriella and Lerch, Maike F. and Wencker, Freya D. R. and F{\"o}rstner, Konrad U. and Sharma, Cynthia M. and Ziebuhr, Wilma}, title = {The small non-coding RNA RsaE influences extracellular matrix composition in Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm communities}, series = {PLoS Pathogens}, volume = {15}, journal = {PLoS Pathogens}, doi = {10.1371/journal.ppat.1007618}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232025}, year = {2019}, abstract = {RsaE is a conserved small regulatory RNA (sRNA) which was previously reported to represent a riboregulator of central carbon flow and other metabolic pathways in Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. Here we show that RsaE contributes to extracellular (e)DNA release and biofilm-matrix switching towards polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) production in a hypervariable Staphylococcus epidermidis isolate. Transcriptome analysis through differential RNA sequencing (dRNA-seq) in combination with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and reporter gene fusions demonstrate that S. epidermidis protein- and PIA-biofilm matrix producers differ with respect to RsaE and metabolic gene expression. RsaE is spatiotemporally expressed within S. epidermidis PIA-mediated biofilms, and its overexpression triggers a PIA biofilm phenotype as well as eDNA release in an S. epidermidis protein biofilm matrix-producing strain background. dRNA-seq and Northern blot analyses revealed RsaE to exist as a major full-length 100-nt transcript and a minor processed species lacking approximately 20 nucleotides at the 5'-end. RsaE processing results in expansion of the mRNA target spectrum. Thus, full-length RsaE interacts with S. epidermidis antiholin-encoding lrgA mRNA, facilitating bacterial lysis and eDNA release. Processed RsaE, however, interacts with the 5'-UTR of icaR and sucCD mRNAs, encoding the icaADBC biofilm operon repressor IcaR and succinyl-CoA synthetase of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, respectively. RsaE augments PIA-mediated biofilm matrix production, most likely through activation of icaADBC operon expression via repression of icaR as well as by TCA cycle inhibition and re-programming of staphylococcal central carbon metabolism towards PIA precursor synthesis. Additionally, RsaE supports biofilm formation by mediating the release of eDNA as stabilizing biofilm matrix component. As RsaE itself is heterogeneously expressed within biofilms, we consider this sRNA to function as a factor favoring phenotypic heterogeneity and supporting division of labor in S. epidermidis biofilm communities.}, language = {en} } @article{HegerStevicZimmermannLecoqetal.2018, author = {Heger-Stevic, Julia and Zimmermann, Peter and Lecoq, Lauriane and B{\"o}ttcher, Bettina and Nassal, Michael}, title = {Hepatitis B virus core protein phosphorylation: Identification of the SRPK1 target sites and impact of their occupancy on RNA binding and capsid structure}, series = {PLoS Pathogens}, volume = {14}, journal = {PLoS Pathogens}, doi = {10.1371/journal.ppat.1007488}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228068}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replicates its 3 kb DNA genome through capsid-internal reverse transcription, initiated by assembly of 120 core protein (HBc) dimers around a complex of viral pregenomic (pg) RNA and polymerase. Following synthesis of relaxed circular (RC) DNA capsids can be enveloped and secreted as stable virions. Upon infection of a new cell, however, the capsid disintegrates to release the RC-DNA into the nucleus for conversion into covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA. HBc´s interactions with nucleic acids are mediated by an arginine-rich C terminal domain (CTD) with intrinsically strong non-specific RNA binding activity. Adaptation to the changing demands for nucleic acid binding during the viral life cycle is thought to involve dynamic phosphorylation / dephosphorylation events. However, neither the relevant enzymes nor their target sites in HBc are firmly established. Here we developed a bacterial coexpression system enabling access to definably phosphorylated HBc. Combining Phos-tag gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and mutagenesis we identified seven of the eight hydroxy amino acids in the CTD as target sites for serine-arginine rich protein kinase 1 (SRPK1); fewer sites were phosphorylated by PKA and PKC. Phosphorylation of all seven sites reduced nonspecific RNA encapsidation as drastically as deletion of the entire CTD and altered CTD surface accessibility, without major structure changes in the capsid shell. The bulk of capsids from human hepatoma cells was similarly highly, yet non-identically, phosphorylated as by SRPK1. While not proving SRPK1 as the infection-relevant HBc kinase the data suggest a mechanism whereby high-level HBc phosphorylation principally suppresses RNA binding whereas one or few strategic dephosphorylation events enable selective packaging of the pgRNA/polymerase complex. The tools developed in this study should greatly facilitate the further deciphering of the role of HBc phosphorylation in HBV infection and its evaluation as a potential new therapeutic target.}, language = {en} }