@phdthesis{Nemec2023,
  author    = {Nemec, Katarina},
  title     = {Modulation of parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R) signaling by receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs)},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-28858},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-288588},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {The receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) are ubiquitously expressed membrane proteins that interact with several G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest and pharmacologically most important family of cell surface receptors. RAMPs can regulate GPCR function in terms of ligand-binding, G-protein coupling, downstream signaling, trafficking, and recycling. The integrity of their interactions translates to many physiological functions or pathological conditions. Regardless of numerous reports on its essential importance for cell biology and pivotal role in (patho-)physiology, the molecular mechanism of how RAMPs modulate GPCR activation remained largely elusive. This work presents new insights that add to the common understanding of the allosteric regulation of receptor activation and will help interpret how accessory proteins - RAMPs - modulate activation dynamics and how this affects the fundamental aspects of cellular signaling. Using a prototypical class B GPCR, the parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R) in the form of advanced genetically encoded optical biosensors, I examined RAMP's impact on the PTH1R activation and signaling in intact cells. A panel of single-cell FRET and confocal microscopy experiments as well canonical and non-canonical functional assays were performed to get a holistic picture of the signaling initiation and transduction of that clinically and therapeutically relevant GPCR. Finally, structural modeling was performed to add molecular mechanistic details to that novel art of modulation. I describe here that RAMP2 acts as a specific allosteric modulator of PTH1R, shifting PTH1R to a unique pre-activated state that permits faster activation in a ligand-specific manner. Moreover, RAMP2 modulates PTH1R downstream signaling in an agonist-dependent manner, most notably increasing the PTH-mediated Gi3 signaling sensitivity and kinetics of cAMP accumulation. Additionally, RAMP2 increases PTH- and PTHrP-triggered β-arrestin2 recruitment to PTH1R and modulates cytosolic ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Structural homology modeling shows that structural motifs governing GPCR-RAMP interaction originate in allosteric hotspots and rationalize functional modulation. Moreover, to interpret the broader role of RAMP's modulation in GPCRs pharmacology, different fluorescent tools to investigate RAMP's spatial organization were developed, and novel conformational biosensors for class B GPCRs were engineered. Lastly, a high throughput assay is proposed and prototyped to expand the repertoire of RAMPs or other membrane protein interactors. These data uncover the critical role of RAMPs in GPCR activation and signaling and set up a novel platform for studying GPCR modulation. Furthermore, these insights may provide a new venue for precise modulation of GPCR function and advanced drug design.},
  subject      = {G-Protein gekoppelter Rezeptor},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{NwoghaAbtewRaveendranetal.2023,
  author    = {Nwogha, Jeremiah S. and Abtew, Wosene G. and Raveendran, Muthurajan and Oselebe, Happiness O. and Obidiegwu, Jude E. and Chilaka, Cynthia A. and Amirtham, Damodarasamy D.},
  title     = {Role of non-structural sugar metabolism in regulating tuber dormancy in white yam (Dioscorea rotundata)},
  series = {Agriculture},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {Agriculture},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {2077-0472},
  doi       = {10.3390/agriculture13020343},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304486},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Changes in sugar composition occur continuously in plant tissues at different developmental stages. Tuber dormancy induction, stability, and breaking are very critical developmental transitions in yam crop production. Prolonged tuber dormancy after physiological maturity has constituted a great challenge in yam genetic improvement and productivity. In the present study, biochemical profiling of non-structural sugar in yam tubers during dormancy was performed to determine the role of non-structural sugar in yam tuber dormancy regulation. Two genotypes of the white yam species, one local genotype (Obiaoturugo) and one improved genotype (TDr1100873), were used for this study. Tubers were sampled at 42, 56, 87, 101, 115, and 143 days after physiological maturity (DAPM). Obiaoturugo exhibited a short dormant phenotype and sprouted at 101-DAPM, whereas TDr1100873 exhibited a long dormant phenotype and sprouted at 143-DAPM. Significant metabolic changes were observed in non-structural sugar parameters, dry matter, and moisture content in Obiaoturugo from 56-DAPM, whereas in TDr1100873, significant metabolic changes were observed from 101-DAPM. It was observed that the onset of these metabolic changes occurred at a point when the tubers of both genotypes exhibited a dry matter content of 60\%, indicating that a dry matter content of 60\% might be a critical threshold for white yam tuber sprouting. Non-reducing sugars increased by 9-10-fold during sprouting in both genotypes, which indicates their key role in tuber dormancy regulation in white yam. This result implicates that some key sugar metabolites can be targeted for dormancy manipulation of the yam crop.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HadiBankogluStopper2023,
  author    = {Hadi, Naji Said Aboud and Bankoglu, Ezgi Eyluel and Stopper, Helga},
  title     = {Genotoxicity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in metabolically inactive human cervical cancer HeLa cells co-cultured with human hepatoma HepG2 cells},
  series = {Archives of Toxicology},
  volume    = {97},
  journal   = {Archives of Toxicology},
  number    = {1},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00204-022-03394-z},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324708},
  pages     = {295-306},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are secondary plant metabolites, which can be found as contaminant in various foods and herbal products. Several PAs can cause hepatotoxicity and liver cancer via damaging hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HSECs) after hepatic metabolization. HSECs themselves do not express the required metabolic enzymes for activation of PAs. Here we applied a co-culture model to mimic the in vivo hepatic environment and to study PA-induced effects on not metabolically active neighbour cells. In this co-culture model, bioactivation of PA was enabled by metabolically capable human hepatoma cells HepG2, which excrete the toxic and mutagenic pyrrole metabolites. The human cervical epithelial HeLa cells tagged with H2B-GFP were utilized as non-metabolically active neighbours because they can be identified easily based on their green fluorescence in the co-culture. The PAs europine, riddelliine and lasiocarpine induced micronuclei in HepG2 cells, and in HeLa H2B-GFP cells co-cultured with HepG2 cells, but not in HeLa H2B-GFP cells cultured alone. Metabolic inhibition of cytochrome P450 enzymes with ketoconazole abrogated micronucleus formation. The efflux transporter inhibitors verapamil and benzbromarone reduced micronucleus formation in the co-culture model. Furthermore, mitotic disturbances as an additional genotoxic mechanism of action were observed in HepG2 cells and in HeLa H2B-GFP cells co-cultured with HepG2 cells, but not in HeLa H2B-GFP cells cultured alone. Overall, we were able to show that PAs were activated by HepG2 cells and the metabolites induced genomic damage in co-cultured HeLa cells.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SchanbacherHermannsLorenzetal.2023,
  author    = {Schanbacher, Constanze and Hermanns, Heike M. and Lorenz, Kristina and Wajant, Harald and Lang, Isabell},
  title     = {Complement 1q/tumor necrosis factor-related proteins (CTRPs): structure, receptors and signaling},
  series = {Biomedicines},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Biomedicines},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {2227-9059},
  doi       = {10.3390/biomedicines11020559},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304136},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Adiponectin and the other 15 members of the complement 1q (C1q)/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related protein (CTRP) family are secreted proteins composed of an N-terminal variable domain followed by a stalk region and a characteristic C-terminal trimerizing globular C1q (gC1q) domain originally identified in the subunits of the complement protein C1q. We performed a basic PubMed literature search for articles mentioning the various CTRPs or their receptors in the abstract or title. In this narrative review, we briefly summarize the biology of CTRPs and focus then on the structure, receptors and major signaling pathways of CTRPs. Analyses of CTRP knockout mice and CTRP transgenic mice gave overwhelming evidence for the relevance of the anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing effects of CTRPs in autoimmune diseases, obesity, atherosclerosis and cardiac dysfunction. CTRPs form homo- and heterotypic trimers and oligomers which can have different activities. The receptors of some CTRPs are unknown and some receptors are redundantly targeted by several CTRPs. The way in which CTRPs activate their receptors to trigger downstream signaling pathways is largely unknown. CTRPs and their receptors are considered as promising therapeutic targets but their translational usage is still hampered by the limited knowledge of CTRP redundancy and CTRP signal transduction.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{RebsStreckfussBoemeke2023,
  author    = {Rebs, Sabine and Streckfuss-B{\"o}meke, Katrin},
  title     = {How can we use stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to understand the involvement of energetic metabolism in alterations of cardiac function?},
  series = {Frontiers in Molecular Medicine},
  volume    = {3},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Molecular Medicine},
  doi       = {10.3389/fmmed.2023.1222986},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-327344},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Mutations in the mitochondrial-DNA or mitochondria related nuclear-encoded-DNA lead to various multisystemic disorders collectively termed mitochondrial diseases. One in three cases of mitochondrial disease affects the heart muscle, which is called mitochondrial cardiomyopathy (MCM) and is associated with hypertrophic, dilated, and noncompact cardiomyopathy. The heart is an organ with high energy demand, and mitochondria occupy 30\%-40\% of its cardiomyocyte-cell volume. Mitochondrial dysfunction leads to energy depletion and has detrimental effects on cardiac performance. However, disease development and progression in the context of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA mutations, remains incompletely understood. The system of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CM) is an excellent platform to study MCM since the unique genetic identity to their donors enables a robust recapitulation of the predicted phenotypes in a dish on a patient-specific level. Here, we focus on recent insights into MCM studied by patient-specific iPSC-CM and further discuss research gaps and advances in metabolic maturation of iPSC-CM, which is crucial for the study of mitochondrial dysfunction and to develop novel therapeutic strategies.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HartmannKnierimMaureretal.2023,
  author    = {Hartmann, Nico and Knierim, Maria and Maurer, Wiebke and Dybkova, Nataliya and Hasenfuß, Gerd and Sossalla, Samuel and Streckfuss-B{\"o}meke, Katrin},
  title     = {Molecular and functional relevance of Na\(_V\)1.8-induced atrial arrhythmogenic triggers in a human SCN10A knock-out stem cell model},
  series = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
  volume    = {24},
  journal   = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
  number    = {12},
  issn      = {1422-0067},
  doi       = {10.3390/ijms241210189},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-362708},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {In heart failure and atrial fibrillation, a persistent Na\(^+\) current (I\(_{NaL}\)) exerts detrimental effects on cellular electrophysiology and can induce arrhythmias. We have recently shown that Na\(_V\)1.8 contributes to arrhythmogenesis by inducing a I\(_{NaL}\). Genome-wide association studies indicate that mutations in the SCN10A gene (Na\(_V\)1.8) are associated with increased risk for arrhythmias, Brugada syndrome, and sudden cardiac death. However, the mediation of these Na\(_V\)1.8-related effects, whether through cardiac ganglia or cardiomyocytes, is still a subject of controversial discussion. We used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to generate homozygous atrial SCN10A-KO-iPSC-CMs. Ruptured-patch whole-cell patch-clamp was used to measure the I\(_{NaL}\) and action potential duration. Ca\(^{2+}\) measurements (Fluo 4-AM) were performed to analyze proarrhythmogenic diastolic SR Ca\(^{2+}\) leak. The I\(_{NaL}\) was significantly reduced in atrial SCN10A KO CMs as well as after specific pharmacological inhibition of Na\(_V\)1.8. No effects on atrial APD\(_{90}\) were detected in any groups. Both SCN10A KO and specific blockers of Na\(_V\)1.8 led to decreased Ca\(^{2+}\) spark frequency and a significant reduction of arrhythmogenic Ca\(^{2+}\) waves. Our experiments demonstrate that Na\(_V\)1.8 contributes to I\(_{NaL}\) formation in human atrial CMs and that Na\(_V\)1.8 inhibition modulates proarrhythmogenic triggers in human atrial CMs and therefore Na\(_V\)1.8 could be a new target for antiarrhythmic strategies.},
  language  = {en}
}