@article{TonyBurmesterSchulzeKoopsetal.2011, author = {Tony, Hans-Peter and Burmester, Gerd and Schulze-Koops, Hendrik and Grunke, Mathias and Henes, Joerg and K{\"o}tter, Ina and Haas, Judith and Unger, Leonore and Lovric, Svjetlana and Haubitz, Marion and Fischer-Betz, Rebecca and Chehab, Gamal and Rubbert-Roth, Andrea and Specker, Christof and Weinerth, Jutta and Holle, Julia and M{\"u}ller-Ladner, Ulf and K{\"o}nig, Ramona and Fiehn, Christoph and Burgwinkel, Philip and Budde, Klemens and S{\"o}rensen, Helmut and Meurer, Michael and Aringer, Martin and Kieseier, Bernd and Erfurt-Berge, Cornelia and Sticherling, Michael and Veelken, Roland and Ziemann, Ulf and Strutz, Frank and von Wussow, Praxis and Meier, Florian MP and Hunzelmann, Nico and Schmidt, Enno and Bergner, Raoul and Schwarting, Andreas and Eming, R{\"u}diger and Schwarz-Eywill, Michael and Wassenberg, Siegfried and Fleck, Martin and Metzler, Claudia and Zettl, Uwe and Westphal, Jens and Heitmann, Stefan and Herzog, Anna L. and Wiendl, Heinz and Jakob, Waltraud and Schmidt, Elvira and Freivogel, Klaus and D{\"o}rner, Thomas and Hertl, Michael and Stadler, Rudolf}, title = {Safety and clinical outcomes of rituximab therapy in patients with different autoimmune diseases: experience from a national registry (GRAID)}, series = {Arthritis Research \& Therapy}, volume = {13}, journal = {Arthritis Research \& Therapy}, number = {R75}, doi = {10.1186/ar3337}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142856}, pages = {1-14}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Introduction: Evidence from a number of open-label, uncontrolled studies has suggested that rituximab may benefit patients with autoimmune diseases who are refractory to standard-of-care. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and clinical outcomes of rituximab in several standard-of-care-refractory autoimmune diseases (within rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology and neurology) other than rheumatoid arthritis or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a real-life clinical setting. Methods: Patients who received rituximab having shown an inadequate response to standard-of-care had their safety and clinical outcomes data retrospectively analysed as part of the German Registry of Autoimmune Diseases. The main outcome measures were safety and clinical response, as judged at the discretion of the investigators. Results: A total of 370 patients (299 patient-years) with various autoimmune diseases (23.0\% with systemic lupus erythematosus, 15.7\% antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated granulomatous vasculitides, 15.1\% multiple sclerosis and 10.0\% pemphigus) from 42 centres received a mean dose of 2,440 mg of rituximab over a median (range) of 194 (180 to 1,407) days. The overall rate of serious infections was 5.3 per 100 patient-years during rituximab therapy. Opportunistic infections were infrequent across the whole study population, and mostly occurred in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. There were 11 deaths (3.0\% of patients) after rituximab treatment (mean 11.6 months after first infusion, range 0.8 to 31.3 months), with most of the deaths caused by infections. Overall (n = 293), 13.3\% of patients showed no response, 45.1\% showed a partial response and 41.6\% showed a complete response. Responses were also reflected by reduced use of glucocorticoids and various immunosuppressives during rituximab therapy and follow-up compared with before rituximab. Rituximab generally had a positive effect on patient well-being (physician's visual analogue scale; mean improvement from baseline of 12.1 mm)}, language = {en} } @article{TegtmeyerMoodleyYamaokaetal.2016, author = {Tegtmeyer, Nicole and Moodley, Yoshan and Yamaoka, Yoshio and Pernitzsch, Sandy Ramona and Schmidt, Vanessa and Traverso, Francisco Rivas and Schmidt, Thomas P. and Rad, Roland and Yeoh, Khay Guan and Bow, Ho and Torres, Javier and Gerhard, Markus and Schneider, Gisbert and Wessler, Silja and Backert, Steffen}, title = {Characterisation of worldwide Helicobacter pylori strains reveals genetic conservation and essentiality of serine protease HtrA}, series = {Molecular Microbiology}, volume = {99}, journal = {Molecular Microbiology}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1111/mmi.13276}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190774}, pages = {925-944}, year = {2016}, abstract = {HtrA proteases and chaperones exhibit important roles in periplasmic protein quality control and stress responses. The genetic inactivation of htrA has been described for many bacterial pathogens. However, in some cases such as the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori, HtrA is secreted where it cleaves the tumour-suppressor E-cadherin interfering with gastric disease development, but the generation of htrA mutants is still lacking. Here, we show that the htrA gene locus is highly conserved in worldwide strains. HtrA presence was confirmed in 992 H.pylori isolates in gastric biopsy material from infected patients. Differential RNA-sequencing (dRNA-seq) indicated that htrA is encoded in an operon with two subsequent genes, HP1020 and HP1021. Genetic mutagenesis and complementation studies revealed that HP1020 and HP1021, but not htrA, can be mutated. In addition, we demonstrate that suppression of HtrA proteolytic activity with a newly developed inhibitor is sufficient to effectively kill H.pylori, but not other bacteria. We show that Helicobacter htrA is an essential bifunctional gene with crucial intracellular and extracellular functions. Thus, we describe here the first microbe in which htrA is an indispensable gene, a situation unique in the bacterial kingdom. HtrA can therefore be considered a promising new target for anti-bacterial therapy.}, language = {en} } @article{BoivinBeyersdorfPalmetal.2015, author = {Boivin, Val{\´e}rie and Beyersdorf, Niklas and Palm, Dieter and Nikolaev, Viacheslav O. and Schlipp, Angela and M{\"u}ller, Justus and Schmidt, Doris and Kocoski, Vladimir and Kerkau, Thomas and H{\"u}nig, Thomas and Ertl, Georg and Lohse, Martin J. and Jahns, Roland}, title = {Novel Receptor-Derived Cyclopeptides to Treat Heart Failure Caused by \(Anti-β_1-Adrenoceptor\) Antibodies in a Human-Analogous Rat Model}, series = {PLoS One}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS One}, number = {2}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0117589}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126028}, pages = {e0117589}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Despite recent therapeutic advances the prognosis of heart failure remains poor. Recent research suggests that heart failure is a heterogeneous syndrome and that many patients have stimulating auto-antibodies directed against the second extracellular loop of the \(β_1\) adrenergic receptor \((β_1EC2)\). In a human-analogous rat model such antibodies cause myocyte damage and heart failure. Here we used this model to test a novel antibody-directed strategy aiming to prevent and/or treat antibody-induced cardiomyopathy. To generate heart failure, we immunised n = 76/114 rats with a fusion protein containing the human β1EC2 (amino-acids 195-225) every 4 weeks; n = 38/114 rats were control-injected with 0.9\% NaCl. Intravenous application of a novel cyclic peptide mimicking \(β_1EC2\) (\(β_1EC2-CP\), 1.0 mg/kg every 4 weeks) or administration of the \(β_1-blocker\) bisoprolol (15 mg/kg/day orally) was initiated either 6 weeks (cardiac function still normal, prevention-study, n = 24 (16 treated vs. 8 untreated)) or 8.5 months after the 1st immunisation (onset of cardiomyopathy, therapy-study, n = 52 (40 treated vs. 12 untreated)); n = 8/52 rats from the therapy-study received \(β_1EC2-CP/bisoprolol\) co-treatment. We found that \(β_1EC2-CP\) prevented and (alone or as add-on drug) treated antibody-induced cardiac damage in the rat, and that its efficacy was superior to mono-treatment with bisoprolol, a standard drug in heart failure. While bisoprolol mono-therapy was able to stop disease-progression, \(β_1EC2-CP\) mono-therapy -or as an add-on to bisoprolol- almost fully reversed antibody-induced cardiac damage. The cyclo¬peptide acted both by scavenging free \(anti-β_1EC2-antibodies\) and by targeting \(β_1EC2\)-specific memory B-cells involved in antibody-production. Our model provides the basis for the clinical translation of a novel double-acting therapeutic strategy that scavenges harmful \(anti-β_1EC2-antibodies\) and also selectively depletes memory B-cells involved in the production of such antibodies. Treatment with immuno-modulating cyclopeptides alone or as an add-on to \(β_1\)-blockade represents a promising new therapeutic option in immune-mediated heart failure.}, language = {en} } @article{MarenholzEsparzaGordilloRueschendorfetal.2015, author = {Marenholz, Ingo and Esparza-Gordillo, Jorge and R{\"u}schendorf, Franz and Bauerfeind, Anja and Strachan, David P. and Spycher, Ben D. and Baurecht, Hansj{\"o}rg and Magaritte-Jeannin, Patricia and S{\"a}{\"a}f, Annika and Kerkhof, Marjan and Ege, Markus and Baltic, Svetlana and Matheson, Melanie C. and Li, Jin and Michel, Sven and Ang, Wei Q. and McArdle, Wendy and Arnold, Andreas and Homuth, Georg and Demenais, Florence and Bouzigon, Emmanuelle and S{\"o}derh{\"a}ll, Cilla and Pershagen, G{\"o}ran and de Jongste, Johan C. and Postma, Dirkje S. and Braun-Fahrl{\"a}nder, Charlotte and Horak, Elisabeth and Ogorodova, Ludmila M. and Puzyrev, Valery P. and Bragina, Elena Yu and Hudson, Thomas J. and Morin, Charles and Duffy, David L. and Marks, Guy B. and Robertson, Colin F. and Montgomery, Grant W. and Musk, Bill and Thompson, Philip J. and Martin, Nicholas G. and James, Alan and Sleiman, Patrick and Toskala, Elina and Rodriguez, Elke and F{\"o}lster-Holst, Regina and Franke, Andre and Lieb, Wolfgang and Gieger, Christian and Heinzmann, Andrea and Rietschel, Ernst and Keil, Thomas and Cichon, Sven and N{\"o}then, Markus M. and Pennel, Craig E. and Sly, Peter D. and Schmidt, Carsten O. and Matanovic, Anja and Schneider, Valentin and Heinig, Matthias and H{\"u}bner, Norbert and Holt, Patrick G. and Lau, Susanne and Kabesch, Michael and Weidinger, Stefan and Hakonarson, Hakon and Ferreira, Manuel A. R. and Laprise, Catherine and Freidin, Maxim B. and Genuneit, Jon and Koppelman, Gerard H. and Mel{\´e}n, Erik and Dizier, Marie-H{\´e}l{\`e}ne and Henderson, A. John and Lee, Young Ae}, title = {Meta-analysis identifies seven susceptibility loci involved in the atopic march}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {6}, journal = {Nature Communications}, number = {8804}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms9804}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-139835}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Eczema often precedes the development of asthma in a disease course called the 'atopic march'. To unravel the genes underlying this characteristic pattern of allergic disease, we conduct a multi-stage genome-wide association study on infantile eczema followed by childhood asthma in 12 populations including 2,428 cases and 17,034 controls. Here we report two novel loci specific for the combined eczema plus asthma phenotype, which are associated with allergic disease for the first time; rs9357733 located in EFHC1 on chromosome 6p12.3 (OR 1.27; P = 2.1 x 10(-8)) and rs993226 between TMTC2 and SLC6A15 on chromosome 12q21.3 (OR 1.58; P = 5.3 x 10(-9)). Additional susceptibility loci identified at genome-wide significance are FLG (1q21.3), IL4/KIF3A (5q31.1), AP5B1/OVOL1 (11q13.1), C11orf30/LRRC32 (11q13.5) and IKZF3 (17q21). We show that predominantly eczema loci increase the risk for the atopic march. Our findings suggest that eczema may play an important role in the development of asthma after eczema.}, language = {en} } @article{KristDornquastReinholdetal.2021, author = {Krist, Lilian and Dornquast, Christina and Reinhold, Thomas and Becher, Heiko and J{\"o}ckel, Karl-Heinz and Schmidt, B{\"o}rge and Schramm, Sara and Icke, Katja and Danquah, Ina and Willich, Stefan N. and Keil, Thomas and Brand, Tilman}, title = {Association of acculturation status with longitudinal changes in health-related quality of life — results from a cohort study of adults with Turkish origin in Germany}, series = {International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}, volume = {18}, journal = {International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}, number = {6}, issn = {1660-4601}, doi = {10.3390/ijerph18062827}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234068}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Health-related quality of life (HRQL) among migrant populations can be associated with acculturation (i.e., the process of adopting, acquiring and adjusting to a new cultural environment). Since there is a lack of longitudinal studies, we aimed to describe HRQL changes among adults of Turkish descent living in Berlin and Essen, Germany, and their association with acculturation. Participants of a population-based study were recruited in 2012-2013 and reinvited six years later to complete a questionnaire. Acculturation was assessed at baseline using the Frankfurt acculturation scale (integration, assimilation, separation and marginalization). HRQL was assessed at baseline (SF-8) and at follow-up (SF-12) resulting in a physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) sum score. Associations with acculturation and HRQL were analyzed with linear regression models using a time-by-acculturation status interaction term. In the study 330 persons were included (65\% women, mean age ± standard deviation 43.3 ± 11.8 years). Over the 6 years, MCS decreased, while PCS remained stable. While cross-sectional analyses showed associations of acculturation status with both MCS and PCS, temporal changes including the time interaction term did not reveal associations of baseline acculturation status with HRQL. When investigating HRQL in acculturation, more longitudinal studies are needed to take changes in both HRQL and acculturation status into account.}, language = {en} } @unpublished{BraunschweigKrummenacherLichtenbergetal.2016, author = {Braunschweig, Holger and Krummenacher, Ivo and Lichtenberg, Crispin and Mattock, James and Sch{\"a}fer, Marius and Schmidt, Uwe and Schneider, Christoph and Steffenhagen, Thomas and Ullrich, Stefan and Vargas, Alfredo}, title = {Dibora[2]ferrocenophane: A Carbene-Stabilized Diborene in a Strained cis-Configuration}, series = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition}, doi = {10.1002/anie.201609601}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141981}, pages = {9}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Unsaturated bridges that link the two cyclopentadienyl ligands together in strained ansa metallocenes are rare and limited to carbon-carbon double bonds. The synthesis and isolation of a strained ferrocenophane containing an unsaturated two-boron bridge, isoelectronic with a C=C double bond, was achieved by reduction of a carbene-stabilized 1,1'-bis(dihaloboryl)ferrocene. A combination of spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations was used to assess the influence of the unprecedented strained cis configuration on the optical and electrochemical properties of the carbene-stabilized diborene unit. Initial reactivity studies show that the dibora[2]ferrocenophane is prone to boron-boron double bond cleavage reactions.}, subject = {Metallocene}, language = {en} } @article{PollingerSchmittSanderetal.2017, author = {Pollinger, Florian and Schmitt, Stefan and Sander, Dirk and Tian, Zhen and Kirschner, J{\"u}rgen and Vrdoljak, Pavo and Stadler, Christoph and Maier, Florian and Marchetto, Helder and Schmidt, Thomas and Sch{\"o}ll, Achim and Umbach, Eberhard}, title = {Nanoscale patterning, macroscopic reconstruction, and enhanced surface stress by organic adsorption on vicinal surfaces}, series = {New Journal of Physics}, volume = {19}, journal = {New Journal of Physics}, doi = {10.1088/1367-2630/aa55b8}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-171947}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Self-organization is a promising method within the framework of bottom-up architectures to generate nanostructures in an efficient way. The present work demonstrates that self- organization on the length scale of a few to several tens of nanometers can be achieved by a proper combination of a large (organic) molecule and a vicinal metal surface if the local bonding of the molecule on steps is significantly stronger than that on low-index surfaces. In this case thermal annealing may lead to large mass transport of the subjacent substrate atoms such that nanometer-wide and micrometer-long molecular stripes or other patterns are being formed on high-index planes. The formation of these patterns can be controlled by the initial surface orientation and adsorbate coverage. The patterns arrange self-organized in regular arrays by repulsive mechanical interactions over long distances accompanied by a significant enhancement of surface stress. We demonstrate this effect using the planar organic molecule PTCDA as adsorbate and Ag(10 8 7) and Ag(775)surfaces as substrate. The patterns are directly observed by STM, the formation of vicinal surfaces is monitored by highresolution electron diffraction, the microscopic surface morphology changes are followed by spectromicroscopy, and the macroscopic changes of surface stress are measured by a cantilever bending method. The in situ combination of these complementary techniques provides compelling evidence for elastic interaction and a significant stress contribution to long-range order and nanopattern formation.}, language = {en} } @article{KleinschnitzGrundWingleretal.2010, author = {Kleinschnitz, Christoph and Grund, Henrike and Wingler, Kirstin and Armitage, Melanie E. and Jones, Emma and Mittal, Manish and Barit, David and Schwarz, Tobias and Geis, Christian and Kraft, Peter and Barthel, Konstanze and Schuhmann, Michael K. and Herrmann, Alexander M. and Meuth, Sven G. and Stoll, Guido and Meurer, Sabine and Schrewe, Anja and Becker, Lore and Gailus-Durner, Valerie and Fuchs, Helmut and Klopstock, Thomas and de Angelis, Martin Hrabe and Jandeleit-Dahm, Karin and Shah, Ajay M. and Weissmann, Norbert and Schmidt, Harald H. H. W.}, title = {Post-Stroke Inhibition of Induced NADPH Oxidase Type 4 Prevents Oxidative Stress and Neurodegeneration}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68416}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Ischemic stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Only one moderately effective therapy exists, albeit with contraindications that exclude 90\% of the patients. This medical need contrasts with a high failure rate of more than 1,000 pre-clinical drug candidates for stroke therapies. Thus, there is a need for translatable mechanisms of neuroprotection and more rigid thresholds of relevance in pre-clinical stroke models. One such candidate mechanism is oxidative stress. However, antioxidant approaches have failed in clinical trials, and the significant sources of oxidative stress in stroke are unknown. We here identify NADPH oxidase type 4 (NOX4) as a major source of oxidative stress and an effective therapeutic target in acute stroke. Upon ischemia, NOX4 was induced in human and mouse brain. Mice deficient in NOX4 (Nox42/2) of either sex, but not those deficient for NOX1 or NOX2, were largely protected from oxidative stress, blood-brain-barrier leakage, and neuronal apoptosis, after both transient and permanent cerebral ischemia. This effect was independent of age, as elderly mice were equally protected. Restoration of oxidative stress reversed the stroke-protective phenotype in Nox42/2 mice. Application of the only validated low-molecular-weight pharmacological NADPH oxidase inhibitor, VAS2870, several hours after ischemia was as protective as deleting NOX4. The extent of neuroprotection was exceptional, resulting in significantly improved long-term neurological functions and reduced mortality. NOX4 therefore represents a major source of oxidative stress and novel class of drug target for stroke therapy.}, subject = {Schlaganfall}, language = {en} } @article{SonnenscheinvanderVoortArendsdeJongsteetal.2014, author = {Sonnenschein-van der Voort, Agnes M. M. and Arends, Lidia R. and de Jongste, Johan C. and Annesi-Maesano, Isabella and Arshad, S. Hasan and Barros, Henrique and Basterrechea, Mikel and Bisgaard, Hans and Chatzi, Leda and Corpeleijn, Eva and Correia, Sofia and Craig, Leone C. and Devereux, Graham and Dogaru, Cristian and Dostal, Miroslav and Duchen, Karel and Eggesb{\o}, Merete and van der Ent, C. Kors and Fantini, Maria P. and Forastiere, Francesco and Frey, Urs and Gehring, Ulrike and Gori, Davide and van der Gugten, Anne C. and Hanke, Wojciech and Henderson, A. John and Heude, Barbara and I{\~n}iguez, Carmen and Inskip, Hazel M. and Keil, Thomas and Kelleher, Cecily C. and Kogevinas, Manolis and Kreiner-M{\o}ller, Eskil and Kuehni, Claudia E. and K{\"u}pers, Leanne K. and Lancz, Kinga and Larsen, Pernille S. and Lau, Susanne and Ludvigsson, Johnny and Mommers, Monique and Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo and Palkovicova, Lubica and Pike, Katherine C. and Pizzi, Constanza and Polanska, Kinga and Porta, Daniela and Richiardi, Lorenzo and Roberts, Graham and Schmidt, Anne and Sram, Radim J. and Sunyer, Jordi and Thijs, Carel and Torrent, Maties and Viljoen, Karien and Wijga, Alet H. and Vrijheid, Martine and Jaddoe, Vincent W. V. and Duijts, Liesbeth}, title = {Preterm birth, infant weight gain, and childhood asthma risk: A meta-analysis of 147,000 European children}, series = {The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology}, volume = {133}, journal = {The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1016/j.jaci.2013.12.1082}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-120714}, pages = {1317-29}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background Preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant catch-up growth seem associated with an increased risk of respiratory diseases in later life, but individual studies showed conflicting results. Objectives We performed an individual participant data meta-analysis for 147,252 children of 31 birth cohort studies to determine the associations of birth and infant growth characteristics with the risks of preschool wheezing (1-4 years) and school-age asthma (5-10 years). Methods First, we performed an adjusted 1-stage random-effect meta-analysis to assess the combined associations of gestational age, birth weight, and infant weight gain with childhood asthma. Second, we performed an adjusted 2-stage random-effect meta-analysis to assess the associations of preterm birth (gestational age <37 weeks) and low birth weight (<2500 g) with childhood asthma outcomes. Results Younger gestational age at birth and higher infant weight gain were independently associated with higher risks of preschool wheezing and school-age asthma (P < .05). The inverse associations of birth weight with childhood asthma were explained by gestational age at birth. Compared with term-born children with normal infant weight gain, we observed the highest risks of school-age asthma in children born preterm with high infant weight gain (odds ratio [OR], 4.47; 95\% CI, 2.58-7.76). Preterm birth was positively associated with an increased risk of preschool wheezing (pooled odds ratio [pOR], 1.34; 95\% CI, 1.25-1.43) and school-age asthma (pOR, 1.40; 95\% CI, 1.18-1.67) independent of birth weight. Weaker effect estimates were observed for the associations of low birth weight adjusted for gestational age at birth with preschool wheezing (pOR, 1.10; 95\% CI, 1.00-1.21) and school-age asthma (pOR, 1.13; 95\% CI, 1.01-1.27). Conclusion Younger gestational age at birth and higher infant weight gain were associated with childhood asthma outcomes. The associations of lower birth weight with childhood asthma were largely explained by gestational age at birth."}, language = {en} } @article{JahnSchmidtMock2014, author = {Jahn, Martin T. and Schmidt, Katrin and Mock, Thomas}, title = {A novel cost effective and high-throughput isolation and identification method for marine microalgae}, series = {Plant Methods}, volume = {10}, journal = {Plant Methods}, number = {26}, doi = {10.1186/1746-4811-10-26}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121255}, year = {2014}, abstract = {BACKROUND: Marine microalgae are of major ecologic and emerging economic importance. Biotechnological screening schemes of microalgae for specific traits and laboratory experiments to advance our knowledge on algal biology and evolution strongly benefit from culture collections reflecting a maximum of the natural inter- and intraspecific diversity. However, standard procedures for strain isolation and identification, namely DNA extraction, purification, amplification, sequencing and taxonomic identification still include considerable constraints increasing the time required to establish new cultures. RESULTS: In this study, we report a cost effective and high-throughput isolation and identification method for marine microalgae. The throughput was increased by applying strain isolation on plates and taxonomic identification by direct PCR (dPCR) of phylogenetic marker genes in combination with a novel sequencing electropherogram based screening method to assess the taxonomic diversity and identity of the isolated cultures. For validation of the effectiveness of this approach, we isolated and identified a range of unialgal cultures from natural phytoplankton communities sampled in the Arctic Ocean. These cultures include the isolate of a novel marine Chlorophyceae strain among several different diatoms. CONCLUSIONS: We provide an efficient and effective approach leading from natural phytoplankton communities to isolated and taxonomically identified algal strains in only a few weeks. Validated with sensitive Arctic phytoplankton, this approach overcomes the constraints of standard molecular characterisation and establishment of unialgal cultures."}, language = {en} }