TY - JOUR A1 - Zimmermann, Henriette A1 - Subota, Ines A1 - Batram, Christopher A1 - Kramer, Susanne A1 - Janzen, Christian J. A1 - Jones, Nicola G. A1 - Engstler, Markus T1 - A quorum sensing-independent path to stumpy development in Trypanosoma brucei JF - PLoS Pathogens N2 - For persistent infections of the mammalian host, African trypanosomes limit their population size by quorum sensing of the parasite-excreted stumpy induction factor (SIF), which induces development to the tsetse-infective stumpy stage. We found that besides this cell density-dependent mechanism, there exists a second path to the stumpy stage that is linked to antigenic variation, the main instrument of parasite virulence. The expression of a second variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) leads to transcriptional attenuation of the VSG expression site (ES) and immediate development to tsetse fly infective stumpy parasites. This path is independent of SIF and solely controlled by the transcriptional status of the ES. In pleomorphic trypanosomes varying degrees of ES-attenuation result in phenotypic plasticity. While full ES-attenuation causes irreversible stumpy development, milder attenuation may open a time window for rescuing an unsuccessful antigenic switch, a scenario that so far has not been considered as important for parasite survival. KW - Trypanosoma KW - hyperexpression techniques KW - parasitic cell cycles KW - cloning KW - cell cycle and cell division KW - cell differentiation KW - tetracyclines KW - parasitic diseases Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158230 VL - 13 IS - 4 ER - TY - THES A1 - Große-Wilde, Anne T1 - Klonierung, molekulare Charakterisierung und konditionale Inaktivierung eines murinen Todesrezeptors für TRAIL (mTRAIL-R) T1 - Cloning, molecular characterization and konditional inactivation of a murine death receptor for TRAIL (mTRAIL-R) N2 - TRAIL/APO-2L (Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) ist ein Apoptose-induzierendes Mitglied der TNF-Superfamilie (TNF-SF). Bislang sind zwei humane TRAIL-Todesrezeptoren, TRAIL-R1 und TRAIL-R2, bekannt, die zur TNF-Rezeptor-Superfamilie gehören. TRAIL induziert Apoptose in einer Vielzahl von Tumorzelllinien, wohingegen die meisten primären Zellen resistent gegenüber TRAIL sind. In präklinischen Studien mit Mäusen und nichthumanen Primaten wurde keine systemische Toxizität von TRAIL nachgewiesen. Diese Beobachtungen haben beträchtliches Interesse an dem Einsatz von TRAIL zur Tumortherapie geweckt. Über die physiologische Rolle von TRAIL ist jedoch noch wenig bekannt. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war, Werkzeuge zum Studium des Apoptose-induzierenden TRAIL-Systems in Mäusen zu etablieren. Zunächst mussten das oder die murinen Homologe der beiden Apoptose-induzierenden TRAIL-Rezeptoren identifiziert werden. Dazu wurden murine TRAIL-bindende Proteine biochemisch über 2D-Gelanalysen identifiziert. Anhand einer Sequenzinformation aus einer Datenbank wurde ein muriner TRAIL-Rezeptor kloniert, der aufgrund seines biochemisch bestimmten Molekulargewichts p54_mTRAIL-R genannt wurde. Der Sequenzvergleich sowie die Funktionsanalyse von p54_mTRAIL-R ergab, dass dieser Rezeptor das funktionelle murine Homolog zu den humanen TRAIL-Todesrezeptoren TRAIL-R1 und TRAIL-R2 ist. So war p54_mTRAIL-R ebenfalls in der Lage, nach Überexpression Caspase-abhängig Apoptose zu induzieren. Wie die Transkripte der humanen TRAIL-Todesrezeptoren wurden die Transkripte von p54_mTRAIL-R in allen untersuchten Geweben detektiert. Es wurde ein lösliches p54_mTRAIL-R:Fc-Fusionsprotein hergestellt, welches zur TRAIL-Inaktivierung in vivo und in vitro verwendet werden kann. Um die physiologische Rolle des p54_mTRAIL-Rs in vivo studieren zu können, sollten mTRAIL-R-defiziente Mäuse generiert werden. Zur Modifikation des für p54_mTRAIL-R kodierenden tar-Locus wurde das Gen kloniert und charakterisiert. Um eine durch die Gendefizienz hervorgerufene eventuelle Letalität oder sekundäre kompensierende Effekte zu vermeiden, wurden mit Hilfe des Cre/loxP-Systems und des Flp/FRT-Systems konditionale p54_mTRAIL-R defiziente Mäuse hergestellt. Die Werkzeuge, die in dieser Arbeit generiert wurden, wie lösliches p54_mTRAIL-R:Fc Fusionsprotein und konditionale p54_mTRAIL-R defiziente Mäuse, können nun in vivo für die Erforschung der physiologischen Rolle des TRAIL-Systems sowie seines Potentials und dessen Grenzen bei der Tumortherapie benutzt werden. N2 - TRAIL/APO-2L (Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) is an apoptosis-inducing member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily (TNF-SF). Currently two human death receptors, namely TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-2, belonging to the TNF receptor superfamily (TNFR-SF) are known to bind TRAIL. Interestingly, TRAIL has been shown to induce apoptosis in a variety of tumor cell lines whereas most primary cells were resistant. In addition, preclinical studies with mice and nonhuman primates have indicated that TRAIL does not induce substantial systemic toxicity. These observations have raised considerable interest in the use of TRAIL in tumor therapy. Yet little is known about the physiological function of TRAIL. In order to examine the physiological function of TRAIL in vivo, the aim of this work was to establish tools to study the apoptosis-inducing TRAIL system in mice. First the murine homologue/s of the two death-inducing TRAIL receptors needed to be identified. Therefore the first aim was to biochemically identify murine TRAIL-binding proteins via 2D-gel analysis. With the help of the information from an EST sequence contained in a public database a murine TRAIL receptor was cloned, which was termed p54_mTRAIL-R due to its molecular weight as determined by biochemical analysis. Sequence comparison and functional analysis of p54_mTRAIL-R revealed that mTRAIL-R is homologous to both human TRAIL death receptors. Like its human counterparts p54_mTRAIL-R was capable of inducing apoptosis in a caspase-dependent fashion upon overexpression. As transcripts of the human TRAIL death receptors, also transcripts of p54_mTRAIL-R could be detected in all tissues examined. A soluble p54_mTRAIL-R:Fc-protein was generated, which could be used to block TRAIL-induced apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. To be able to study the physiological role of the p54_mTRAIL-R in vivo TRAIL-R deficient mice were generated. For modification of the tar-locus coding for p54_mTRAIL the gene was cloned and characterized. In order to avoid lethality or secondary complementing effects the Cre/loxP system and Flp/FRT system was used to generate conditional p54_mTRAIL-R deficient mice. The tools generated in this work as soluble p54_mTRAIL-R:Fc fusion protein and conditional p54_mTRAIL-R deficient mice can now be used in vivo to deduce the physiological role of the TRAIL system and to determine its potential and limitations for cancer therapy. KW - Maus KW - Tumor-Nekrose-Faktor KW - Apoptosis KW - TRAIL KW - Rezeptor KW - Apoptose KW - Klonierung KW - 2D-Gel-Analyse KW - konditionale Knockout-Maus KW - TRAIL KW - receptor KW - apoptosis KW - cloning KW - 2D gel analysis KW - conditional knockout mouse Y1 - 2001 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-559 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Glaser, Kirsten A1 - Fehrholz, Markus A1 - Curstedt, Tore A1 - Kunzmann, Steffen A1 - Speer, Christian P. T1 - Effects of the New Generation Synthetic Reconstituted Surfactant CHF5633 on Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in Native and LPS-Stimulated Adult CD14\(^{+}\) Monocytes JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Background Surfactant replacement therapy is the standard of care for the prevention and treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. New generation synthetic surfactants represent a promising alternative to animal-derived surfactants. CHF5633, a new generation reconstituted synthetic surfactant containing SP-B and SP-C analogs and two synthetic phospholipids has demonstrated biophysical effectiveness in vitro and in vivo. While several surfactant preparations have previously been ascribed immunomodulatory capacities, in vitro data on immunomodulation by CHF5633 are limited, so far. Our study aimed to investigate pro- and anti-inflammatory effects of CHF5633 on native and LPS-stimulated human adult monocytes. Methods Highly purified adult CD14\(^{+}\) cells, either native or simultaneously stimulated with LPS, were exposed to CHF5633, its components, or poractant alfa (Curosurf\(^{®}\)). Subsequent expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8 and IL-10 mRNA was quantified by real-time quantitative PCR, corresponding intracellular cytokine synthesis was analyzed by flow cytometry. Potential effects on TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA and protein expression were monitored by qPCR and flow cytometry. Results Neither CHF5633 nor any of its components induced inflammation or apoptosis in native adult CD14\(^{+}\) monocytes. Moreover, LPS-induced pro-inflammatory responses were not aggravated by simultaneous exposure of monocytes to CHF5633 or its components. In LPS-stimulated monocytes, exposure to CHF5633 led to a significant decrease in TNF-α mRNA (0.57 ± 0.23-fold, p = 0.043 at 4h; 0.56 ± 0.27-fold, p = 0.042 at 14h). Reduction of LPS-induced IL-1β mRNA expression was not significant (0.73 ± 0.16, p = 0.17 at 4h). LPS-induced IL-8 and IL-10 mRNA and protein expression were unaffected by CHF5633. For all cytokines, the observed CHF5633 effects paralleled a Curosurf®-induced modulation of cytokine response. TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA and protein expression were not affected by CHF5633 and Curosurf®, neither in native nor in LPS-stimulated adult monocytes. Conclusion The new generation reconstituted synthetic surfactant CHF5633 was tested for potential immunomodulation on native and LPS-activated adult human monocytes. Our data confirm that CHF5633 does not exert unintended pro-inflammatory effects in both settings. On the contrary, CHF5633 significantly suppressed TNF-α mRNA expression in LPS-stimulated adult monocytes, indicating potential anti-inflammatory effects. KW - adults KW - monocytes KW - surfactants KW - cytokines KW - protein expression KW - flow cytometry KW - messenger RNA KW - cloning Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-180195 VL - 11 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gabellini, N. A1 - Harnisch, U. A1 - McCarthy, J. E. A1 - Hauska, G. A1 - Sebald, Walter T1 - Cloning and expression of the fbc operon encoding the FeS protein, cytochrome b and cytochrome c\(_1\) from the Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides b/c\(_1\) complex N2 - The gene for the FeS protein of the Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides b/c1 complex was identified by means of crosshybridization with a segment of the gene encoding the corresponding FeS protein of Neurospora crassa. Plasmids (pRSF1-14) containing the cross-hybridizing region, covering in total 13.5 kb of chromosomal DNA, were expressed in vitro in a homologous system. One RSF plasmid directed the synthesis of all three main polypeptides of the R. sphaeroides blc1 complex: the FeS protein, cytochrome b and cytochrome c1• The FeS protein and cytochrome c1 were apparently synthesized as precursor fonns. None of the pRSF plasmids directed the synthesis of the 10-kd polypeptide found in b/c1 complex preparations. Partial sequencing of the cloned region was performed. Several sites of strong homology between R. sphaeroides and eukaryotic polypeptides of the b/c1 complex were identified. The genes encode the three b/c1 polypeptides in the order: (5') FeS protein, cytochrome b, cytochrome c1• The three genes are transcribed to give a polycistronic mRNA of 2.9 kb. This transcriptional unit has been designated the jbc operon; its coding capacity corresponds to the size of the polycistronic mRNA assuming that only the genes for the FeS protein (jbcF), cytochrome b (jbcß) and cytochrome c1 (jbcC) are present. This could indicate that these three subunits constitute the minimal catalytic unit of the b/c1 complex from photosynthetic membranes. KW - Biochemie KW - R. sphaeroidesl KW - b/c1 complex KW - gene KW - cloning KW - in vitro expression KW - polycistronic mRNA Y1 - 1985 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-62642 ER - TY - THES A1 - Bauer, Wolfgang T1 - Klonierung und Charakterisierung der humanen Puromycin-sensitiven Aminopeptidase T1 - Cloning and characterization of the human Puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase N2 - Auf der Suche nach neuen Vitamin D-responsiven Genen wurde die Methodik des Differential Display verwendet. Die eingesetzten Oligonukleotid-Primer waren homolog zur 24-Hydroxylase, einem für den Vitamin D-Stoffwechsel wichtigen Enzym, das von Vitamin D selbst reguliert wird. Mit diesem Ansatz sollten neue Mitglieder aus der Familie der P450-Enzyme gefunden werden. Mehrere differentiell exprimierte DNA-Fragmente wurden in der Folge isoliert und aufgearbeitet, die Sequenzierung eines 550 bp großen Fragments ergab beim Datenbankabgleich keine signifikanten Homologien und ließ daher auf ein noch unbekanntes Gen schließen. Die Klonierung und weitere Charakterisierung dieses Gens wies letztlich in eine nicht erwartete Richtung. Mit der Puromycin-sensitiven Aminopeptidase war ein Gen aus der Familie der Metallopeptidasen gefunden worden, eine Exopeptidase mit einem Zink-Ion im katalytischen Zentrum. Proteinchemisch schon vor einigen Jahren isoliert, war über die PSA (Puromycin-sensitive Aminopeptidase) bekannt, daß sie N-terminale Aminosäuren hydrolysiert mit einer Spezifität für basisch / neutrales und hydrophobes Substrat und überwiegend im Cytoplasma lokalisiert ist. Namengebend ist die starke Hemmbarkeit der Enzymaktivität durch Puromycin. Vorstehendes summiert die wichtigsten biochemischen Eigenschaften des Enzyms, aus molekularbiologischer Sicht war zum Zeitpunkt der Aufnahme der Arbeiten jedoch noch wenig über die PSA bekannt. Dies hat sich in letzter Zeit geändert, während der Sequenzierarbeiten im Rahmen dieser Arbeit konnte eine schweizer Arbeitsgruppe die Klonierung und Sequenz-Charakterisierung der murinen und später humanen cDNA des Gens veröffentlichen. Mit den Ergebnissen dieser Arbeitsgruppe wie auch den im Zuge der vorliegenden Dissertation erarbeiteten Resultaten konnte das molekularbiologische Wissen um die PSA erheblich erweitert werden. So liegt mittlerweile die komplette Nukleotid- und Aminosäurensequenz des Gens vor, das Auffinden des Zink-Bindungsmotives HEXXH(X)18E erlaubte die Einordnung des Enzyms in die Familie M1 der Metallopeptidasen, weiterhin konnte das Gen auf dem Chromosom 17q21 lokalisiert werden. Weitere Daten zur Gewebe- und Zellinienexpression sind nun ebenfalls vorhanden, interessant hierbei neben der erwartet starken Expression im Gehirn das deutliche Vorhandensein in Hoden und Nebennierenrinde. Auch in Bezug auf die Regulation der PSA wurden neue Ergebnisse erzielt, wichtigstes Resultat im Rahmen dieser Arbeit ist hier, daß sich die früher festgestellte Vitamin D –Responsivität nicht bestätigen ließ. Für die Zukunft von außerordentlichem Interesse dürfte das kürzlich gelungene Erstellen PSA-defizienter Mäuse sein, das nun erste Beobachtungen von Auswirkungen der Gen-Deletion am lebenden Organismus erlaubt. Trotz alledem sind in Bezug auf die physiologische Rolle der Puromycin-sensitiven Aminopeptidase weiterhin viele Fragen ungeklärt. Wie hoffentlich in dieser Dissertation herausgearbeitet, ergeben sich dabei interessante Perspektiven für die mögliche Funktion des Enzyms im Organismus. N2 - Searching for new vitamin D responsive genes we employed the differential display-technique. Oligonucleotide-primers used were homologous to the 24-hydroxylase, an enzyme important in vitamin D metabolism and itself regulated by vitamin D. With the above we were hoping to isolate new members of the p450 enzyme family. Several DNA fragments showed differential expression and were subsequently isolated and analysed. Comparing the sequence of one 550 bp fragment with published Genbank sequences resulted in no significant homologies indicating the possibility of an unknown gene. Cloning and characterization of this gene did lead in an unexpected direction. We had found the Puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase, a member of the family of metallopeptidases and an exopeptidase with a zinc-ion in the catalytical centre. The protein chemistry of this enzyme had been known for several years. The PSA (Puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase) was known to hydrolyse N-terminal amino acids with specificity for alkaline/neutral as well as hydrophobic substrate. Localized predominantly in the cytoplasm the activity of the enzyme is inhibited by Puromycin. The above summarizes the protein chemistry of the PSA, however, little was known in the beginning about the molecular biology of the gene. This has changed as of late, a Swiss team has recently published the cloning and sequencing of the murine and later the human gene. These published results and data gathered within the scope of this thesis helped to widen our knowledge of the molecular biology of the PSA. The DNA- as well as the amino acid sequence of the gene is now established, since the protein contains the zinc-binding motif HEXXH(X)18E it could be identified as a member of family M1 of metallopeptidases. Furthermore its chromosomal localization could be identified at 17q21. There are also more data about expression in tissues as well as cell lines with the most interesting being the strong expression in testes and adrenal cortex. Regarding the regulation of the gene more results were gathered, the previously found regulation by vitamin D could not be confirmed. The construction of PSA-deficient mice, which has been accomplished recently, promises insight into the consequences of gene-deletion in the living organism. However, in terms of the physiologic role of the Puromycin-sensitive Aminopeptidase, many interesting questions remain unanswered. KW - Molekularbiologie KW - Klonierung KW - Aminopeptidase KW - Puromycin KW - molecular biology KW - cloning KW - aminopeptidase KW - Puromycin Y1 - 2002 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-11135 ER -