@article{HohenauerBerkingSchmidtetal.2013,
  author    = {Hohenauer, Tobias and Berking, Carola and Schmidt, Andreas and Haferkamp, Sebastian and Senft, Daniela and Kammerbauer, Claudia and Fraschka, Sabine and Graf, Saskia Anna and Irmler, Martin and Beckers, Johannes and Flaig, Michael and Aigner, Achim and H{\"o}bel, Sabrina and Hoffmann, Franziska and Hermeking, Heiko and Rothenfusser, Simon and Endres, Stefan and Ruzicka, Thomas and Besch, Robert},
  title     = {The neural crest transcription factor Brn3a is expressed in melanoma and required for cell cycle progression and survival},
  series = {EMBO Molecular Medicine},
  volume    = {5},
  journal   = {EMBO Molecular Medicine},
  issn      = {1757-4676},
  doi       = {10.1002/emmm.201201862},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122193},
  pages     = {919-934},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Pigment cells and neuronal cells both are derived from the neural crest. Here, we describe the Pit-Oct-Unc (POU) domain transcription factor Brn3a, normally involved in neuronal development, to be frequently expressed in melanoma, but not in melanocytes and nevi. RNAi-mediated silencing of Brn3a strongly reduced the viability of melanoma cell lines and decreased tumour growth in vivo. In melanoma cell lines, inhibition of Brn3a caused DNA double-strand breaks as evidenced by Mre11/Rad50-containing nuclear foci. Activated DNA damage signalling caused stabilization of the tumour suppressor p53, which resulted in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. When Brn3a was ectopically expressed in primary melanocytes and fibroblasts, anchorage-independent growth was increased. In tumourigenic melanocytes and fibroblasts, Brn3a accelerated tumour growth in vivo. Furthermore, Brn3a cooperated with proliferation pathways such as oncogenic BRAF, by reducing oncogene-induced senescence in non-malignant melanocytes. Together, these results identify Brn3a as a new factor in melanoma that is essential for melanoma cell survival and that promotes melanocytic transformation and tumourigenesis.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SalatWinklerUrlaubetal.2015,
  author    = {Salat, Daniela and Winkler, Anja and Urlaub, Henning and Gessler, Manfred},
  title     = {Hey bHLH Proteins Interact with a FBXO45 Containing SCF Ubiquitin Ligase Complex and Induce Its Translocation into the Nucleus},
  series = {PLoS One},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {PLoS One},
  number    = {6},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0130288},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125769},
  pages     = {e0130288},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {The Hey protein family, comprising Hey1, Hey2 and HeyL in mammals, conveys Notch signals in many cell types. The helix-loop-helix (HLH) domain as well as the Orange domain, mediate homo- and heterodimerization of these transcription factors. Although distinct interaction partners have been identified so far, their physiological relevance for Hey functions is still largely unclear. Using a tandem affinity purification approach and mass spectrometry analysis we identified members of an ubiquitin E3-ligase complex consisting of FBXO45, PAM and SKP1 as novel Hey1 associated proteins. There is a direct interaction between Hey1 and FBXO45, whereas FBXO45 is needed to mediate indirect Hey1 binding to SKP1. Expression of Hey1 induces translocation of FBXO45 and PAM into the nucleus. Hey1 is a short-lived protein that is degraded by the proteasome, but there is no evidence for FBXO45-dependent ubiquitination of Hey1. On the contrary, Hey1 mediated nuclear translocation of FBXO45 and its associated ubiquitin ligase complex may extend its spectrum to additional nuclear targets triggering their ubiquitination. This suggests a novel mechanism of action for Hey bHLH factors.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{NaseemKunzDandekar2014,
  author    = {Naseem, Muhammad and Kunz, Meik and Dandekar, Thomas},
  title     = {Probing the unknowns in cytokinin-mediated immune defense in Arabidopsis with systems biology approaches},
  series = {Bioinformatics and Biology Insights},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Bioinformatics and Biology Insights},
  issn      = {1177-9322},
  doi       = {10.4137/bbi.s13462},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-120199},
  pages     = {35-44},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Plant hormones involving salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene (Et), and auxin, gibberellins, and abscisic acid (ABA) are known to regulate host immune responses. However, plant hormone cytokinin has the potential to modulate defense signaling including SA and JA. It promotes plant pathogen and herbivore resistance; underlying mechanisms are still unknown. Using systems biology approaches, we unravel hub points of immune interaction mediated by cytokinin signaling in Arabidopsis. High-confidence Arabidopsis protein-protein interactions (PPI) are coupled to changes in cytokinin-mediated gene expression. Nodes of the cellular interactome that are enriched in immune functions also reconstitute sub-networks. Topological analyses and their specific immunological relevance lead to the identification of functional hubs in cellular interactome. We discuss our identified immune hubs in light of an emerging model of cytokinin-mediated immune defense against pathogen infection in plants.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Bedenk2018,
  author    = {Bedenk, Kristina},
  title     = {Biochemische und strukturelle Charakterisierung der Genexpressionsmaschinerie des Vaccinia Virus},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-135538},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Die Familie der Pockenviren zeichnet sich durch ein komplexes DNA Genom aus und hat großes medizinisches Potential. Am eindrucksvollsten ist dies f{\"u}r das Vaccinia-Virus (VACV) belegt, welches nicht nur als Pocken-Impfstoff eingesetzt wird, sondern auch als onkolytisches Virus in der Tumorbiologie. VACV hat einen außergew{\"o}hnlichen Replikationszyklus, welcher ausschließlich im Zytoplasma der Wirtszelle stattfindet. Somit ist die gesamte virale Genexpressionsmaschinerie v{\"o}llig unabh{\"a}ngig von kernvermittelten Reaktionen des Wirts und somit auch aus Sicht der Grundlagenforschung von gr{\"o}ßtem Interesse. Die Schl{\"u}sselkomponente der viralen Genexpression ist die makromolekulare DNA-abh{\"a}ngige RNA Polymerase (vvRPO), deren Untereinheiten allesamt Virus-kodiert sind. Zwar wurden in den letzten Jahren Protokolle zur biochemischen und funktionellen Charakterisierung der vvRPO etabliert, ein detailliertes Wissen {\"u}ber deren Zusammenlagerung in vivo und die r{\"a}umlichen und zeitlichen Interaktionen mit den Transkriptions- bzw. Prozessierungsfaktoren sind aber weitgehend unbekannt. Diese Arbeit umfasst Untersuchungen zur strukturellen und funktionellen Charakterisierung der vvRPO und seiner assoziierten Faktoren. Grundlage hierf{\"u}r war die Etablierung eines Reinigungsprotokolls mithilfe eines neu konstruierten rekombinanten VACV (GLV-1h439). Diese Strategie erlaubte es hoch-molekulare native vvRPO Komplexe zu isolieren. Ein transkriptions-inaktiver Komplex (Komplex I) mit einer kalkulierten Masse von 575 kDa bestand aus den acht Untereinheiten des vvRPO Holoenzyms und den Polymerase-assoziierten Faktoren RAP94 und D6. Ein zweiter, transkriptionell aktiver Komplex (Komplex II) mit einer Masse von 803 kDa enthielt, neben dem Holoenzym der vvRPO, noch weitere Faktoren, die prim{\"a}r die Erkennung der DNA-Matrize und die Prozessierung der naszierenden RNA vermitteln. Hierbei handelt es sich um RAP94, das virale Capping Enzym bestehend aus den zwei Untereinheiten D1 und D12, A7 und dem Terminationsfaktor NPH I. Interessanterweise enthielt dieser Komplex zus{\"a}tzlich mit E11 eine bislang unbekannte weitere Protein-Komponente, sowie tRNAGln und tRNAArg. Der isolierte Kompelx II ist daher ein Ribonukleoprotein (RNP). Die Verf{\"u}gbarkeit von hoch-reinen vvRPO Komplexen erlaubte es erstmals deren strukturelle Architektur zu untersuchen. Hierf{\"u}r wurden drei experimentelle Ans{\"a}tze, die klassische R{\"o}ntgenstrukturanalyse, die Kryo-Elektronenmikroskopie (Kryo-EM) und Quervernetzungssstudien miteinander kombiniert. Die Strukturen der Komplexe I und II haben eine Aufl{\"o}sung von 11-12 {\AA}, wobei auff{\"a}llig war, dass beide eine markante strukturelle {\"A}hnlichkeit zur eukaryotischen RNA Polymerase II aufwiesen. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus gelang es zus{\"a}tzliche Bereiche im Komplex II zu definieren, welche die Polymerase-assoziierten Prozessierungsfaktoren beherbergen. Zudem konnte die atomare Struktur von E11, mittels R{\"o}ntgenstrukturanalyse bei einer Aufl{\"o}sung von 1,9 {\AA}, gel{\"o}st werden. Das E11 Protein besitzt ein neuartiges Faltungsmuster und weist einen intensiven Dimerisierungskontakt auf, welcher sich {\"u}ber vier ß-Faltbl{\"a}tter ausbildet. Die im Rahmen dieser Arbeit erhaltenen Daten legen die Grundlage f{\"u}r ein detailliertes Verst{\"a}ndnis der r{\"a}umlichen Organisation der viralen Transkriptonsmaschinerie. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus werden sie funktionelle Studien erm{\"o}glichen, welche die Rolle der einzelnen Proteine, sowie der tRNAs bei der mRNA Synthese kl{\"a}ren helfen.},
  subject      = {Vaccinia-Virus},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{StepniakKaestnerPoggietal.2015,
  author    = {Stepniak, Beata and K{\"a}stner, Anne and Poggi, Giulia and Mitjans, Marina and Begemann, Martin and Hartmann, Annette and Van der Auwera, Sandra and Sananbenesi, Farahnaz and Kr{\"u}ger-Burg, Dilja and Matuszko, Gabriela and Brosi, Cornelia and Homuth, Georg and V{\"o}lzke, Henry and Benseler, Fritz and Bagni, Claudia and Fischer, Utz and Dityatev, Alexander and Grabe, Hans-J{\"o}rgen and Rujescu, Dan and Fischer, Andre and Ehrenreich, Hannelore},
  title     = {Accumulated common variants in the broader fragile X gene family modulate autistic phenotypes},
  series = {EMBO Molecular Medicine},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {EMBO Molecular Medicine},
  number    = {12},
  doi       = {10.15252/emmm.201505696},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-136893},
  pages     = {1565-1579},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is mostly caused by a CGG triplet expansion in the fragile X mental retardation 1 gene (FMR1). Up to 60\% of affected males fulfill criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making FXS the most frequent monogenetic cause of syndromic ASD. It is unknown, however, whether normal variants (independent of mutations) in the fragile X gene family (FMR1, FXR1, FXR2) and in FMR2 modulate autistic features. Here, we report an accumulation model of 8 SNPs in these genes, associated with autistic traits in a discovery sample of male patients with schizophrenia (N = 692) and three independent replicate samples: patients with schizophrenia (N = 626), patients with other psychiatric diagnoses (N = 111) and a general population sample (N = 2005). For first mechanistic insight, we contrasted microRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of selected extreme group subjects with high-versus low-risk constellation regarding the accumulation model. Thereby, the brain-expressed miR-181 species emerged as potential "umbrella regulator", with several seed matches across the fragile X gene family and FMR2. To conclude, normal variation in these genes contributes to the continuum of autistic phenotypes.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SpiveyDeGiorgiZhaoetal.2012,
  author    = {Spivey, Tara L. and De Giorgi, Valeria and Zhao, Yingdong and Bedognetti, Davide and Pos, Zoltan and Liu, Qiuzhen and Tomei, Sara and Ascierto, Maria Libera and Uccellini, Lorenzo and Reinboth, Jennifer and Chouchane, Lotfi and Stroncek, David F. and Wang, Ena and Marincola, Francesco M.},
  title     = {The stable traits of melanoma genetics: an alternate approach to target discovery},
  series = {BMC Genomics},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {BMC Genomics},
  number    = {156},
  doi       = {10.1186/1471-2164-13-156},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-131992},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {Background: The weight that gene copy number plays in transcription remains controversial; although in specific cases gene expression correlates with copy number, the relationship cannot be inferred at the global level. We hypothesized that genes steadily expressed by 15 melanoma cell lines (CMs) and their parental tissues (TMs) should be critical for oncogenesis and their expression most frequently influenced by their respective copy number. Results: Functional interpretation of 3,030 transcripts concordantly expressed (Pearson's correlation coefficient p-value < 0.05) by CMs and TMs confirmed an enrichment of functions crucial to oncogenesis. Among them, 968 were expressed according to the transcriptional efficiency predicted by copy number analysis (Pearson's correlation coefficient p-value < 0.05). We named these genes, "genomic delegates" as they represent at the transcriptional level the genetic footprint of individual cancers. We then tested whether the genes could categorize 112 melanoma metastases. Two divergent phenotypes were observed: one with prevalent expression of cancer testis antigens, enhanced cyclin activity, WNT signaling, and a Th17 immune phenotype (Class A). This phenotype expressed, therefore, transcripts previously associated to more aggressive cancer. The second class (B) prevalently expressed genes associated with melanoma signaling including MITF, melanoma differentiation antigens, and displayed a Th1 immune phenotype associated with better prognosis and likelihood to respond to immunotherapy. An intermediate third class (C) was further identified. The three phenotypes were confirmed by unsupervised principal component analysis. Conclusions: This study suggests that clinically relevant phenotypes of melanoma can be retraced to stable oncogenic properties of cancer cells linked to their genetic back bone, and offers a roadmap for uncovering novel targets for tailored anti-cancer therapy.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{GrossHennardMasourisetal.2012,
  author    = {Gross, Henrik and Hennard, Christine and Masouris, Ilias and Cassel, Christian and Barth, Stephanie and Stober-Gr{\"a}sser, Ute and Mamiani, Alfredo and Moritz, Bodo and Ostareck, Dirk and Ostareck-Lederer, Antje and Neuenkirchen, Nils and Fischer, Utz and Deng, Wen and Leonhardt, Heinrich and Noessner, Elfriede and Kremmer, Elisabeth and Gr{\"a}sser, Friedrich A.},
  title     = {Binding of the Heterogeneous Ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K) to the Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 2 (EBNA2) Enhances Viral LMP2A Expression},
  series = {PLoS One},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {PLoS One},
  number    = {8},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0042106},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-133707},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {The Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) -encoded EBNA2 protein, which is essential for the in vitro transformation of B-lymphocytes, interferes with cellular processes by binding to proteins via conserved sequence motifs. Its Arginine-Glycine (RG) repeat element contains either symmetrically or asymmetrically di-methylated arginine residues (SDMA and ADMA, respectively). EBNA2 binds via its SDMA-modified RG-repeat to the survival motor neurons protein (SMN) and via the ADMA-RG-repeat to the NP9 protein of the human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K (HML-2) Type 1). The hypothesis of this work was that the methylated RG-repeat mimics an epitope shared with cellular proteins that is used for interaction with target structures. With monoclonal antibodies against the modified RG-repeat, we indeed identified cellular homologues that apparently have the same surface structure as methylated EBNA2. With the SDMA-specific antibodies, we precipitated the Sm protein D3 (SmD3) which, like EBNA2, binds via its SDMA-modified RG-repeat to SMN. With the ADMA-specific antibodies, we precipitated the heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K). Specific binding of the ADMA-antibody to hnRNP K was demonstrated using E. coli expressed/ADMA-methylated hnRNP K. In addition, we show that EBNA2 and hnRNP K form a complex in EBV-infected B-cells. Finally, hnRNP K, when co-expressed with EBNA2, strongly enhances viral latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) expression by an unknown mechanism as we did not detect a direct association of hnRNP K with DNA-bound EBNA2 in gel shift experiments. Our data support the notion that the methylated surface of EBNA2 mimics the surface structure of cellular proteins to interfere with or co-opt their functional properties.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{GowdaGodderKmieciaketal.2011,
  author    = {Gowda, Madhu and Godder, Kamar and Kmieciak, Maciej and Worschech, Andrea and Ascierto, Maria-Libera and Wang, Ena and Francesco M., Marincola and Manjili, Masoud H.},
  title     = {Distinct signatures of the immune responses in low risk versus high risk neuroblastoma},
  series = {Journal of Translational Medicine},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {Journal of Translational Medicine},
  number    = {170},
  doi       = {10.1186/1479-5876-9-170},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-135147},
  pages     = {1-8},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Background: Over 90\% of low risk (LR) neuroblastoma patients survive whereas less than 30\% of high risk (HR) patients are long term survivors. Age (children younger than 18 months old) is associated with LR disease. Considering that adaptive immune system is well developed in older children, and that T cells were shown to be involved in tumor escape and progression of cancers, we sought to determine whether HR patients may tend to show a signature of adaptive immune responses compared to LR patients who tend to have diminished T-cell responses but an intact innate immune response. Methods: We performed microarray analysis of RNA extracted from the tumor specimens of HR and LR patients. Flow cytometry was performed to determine the cellular constituents in the blood while multiplex cytokine array was used to detect the cytokine profile in patients' sera. A HR tumor cell line, SK-N-SH, was also used for detecting the response to IL-1 beta, a cytokines which is involved in the innate immune responses. Results: Distinct patterns of gene expression were detected in HR and LR patients indicating an active T-cell response and a diminished adaptive immune response, respectively. A diminished adaptive immune response in LR patients was evident by higher levels of IL-10 in the sera. In addition, HR patients had lower levels of circulating myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) compared with a control LR patient. LR patients showed slightly higher levels of cytokines of the innate immune responses. Treatment of the HR tumor line with IL-1b induced expression of cytokines of the innate immune responses. Conclusions: This data suggests that adaptive immune responses may play an important role in the progression of HR disease whereas innate immune responses may be active in LR patients.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WeibelBasseLuesebrinkHessetal.2013,
  author    = {Weibel, Stephanie and Basse-Luesebrink, Thomas Christian and Hess, Michael and Hofmann, Elisabeth and Seubert, Carolin and Langbein-Laugwitz, Johanna and Gentschev, Ivaylo and Sturm, Volker J{\"o}rg Friedrich and Ye, Yuxiang and Kampf, Thomas and Jakob, Peter Michael and Szalay, Aladar A.},
  title     = {Imaging of Intratumoral Inflammation during Oncolytic Virotherapy of Tumors by \(^{19}\)F-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  number    = {3},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0056317},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130311},
  pages     = {e56317},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Background Oncolytic virotherapy of tumors is an up-coming, promising therapeutic modality of cancer therapy. Unfortunately, non-invasive techniques to evaluate the inflammatory host response to treatment are rare. Here, we evaluate \(^{19}\)F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which enables the non-invasive visualization of inflammatory processes in pathological conditions by the use of perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions (PFC) for monitoring of oncolytic virotherapy. Methodology/Principal Findings The Vaccinia virus strain GLV-1h68 was used as an oncolytic agent for the treatment of different tumor models. Systemic application of PFC emulsions followed by \(^1H\)/\(^{19}\)F MRI of mock-infected and GLV-1h68-infected tumor-bearing mice revealed a significant accumulation of the \(^{19}\)F signal in the tumor rim of virus-treated mice. Histological examination of tumors confirmed a similar spatial distribution of the \(^{19}\)F signal hot spots and \(CD68^+\)-macrophages. Thereby, the \(CD68^+\)-macrophages encapsulate the GFP-positive viral infection foci. In multiple tumor models, we specifically visualized early inflammatory cell recruitment in Vaccinia virus colonized tumors. Furthermore, we documented that the \(^{19}\)F signal correlated with the extent of viral spreading within tumors. Conclusions/Significance These results suggest \(^{19}\)F MRI as a non-invasive methodology to document the tumor-associated host immune response as well as the extent of intratumoral viral replication. Thus, \(^{19}\)F MRI represents a new platform to non-invasively investigate the role of the host immune response for therapeutic outcome of oncolytic virotherapy and individual patient response.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KrehanHeubeckMenzeletal.2012,
  author    = {Krehan, Mario and Heubeck, Christian and Menzel, Nicolas and Seibel, Peter and Sch{\"o}n, Astrid},
  title     = {RNase MRP RNA and RNase P activity in plants are associated with a Pop1p containing complex},
  series = {Nucleic Acids Research},
  volume    = {40},
  journal   = {Nucleic Acids Research},
  number    = {16},
  doi       = {10.1093/nar/gks476},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130648},
  pages     = {7956- 7966},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {RNase P processes the 5'-end of tRNAs. An essential catalytic RNA has been demonstrated in Bacteria, Archaea and the nuclei of most eukaryotes; an organism-specific number of proteins complement the holoenzyme. Nuclear RNase P from yeast and humans is well understood and contains an RNA, similar to the sister enzyme RNase MRP. In contrast, no protein subunits have yet been identified in the plant enzymes, and the presence of a nucleic acid in RNase P is still enigmatic. We have thus set out to identify and characterize the subunits of these enzymes in two plant model systems. Expression of the two known Arabidopsis MRP RNA genes in vivo was verified. The first wheat MRP RNA sequences are presented, leading to improved structure models for plant MRP RNAs. A novel mRNA encoding the central RNase P/MRP protein Pop1p was identified in Arabidopsis, suggesting the expression of distinct protein variants from this gene in vivo. Pop1p-specific antibodies precipitate RNase P activity and MRP RNAs from wheat extracts. Our results provide evidence that in plants, Pop1p is associated with MRP RNAs and with the catalytic subunit of RNase P, either separately or in a single large complex.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WangChenMinevetal.2013,
  author    = {Wang, Huiqiang and Chen, Nanhai G. and Minev, Boris R. and Zimmermann, Martina and Aguilar, Richard J. and Zhang, Qian and Sturm, Julia B. and Fend, Falko and Yu, Yong A. and Cappello, Joseph and Lauer, Ulrich M. and Szalay, Aladar A.},
  title     = {Optical Detection and Virotherapy of Live Metastatic Tumor Cells in Body Fluids with Vaccinia Strains},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  number    = {9},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0071105},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130059},
  pages     = {e71105},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Metastatic tumor cells in body fluids are important targets for treatment, and critical surrogate markers for evaluating cancer prognosis and therapeutic response. Here we report, for the first time, that live metastatic tumor cells in blood samples from mice bearing human tumor xenografts and in blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with cancer were successfully detected using a tumor cell-specific recombinant vaccinia virus (VACV). In contrast to the FDA-approved CellSearch system, VACV detects circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a cancer biomarker-independent manner, thus, free of any bias related to the use of antibodies, and can be potentially a universal system for detection of live CTCs of any tumor type, not limited to CTCs of epithelial origin. Furthermore, we demonstrate for the first time that VACV was effective in preventing and reducing circulating tumor cells in mice bearing human tumor xenografts. Importantly, a single intra-peritoneal delivery of VACV resulted in a dramatic decline in the number of tumor cells in the ascitic fluid from a patient with gastric cancer. Taken together, these results suggest VACV to be a useful tool for quantitative detection of live tumor cells in liquid biopsies as well as a potentially effective treatment for reducing or eliminating live tumor cells in body fluids of patients with metastatic disease.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Pelz2015,
  author    = {Pelz, Jann-Patrick},
  title     = {Strukturbiologische Untersuchungen zur Chaperone-vermittelten Zusammenlagerung spleißosomaler U-snRNPs},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-116973},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Durch die Spleißreaktion werden nicht-kodierende Sequenzelemente (Introns) aus eukaryotischen Vorl{\"a}ufer-mRNAs entfernt und die kodierenden Sequenzelemente (Exons) miteinander zu einem offenen Leserahmen verbunden. Dieser zentrale Prozessierungsschritt w{\"a}hrend der eukaryotischen Genexpression wird durch das Spleißosom katalysiert, das aus den vier kleinen nukle{\"a}ren Ribonucleoproteinpartikeln (snRNPs) U1, U2, U4/U6 und U5, sowie einer Vielzahl weiterer Proteinfaktoren gebildet wird. Alle snRNPs besitzen eine gemeinsame ringf{\"o}rmige Kernstruktur, die aus sieben gemeinsamen Sm-Proteinen (SmB/B'-D1-D2-D3-E-F-G) besteht, die ein einzelstr{\"a}ngiges Sequenzmotiv auf der snRNAs binden. W{\"a}hrend sich diese, als Sm-Core-Dom{\"a}ne bezeichnete Struktur in vitro spontan ausbilden kann, erfolgt die Zusammenlagerung in vivo in einem assistierten und hochregulierten Prozess. Dieser ist abh{\"a}ngig von insgesamt mindestens 12 trans-agierenden Faktoren, die in den PRMT5- und SMN-Komplexen organisiert sind. Der PRMT5-Komplex agiert in der fr{\"u}hen Phase der Zusammenlagerung, indem er die Sm-Proteine durch die Untereinheit pICln rekrutiert und die symmetrische Methylierung von Argininresten in den C terminalen Schw{\"a}nzen von SmB/B', SmD1 und SmD3 katalysiert. Als Resultat dieser fr{\"u}hen Phase befinden sich die Sm-Proteine SmD1-D2-E-F-G und SmB/B'-D3 in zwei getrennten und durch pICln organisierten Komplexen. W{\"a}hrend SmB/B'-D3-pICln am PRMT5-Komplex gebunden bleibt, existiert der zweite Komplex als freies Intermediat mit einem Sedimentationskoeffizienten von 6S. Diese Intermediate k{\"o}nnen nicht mit RNA assoziieren, sodass f{\"u}r die Fortsetzung des Zusammenlagerungsprozesses die Interaktion der Sm-Proteine mit pICln aufgel{\"o}st werden muss. Dies geschieht in der sp{\"a}ten Phase der Sm-Core-Zusammenlagerung, in der die Sm-Proteine vom SMN-Komplex (bestehend aus SMN, Gemin2-8 und unrip) {\"u}bernommen werden und pICln dissoziiert wird. Dadurch werden die Sm-Proteine f{\"u}r ihre Interaktion mit der snRNA aktiviert und k{\"o}nnen auf die Sm-Bindestelle transferiert werden, wodurch die Formierung des Sm-Core abgeschlossen wird. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit konnten mit Hilfe einer Kombination r{\"o}ntgenkristallographischer und elektronenmikroskopischer Methoden zwei wichtige Intermediate dieses Zusammenlagerungs-prozesses strukturbiologisch charakterisiert werden. Bei diesen Intermediaten handelt es sich um den 6S-Komplex, sowie um ein Sm-Protein-Transferintermediat mit einem Sedimentations-koeffizienten von 8S. In diesem ist der 6S-Komplex an zwei zentrale Untereinheiten des SMN-Komplexes (SMN und Gemin2) gebunden, w{\"a}hrend pICln den Komplex noch nicht verlassen hat. Der 8S-Komplex stellt daher ein „gefangenes" Intermediat zwischen der fr{\"u}hen und sp{\"a}ten Phase der Zusammenlagerung dar. Zun{\"a}chst gelang es eine erste Kristallform des rekombinant hergestellten 8S-Komplexes zu erhalten, die jedoch keine Strukturl{\"o}sung erlaubte. Durch eine kombinierte Optimierung der Kristallisationsbedingung und der verwendeten Proteine wurde eine weitere {\"a}hnliche Kristallform erhalten, mit der die Kristallstruktur des 8S-Komplexes gel{\"o}st werden konnte. Die Kristallisation des 6S-Komplexes gelang im Anschluss auf Basis der Hypothese, dass Kristalle beider Komplexe aufgrund der kompositionellen Verwandtschaft zwischen 6S und 8S auch {\"A}hnlichkeiten in der Architektur ihrer Kristallgitter aufweisen k{\"o}nnten. Daher wurden innerhalb von pICln gezielt Aminos{\"a}uren substituiert, die sich innerhalb von Kristallkontakten der 8S-Kristalle befanden und konformationell eingeschr{\"a}nkt waren. Mit entsprechend rekonstituierten 6S-Pr{\"a}parationen konnten dann zwei Kristallformen erzeugt werden, die eine Strukturl{\"o}sung des 6S-Komplexes erm{\"o}glichten. Durch die Kristallstruktur des 6S-Komplexes konnte f{\"u}r pICln eine strukturelle Mimikry der Sm-Proteine identifiziert werden. Diese erm{\"o}glicht eine Bindung der Sm-Proteine und eine fr{\"u}hzeitige topologische Organisation des Sm-Pentamers D1-D2-F-E-G in einer geschlossenen hexameren Ringstruktur. Die Kristallstruktur des 8S-Komplexes zeigt, wie der SMN-Komplex {\"u}ber Gemin2 an das Sm-Pentamer bindet. In Kombination mit einer EM-Struktur des 8S-Komplexes gelang es weiterhin, einen plausiblen Mechanismus f{\"u}r die Elimination von pICln und die Aktivierung der Sm-Proteine f{\"u}r die snRNA-Bindung zu formulieren. Somit konnten diese Arbeiten zu einem besseren Verst{\"a}ndnis der Funktionen von trans-agierenden Faktoren bei Zusammenlagerung von RNA-Protein-Komplexen in vivo beitragen.},
  subject      = {Spleißosom},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{BenzMaierBaueretal.2014,
  author    = {Benz, Roland and Maier, Elke and Bauer, Susanne and Ludwig, Albrecht},
  title     = {The Deletion of Several Amino Acid Stretches of Escherichia coli Alpha-Hemolysin (HlyA) Suggests That the Channel-Forming Domain Contains Beta-Strands},
  series = {PLOS ONE},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {PLOS ONE},
  number    = {12},
  issn      = {1932-6203},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0112248},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-118115},
  pages     = {e112248},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Escherichia coli α-hemolysin (HlyA) is a pore-forming protein of 110 kDa belonging to the family of RTX toxins. A hydrophobic region between the amino acid residues 238 and 410 in the N-terminal half of HlyA has previously been suggested to form hydrophobic and/or amphipathic α-helices and has been shown to be important for hemolytic activity and pore formation in biological and artificial membranes. The structure of the HlyA transmembrane channel is, however, largely unknown. For further investigation of the channel structure, we deleted in HlyA different stretches of amino acids that could form amphipathic β-strands according to secondary structure predictions (residues 71-110, 158-167, 180-203, and 264-286). These deletions resulted in HlyA mutants with strongly reduced hemolytic activity. Lipid bilayer measurements demonstrated that HlyAΔ71-110 and HlyAΔ264-286 formed channels with much smaller single-channel conductance than wildtype HlyA, whereas their channel-forming activity was virtually as high as that of the wildtype toxin. HlyAΔ158-167 and HlyAΔ180-203 were unable to form defined channels in lipid bilayers. Calculations based on the single-channel data indicated that the channels generated by HlyAΔ71-110 and HlyAΔ264-286 had a smaller size (diameter about 1.4 to 1.8 nm) than wildtype HlyA channels (diameter about 2.0 to 2.6 nm), suggesting that in these mutants part of the channel-forming domain was removed. Osmotic protection experiments with erythrocytes confirmed that HlyA, HlyAΔ71-110, and HlyAΔ264-286 form defined transmembrane pores and suggested channel diameters that largely agreed with those estimated from the single-channel data. Taken together, these results suggest that the channel-forming domain of HlyA might contain β-strands, possibly in addition to α-helical structures.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Karl2015,
  author    = {Karl, Ingolf},
  title     = {Die Bedeutung von TRAF2 bei TRAIL-induzierter Apoptose und Nekroptose},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-114506},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Die vorliegende Arbeit behandelt TRAIL-induzierte Apoptose und Nekroptose in verschiedenen Zelllinien. Im Speziellen wurden die verschiedenen Funktionen des TNF receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2) untersucht. Hierzu wurde ein transienter Knockdown etabliert und dessen Wirkung auf die Suszeptibilit{\"a}t der Zellen gegen{\"u}ber dem Zytokin TRAIL untersucht. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass ein Knockdown von TRAF2 nicht nur zur Sensitivierung f{\"u}r Apoptose f{\"u}hrt, sondern auch in Nekroptose-kompetenten Zellen zu einer Verst{\"a}rkung der durch Caspaseinhibition mittels zVAD-fmk nach TRAIL-Stimulation induzierten Nekroptose f{\"u}hrt. Mittels des Zytokins Fc-TWEAK wurde Fn14-vermittelt TRAF2 aus dem Zytosol in ein Triton X100-unl{\"o}sliches Kompartiment rekrutiert und dadurch physiologisch depletiert. Dies f{\"u}hrte zwar kaum zu gesteigerter TRAIL-abh{\"a}ngiger Apoptose, sensitivierte jedoch analog zum TRAF2-Knockdown RIP3-exprimierende Zellen f{\"u}r Nekroptose. Durch Vergleich RIP3-negativer (HeLa-Leervektor) mit RIP3-exprimierenden Zellen (HeLa RIP3, HT29, HaCaT) konnte die Essentialit{\"a}t von RIP3 f{\"u}r die Nekroptose herausgestellt werden und Einsatz des RIP1-Kinase-Inhibitors Necrostatin-1 sowie des MLKL-Inhibitors Necrosulfonamide belegte die Beteiligung der Nekroptosomkomponenten RIP1 und MLKL. Antagonismus putativen autokrinen TNFs bewies, dass es sich bei dem durch Fc-TWEAK verst{\"a}rkten Zelltod um einen direkten TRAIL-Effekt handelte und Inhibition kanonischen NFkBs durch IKK2-Inhibitor TPCA-1, dass die TRAF2-Knockdown-vermittelte Sensitivierung gegen{\"u}ber TRAIL nicht auf ver{\"a}ndertes NFkB-Signalling zur{\"u}ckzuf{\"u}hren ist. Einsatz des SMAC-Mimetikums BV6 rekapitulierte zudem stark das im TRAF2-Knockdown Gesehene und unterstrich die Bedeutung der cIAPs. Immunpr{\"a}zipitation von Caspase 8 unter nekroptotischen Bedingungen zeigte bei TRAF2-Knockdown eine Depletion von TRAF2 und cIAP1/2 sowie RIP1 und RIP3 aus dem Komplex mit Caspase 8. Insgesamt wird deutlich, dass TRAF2 einerseits antiapoptotisch wirkt als K48-Ubiquitinligase, die die Halbwertszeit aktiver Caspase 8-Komplexe determiniert und andererseits eine antinekroptotische Funktion hat, da es durch Rekrutierung von cIAP1/2 an RIP1 die TRAIL-induzierte Nekroptose verhindert, wenn die Caspasen inhibiert sind.},
  subject      = {Nekrose},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Sibilski2014,
  author    = {Sibilski, Claudia},
  title     = {Identification and characterization of the novel mKSR1 phosphorylation site Tyr728 and its role in MAPK signaling},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-114672},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {In mammals, KSR1 functions as an essential scaffold that coordinates the assembly of RAF/MEK/ERK complexes and regulates intracellular signal transduction upon extracellular stimulation. Aberrant activation of the equivalent MAPK signaling pathway has been implicated in multiple human cancers and some developmental disorders. The mechanism of KSR1 regulation is highly complex and involves several phosphorylation/dephosphorylation steps. In the present study, a number of novel in vivo phosphorylation sites were detected in mKSR1 by use of mass spectrometry analysis. Among others, Tyr728 was identified as a unique regulatory residue phosphorylated by LCK, a Src kinase family member. To understand how phosphorylation of Tyr728 may regulate the function of KSR1 in signal transduction and cellular processes, structural modeling and biochemical studies were integrated in this work. Computational modeling of the mKSR1(KD) protein structure revealed strong hydrogen bonding between phospho-Tyr728 and the residues surrounding Arg649. Remarkably, this pattern was altered when Tyr728 was non-phosphorylated or substituted. As confirmed by biochemical analysis, Arg649 may serve as a major anchor point for phospho-Tyr728 in order to stabilize internal structures of KSR1. In line with the protein modeling results, mutational studies revealed that substitution of Tyr728 by phenylalanine leads to a less compact interaction between KSR1 and MEK, a facilitated KSR1/B-RAF binding and an increased phosphorylation of MEK in complex with KSR1. From these findings it can be concluded that phospho-Tyr728 is involved in tightening the KSR1/MEK interaction interface and in regulating the phosphorylation of KSR1-bound MEK by either RAF or KSR1 kinases. Beside the Tyr728, Ser722 was identified as a novel regulatory phosphorylation site. Amino acid exchanges at the relevant position demonstrated that Ser722 regulates KSR1-bound MEK phosphorylation without affecting KSR1/MEK binding per se. Due to its localization, Ser722 might consequently control the catalytic activity of KSR1 by interfering with the access of substrate (possibly MEK) to the active site of KSR1 kinase. Together with Ser722, phosphorylated Tyr728 may further positively affect the kinase activity of KSR1 as a consequence of its vicinity to the activation and catalytic loop in the KSR1(KD). As revealed by structural modeling, phospho-Tyr728 builds a hydrogen bond with the highly conserved Lys685. Consequently, phospho-Tyr728 has a stabilizing effect on internal structures involved in the catalytic reaction and possibly enhances the phosphate transfer within the catalytic cleft in KSR1. Considering these facts, it seems very likely that the LCK-dependent phosphorylation of Tyr728 plays a crucial role in the regulation of KSR1 catalytic activity. Results of fractionation and morphology analyses revealed that KSR1 recruits LCK to cytoskeleton for its phosphorylation at Tyr728 suggesting that this residue may regulate cytoskeleton dynamics and, consequently, cell motility. Beside that, phosphorylation of Tyr728 is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, as shown by a significantly reduced population doubling time of KSR1-Y728F cells compared to cells expressing wild type KSR1. Taken together, tyrosine phosphorylation in KSR1 uncovers a new link between Src family kinases and MAPK signaling. Tyr728, the novel regulatory phosphorylation site in murine KSR1, may coordinate the transition between the scaffolding and the catalytic function of KSR1 serving as a control point used to fine-tune cellular responses.},
  subject      = {MAP-Kinase},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LinderHirmerGaletal.2014,
  author    = {Linder, Bastian and Hirmer, Anja and Gal, Andreas and R{\"u}ther, Klaus and Bolz, Hanno J{\"o}rn and Winkler, Christoph and Laggerbauer, Bernhard and Fischer, Utz},
  title     = {Identification of a PRPF4 Loss-of-Function Variant That Abrogates U4/U6.U5 Tri-snRNP Integration and Is Associated with Retinitis Pigmentosa},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0111754},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-113663},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Pre-mRNA splicing by the spliceosome is an essential step in the maturation of nearly all human mRNAs. Mutations in six spliceosomal proteins, PRPF3, PRPF4, PRPF6, PRPF8, PRPF31 and SNRNP200, cause retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a disease characterized by progressive photoreceptor degeneration. All splicing factors linked to RP are constituents of the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP subunit of the spliceosome, suggesting that the compromised function of this particle may lead to RP. Here, we report the identification of the p.R192H variant of the tri-snRNP factor PRPF4 in a patient with RP. The mutation affects a highly conserved arginine residue that is crucial for PRPF4 function. Introduction of a corresponding mutation into the zebrafish homolog of PRPF4 resulted in a complete loss of function in vivo. A series of biochemical experiments suggested that p.R192H disrupts the binding interface between PRPF4 and its interactor PRPF3. This interferes with the ability of PRPF4 to integrate into the tri-snRNP, as shown in a human cell line and in zebrafish embryos. These data suggest that the p.R192H variant of PRPF4 represents a functional null allele. The resulting haploinsufficiency of PRPF4 compromises the function of the tri-snRNP, reinforcing the notion that this spliceosomal particle is of crucial importance in the physiology of the retina.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Schubert2015,
  author    = {Schubert, Andreas},
  title     = {Protein kinases as targets for the development of novel drugs against alveolar echinococcosis},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-113694},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {The metacestode larval stage of the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis is the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis (AE), one of the most lethal zoonosis of the northern hemisphere. The development of metacestode vesicles by asexual multiplication and the almost unrestricted infiltrative growth within the host organs is ensured from a population of undifferentiated, proliferative cells, so-called germinative cells. AE treatment options include surgery, if possible, as well as Benzimidazole-based chemotherapy (BZ). Given that the cellular targets of BZs, the -tubulins, are highly conserved between cestodes and humans, the chemotherapy is associated with considerable side-effects. Therefore, BZ can only be applied in parasitostatic doses and has to be given lifelong. Furthermore, the current anti-AE chemotherapy is ineffective in eliminating the germinative cell population of the parasite, which leads to remission of parasite growth as soon as therapy is discontinued. This work focuses on protein kinases involved in the proliferation and development of the parasite with the intention of developing novel anti-AE therapies. Polo-like kinases (Plks) are important regulators of the eukaryotic cell cycle and are involved in the regulation and formation of the mitotic spindles during the M-phase of the cell cycle. Plks have already been shown to be associated with deregulated cellular growth in human cancers and have been investigated as novel drug targets in the flatworm parasite Schistosoma mansoni. In the first part of this work, the characterisation of a novel and druggable parasite enzyme, EmPlk1, which is homologous to the polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) of humans and S. mansoni (SmPlk1), is presented. Through in situ hybridisation, it could be demonstrated that emplk1 is specifically expressed in the Echinococcus germinative cells. Upon heterologous expression in the Xenopus oocyte system, EmPlk1 induced germinal vesicle breakdown, thus indicating that it is an active kinase. Furthermore, BI 2536, a compound originally designed to inhibit the human ortholog of EmPlk1, inhibited the EmPlk1 activity at a concentration of 25 nM. In vitro treatment of parasite vesicles with similar concentrations of BI 2536 led to the elimination of the germinative cells from Echinococcus larvae, thus preventing the growth and further development of the parasite. In in vitro cultivation systems for parasite primary cells, BI 2536 effectively inhibited the formation of new metacestode vesicles from germinative cells. Thus, BI 2536 has profound anti-parasitic activities in vitro at concentrations well within the range of plasma levels measured after the administration of safe dosages to patients (50 nM after 24 h). This implies that EmPlk1 is a promising new drug target for the development of novel anti-AE drugs that would specifically affect the parasite's stem cell population, namely the only parasite cells capable of proliferation. In addition to the chemotherapeutic aspects of this work, the inhibitor BI 2536 could be further used to study the function of stem cells in this model organism, utilising a method of injection of parasite stem cells into metacestode vesicles, for instance, as has been developed in this work. In the second part of this work, a novel receptor tyrosine kinase, the Venus flytrap kinase receptor (EmVKR) of E. multilocularis has been characterised. Members of this class of single-pass transmembrane receptors have recently been discovered in the related trematode S. mansoni and are associated with the growth and differentiation of sporocyst germinal cells and ovocytes. The ortholog receptor in EmVKR is characterised by an unusual domain composition of an extracellular Venus flytrap module (VFT), which shows significant similarity to GABA receptors, such as the GABAB receptor (γ-amino butyric acid type B) and is linked through a single transmembrane domain to an intracellular tyrosine kinase domain with similarities to the kinase domains of human insulin receptors. Based upon the size (5112bp) of emvkr and nucleotide sequence specificities, efforts have been made to isolate the gene from cell culture samples to study the ligand for the activation of this receptor type in Xenopus oocytes. To date, this type of receptor has only been described in invertebrates, thus making it an attractive target for drug screening. In a first trial, the ATP competitive inhibitor AG 1024 was tested in our in vitro cell culture. In conclusion, the EmVKR represents a novel receptor tyrosine kinase in E. multilocularis. Further efforts have to be made to identify the activating ligand of the receptor and its cellular function, which might strengthen the case for EmVKR as a potential drug target. The successful depletion of stem cells in the metacestode vesicle by the Plk1 inhibitor BI 2536 gives rise to optimising the chemical component for EmPlk1 as a new potential drug target. Furthermore, this inhibitor opens a new cell culture technique with high potential to study the cellular behaviour and influencing factors of stem cells in vitro.},
  subject      = {Chemotherapie},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HofmannWeibelSzalay2014,
  author    = {Hofmann, Elisabeth and Weibel, Stephanie and Szalay, Aladar A.},
  title     = {Combination treatment with oncolytic Vaccinia virus and cyclophosphamide results in synergistic antitumor effects in human lung adenocarcinoma bearing mice},
  doi       = {10.1186/1479-5876-12-197},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110168},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Background The capacity of the recombinant Vaccinia virus GLV-1h68 as a single agent to efficiently treat different human or canine cancers has been shown in several preclinical studies. Currently, its human safety and efficacy are investigated in phase I/II clinical trials. In this study we set out to evaluate the oncolytic activity of GLV-1h68 in the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line PC14PE6-RFP in cell cultures and analyzed the antitumor potency of a combined treatment strategy consisting of GLV-1h68 and cyclophosphamide (CPA) in a mouse model of PC14PE6-RFP lung adenocarcinoma. Methods PC14PE6-RFP cells were treated in cell culture with GLV-1h68. Viral replication and cell survival were determined by plaque assays and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays, respectively. Subcutaneously implanted PC14PE6-RFP xenografts were treated by systemic injection of GLV-1h68, CPA or a combination of both. Tumor growth and viral biodistribution were monitored and immune-related antigen profiling of tumor lysates was performed. Results GLV-1h68 efficiently infected, replicated in and lysed human PC14PE6-RFP cells in cell cultures. PC14PE6-RFP tumors were efficiently colonized by GLV-1h68 leading to much delayed tumor growth in PC14PE6-RFP tumor-bearing nude mice. Combination treatment with GLV-1h68 and CPA significantly improved the antitumor efficacy of GLV-1h68 and led to an increased viral distribution within the tumors. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were distinctly elevated in tumors of GLV-1h68-treated mice. Factors expressed by endothelial cells or present in the blood were decreased after combination treatment. A complete loss in the hemorrhagic phenotype of the PC14PE6-RFP tumors and a decrease in the number of blood vessels after combination treatment could be observed. Conclusions CPA and GLV-1h68 have synergistic antitumor effects on PC14PE6-RFP xenografts. We strongly suppose that in the PC14PE6-RFP model the enhanced tumor growth inhibition achieved by combining GLV-1h68 with CPA is due to an effect on the vasculature rather than an immunosuppressive action of CPA. These results provide evidence to support further preclinical studies of combining GLV-1h68 and CPA in other highly angiogenic tumor models. Moreover, data presented here demonstrate that CPA can be combined successfully with GLV-1h68 based oncolytic virus therapy and therefore might be promising as combination therapy in human clinical trials.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MayerLoefflerLozaValdesetal.2019,
  author    = {Mayer, Alexander E. and L{\"o}ffler, Mona C. and Loza Vald{\´e}s, Angel E. and Schmitz, Werner and El-Merahbi, Rabih and Trujillo-Viera, Jonathan and Erk, Manuela and Zhang, Thianzhou and Braun, Ursula and Heikenwalder, Mathias and Leitges, Michael and Schulze, Almut and Sumara, Grzegorz},
  title     = {The kinase PKD3 provides negative feedback on cholesterol and triglyceride synthesis by suppressing insulin signaling},
  series = {Science Signaling},
  journal   = {Science Signaling},
  edition   = {accepted manuscript},
  doi       = {10.1126/scisignal.aav9150},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-250025},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Hepatic activation of protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms by diacylglycerol (DAG) promotes insulin resistance and contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The closely related protein kinase D (PKD) isoforms act as effectors for DAG and PKC. Here, we showed that PKD3 was the predominant PKD isoform expressed in hepatocytes and was activated by lipid overload. PKD3 suppressed the activity of downstream insulin effectors including the kinase AKT and mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 and 2 (mTORC1 and mTORC2). Hepatic deletion of PKD3 in mice improved insulin-induced glucose tolerance. However, increased insulin signaling in the absence of PKD3 promoted lipogenesis mediated by SREBP (sterol regulatory element-binding protein) and consequently increased triglyceride and cholesterol content in the livers of PKD3-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet. Conversely, hepatic-specific overexpression of a constitutively active PKD3 mutant suppressed insulin-induced signaling and caused insulin resistance. Our results indicate that PKD3 provides feedback on hepatic lipid production and suppresses insulin signaling. Therefore, manipulation of PKD3 activity could be used to decrease hepatic lipid content or improve hepatic insulin sensitivity.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Schaefer2014,
  author    = {Sch{\"a}fer, Christin Marliese},
  title     = {Approaching antimicrobial resistance - Structural and functional characterization of the fungal transcription factor Mrr1 from Candida albicans and the bacterial ß-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase FadA5 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-108400},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The number of fungal infections is rising in Germany and worldwide. These infections are mainly caused by the opportunistic fungal pathogen C. albicans, which especially harms immunocompromised people. With increasing numbers of fungal infections, more frequent and longer lasting treatments are necessary and lead to an increase of drug resistances, for example against the clinically applied therapeutic fluconazole. Drug resistance in C. albicans can be mediated by the Multidrug resistance pump 1 (Mdr1), a membrane transporter belonging to the major facilitator family. However, Mdr1-mediated fluconazole drug resistance is caused by the pump's regulator, the transcription factor Mrr1 (Multidrug resistance regulator 1). It was shown that Mrr1 is hyperactive without stimulation or further activation in resistant strains which is due to so called gain of function mutations in the MRR1 gene. To understand the mechanism that lays behind this constitutive activity of Mrr1, the transcription factor should be structurally and functionally (in vitro) characterized which could provide a basis for successful drug development to target Mdr1-mediated drug resistance caused by Mrr1. Therefore, the entire 1108 amino acid protein was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. However, further purification was compromised as the protein tended to form aggregates, unsuitable for crystallization trials or further characterization experiments. Expression trials in the eukaryote Pichia pastoris neither yielded full length nor truncated Mrr1 protein. In order to overcome the aggregation problem, a shortened variant, missing the N-terminal 249 amino acids named Mrr1 '250', was successfully expressed in E. coli and could be purified without aggregation. Similar to the wild type Mrr1 '250', selected gain of function variants were successfully cloned, expressed and purified with varying yields and with varying purity. The Mrr1 `250' construct contains most of the described regulatory domains of Mrr1. It was used for crystallization and an initial comparative analysis between the wild type protein and the variants. The proposed dimeric form of the transcription factor, necessary for DNA binding, could be verified for both, the wild type and the mutant proteins. Secondary structure analysis by circular dichroism measurements revealed no significant differences in the overall fold of the wild type and variant proteins. In vitro, the gain of function variants seem to be less stable compared to the wild type protein, as they were more prone to degradation. Whether this observation holds true for the full length protein's stability in vitro and in vivo remains to be determined. The crystallization experiments, performed with the Mrr1 '250' constructs, led to few small needle shaped or cubic crystals, which did not diffract very well and were hardly reproducible. Therefore no structural information of the transcription factor could be gained so far. Infections with M. tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, are the leading cause of mortality among bacterial diseases. Especially long treatment times, an increasing number of resistant strains and the prevalence of for decades persisting bacteria create the necessity for new drugs against this disease. The cholesterol import and metabolism pathways were discovered as promising new targets and interestingly they seem to play an important role for the chronic stage of the tuberculosis infection and for persisting bacteria. In this thesis, the 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase FadA5 from M. tuberculosis was characterized and the potential for specifically targeting this enzyme was investigated. FadA5 catalyzes the last step of the β-oxidation reaction in the side-chain degradation pathway of cholesterol. We solved the three dimensional structure of this enzyme by X-ray crystallography and obtained two different apo structures and three structures in complex with acetyl-CoA, CoA and a hydrolyzed steroid-CoA, which is the natural product of FadA5. Analysis of the FadA5 apo structures revealed a typical thiolase fold as it is common for biosynthetic and degradative enzymes of this class for one of the structures. The second apo structure showed deviations from the typical thiolase fold. All obtained structures show the enzyme as a dimer, which is consistent with the observed dimer formation in solution. Thus the dimer is likely to be the catalytically active form of the enzyme. Besides the characteristic structural fold, the catalytic triad, comprising two cysteines and one histidine, as well as the typical coenzyme A binding site of enzymes belonging to the thiolase class could be identified. The two obtained apo structures differed significantly from each other. One apo structure is in agreement with the characteristic thiolase fold and the well-known dimer interface could be identified in our structure. The same characteristics were observed in all complex structures. In contrast, the second apo structure followed the thiolase fold only partially. One subdomain, spanning 30 amino acids, was in a different orientation. This reorientation was caused by the formation of two disulfide bonds, including the active site cysteines, which rendered the enzyme inactive. The disulfide bonds together with the resulting domain swap still permitted dimer formation, yet with a significantly shifted dimer interface. The comparison of the apo structures together with the preliminary activity analysis performed by our collaborator suggest, that FadA5 can be inactivated by oxidation and reactivated by reduction. If this redox switch is of biological importance requires further evaluation, however, this would be the first reported example of a bacterial thiolase employing redox regulation. Our obtained complex structures represent different stages of the thiolase reaction cycle. In some complex structures, FadA5 was found to be acetylated at the catalytic cysteine and it was in complex with acetyl-CoA or CoA. These structures, together with the FadA5 structure in complex with a hydrolyzed steroid-CoA, revealed important insights into enzyme dynamics upon ligand binding and release. The steroid-bound structure is as yet a unique example of a thiolase enzyme interacting with a complex ligand. The characterized enzyme was used as platform for modeling studies and for comparison with human thiolases. These studies permitted initial conclusions regarding the specific targetability of FadA5 as a drug target against M. tuberculosis infection, taking the closely related human enzymes into account. Additional analyses led to the proposal of a specific lead compound based on the steroid and ligand interactions within the active site of FadA5.},
  subject      = {Multidrug-Resistenz},
  language  = {en}
}