@phdthesis{Carinci2017,
  author    = {Carinci, Flavio},
  title     = {Quantitative Characterization of Lung Tissue Using Proton MRI},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-151189},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {The focus of the work concerned the development of a series of MRI techniques that were specifically designed and optimized to obtain quantitative and spatially resolved information about characteristic parameters of the lung. Three image acquisition techniques were developed. Each of them allows to quantify a different parameter of relevant diagnostic interest for the lung, as further described below: 1) The blood volume fraction, which represents the amount of lung water in the intravascular compartment expressed as a fraction of the total lung water. This parameter is related to lung perfusion. 2) The magnetization relaxation time T\(_2\) und T� *\(_2\) , which represents the component of T\(_2\) associated with the diffusion of water molecules through the internal magnetic field gradients of the lung. Because the amplitude of these internal gradients is related to the alveolar size, T\(_2\) und T� *\(_2\) can be used to obtain information about the microstructure of the lung. 3) The broadening of the NMR spectral line of the lung. This parameter depends on lung inflation and on the concentration of oxygen in the alveoli. For this reason, the spectral line broadening can be regarded as a fingerprint for lung inflation; furthermore, in combination with oxygen enhancement, it provides a measure for lung ventilation.},
  subject      = {Kernspintomografie},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Basali2017,
  author    = {Basali, Timo},
  title     = {Untersuchung der Nierensch{\"a}digung durch Aldosteron am Rattenmodell {\"u}ber die Quantifizierung von Sch{\"a}digungsmarkern mittels Real-Time PCR-Technik},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-151311},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Die Breite der Wirkungen von Aldosteron auf Nierenzellen wurde lange Zeit untersch{\"a}tzt. Inzwischen zeigte sich ein nicht unerheblicher Anteil des Hyperaldosteronismus an arterieller Hypertonie und ebenso mehren sich die Hinweise auf damit assoziierter erh{\"o}hter Inzidenz f{\"u}r maligne Entartung von Nierengewebe. In dieser Arbeit wurde der Effekt von Hyperaldosteronismus auf Nierenzellen von Ratten in vivo untersucht. Mittels real time quantitative PCR wurden die relative Expressionsver{\"a}nderungen der mRNA von validierten Nierensch{\"a}digungsmarkern im Hyperaldosteronismusmodell kontrolliert beobachtet und statistisch ausgewertet. Anders als im analog durchgef{\"u}hrten Vorversuch mit DOCA an der Stelle von Aldosteron, ließ sich gr{\"o}ßtenteils kein {\"u}ber der nat{\"u}rlichen Streuung der Daten liegender, signifikanter Effekt der Nierensch{\"a}digung durch {\"u}berh{\"o}hte Aldosteronspiegel nachweisen. Hierf{\"u}r kommen vielf{\"a}ltige Gr{\"u}nde in Frage. Neben der technischen Variabilit{\"a}t, der Beschaffenheit der internen Kontrolle, potentiell vorhandenen Inhibitoren und der Qualit{\"a}t der mRNA, konnten eine Reihe von weiteren Gr{\"u}nden als Ursache f{\"u}r die Diskrepanz zu den Ergebnissen der mit DOCA behandelten Tiere ausgeschlossen werden. Neben der theoretischen M{\"o}glichkeit inter-methodischer Differenzen und sich daraus ergebender Variationen, sowie der noch weiter zu untersuchenden Rolle des Glukokortikoidrezeptors durch dessen variable gleichzeitige Aktivierung, ist die Interpretation im Sinne eines zu gering ausgepr{\"a}gten Sch{\"a}digungseffektes durch den Hyperaldosteronismus f{\"u}r den gew{\"a}hlten Stichprobenumfang naheliegend. Hiermit stimmt auch die Tatsache {\"u}berein, dass der Effekt der Behandlung mit Aldosteron im Vergleich zur Behandlung mit DOCA von vorne herein deutlich geringer ausfallend erwartet wurde.},
  subject      = {Aldosteron},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Slaby2017,
  author    = {Slaby, Beate Magdalena},
  title     = {Exploring the microbiome of the Mediterranean sponge \(Aplysina\) \(aerophoba\) by single-cell and metagenomics},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-151869},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Sponges (phylum Porifera) are evolutionary ancient, sessile filter-feeders that harbor a largely diverse microbial community within their internal mesohyl matrix. Throughout this thesis project, I aimed at exploring the adaptations of these symbionts to life within their sponge host by sequencing and analyzing the genomes of a variety of bacteria from the microbiome of the Mediterranean sponge Aplysina aerophoba. Employed methods were fluorescence-activated cell sorting with subsequent multiple displacement amplification and single-cell / 'mini-metagenome' sequencing, and metagenomic sequencing followed by differential coverage binning. These two main approaches both aimed at obtaining genome sequences of bacterial symbionts of A. aerophoba, that were then compared to each other and to references from other environments, to gain information on adaptations to the host sponge environment and on possible interactions with the host and within the microbial community. Cyanobacteria are frequent members of the sponge microbial community. My 'mini-metagenome' sequencing project delivered three draft genomes of "Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum," the cyanobacterial symbiont of A. aerophoba and many more sponges inhabiting the photic zone. The most complete of these genomes was compared to other clades of this symbiont and to closely related free-living cyanobacterial references in a collaborative project published in Burgsdorf I*, Slaby BM* et al. (2015; *shared first authorship). Although the four clades of "Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum" from the four sponge species A. aerophoba, Ircinia variabilis, Theonella swinhoei, and Carteriospongia foliascens were approximately 99\% identical on the level of 16S rRNA gene sequences, they greatly differed on the genomic level. Not only the genome sizes were different from clade to clade, but also the gene content and a number of features including proteins containing the eukaryotic-type domains leucine-rich repeats or tetratricopeptide repeats. On the other hand, the four clades shared a number of features such as ankyrin repeat domain-containing proteins that seemed to be conserved also among other microbial phyla in different sponge hosts and from different geographic locations. A possible novel mechanism for host phagocytosis evasion and phage resistance by means of an altered O antigen of the lipopolysaccharide was identified. To test previous hypotheses on adaptations of sponge-associated bacteria on a broader spectrum of the microbiome of A. aerophoba while also taking a step forward in methodology, I developed a bioinformatic pipeline to combine metagenomic Illumina short-read sequencing data with PacBio long-read data. At the beginning of this project, no pipelines to combine short-read and long-read data for metagenomics were published, and at time of writing, there are still no projects published with a comparable aim of un-targeted assembly, binning and analysis of a metagenome. I tried a variety of assembly programs and settings on a simulated test dataset reflecting the properties of the real metagenomic data. The developed assembly pipeline improved not only the overall assembly statistics, but also the quality of the binned genomes, which was evaluated by comparison to the originally published genome assemblies. The microbiome of A. aerophoba was studied from various angles in the recent years, but only genomes of the candidate phylum Poribacteria and the cyanobacterial sequences from my above-described project have been published to date. By applying my newly developed assembly pipeline to a metagenomic dataset of A. aerophoba consisting of a PacBio long-read dataset and six Illumina short-read datasets optimized for subsequent differential coverage binning, I aimed at sequencing a larger number and greater diversity of symbionts. The results of this project are currently in review by The ISME Journal. The complementation of Illumina short-read with PacBio long-read sequencing data for binning of this highly complex metagenome greatly improved the overall assembly statistics and improved the quality of the binned genomes. Thirty-seven genomes from 13 bacterial phyla and candidate phyla were binned representing the most prominent members of the microbiome of A. aerophoba. A statistical comparison revealed an enrichment of genes involved in restriction modification and toxin-antitoxin systems in most symbiont genomes over selected reference genomes. Both are defense features against incoming foreign DNA, which may be important for sponge symbionts due to the sponge's filtration and phagocytosis activity that exposes the symbionts to high levels of free DNA. Also host colonization and matrix utilization features were significantly enriched. Due to the diversity of the binned symbiont genomes, a within-symbionts genome comparison was possible, that revealed three guilds of symbionts characterized by i) nutritional specialization on the metabolization of carnitine, ii) specialization on sulfated polysaccharides, and iii) apparent nutritional generalism. Both carnitine and sulfated polysaccharides are abundant in the sponge extracellular matrix and therefore available to the sponge symbionts as substrates. In summary, the genomes of the diverse community of symbionts in A. aerophoba were united in their defense features, but specialized regarding their nutritional preferences.},
  subject      = {Metagenom},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Schaaf2017,
  author    = {Schaaf, Lisa},
  title     = {Der Einfluss von Arzneistofftransportern auf die pulmonale Absorption inhalierter Arzneistoffe},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-151534},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Arzneistofftransporter erm{\"o}glichen endogenen und exogenen Molek{\"u}len die {\"U}berwindung von Zellmembranen und tragen dadurch zur Aufnahme, Verteilung und Elimination von Arzneistoffen bei. Inhalativ applizierte Wirkstoffe, wie Vertreter aus der Gruppe der Beta-2-Sympathomimetika oder Anticholinergika, z{\"a}hlen zu den Substraten wichtiger, pulmonal exprimierter Arzneistofftransporter. Trotz intensivierter Forschung auf dem Gebiet der Transporter-Expression ist diese im humanen Lungengewebe bisher wenig untersucht und deren pharmakokinetische Auswirkungen auf pulmonal verabreichte Arzneistoffe sind kaum bekannt. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit sollte der Einfluss von Arzneistofftransportern auf die pulmonale Absorption inhalierter Arzneistoffe untersucht und Erkenntnisse {\"u}ber deren Expressions-Profil im humanen Lungengewebe gewonnen werden. Pharmakokinetische Parameter des inhalativen Anticholinergikums Ipratropiumbromid wurden an einem ex vivo Modell der humanen Lunge untersucht. Nach vorheriger Applikation des kompetitiven OCTN1/2-Inhibitors L-Carnitin wurde keine signifikante Reduktion der absorbierten Wirkstoffmenge detektiert. Damit zeigten sich die beiden organischen Kationen/Carnitin-Transporter OCTN1 und OCTN2, anders als bisher vermutet, nicht als prim{\"a}r an der Absorption von Ipratropiumbromid beteiligte Transporter. Infolgedessen wurde die Beteiligung weiterer Transporter hypothetisiert. Erstmals wurden die am humanen Lungen-Perfusions-Modell gewonnenen pharmakokinetischen Daten zur pulmonalen Absorption in direkter Beziehung zur mRNA- und Protein-Expression von Arzneistofftransportern in den jeweiligen individuellen Gewebeproben betrachtet. Die pulmonale Genexpression des Multidrug Resistance-Related Protein MRP5 wies eine signifikante negative Korrelation mit der Area under the curve (AUC0 - 60 min) von Ipratropiumbromid auf (r = -0,699; p < 0,05), was die Beteiligung von MRP5 an den Umverteilungsprozessen von Ipratropiumbromid in der humanen Lunge nahelegte. Auf Protein-Ebene wurde eine positive Korrelation zwischen der Expression des organischen Kationentransporters OCT3 und der AUC0 - 60 min von Ipratropiumbromid ermittelt (r = 0,7499,p < 0,05), woraus sich eine potentielle Beteiligung von OCT3 an der Aufnahme von Ipratropiumbromid aus dem luminalen Lungenbereich ableiten ließ. Zur Untermauerung dieser Hypothese wurden Untersuchungen mit stabil transfizierten HEK293-Zellen durchgef{\"u}hrt. Sowohl der organische Kationentransporter OCT1 als auch OCT3 trugen dabei signifikant zu einer erh{\"o}hten zellul{\"a}ren Aufnahme der beiden Tritium-markierten Bronchodilatatoren Ipratropiumbromid und Salbutamol bei. Damit wurde f{\"u}r OCT3 zum ersten Mal eine Beteiligung an der zellul{\"a}ren Aufnahme dieser beiden Arzneistoffe nachgewiesen. Im Kontext der Gendermedizin sind geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede in der Transporter-Expression von großem Interesse. Inwiefern die drei Sexualsteroidhormone Estradiol, Progesteron und Testosteron einen regulatorischen Effekt auf die mRNA-Expression von Membrantransportern haben, wurde erstmals durch in vitro Inkubationsversuche in physiologischen Hormonkonzentrationen mit der humanen Bronchialepithelzelllinie Calu-3 gepr{\"u}ft. Mittels intensiv optimierter und sorgf{\"a}ltig validierter RT-qPCR-Analytik konnten vor allem nach Inkubation mit weiblichen Sexualhormonen verglichen zu keiner Hormon-Zugabe statistisch signifikante Expressions-Unterschiede detektiert werden: Nach Behandlung mit Estradiol zeigten der Oligopeptid-Transporter PEPT2 (80,8 ± 15,6 \%) und OCTN2 (82,8 ± 4,2 \%) eine geringere Genexpression, das Multidrug Resistance-Related Protein MRP1 (111,6 ± 9,1 \%) sowie OCTN1 (112,9 ± 10,1 \%) waren nach Zugabe von Estradiol kombiniert mit Progesteron h{\"o}her exprimiert als ohne Hormon-Zusatz. Da Estradiol {\"u}berdies als Inhibitor des OCT1- und OCT3-vermittelten Transports gilt, wurde die Auswirkung des Hormons, unter anderem in physiologischer Konzentration, auf die Aufnahme von Tritium-markierten Ipratropiumbromid in stabil transfizierte HEK293-Zellen untersucht, wobei tats{\"a}chlich eine reduzierte zellul{\"a}re Ipratropiumbromid-Aufnahme beobachtet wurde. Somit k{\"o}nnte auch in vivo eine geschlechtsspezifische Inhibition der beiden Transporter stattfinden, wodurch deren Substrate einer geschlechtsspezifisch variierenden Pharmakokinetik unterliegen k{\"o}nnten. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus wurde in rund 80 humanen Lungengewebsproben die Genexpression von Arzneistofftransportern hinsichtlich geschlechts- und altersspezifischer Unterschiede {\"u}berpr{\"u}ft. In unter 50-j{\"a}hrigen M{\"a}nnern war das Multidrug-Resistance Protein MDR1 signifikant h{\"o}her exprimiert verglichen zu M{\"a}nnern von 50 - 60 Jahren. OCT1 war in Patienten von 50 - 60 Jahren signifikant geringer exprimiert als in {\"u}ber 60-J{\"a}hrigen. Daneben lieferte die Analyse aller Gewebeproben das Genexpressions-Profil von Arzneistofftransportern im humanen Lungengewebe, wobei OCT3 das h{\"o}chste und OCT2 das geringste mRNA-Expressions-Niveau unter den untersuchten Transportern aufwies. Eine wesentliche Beteiligung von OCT3 an Transportvorg{\"a}ngen im humanen Lungengewebe erschien damit wahrscheinlich. Res{\"u}mierend konnte mit der vorliegenden Arbeit ein Beitrag zur Aufkl{\"a}rung des Einflusses von Arzneistofftransportern auf die pulmonale Absorption inhalativ verabreichter Arzneistoffe geleistet werden. Dabei konnte OCT3 erstmals als maßgeblich an der zellul{\"a}ren Aufnahme von Ipratropiumbromid beteiligter Transporter in der humanen Lunge identifiziert werden, womit einerseits die Beteiligung von Arzneistofftransportern an pharmakokinetischen Prozessen in vivo und andererseits die Bedeutung von Arzneistofftransportern f{\"u}r die inhalative Arzneimitteltherapie deutlich wurde.},
  subject      = {Lunge},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Reis2017,
  author    = {Reis, Helena},
  title     = {Characterization of telomere protein complexes in Trypanosoma brucei},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-151323},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {African trypanosomiasis is a disease endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. It affects humans as well as wild and domestic animals. The human form of the disease is known as sleeping sickness and the animal form as nagana, which are usually fatal if left untreated. The cause of African trypanosomiasis is the unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei. During its life cycle, Trypanosoma brucei shuttles between a mammalian host and the tsetse fly vector. In the mammalian host the parasite multiplies as bloodstream form (BSF) extracellularly in the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. Survival of BSF parasites relies on immune evasion by antigenic variation of surface proteins because its extracellular lifestyle leads to direct exposure to immune responses. At any given time each BSF cell expresses a single type of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) on its surface from a large repertoire. The active VSG is transcribed from one of 15 specialized subtelomeric domains, termed bloodstream expression sites (BESs). The remaining 14 BESs are silenced. This monoallelic expression and periodic switching of the expressed VSG enables to escape the immune response and to establish a persistent infection in the mammalian host. During developmental differentiation from BSF to the insect vector-resident procyclic form (PCF), the active BES is transcriptionally silenced to stop VSG transcription. Thus, all 15 BESs are inactive in the PCF cells as surface protein expression is developmentally regulated. Previous reports have shown that the telomere complex components TbTRF, TbRAP1 and TbTIF2 are involved in VSG transcriptional regulation. However, the precise nature of their contribution remains unclear. In addition, no information is available about the role of telomeres in the initiation and regulation of developmental BES silencing. To gain insights into the regulatory mechanisms of telomeres on VSG transcription and developmental repression it is therefore essential to identify the complete composition of the trypanosome telomere complex. To this end, we used two complementary biochemical approaches and quantitative label-free interactomics to determine the composition of telomere protein complexes in T. brucei. Firstly, using a telomeric pull-down assay we found 17 potential telomere-binding proteins including the known telomere-binding proteins TbTRF and TbTIF2. Secondly, by performing a co-immunoprecipitation experiment to elucidate TbTRF interactions we co-purified five proteins. All of these five proteins were also enriched with telomeric DNA in the pull-down assay. To validate these data, I characterized one of the proteins found in both experiments (TelBP1). In BSF cells, TelBP1 co-localizes with TbTRF and interacts with already described telomere-binding proteins such as TbTRF, TbTIF2 and TbRAP1 indicating that TelBP1 is a novel component of the telomere complex in trypanosomes. Interestingly, protein interaction studies in PCF cells suggested a different telomere complex composition compared to BSF cells. In contrast to known members of the telomere complex, TelBP1 is dispensable for cell viability indicating that its function might be uncoupled from the known telomere-binding proteins. Overexpression of TelBP1 had also no effect on cell viability, but led to the discovery of two additional shorter isoforms of TelBP1. However, their source and function remained elusive. Although TelBP1 is not essential for cell viability, western blot analysis revealed a 4-fold upregulation of TelBP1 in the BSF stage compared to the PCF stage supporting the concept of a dynamic telomere complex composition. We observed that TelBP1 influences the kinetics of transcriptional BES silencing during developmental transition from BSF to PCF. Deletion of TelBP1 caused faster BES silencing compared to wild-type parasites. Taken together, TelBP1 function illustrates that developmental BES silencing is a fine-tuned process, which involves stage-specific changes in telomere complex formation.},
  subject      = {Trypanosoma brucei},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{ContarAdolfi2017,
  author    = {Contar Adolfi, Mateus},
  title     = {Sex determination and meiosis in medaka: The role of retinoic acid},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-136335},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Sex determination (SD) is a complex and diverse developmental process that leads to the decision whether the bipotential gonad anlage will become a testis or an ovary. This mechanism is regulated by gene cascades, networks and/or chromosomal systems, and can be influenced by fluctuations of extrinsic factors like temperature, exposure to hormones and pollution. Within vertebrates, the group of fish show the widest variety of sex determination mechanism. This whole diversity of processes and mechanisms converges to the formation of two different gametes, the eggs and the sperm, the first bigger and static, and the second smaller and motile. Meiosis is crucial for the formation of both types of gametes, and the timing of meiosis entry is one of the first recognizable differences between male and female in vertebrates. The germ cells go into meiosis first in female than in male, and in mammals, this event has been shown to be regulated by retinoic acid (RA). This small polar molecule induces in the germ cells the expression of the pre-meiotic marker Stra8 (stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8), which is necessary for meiosis initiation. Interestingly, genome analyzes have shown that the majority of fish (including medaka) lack the stra8 gene, adding a question mark to the role of RA in meiosis induction in this group. Since a role of RA in entry of meiosis and sexual development of fish is still far from being understood, I investigated in medaka (Oryzias latipes) a possible signaling function of RA during the SD period in embryos and in reproductively active gonads of adults. I generated a transgenic medaka line that reports responsiveness to RA in vivo. With this tool, I compared RA responsiveness with the expression of the main gene involved in the synthesis of RA. My results show that there is a de-correlation between the action of RA with its source. In adults, expression of the RA metabolizing enzymes show sexually dimorphic RA levels, with aldh1a2 levels being higher in testis, and cyp26a1 stronger in female gonad. In ovary, the responsiveness is restricted to the early meiotic oocytes. In testis, RA is acting directly in the pre-meiotic cells, but also in Sertoli and Leydig cells. Treatment experiments on testis organ culture showed that RA pathway activation leads to a decrease in meiosis markers expression levels. During the development, RA responsiveness in the germ cells was observed in both sexes much earlier than the first female meiosis entry. Treatments with RA-synthesis inhibitor show a decrease in meiosis markers expression levels only after the sex differentiation period in female. Expression analyzes of embryos treated with exogenous RA showed induction of dmrt1a at the gonad levels and an increase of amh levels. Both genes are not only involved in male formation, but also in the regulation of germ cell proliferation and differentiation. RA is important in meiosis induction and gametogenesis in adult medaka. However, there is no evidence for a similar role of RA in initiating the first meiosis in female germ cells at the SD stage. Moreover, contrary to common expectation, RA seems to induce sex related genes that are involved indirectly in meiosis inhibition. In this thesis, I showed for the first time that RA can be involved in both induction and inhibition of meiosis entry, depending on the sex and the developmental stage in a stra8-independent model organism.},
  subject      = {Japank{\"a}rpfling},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Gehring2017,
  author    = {Gehring, Jennifer},
  title     = {Functional analysis of the latrophilin homolog dCirl in Drosophila melanogaster},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-101061},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Latrophilin, alternatively named calcium-independent receptor of α-latrotoxin (CIRL), resembles a prototype of the adhesion class G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Initially identified as a high-affinity receptor for α-latrotoxin, a component of the black widow spider, latrophilins are now associated with various distinct functions, such as synaptic exocytosis, tissue polarity and fertility (Tobaben et al., 2002; Langenhan et al., 2009; Promel et al., 2012). Despite these exploratory efforts the precise subcellular localisation as well as the endogenous ligand of CIRL still remains elusive. In this work genetic experiments, imaging approaches and behavioural studies have been used to unravel the localisation and physiological function of the latrophilin homolog dCirl in Drosophila melanogaster. Containing only one latrophilin homolog together with its genetic accessibility and well-established transgenic approaches, Drosophila seemed an ideally suited model organism. The present study showed that dCirl is widely expressed in the larval central nervous system including moto- and sensory neurons. Further, this work revealed that removal of the latrophilin homolog does not greatly affect synaptic transmission but it seems that aspects of the postsynaptic structural layout are controlled by dCIRL in the fruit fly. Additionally, dCirl expression at the transcriptional level was confirmed in larval and adult chordotonal organs, specialised mechanosensors implicated in proprioception (Eberl, 1999). Expression of dCIRL at the protein level could not yet been confirmed in moto- and sensory neurons likely due to low endogenous expression. However, behavioural studies using dCirl knockout mutant larvae indicated a putative mechanosensory function of dCIRL regarding touch sensitivity and locomotion behaviour. The second part of this thesis presents a strategy to examine interactions between several presynaptic proteins in living cells. The attempt described in this work is based on the discovery that GFP when split into two non-fluorescent fragments can form a fluorescent complex. The association of the fragments can be facilitated by fusing them to two proteins that interact with each other. Therefore, the split GFP method enables direct visualization of synaptic protein interactions in living cells. In initial experiments I could show that full length reporter protein fusions with n-Synaptobrevin (n-Syb), Synaptotagmin (Syt) and Syntaxin (Syx) allow expression in Drosophila and confirmed that fusion to either end of each synaptic protein did not impair expression or influence the viability of transgenic flies. Further, transgenes containing protein fusions of Syx, Syt, and n-Syb with split GFP fragments were established in previous studies (Gehring, 2010). The present work characterises the interaction of these protein fusions during different stages of synaptic vesicle turnover at active zones such as synaptic vesicle docking at the presynaptic membrane and vesicle fusion. These results suggest that the spGFP assay seems only partly suitable for resolving fast and transient protein-protein interactions at larval Drosophila active zones in vivo.},
  subject      = {Taufliege},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Cheng2017,
  author    = {Cheng, Cheng},
  title     = {Metabolomics and dereplication-based isolation of novel bioactive natural products from marine sponge-associated actinomycetes},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-136587},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Marine sponge-associated actinomycetes are considered as promising source for the discovery of novel biologically active compounds. Metabolomics coupled multivariate analysis can efficiently reduce the chemical redundancy of re-isolating known compounds at the very early stage of natural product discovery. This Ph.D. project aimed to isolate biologically active secondary metabolites from actinomycetes associated with different Mediterranean sponges with the assistance of metabolomics tools to implement a rapid dereplication and chemically distinct candidate targeting for further up-scaling compounds isolation. This study first focused on the recovery of actinomycetes from marine sponges by various cultivation efforts. Twelve different media and two separate pre-treatments of each bacterial extract were designed and applied to facilitate actinomycete diversity and richness. A total of 64 actinomycetes were isolated from 12 different marine sponge species. The isolates were affiliated to 23 genera representing 8 different suborders based on nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Four putatively novel species belonging to the genera Geodermatophilus, Microlunatus, Rhodococcus, and Actinomycetospora were identified based on a sequence similarity <98.5\% to validly described 16S rRNA gene sequences. 20\% of the isolated actinomycetes was shown to exhibit diverse biological properties, including antioxidant, anti-Bacillus sp., anti-Aspergillus sp., and antitrypanosomal activities. The metabolomics approaches combined with the bioassay results identified two candidate strains Streptomyces sp. SBT348 and Streptomyces sp. SBT345 for further up-scaling cultivation and compounds isolation. Four compounds were isolated from Streptomyces sp. SBT348. Three of these compounds including the new cyclic dipeptide petrocidin A were previously highlighted in the metabolomics analyses, corroborating the feasibility of metabolomics approaches in novel compounds discovery. These four compounds were also tested against two pathogen microorganisms since the same activities were shown in their crude extract in the preliminary bioassay screening, however none of them displayed the expected activities, which may ascribe to the insufficient amount obtained. Streptomyces sp. SBT345 yielded 5 secondary metabolites, three of which were identified as new natural products, namely strepthonium A, ageloline A and strepoxazine A. Strepthonium A inhibited the production of Shiga toxin produced by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli at a concentration of 80 μM, without interfering with the bacterial growth. Ageloline A exhibited antioxidant activity and inhibited the inclusion of Chlamydia trachomatis with an IC50 value of 9.54 ± 0.36 μM. Strepoxazine A displayed antiproliferative property towards human promyelocytic HL-60 cells with an IC50 value of 16 μg/ml. 11 These results highlighted marine sponges as a rich source for novel actinomycetes and further exhibited the significance of marine sponge-associated actinomycetes as promising producers of novel biologically active compounds. The chemometrics coupled metabolomics approach also demonstrated its feasibility and efficacy in natural product discovery.},
  subject      = {Actinomyces},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Zimnol2017,
  author    = {Zimnol, Anna},
  title     = {Relevance of angiotensin II type 1a receptor and NADPH oxidase for the formation of angiotensin II-mediated DNA damage},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137469},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Das Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosteron-System (RAAS) reguliert den Blutdruck sowie den Elektrolyt- und Wasserhaushalt. Das aktive Peptid, Angiotensin II (AngII), f{\"u}hrt dabei zur Vasokonstriktion und in h{\"o}heren Konzentrationen zu Bluthochdruck. Hypertensive Patienten haben ein erh{\"o}htes Risiko an Krebs zu erkranken, vor allem an Nierenkrebs. Wir konnten bereits in vivo zeigen, dass AngII in der Lage ist, den Blutdruck zu steigern und dosisabh{\"a}ngig zu DNA-Sch{\"a}den {\"u}ber den Angiotensin II Typ 1-Rezeptor (AT1R) f{\"u}hrt. Ein stimuliertes RAAS kann ferner {\"u}ber die Aktivierung der NADPH-Oxidase, einer Hauptquelle der Generierung reaktiver Sauerstoffspezies (ROS) in der Zelle, zu oxidativem Stress f{\"u}hren. Zielsetzung dieser Arbeit war es zum einen, mit Hilfe von AT1a-Rezeptor-defizienten M{\"a}usen in vivo zu pr{\"u}fen, ob die Bildung von ROS, sowie die Bildung von DNA-Sch{\"a}den in der Niere und im Herzen unabh{\"a}ngig von einem erh{\"o}hten Blutdruck auftreten. Zum anderen sollte, ebenfalls in vivo, untersucht werden, ob eine oder beide von zwei untersuchten Isoformen der NADPH-Oxidase (Nox) f{\"u}r die Ausl{\"o}sung oxidativen Stresses in der Niere verantwortlich ist. Zun{\"a}chst wurden f{\"u}r den Versuch zur {\"U}berpr{\"u}fung der Abh{\"a}ngigkeit AngII-induzierter DNA-Sch{\"a}den vom Blutdruck m{\"a}nnliche C57BL/6-M{\"a}use und AT1a-Knockout (KO)-M{\"a}use mit osmotischen Minipumpen ausgestattet, die AngII in einer Konzentrationen von 600 ng/kg min {\"u}ber einen Zeitraum von 28 Tagen abgaben. Zus{\"a}tzlich wurde eine Gruppe von AngII-behandelten Wildtyp (WT)-M{\"a}usen mit dem AT1-Rezeptor-Blocker Candesartan (Cand) behandelt. W{\"a}hrend des Versuchszeitraumes fanden regelm{\"a}ßige, nicht-invasive Blutdruckmessungen an den wachen M{\"a}usen statt. In WT-M{\"a}usen induzierte AngII Bluthochdruck, verursachte erh{\"o}hte Albumin-Level im Urin und f{\"u}hrte zur Bildung von ROS in Niere und im Herzen. Außerdem traten in dieser Gruppe DNA-Sch{\"a}den in Form von Einzel- und Doppelstrangbr{\"u}chen auf. All diese Reaktionen auf AngII konnten jedoch durch gleichzeitige Behandlung mit Cand verhindert werden. AT1a-KO-M{\"a}use hatten, verglichen mit WT-Kontrollm{\"a}usen, einen signifikant niedrigeren Blutdruck und normale Albumin-Level im Urin. In AT1a-KO-M{\"a}usen, die mit AngII behandelt wurden, konnte kein Anstieg des systolischen Blutdrucks sowie kein Einfluss auf die Nierenfunktion gefunden werden. Jedoch f{\"u}hrte AngII in dieser Gruppe zu einer Steigerung von ROS in der Niere und im Herzen. Zus{\"a}tzlich wurden genomische Sch{\"a}den, vor allem in Form von Doppelstrangbr{\"u}chen signifikant in dieser Gruppe induziert. Auch wenn AT1a-KO-Tiere, unabh{\"a}ngig von einer AngII-Infusion, keine eingeschr{\"a}nkte Nierenfunktion zeigten, so wiesen sie erhebliche histopathologische Sch{\"a}den im Hinblick auf die Glomeruli und das Tubulussystem auf. Diese Art von Sch{\"a}den deuten auf eine besondere Bedeutung des AT1aR im Hinblick auf die embryonale Entwicklung der Niere hin. Zusammenfassend beweisen die Ergebnisse dieses Experiments eindeutig, dass eine AngII-induzierte ROS-Produktion und die Induktion von DNA-Sch{\"a}den unabh{\"a}ngig von einem erh{\"o}hten Blutdruck auftreten. Da in der AngII-behandelten AT1a-KO-Gruppe eine signifikant h{\"o}here Expression des AT1b-Rezeptors zu finden war und die Blockade von beiden Rezeptorsubtypen mit Cand zu einer Verhinderung der sch{\"a}dlichen Effekte durch AngII f{\"u}hrte, scheint der AT1bR im Falle einer AT1aR-Defizienz f{\"u}r die Entstehung der Sch{\"a}den zust{\"a}ndig zu sein. Ziel des zweiten Experimentes war es, den Beitrag der Nox2 und Nox4 zum oxidativen DNA-Schaden in vivo zu untersuchen. Hierf{\"u}r wurden m{\"a}nnliche C57BL/6-M{\"a}use und Nox2- oder Nox4-defiziente M{\"a}use mit osmotischen Minipumpen ausgestattet, die AngII in einer Konzentration von 600 ng/kg min {\"u}ber einen Zeitraum von 28 Tagen abgaben. Im WT-Stamm und in beiden Nox-defizienten St{\"a}mmen induzierte AngII Bluthochdruck, verursachte erh{\"o}hte Albumin-Level im Urin und f{\"u}hrte zur Bildung von ROS in der Niere. Außerdem waren in allen AngII-behandelten Gruppen genomische Sch{\"a}den, vor allem in Form von Doppelstrangbr{\"u}chen, erh{\"o}ht. Auch in Abwesenheit von AngII wiesen Nox2- und Nox4-defiziente M{\"a}use mehr Doppelstrangbr{\"u}che im Vergleich zu WT-Kontrollm{\"a}usen auf. Interessanterweise kompensieren allerdings weder Nox2 noch Nox4 das Fehlen der jeweils anderen Isoform auf RNA-Basis. Aufgrund dieser Ergebnisse schließen wir, dass bislang keine Isoform alleine f{\"u}r die Generierung von oxidativen DNA-Sch{\"a}den in der Niere verantwortlich gemacht werden kann und dass eine Beteiligung einer weiteren Nox-Isoform sehr wahrscheinlich ist. M{\"o}glicherweise k{\"o}nnten aber auch andere ROS-generierende Enzyme, wie Xanthinoxidase oder Stickoxidsynthase involviert sein. Da genomische Sch{\"a}den in Nieren von Nox2- und Nox4-defizienten M{\"a}usen in Abwesenheit von AngII gegen{\"u}ber den Sch{\"a}den in WT-Kontrollm{\"a}usen erh{\"o}ht waren, k{\"o}nnten die beiden Isoformen auch eine sch{\"u}tzende Funktion im Bereich von Nierenkrankheiten {\"u}bernehmen. Da dies aber bislang nur f{\"u}r Nox4 beschrieben ist, ist es wahrscheinlicher, dass das Fehlen von einer der beiden Isoformen eher einen Einfluss auf die Embryonalentwicklung hat. Um dies jedoch abschließend zu kl{\"a}ren w{\"a}re es sinnvoll mit induzierbaren Knockout-Modellen zu arbeiten, bei denen m{\"o}gliche entwicklungsbedingte Effekte minimiert werden k{\"o}nnen.},
  subject      = {Angiotensin II},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Stender2017,
  author    = {Stender, Benedikt},
  title     = {Einzelphotonenemitter und ihre Wechselwirkung mit Ladungstr{\"a}gern in organischen Leuchtdioden},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-150913},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {In dieser Arbeit wird die Photophysik von Einzelphotonenemittern unterschiedlicher Materialklassen, wie Fehlstellen in Diamant und Siliziumcarbid sowie organischer Molek{\"u}le bei Raumtemperatur untersucht. Zu diesem Zweck wurde ein hochaufl{\"o}sendes konfokales Mikroskop konzipiert und konstruiert, welches die optische Detektion einzelner Quantensysteme erm{\"o}glicht. Zus{\"a}tzlich werden verschiedene Methoden wie die Rotationsbeschichtung, das Inkjet-Printing und das Inkjet-Etching in Bezug auf die Reproduzierbarkeit und Strukturierbarkeit von organischen Leuchtdioden (OLEDs) verglichen. Im weiteren Verlauf werden die optoelektronischen Prozesse in dotierten OLEDs untersucht, ausgehend von hohen Dotierkonzentrationen bis hin zur Dotierung mit einzelnen Molek{\"u}len. Dadurch kann die Exzitonen-Ladungstr{\"a}ger Wechselwirkung auf und in der Umgebung von r{\"a}umlich isolierten Molek{\"u}len analysiert werden.},
  subject      = {Einzelphotonenemission},
  language  = {de}
}