TY  - THES
A1  - Leonhardt, Sara Diana
T1  - Resin collection and use in stingless bees
T1  - Wie stachellose Bienen Pflanzenharze sammeln und nutzen
N2  - Harz ist ein klebriges Pflanzenprodukt mit einem oft intensiven aromatischen Geruch. Es wird von Bäumen produziert, um Wunden zu verschließen und schädliche Besucher abzuwehren. Einige Insektenarten haben jedoch die erstaunliche Fähigkeit entwickelt, mit der klebrigen Substanz umzugehen und sie sich gar zu Nutzen zu machen. So verwenden Bienen Harz beispielsweise zum Nestbau und zur Verteidigung ihrer Kolonien. Während allgemein bekannt ist, dass Bienen Pollen und Nektar sammeln, wird der Tatsache, dass sie auch Harz sammlen, allerdings sehr viel weniger Beachtung geschenkt. Ziel meiner Dissertation war es daher, herauszufinden, warum, wie und wo stachellose Bienen in Borneo (sieben untersuchte Bienenarten), Australien (acht Arten) und Costa Rica (27 Arten) Pflanzenharze sammeln und verwerten. Diese Arbeit behandelt somit die enge Beziehung zwischen einer eusozialen Insektengattung und einem chemisch und physiologisch hoch komplexen Pflanzenprodukt, das Bienen nicht nur als Nestmaterial und zur Verteidigung dient, sondern auch eine wesentliche Bedeutung für deren chemische Diversität hat. Stachellose Bienen verhalten sich hochgradig opportunistisch, wenn sie Harz sammeln, d.h. verschiedene Bienenarten sammeln Harz von denselben Baumarten, wobei sie nahezu jede verfügbare Harzquelle nutzen. Dabei finden und erkennen sie Harzquellen anhand einiger charakteristischer Mono- und Sesquiterpene, nutzen jedoch nicht das gesamte Harz-Bouquet. Die Menge an eingetragenem Harz unterscheidet sich zwischen verschiedenen Bienenarten und kolonien und varriert mit verschiedenen Umweltbedingungen. Insbesondere eine Bedrohung durch Fressfeinde (z. B. Ameisen) führt zu einer massiven Steigerung des Harzeintrages; eine manuelle Zerstörung des Nesteinganges hat dagegen relativ wenig Einfluss. Das eingetragene Harz wird zum Nestbau und zur Verteidigung gegen Fressfeinde und Mikroben genutzt. Darüber hinaus dient es als Quelle für Terpene, die von den Bienen in ihre chemischen Oberflächenprofile eingebaut werden (kutikuläre Terpene). Dabei übertragen sie nur einen Bruchteil (8 %) der gewaltigen Menge (>> 1000) an Terpenen, die man im Harz von Bäumen findet, auf ihre Oberfläche. Die übertragenen Terpene bleiben in ihrer Struktur unverändert, allerdings unterscheiden sich die Bienenarten in der Zusammensetzung der Terpenprofile auf ihrer Oberfläche, obwohl alle untersuchten Arten Harz von denselben Bäumen sammeln. Die unterschiedlichen Terpenprofile sowie die Tatsache, dass nur wenige Terpene aus dem Harz aufgenommen werden, deuten auf einen artspezifischen und bisher unbekannten Filterungsmechanismus bei stachellosen Bienen hin. Auch übersteigt durch die Aufnahme von Terpenen die chemische Diversität der Oberflächenprofile von stachellosen Bienen die zahlreicher anderer Hymenopteren. Da Bienen die Terpene aus dem Harz nur „filtern“, sie dabei aber nicht verändern, sind sämtliche Bienenarten aus Borneo, Australien und Costa den charakteristischen Harzprofilen von Bäumen aus ihren Ursprungsgebieten chemisch sehr ähnlich. Da in jeder tropischen Region andere Baumarten vorkommen, varriert die chemische Zusammensetzung der vorkommenden Harze und damit der kutikulären Terpene von dort vorkommenden Bienen. Die meisten Bienenarten mit kutikulären Terpenen findet man in Borneo, wo nahezu 100 % der untersuchten Arten aus Baumharzen gewonnene Terpene in ihre chemischen Profilen einbauen. Im Gegensatz dazu sind es in Costa Rica nur 40 % der untersuchten Arten. Auch sammeln in Borneo gelegentlich 9 von 10 Arbeiterinnen einer Tetragonilla collina Kolonie Harz, wohingegen in Australien maximal 10 % und in Costa Rica maximal 40 % der Arbeiterinnen einer Kolonie Harz sammeln. Das Vorherrschen von Harz und aus Harz gewonnenen Terpenen in der chemischen Ökologie von Bienen auf Borneo spiegelt das Vorherrschen einer bestimmten südostasiatischen Baumfamilie wieder: der Dipterocarpaceen, deren Holz ungewöhnlich harzig ist. Ein solch enger Zusammenhang zwischen der Chemie von Bienen und der von Baumharzen verdeutlicht die enge Beziehung zwischen stachellosen Bienen und den Bäumen in ihrem Habitat. Die kutikulären Terpene schützen ihre Träger vor Angreifern (z.B. Ameisen) und Mikrobenbefall. Dabei variiert eine bestimmte Gruppe – Sesquiterpene – am meisten zwischen den Arten. Diese Terpengruppe manipuliert die natürlichweise auftretende zwischen-artliche Aggression, indem sie letztere bei jenen Arten verringert, die selbst keine Sesquiterpene in ihrem Profil haben. Aggressionsminderung durch chemische Komponenten, welche aus der Umwelt aufgenommen werden, stellt somit einen bisher unbekannten Mechanismus dar, um Toleranz zwischen sonst aggressiven Arten zu erreichen. Eine derarte Herabsetzung von aggressiven Verhalten bei stachellosen Bienen kann darüber hinaus ein entscheidender Faktor für das Entstehen sogenannter Nestaggregationen sein. Dabei nisten Kolonien von Bienenarten mit und Bienenarten ohne Sesquiterpene in ihrem chemischen Profil in unmittelbarer Nachbarschaft, ohne gegeneinander aggressiv zu sein. Im Hinblick auf die zahlreichen Funktionen, die Harze und/oder aus dem Harz gewonnene Substanzen für stachellose Bienen haben, stellt Harz zweifelsohne eine bedeutende Ressource in der Welt der Bienen dar – eine Ressource, die einen direkten Einfluss auf deren chemische Ökologie, Verteidigungsmechanismen und zwischen-artliche Kommunikation ausübt. Wie genau die Bienen ihre artspezifischen Terpenprofile erzeugen, insbesondere, wie es ihnen gelingt, dabei ganze Terpengruppen auszuschließen, muss in zukünftigen Studien genauer untersucht werden. Auch stellt sich die Frage, wie wichtig eine hohe Diversität an Harzquellen und damit Baumarten für die Bienen ist! Es ist durchaus möglich, dass neben einer Vielfalt an Blütenpflanzenarten auch der „Harzreichtum“ für das Wohlergehen der Bienen eine entscheidende Rolle spielt.
N2  - Resin, a sticky sap emitting terpenoids and other volatiles, is produced by various plant species to seal wounds and protect themselves against herbivores and microbes. Among several other insects, bees have evolved the surprising ability to handle the repellent plant sap and use it to construct and defend their nests. Whereas the collection of pollen and nectar has been intensively studied in bees, resin collection has received only little attention. The aim of this dissertation was to better understand how the physiological and chemical properties of resin and resin-derived compounds (terpenes) affect the ecology of stingless bees. I therefore asked why, where and how stingless bees of Borneo (seven study-species), Australia (eight) and Costa Rica (27) collect and process plant resins, addressing the importance of a largely neglected resource not only for building and defensive properties, but also for the bees’ chemical diversity. Stingless bees are highly opportunistic resin foragers with all species collecting resin from a similar set of tree species. They locate and/or recognize resin sources on the basis of several volatile mono- and sesquiterpenes. I found that different bee species and even colonies significantly varied in the amount of resin collected. Predator attack (e.g., by ants) had the strongest affect on resin intake, whereas manual nest destruction only slightly increased the number of resin foragers. Resin is used to build, maintain and defend nests, but also as source for chemical compounds (terpenes) which stingless bees include in their surface profiles (chemical profiles). They directly transfer resin-derived compounds to their body surfaces (cuticular terpenes), but only include a subset (8 %) of the large number (>> 1000) of terpenes found in tree resins. This phenomenon can only be explained by a hitherto unknown ability to filter environmentally derived compounds which results in species-specific terpene profiles and thus in an increased chemical heterogeneity among species. Moreover, due to the addition of resin-derived substances the diversity of compounds on the bees’ body surfaces by far exceeds the chemical diversity of profiles in other hymenopterans. Because stingless bees filter but do not modify resin-derived compounds, species from Borneo, Australia and Costa Rica all resemble the characteristic resin of typical trees in their regions of origin. This chemical similarity reveals a strong correlation between the diversity of tree resins and the diversity of cuticular terpenes among stingless bees in a given habitat. Because different tree species are found in different tropical regions, the chemical composition of tree resins varies between tropical regions as does the composition of cuticular terpenes in bee species from these regions. Cuticular terpenes are however most common among stingless from Borneo, with 100 % of species studied having resin-derived terpenes in their chemical profiles. They are least common in Costa Rica, with only 40 % of species having terpenes. Likewise, resin collection was found to be highest in Tetragonilla collina colonies of Borneo where occasionally up to 90 % of foragers collected resin. By contrast, resin collection was only performed by 10 % of foragers of a given colony in Australia and by a maximum of 40 % in Costa Rica. The dominance of resin and resin-derived compounds in the chemical ecology of bees from Borneo may mirror the dominance of a particular Southeast Asian tree family: the highly resinous dipterocarps. Such a correlation between the chemistry of bees and the chemistry of tree resins therefore underlines the close relationship between stingless bees and the trees of their habitat. Cuticular terpenes are assumed to protect bees against predators and/or microbes. Sesquiterpenes, a specific group of terpenes, most vary between species and impair inter-specific aggression by reducing aggressive behavior in species without sesquiterpenes, thereby providing a novel mechanism to achieve interspecific tolerance among insects. Reduced interspecific aggression may also be an important factor enabling the non-aggressive aggregation of nests from stingless bee colonies of up to four different species, because such aggregations frequently comprise both species with and species without sesquiterpenes. Given its various functions, resin represents a highly important resource for stingless bees which directly affects their chemical ecology, defensive properties and inter-specific communication. It remains to be investigated how the bees influence the resin-derived terpene profiles on their body surface and in their nests, particularly how they manage to exclude entire groups of terpenes. Whether bees actually need a high diversity of different resin sources and therefore tree species to maintain the homeostasis of their colonies or whether they would do equally well with a limited amount of resin sources available, should also be addressed in future studies. Answers to this question will directly impair bee and forest management in (sub)tropical regions.
KW  - stachellose Biene
KW  - Harze
KW  - Terpene
KW  - stachellose Bienen
KW  - stingless bees
KW  - resin
KW  - terpenes
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-51588
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Schmid, Benjamin
T1  - Computational tools for the segmentation and registration of confocal brain images of Drosophila melanogaster
T1  - Software Tools für die Segmentierung und Registrierung konfokaler Gehirnbilder von Drosophila melanogaster
N2  - Neuroanatomical data in fly brain research are mostly available as spatial gene expression patterns of genetically distinct fly strains. The Drosophila standard brain, which was developed in the past to provide a reference coordinate system, can be used to integrate these data. Working with the standard brain requires advanced image processing methods, including visualisation, segmentation and registration. The previously published VIB Protocol addressed the problem of image registration. Unfortunately, its usage was severely limited by the necessity of manually labelling a predefined set of neuropils in the brain images at hand. In this work I present novel tools to facilitate the work with the Drosophila standard brain. These tools are integrated in a well-known open-source image processing framework which can potentially serve as a common platform for image analysis in the neuroanatomical research community: ImageJ. In particular, a hardware-accelerated 3D visualisation framework was developed for ImageJ which extends its limited 3D visualisation capabilities. It is used for the development of a novel semi-automatic segmentation method, which implements automatic surface growing based on user-provided seed points. Template surfaces, incorporated with a modified variant of an active surface model, complement the segmentation. An automatic nonrigid warping algorithm is applied, based on point correspondences established through the extracted surfaces. Finally, I show how the individual steps can be fully automated, and demonstrate its application for the successful registration of fly brain images. The new tools are freely available as ImageJ plugins. I compare the results obtained by the introduced methods with the output of the VIB Protocol and conclude that our methods reduce the required effort five to ten fold. Furthermore, reproducibility and accuracy are enhanced using the proposed tools.
N2  - Expressionsmuster genetisch manipulierter Fliegenstämme machen den Großteil neuroanatomischer Daten aus, wie sie in der Gehirnforschung der Taufliege Drosophila melanogaster entstehen. Das Drosophila Standardgehirn wurde u.a. entwickelt, um die Integration dieser Daten in ein einheitliches Referenz-Koordinatensystem zu ermöglichen. Die Arbeit mit dem Standardgehirn erfordert hochentwickelte Bildverarbeitungsmethoden, u.a. zur 3D Visualisierung, Segmentierung und Registrierung. Das bereits publizierte "VIB Protocol" stellte bisher eine Möglichkeit für die Registrierung zur Verfügung, die aber duch die Notwendigkeit manueller Segmentierung bestimmter Neuropile nur eingeschränkt verwendbar war. In der vorliegenden Arbeit stelle ich neue Werkzeuge vor, die den Umgang mit dem Standardgehirn erleichtern. Sie sind in ein bekanntes, offenes Bildverarbeitungsprogramm integriert, das potentiell als Standardsoftware in der neuroanatomischen Forschung dienen kann: ImageJ. Im Zuge dieser Arbeit wurde eine hardwarebeschleunigte 3D Visualisierungs-Bibliothek entwickelt, die die Visualisierungsmöglichkeiten von ImageJ ergänzt. Auf Basis dieser Entwicklung wurde anschließend ein neuer halbautomatischer Segmentierungs-Algorithmus erstellt. In diesem Algorithmus werden Neuropil-Oberflächen, ausgehend von ausgewählten Ausgangspunkten, aufgebaut und erweitert. Vorlagen von Neuropil-Oberflächen aus der Segmentierung eines Referenz-Datensatzes, die anhand eines modifizierten "Active Surface" Modells einbezogen werden können, ergänzen die aktuelle Segmentierung. Die so erhaltenen Oberflächen ermöglichen es, korrespondierende Landmarken in den Bildern zu ermitteln, die für eine nicht-rigide Registrierung verwendet werden. Schließlich wird dargelegt, wie die einzelnen Schritte voll automatisiert werden können, um die Bilder der Fliegengehirne aufeinander abzubilden. Die vorgestellten Methoden sind frei als Erweiterungen für ImageJ verfügbar (Plugins). Ein direkter Vergleich mit dem VIB Protokoll zeigt, dass durch die vorgestellten Methoden nicht nur der Benutzeraufwand auf ein Sechstel reduziert, sondern dass gleichzeitig auch die Genauigkeit und Reproduzierbarkeit erhöht wird.
KW  - Taufliege
KW  - Segmentierung
KW  - Bildverarbeitung
KW  - Gehirn
KW  - Drosophila
KW  - Gehirnanatomie
KW  - Konfokalmikroskopie
KW  - Deformable models
KW  - Drosophila
KW  - brain anatomy
KW  - confocal microscopy
KW  - deformable models
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-51490
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Nuwal, Tulip
T1  - Characterization of Synapsin, Tubulin-Binding Chaperone E-like, And Their Putative Interactions With Synapse Associated Protein Of 47 kDa In Drosophila melanogaster
N2  - In this thesis we have used Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to investigate proteins and their putative interacting partners that are directly or indirectly involved in the release of neurotransmitters at the synapse. We have used molecular techniques to investigate conserved synaptic proteins, synapsin and synapse associated protein of 47 kD (SAP47), and a putative interaction partner of SAP47, tubulin binding chaperone E-like (TBCEL). SAP47 and synapsins are highly conserved synaptic vesicle associated proteins in Drosophila melanogaster. To further investigate the role and function of Sap47 and Syn genes, we had earlier generated the null mutants by P-element mutagenesis (Funk et al., 2004; Godenschwege et al., 2004). Western blots and ELISA of brain homogenates from Sap47156 null mutants showed the presence of up-regulated phospho-synapsin in comparison to wild-type (CS) and the presence of up-regulated phospho-synapsin was partially abolished when a pan-neuronal rescue of SAP47 was performed by the Gal4- UAS technique. Thus, the results suggest a qualitative and quantitative modulation of synapsin by SAP47. At the transcript level, we did not observe any difference in content of Syn transcript in Sap47156 and wild-type CS flies. The question of a direct molecular interaction between SAP47 and synapsin was investigated by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experiments and we did not find any stable interactions under the several IP conditions we tested. The possibility of Sap47 as a modifier of Syn at the genetic level was investigated by generating and testing homozygous double null mutants of Sap47 and Syn. The Syn97, Sap47156 double mutants are viable but have a reduced life span and decreased locomotion when compared to CS. In 2D-PAGE analysis of synapsins we identified trains of spots corresponding to synapsins, suggesting that synapsin has several isoforms and each one of them is posttranslationally modified. In an analysis by Blue native-SDS-PAGE (BN-SDS-2D- PAGE) and Western blot we observed synapsin and SAP47 signals to be present at 700-900 kDa and 200-250 kDa, respectively, suggesting that they are part of large but different complexes. We also report the possibility of Drosophila synapsin forming homo- and heteromultimers, which has also been reported for synapsins of vertebrates. In parallel to the above experiments, phosphorylation of synapsins in Drosophila was studied by IP techniques followed by 1D-SDS gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry (in collaboration with S. Heo and G. Lubec). We identified and verified 5 unique phosphorylation sites in Drosophila synapsin from our MS analysis. Apart from phosphorylation modifications we identified several other PTMs which have not been verified. The significance of these phosphorylations and other identified PTMs needs to be investigated further and their implications for synapsin function and Drosophila behavior has to be elucidated by further experiments. In a collaborative project with S. Kneitz and N. Nuwal, we investigated the effects of Sap156 and Syn97 mutations by performing a whole Drosophila transcriptome microarray analysis of the individual null mutants and the double mutants (V2 and V3). We obtained several candidates which were significantly altered in the mutants. These genes need to be investigated further to elucidate their interactions with Sap47 and Syn. In another project, we investigated the role and function of Drosophila tubulin- binding chaperone E-like (Tbcel, CG12214). The TBCEL protein has high homology to vertebrate TBCE-like (or E-like) which has high sequence similarity to tubulin-binding chaperone E (TBCE) (hence the name TBCE-Like). We generated an anti-TBCEL polyclonal antiserum (in collaboration with G. Krohne). According to flybase, the Tbcel gene has only one exon and codes for two different transcripts by alternative transcription start sites. The longer transcript RB is present only in males whereas the shorter transcript RA is present only in females. In order to study the gene function we performed P- element jump-out mutagenesis to generate deletion mutants. We used the NP4786 (NP) stock which has a P(GawB) insertion in the 5’ UTR of the Tbcel gene. NP4786 flies are homozygous lethal due to a second-site lethality as the flies are viable over a deficiency (Df) chromosome (a deletion of genomic region spanning the Tbcel gene and other upstream and downstream genes). We performed the P-element mutagenesis twice. In the first trial we obtained only revertants and the second experiment is still in progress. In the second attempt, jump-out was performed over the deficiency chromosome to prevent homologous chromosome mediated double stranded DNA repair. During the second mutagenesis an insertion stock G18151 became available. These flies had a P-element insertion in the open reading frame (ORF) of the Tbcel gene but was homozygous viable. Western blots of fresh tissue homogenates of NP/Df and G18151 flies probed with anti-TBCEL antiserum showed no TBCEL signal, suggesting that these flies are Tbcel null mutants. We used these flies for further immunohistochemical analyses and found that TBCEL is specifically expressed in the cytoplasm of cyst cells of the testes and is associated with the tubulin of spermatid tails in wild-type CS, whereas in NP/Df and G18151 flies the TBCEL staining in the cyst cells was absent and there was a disruption of actin investment cones. We also found enrichment of TBCEL staining around the actin investment cone. These results are also supported by the observation that the enhancer trap expression of the NP4786 line is localised to the cyst cells, similar to TBCEL expression. Also, male fertility of NP/Df and G18151 flies was tested and they were found to be sterile with few escapers. Thus, these results suggest that TBCEL is involved in Drosophila spermatogenesis with a possible role in the spermatid elongation and individualisation process.
N2  - In dieser Arbeit benutzte ich Drosophila melanogaster als Modellorganismus für die Untersuchung von Proteinen und ihren möglichen Interaktionspartnern, die direkt oder indirekt an der Freisetzung von Neurotransmittern an der Synapse beteiligt sind. Für die Untersuchung der konservierten synaptischen Proteine Synapsin (SYN) und Synapsen-assoziertes Protein von 47 kDa (SAP47), sowie ihrer möglichen Interaktionspartner, bediente ich mich molekularer Methoden. SAP47 und SYN sind hoch konservierte Proteine von Drosophila melanogaster, die mit synaptischen Vesikeln assoziert sind. Um die Rolle und Funktion der Sap47- und Syn-Gene näher zu beleuchten, wurden bereits früher mit Hilfe von P-Element Mutagenesen Null Mutanten generiert (Funk et al., 2004; Godenschwege et al., 2004). Western Blots und ELISA der Gehirnhomogenate der Sap47156 Nullmutanten zeigten im Vergleich zum Wildtyp (CS) das Vorhandensein von hochreguliertem phospho-Synapsin. Dieser Effekt ließ sich durch ein panneuronales Rescue wieder partiell rückgängig machen. Diese Ergebnisse lassen eine qualitative sowie quantitative Modulation von SYN druch SAP47 vermuten. Auf der Transkriptebene konnte ich keinen Unterschied im Gehalt von Syn Transkript zwischen den Sap47156 und wildtypischen CS Fliegen feststellen. Das Vorhandensein einer direkten molekularen Interaktion zwischen SAP47 und SYN wurde in Co-Immunopräzipitations-Experimenten (CO-IP) untersucht. Ich konnte unter diversen getesteten IP Bedingungen keine stabilen Interaktionen finden. Die Möglichkeit, dass Sap47 auf der molekularen Ebene modifizierend auf das Syn-Gen wirkt, wurde durch das Erzeugen und Testen homozygoter doppelter Nullmutanten für Sap47 und Syn untersucht. Syn97, Sap47156 Doppelmutanten sind lebensfähig, zeigen jedoch eine im Vergleich zu CS reduzierte Lebensspanne und Lokomotion. In einer 2D-SDS-PAGE Analyse der Synapsine identifizierte ich Reihen von Synapsin-Signalen, die darauf schließen ließen, dass Synapsin über mehrere Isoformen verfügt, von denen jede mehrfach posttranslational modifiziert ist. In einer Blue native-SDS-PAGE (BN-SDS-2D-PAGE) mit anschließendem Western Blot konnte ich Synapsin und SAP47 Signale bei 700-900 kDa beziehungsweise 200-250 kDa feststellen, was darauf schließen ließ, dass sie als Komponenten von unterschiedlichen größeren Komplexen fungieren. Ich zeigte außerdem die Möglichkeit auf, dass Drosophila Synapsin Homo- und Heteromultimere bilden kann, was bereits für Synapsine von Wirbeltieren gezeigt wurde. Gleichzeitig mit den obigen Experimenten untersuchte ich durch IP Methoden, gefolgt von 1D SDS Gelelektrophorese und Massenspektroskopie (in Zusammenarbeit mit S. Heo und G. Lubec), die Phosphorylierung der Synapsine in Drosophila. In der MS Analyse konnte ich 5 distinkte Phosphorylierungs-Stellen des Drosophila Synapsins identifizieren und verifizieren. Zusätzlich zu den Modifikationen durch Phosphorylierung konnte ich einige andere posttranslationale Modifikationen zeigen, die jedoch nicht verifiziert wurden. Die Bedeutung dieser Phosphorylierung, sowie anderer identifizierter Modifikationen, sollte durch weitere Experimente beleuchtet werden. In einem Kollaborationsprojekt mit S. Kneitz und N. Nuwal untersuchte ich die Auswirkungen der Sap47156 und Syn97 Mutationen mithilfe einer Microarray Analyse des gesamten Drosophila Transkriptoms der individuellen Nullmutanten sowie Doppelmutanten (V2 und V3). Es wurden einige Kandidaten gefunden, die in den Mutanten signifikante Änderungen aufweisen. Diese Gene sollten weiterhin auf ihre Interaktionen mit Sap47 und Syn untersucht werden. In einem weiteren Projekt untersuchte ich die Rolle und Funktion des Drosophila tubulin binding chaperon E-like-Gens(Tbcel, CG12214). Das TBCEL Protein weist eine hohe Homologie zum Vertebraten TBCE-like (oder E-like) auf, welches über eine namensgebende hohe Sequenzähnlichkeit zum Tubulin bindenden Chaperon E (TBCE) verfügt. Ich erzeugte ein polyklonales anti-TBCEL Antiserum (in Kollaboration mit G. Krohne). Laut Flybase besitzt das Tbcel-Gen nur ein Exon und kodiert für zwei unterschiedliche Transkripte durch alternative Orte des Transkriptionsstarts. Das längere Traskript RB ist nur in Männchen vorhanden, während das kürzere Transkript RA sich nur in Weibchen finden lässt. Um eine Untersuchung der Genfunktion zu ermöglichen, führte ich eine P-Element jump-out-Mutagenese durch, mit der Deletions-Mutanten generiert werden sollten. Ich benutzte dazu den Stamm NP4786 (NP), welches eine P(GawB) Insertion in der 5´ UTR des Tbcel-Gens aufweist. NP4786 Fliegen sind aufgrund einer second-site Lethalität homozygot letal, da sie über einer chromosomalen Defizienz (Df) (einer Deletion der genomischen Region, die das Tbcel-Gen sowie benachbarte Gene umfasst) lebensfähig sind. Die P-Element jump-out-Mutagenese wurde von mir zweimal durchgeführt, wobei ich beim ersten Mal nur Revertanten erhielt, während der zweite Durchgang sich momentan noch in Arbeit befindet. Beim zweiten Versuch wurde der jump-out über dem Defizienz-Chromosom durchgeführt, um eine doppelsträngige DNA Reparatur durch das homologe Chromosom zu verhindern. Während der zweiten Mutagenese wurde ein Stamm G18151 verfügbar, bei welchem die P-Element Insertion im offenen Leseraster (Open reading frame: ORF) des Tbcel-Gens erfolgt war. Western Blots von frischem Gewebehomogenat der NP/Df und G18151 Fliegen zeigten nach dem Testen mit anti-TBCEL Antiserum kein Signal, was darauf schließen lässt, dass diese Fliegen Tbcel Nullmutanten sind. Ich verwendete diese Fliegen für weitere immunhistochemische Analysen und fand heraus, dass TBCEL im Wildtyp spezifisch im Zytoplasma der Cysten-Zellen der Hoden exprimiert wird, sowie mit dem Tubulin der Spermatidenschwänze assoziert ist, während es in den NP/Df und G18151 Fliegen keine TBCEL-Färbung der Cysten-Zellen gab. Des weiteren konnte eine Störung der Actin Kegel und eine Anreicherung von TBCEL um diese herum gezeigt werden. Diese Ergebnisse werden zusätzlich durch die Beobachtung unterstützt, dass die Enhancer-trap Expression der NP4786 Linie analog zu dem TBCEL in den Cysten-Zellen lokalisiert ist. Zusätzlich wurde die Fertilität der NP/Df und G18151 Männchen getestet und gezeigt, dass diese Tiere nahezu vollständig steril sind. Die Ergebnisse lassen daher vermuten, dass TBCEL an der Spermatogenese bei Drosophila beteiligt ist, sowie eine mögliche Rolle bei der Elongation und Individualisierung der Spermatiden spielt.
KW  - Taufliege
KW  - Synapsine
KW  - Molekularbiologie
KW  - synaptisch protein
KW  - synapsin
KW  - tubulin binding chaperone E-like
KW  - SAP47
KW  - Massenspektrometrie
KW  - synaptic proteins
KW  - synapsin
KW  - tubulin binding chaperone E-like
KW  - SAP47
KW  - mass spectrometry
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-51683
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Nuwal, Nidhi
T1  - Optogenetic investigation of nervous system functions using walking behavior and genome wide transcript analysis of Synapsin and Sap47 mutants of Drosophila
N2  - PART I Animals need to constantly evaluate their external environment in order to survive. In some cases the internal state of the animal changes to cope with it’s surrounding. In our study we wanted to investigate the role of amines in modulating internal states of Drosophila. We have designed a behavioral paradigm where the flies are fixed in space but can walk on a small styrofoam ball suspended by a gentle stream of air. The walking activity of flies was used as behavioral readout. PART I Animals need to constantly evaluate their external environment in order to survive. In some cases the internal state of the animal changes to cope with it’s surrounding. In our study we wanted to investigate the role of amines in modulating internal states of Drosophila. We have designed a behavioral paradigm where the flies are fixed in space but can walk on a small styrofoam ball suspended by a gentle stream of air. The walking activity of flies was used as behavioral readout. An operant training paradigm was established by coupling one of the walking directions to incidence of heat punishment. We observed that animals quickly realized the contingency of punishment with walking direction and avoided walking in the punished direction in the presence of punishment, but did not continue walking in the unpunished direction in the absence of the punishment. This would indicate that the flies do not form a memory for the punished direction or rapidly erase it under new conditions. On having established the paradigm with heat punishment we have attempted to activate selected subsets of neuronal populations of Drosophila while they were walking on the ball. The selective activation of neurons was achieved by expressing the light-activated ion channel channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) using the Gal4-UAS system and coupling the unidirectional walking of the animals on the ball with the incidence of blue light required to activate the channels and depolarize the neurons. The feasibility of this approach was tested by light-activating sugar sensitive gustatory receptor neurons expressing ChR2, we found that when the light was actuated the flies preferred to turn in one direction the optically “rewarded” direction. Next we similarly activated different subsets of aminergic neurons. We observed that in our setup animals avoided to turn in the direction which was coupled to activation of dopaminergic neurons indicating that release of dopamine is disliked by the animals. This is in accordance with associative learning experiments where dopamine is believed to underlie the formation of an association between a neutral conditioned stimulus with the aversive unconditioned stimulus. However, when we activated tyraminergic/octopaminergic neurons we did not observe any directional preference. The activation of dopaminergic and tyraminergic/octopaminergic neurons led to arousal of the animals indicating that we were indeed successful in activating those neurons. Also, the activation of serotonergic neurons did not have any effect on directional preference of the animals. With this newly established paradigm it will be interesting to find out if in insects like in mammals a reward mediating system exists and to test subsets of aminergic or peptidergic neurons that could possibly be involved in a reward signaling system which has not been detected in our study. Also, it would be interesting to localize neuropile regions that would be involved in mediating choice behavior in our paradigm. PART II In collaboration with S. Kneitz (IZKF Wuerzburg) and T. Nuwal we performed genome-wide expression analysis of two pre-synaptic mutants - Synapsin (Syn97) and Synapse associated protein of 47 kDa (Sap47156). The rationale behind these experiments was to identify genes that were up- or down-regulated due to these mutations. The microarray experiments provided us with several candidate genes some of which we have verified by qPCR. From our qPCR analysis we can conclude that out of the verified genes only Cirl transcripts seem to be reproducibly down regulated in Synapsin mutants. The Cirl gene codes for a calcium independent receptor for latrotoxin. Further qPCR experiments need to be performed to verify other candidate genes. The molecular interactions between CIRL and SYN or their genes should now be investigated in detail.
N2  - Teil I Lebewesen müssen beständig ihre äußere Umgebung auswerten, um überleben zu können. Manchmal ändern sich innere Zustände der Tiere, damit sie sich der Außenwelt anpassen. In unseren Untersuchungen wollten wir die Rolle von Aminen untersuchen, die für die Modulation von inneren Zuständen bei Drosophila notwendig sind. Wir haben ein Verhaltensparadigma entwickelt, bei dem die Fliege räumlich fixiert ist, aber auf einem Styroporball laufen kann, der auf einem Luftpolster schwebt. Die Laufaktivität der Fliege wird durch die Ballbewegungen anzeigt. Mit diesem Versuchsaufbau wurde ein operantes Lernparadigma etabliert, bei dem eine Laufrichtung mit Bestrafung durch Hitze gekoppelt wird. Wir konnten feststellen, dass die Tiere schnell den Zusammenhang zwischen dem Auftreten der Bestrafung und der Laufrichtung realisieren und die bestrafte Seite vermeiden. Wurde die eine Laufrichtung nicht mehr bestraft, so vermieden die Fliegen sie nicht mehr. Dies zeigt dass die Fliegen kein Gedächtnis für die bestrafte Richtung ausbilden oder es bei veränderten Bedingungen rasch löschen . Nachdem sich der Versuchsaufbau mit Hitzebestrafung bewährt hatte, wurde versucht, bestimmte Sub-population von Neuronen von Drosophila zu aktivieren, während die Fliege auf dem Ball läuft. Die selektive Aktivierung von Neuronen wurde durch die Expression des lichtaktivierten Jonenkanals Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR-2) mit Hilfe des Gal4-UAS-System und Beleuchtung der Fliege mit Blaulicht erreicht, das die Kanäle aktiviert. Nun erfolgte eine Kopplung einer Laufrichtung auf dem Ball mit dem Auftreten von blauem Licht. Die Durchführbarkeit derartiger Experimente wurde durch die Aktivierung von zuckersensitiven gustatorischen Rezeptorneuronen getestet. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die Tiere bevorzugt die Richtung wählen, welche die Zuckerrezeptorneurone aktiviert. Anschließend aktivierten wir verschiedene Untergruppen von Neuronen des aminergen Systems. In diesem Versuchsaufbau beobachteten wir, dass die Tiere die Laufrichtung vermieden, die gekoppelt war mit der Aktivierung dopaminerger Neurone. Diese Ergebnisse stehen in Übereinstimmung mit Versuchen zum assoziativen Lernen, bei dem Dopamin wahrscheinlich notwendig ist für die Assoziation zwischen dem neutralen Konditionierungsstimulus und dem aversiven unkonditionierten Stimulus. Wenn wir jedoch die tyraminergen/oktopaminergen Neurone aktivierten, konnte keine gerichtete Präferenz nachgewiesen werden. Die Aktivierung dopaminerger und tyraminger/oktopaminerger Neurone führte jedoch zur Aktivitätssteigerung der Tiere, wodurch die erfolgreiche der Aktivierung der Neurone belegt wurde. Die Aktivierung serotonerger Neurone führte ebenfalls zu keinem Effekt in der Präferenz der Tiere. In zukünftigen Experimenten mit dem neu entwickelten Paradigma wäre es interessant, herauszufinden, ob in Insekten auch ein belohnungsabhängiges System existiert, vergleichbar dem von Säugern. So wäre die Identifizierung von Subpopulationen aminerger oder peptiderger Neurone des Belohnungssystems bei Insekten wichtig, da dies nicht in unseren Experimenten entdeckt wurde. Eine weitere interessante Fragestellung wäre, welche Gehirnstruktur die Richtungswahl auf dem Ball vermittelt. Teil II In Zussamenarbeit mit S. Kneitz (IZKF, Würzburg) und T. Nuwal wurde in der vorliegenden Arbeit die genomweite Genexpression einer Synapsin-Mutante (Syn97) und einer Mutante für das Synapsen-assoziierte-Protein von 47kDa (Sap47156) untersucht. Bei beiden Proteinen handelt es sich um präsynaptische Proteine von Drosophila. Ziel dieses Experiments war es, Gene zu identifizieren die aufgrund dieser Mutationen hoch bzw. herunterreguliert vorliegen. Durch das Microarray-Experiment wurden mehrere Kandidatengene entdeckt, wovon einige dieser Gene per qPCR-Versuchen verifiziert wurden. Aufgrund der qPCR-Analysen lässt sich schlussfolgern, dass nur das Cirl-Transkript in den Synapsin-Mutanten reproduzierbar herunterreguliert vorliegt. Das Cirl gene kodiert für einen Calcium independent receptor for Latrotoxin Weitere qPCR-Experimente sind notwendig, um die anderen Kandidatengene zu bestätigen. Die molekularen Interaktionen zwichen CIRL und Synapsin oder ihren Genen müssen nun im Detail untersucht werden.
KW  - Taufliege
KW  - Nervensystem
KW  - Amine
KW  - Synapsine
KW  - Optogenetik
KW  - Oktopamin
KW  - Dopamin
KW  - Channelrhodopsin
KW  - Synapsin
KW  - Sap47
KW  - Cirl
KW  - Optogenetic
KW  - Channelrhodopsin
KW  - Dopamine
KW  - Octopamine
KW  - Synapsin
KW  - Sap47
KW  - Cirl
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-51694
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Laisney, Juliette Agnès Geneviève Claire
T1  - Characterisation and regulation of the Egfr/Egfr ligand system in fish models for melanoma
N2  - Fish of the genus Xiphophorus belong to the oldest animal models in cancer research. The oncogene responsible for the generation of spontaneous aggressive melanoma encodes for a mutated epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) and is called xmrk for Xiphophorus melanoma receptor kinase. Xmrk constitutive activation mechanisms and subsequent signaling pathways have already been investigated and charaterized but it is still unknown if Egfr ligands may also play a role in Xmrk-driven melanoma formation. To investigate the potential role of Egfr ligands in Xmrk-driven melanoma, I firstly analyzed the evolution of teleost and tetrapod Egfr/Egfr ligand systems. I especially focused on the analysis on the medaka fish, a closely related species to Xiphophorus, for which the whole genome has been sequenced. I could identify all seven Egfr ligands in medaka and could show that the two teleost-specific Egfr copies of medaka display dissimilar expression patterns in adult tissues together with differential expression of Egfr ligand subsets, arguing for subfunctionalization of receptor functions in this fish. Our phylogenetic and synteny analyses supported the hypothesis that only one gene in the chordate ancestor gave rise to the diversity of Egfr ligands found in vertebrate genomes today. I also could show that the Egfr extracellular subdomains implicated in ligand binding are not evolutionary conserved between tetrapods and teleosts, making the use of heterologous ligands in experiments with fish cells debatable. Despite its well understood and straight-forward process, Xmrk-driven melanomagenesis in Xiphophorus is problematic to further investigate in vivo. Our laboratory recently established a new melanoma animal model by generating transgenic mitf::xmrk medaka fishes, a Xiphophorus closely related species offering many more advantages. These fishes express xmrk under the control of the pigment-cell specific Mitf promoter. During my PhD thesis, I participated in the molecular analysis of the stably transgenic medaka and could show that the Xmrk-induced signaling pathways are similar when comparing Xiphophorus with transgenic mitf::xmrk medaka. These data together with additional RNA expression, protein, and histology analyses showed that Xmrk expression under the control of a pigment cell-specific promoter is sufficient to induce melanoma in the transgenic medaka, which develop very stereotyped tumors, including uveal and extracutaneous melanoma, with early onset during larval stages. To further investigate the potential role of Egfr ligands in Xmrk-driven melanoma, I made use of two model systems. One of them was the above mentioned mitf::xmrk medaka, the other was an in-vitro cell culture system, where the EGF-inducible Xmrk chimera HERmrk is stably expressed in murine melanocytes. Here I could show that HERmrk activation strongly induced expression of amphiregulin (Areg) and heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (Hbegf) in melanocytes. This regulation was dependent on the MAPK and SRC signaling pathways. Moreover, upregulation of Adam10 and Adam17, the two major sheddases of Egfr ligands, was observed. I also could demonstrate the functionality of the growth factors by invitro analyses. Using the mitf::xmrk medaka model I could also show the upregulation of a subset of ligand genes, namely egf, areg, betacellulin (btc) and epigen (epgn) as well as upregulation of medaka egfrb in tumors from fish with metastatic melanoma. All these results converge to support an Xmrk-induced autocrine Egfr ligand loop. Interestingly, my in-vitro experiments with conditioned supernatant from medaka Egf- and Hbegf-producing cells revealed that not only Xiphophorus Egfrb, but also the pre-activated Xmrk could be further stimulated by the ligands. Altogether, I could show with in-vitro and in-vivo experiments that Xmrk is capable of inducing a functional autocrine Egfr ligand loop. These data confirm the importance of autocrine loops in receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-dependent cancer development and show the possibility for a constitutively active RTK to strengthen its oncogenic signaling by ligand binding.
N2  - Fische der Gattung Xiphophorus gehören zu den ältesten Tiermodellen für die Krebsforschung. Das im Xiphophorus-System für die Melanomentstehung verantwortliche Onkogen codiert für eine mutierte Version des epidermalen Wachstumsfaktorrezeptors (Egfr) und wird xmrk (für “Xiphophorus melanoma receptor kinase”) genannt. Die konstitutiven Aktivierungsmechanismen dieses Rezeptors und die daraus resultierenden aktivierten Signalwege sind bereits gut untersucht und charakterisiert. Dennoch war bisher unbekannt, ob Egfr-Liganden auch eine Rolle bei der Xmrk-vermittelten Melanomentstehung spielen. Um eine potenzielle Rolle dieser Egfr-Liganden im Xmrk-induzierten Melanom zu erforschen, habe ich zunächst die Evolution des Egfr/Egfr-Liganden-Systems in Teleostiern und Tetrapoden untersucht. Hierfür fokussierte ich mich im besonderen auf den Medaka- Fisch, der zum einen eine nahe evolutionäre Verwandtschaft zu Xiphophorus aufweist und zum anderen – im Gegensatz zu Xiphophorus - ein komplett sequenziertes und gut annotiertes Genom besitzt. Ich konnte alle sieben Egfr-Liganden in Medaka identifizieren und konnte weiterhin zeigen, dass die zwei Teleost-spezifischen Egfr-Kopien dieses Fisches ein unterschiedliches Expressionsmuster in adulten Geweben aufweisen, welches außerdem mit unterschiedlicher Egfr-Liganden-Expression einherging. Diese Daten sprechen für eine Subfunktionalisierung der Egfr-Funktionen in Medaka. Unsere phylogenetischen und Syntenie-Analysen unterstützen die Hypothese, dass nur ein einziges Egfr-Liganden-Gen des Chordaten-Vorfahren der genetische Ursprung für die zahlreichen Egfr-Liganden-Gene, die in heutigen Vertrebraten zu finden sind, darstellt. Ich konnte weiterhin zeigen, dass die an der Ligandenbindung beteiligten Domänen des Egfr nicht zwischen Tetrapoden und Teleostiern konserviert sind. Diese Daten sprechen somit gegen die Verwendung heterologer Liganden in Zellkulturexperimenten mit Fischzellen. Trotz der gut verstandenen Konsequenzen einer Xmrk-Expression auf die Pigmentzelle lässt sich die Xmrk-vermittelte Melanomentstehung in Xiphophorus relativ schwer in vivo untersuchen. In unserem Labor wurde daher kürzlich ein neues Tiermodell für Melanome entwickelt. Dabei handelt es sich um einen mitf::xmrk-transgenen Medaka. Diese Fische exprimieren xmrk unter der Kontrolle des Pigmentzell-spezifischen Mitf-Promoters. Während meiner Doktorarbeit trug ich zur molekularen Analyse der stabil transgenen Tiere bei und konnte zeigen, dass die Xmrk-vermittelte Signalgebung in mitf::xmrk-Medakas der von Xmrk-exprimierenden Xiphophorus-Fischen gleicht. Diese Daten, zusammen mit weiteren RNA-Expressions-, Protein- und histologischen Analysen, zeigten, dass die Expression von xmrk unter der Kontrolle eines Pigmentzellspezifischen Promoters ausreichend für die Melanomentstehung in Medaka ist. Eine Besonderheit dieses Melanommodelles ist die auffallend stereotype Tumorentstehung. Der Beginn der Hyperpigmentierung wird bereits in frühen Larvenstadien sichtbar und führt – je nach Fischlinie – anschließend zuverlässig zu extrakutanen Pigmentzelltumoren oder invasiven bzw. uvealen Melanomen. Um eine potenzielle Funktion der Egfr-Liganden für Xmrk-induzierte Melanome zu untersuchen, machte ich mir zwei Modellsysteme zunutze. Eines der beiden Modelle war der bereits oben erwähnte mitf::xmrk-transgene Medaka, das andere war ein in-vitro- Zellkultursystem, bei dem die EGF-induzierbare Xmrk-Chimäre HERmrk stabil in murinen Melanozyten exprimiert wird. Hier konnte ich zeigen, dass HERmrk-Aktivierung zu einer starken Genexpression der EGFR-Liganden Amphiregulin (Areg) und Heparin-binding EGFlike growth factor (Hbegf) in Melanozyten führte. Diese Regulierung war abhängig von den MAPK- und SRC-Signalwegen. Weiterhin wurde eine Induktion von Adam10 und Adam17, den zwei bedeutsamsten Proteasen zur Freisetzung von EGFR-Liganden (“Sheddasen”), festgestellt. Ich konnte die Funktionalität der so sezernierten Liganden durch in-vitro- Experimente nachweisen. Anhand des mitf::xmrk Medaka-Modelles konnte ich ebenfalls zeigen, dass sowohl mehrere Egfr-Ligandengene, nämlich egf, areg, betacellulin (btc) und epigen (epgn), als auch egfrb in Tumoren von Medaka-Fischen mit metastatischen Melanomen heraufreguliert wurden. All diese Daten lassen auf einen durch Xmrk induzierten autokrinen EGFR-Liganden-Loop schließen. Interessanterweise zeigte sich durch in-vitro- Experimente mit konditioniertem Überstand von Medaka Egf- und Hbegf-produzierenden Zellen, dass nicht nur Xiphophorus Egfrb, sondern auch das bereits aktivierte Xmrk durch beide Liganden weiter stimuliert werden konnte. Zusammengefasst zeigen meine in-vitro- und in-vivo-Daten, dass Xmrk in der Lage ist, einen funktionalen autokrinen Egfr-Liganden-Loop zu induzieren. Dieses Ergebnis unterstreicht die Bedeutung autokriner Loops in Rezeptortyrosinkinasen (RTK)-abhängiger Tumorentstehung und zeigt auf, dass selbst die onkogene Signalgebung prädimerisierter RTKs durch Ligandenbindung verstärkt werden kann.
KW  - Schwertkärpfling
KW  - Melanom
KW  - Epidermaler Wachstumsfaktor-Rezeptor
KW  - cancer
KW  - melanoma
KW  - fish model
KW  - EGFR
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-51369
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Vershenya, Stanislav
T1  - Quantitative and qualitative analyses of in-paralogs
N2  - In our analysis I was interested in the gene duplications, with focus on in-paralogs. In-paralogs are gene duplicates which arose after species split. Here I analysed the in-paralogs quantitatively, as well as qualitatively. For quantitative analysis genomes of 21 species were taken. Most of them have vastly different lifestyles with maximum evolutionary distance between them 1100 million years. Species included mammals, fish, insects and worm, plus some other chordates. All the species were pairwised analysed by the Inparanoid software, and in-paralogs matrix were built representing number of in-paralogs in all vs. all manner. Based on the in-paralogs matrix I tried to reconstruct the evolutionary tree using in-paralog numbers as evolutionary distance. If all 21 species were used the resulting tree was very far from real one: a lot of species were misplaced. However if the number was reduced to 12, all of the species were placed correctly with only difference being wrong insect and fish clusters switched. Then to in-paralogs matrix the neighbour-net algorithm was applied. The resulting "net" tree showed the species with fast or slow duplications rates compared to the others. We could identify species with very high or very low duplications frequencies and it correlates with known occurrences of the whole genome duplications. As the next step I built the graphs for every single species showing the correlation between their in-paralogs number and evolutionary distance. As we have 21 species, graph for every species is built using 20 points. Coordinates of the points are set using the evolutionary distance to that particular species and in-paralogs number. In mammals with increasing the distance from speciation the in-paralogs number also increased, however not in linear fashion. In fish and insects the graph close to zero is just the same in mammals' case. However, after reaching the evolutionary distances more than 800 million years the number of inparalogs is beginning to decrease. We also made a simulation of gene duplications for all 21 species and all the splits according to the fossil and molecular clock data from literature. In our simulation duplication frequency was minimal closer to the past and maximum in the near-present time. Resulting curves had the same shape the experimental data ones. In case of fish and insect for simulation the duplication rate coefficient even had to be set negative in order to repeat experimental curve shape. To the duplication rate coefficient in our simulation contribute 2 criteria: gene duplications and gene losses. As gene duplication is stochastical process it should always be a constant. So the changing in the coefficient should be solely explained by the increasing gene loss of old genes. The processes are explained by the evolution model with high gene duplication and loss ratio. The drop in number of in-paralogs is probably due to the BLAST algorithm. It is observed in comparing highly divergent species and BLAST cannot find the orthologs so precisely anymore. In the second part of my work I concentrated more on the specific function of inparalogs. Because such analysis is time-consuming it could be done on the limited number species. Here I used three insects: Drosophila melanogaster (fruit y), Anopheles gambiae (mosquito) and Apis mellifera (honeybee). After Inparnoid analyses and I listed the cluster of orthologs. Functional analyses of all listed genes were done using GO annotations and also KEGG PATHWAY database. We found, that the gene duplication pattern is unique for each species and that this uniqueness is rejected through the differences in functional classes of duplicated genes. The preferences for some classes reject the evolutionary trends of the last 350 million years and allow assumptions on the role of those genes duplications in the lifestyle of species. Furthermore, the observed gene duplications allowed me to find connections between genomic changes and their phenotypic manifestations. For example I found duplications within carbohydrate metabolism rejecting feed pattern adaptation, within photo- and olfactory-receptors indicating sensing adaptation and within troponin indicating adaptations in the development. Despite these species specific differences, found high correlations between the independently duplicated genes between the species. This might hint for a "pool" of genes preferentially duplicated. Taken together, the observed duplication patterns reject the adaptational process and provide us another link to the field of genomic zoology.
N2  - In unserer Analyse untersuchten wir Genduplikationen mit besonderem Fokus auf "Inparalogen". In-paraloge sind Genduplikationen die nach Speziazion enstehen. Diese betrachteten wir hier in einer quantitativen als auch qualitativen Messreihe. Die quantitative Analyse umfasste Genome aus insgesamt 21 Spezies. Der Großteil diese hat verschiedene Lebensgewonheiten mit eine maximalen Evolutionsdistanz von 1100 Millionen Jahren. Die Arten bestanden aus Säugetiere, Fischen, Insekten und Würmern, sowie weiteren Chordaten. Alle Arten wurden mittels der Inparanoid Software paarweise "all against all" analysiert und in in-paralog Matrizen gespeichert. Basierend auf der in-paralog Matrix versuchten wir den evolutionären Baum über die Anzahl der In-paraloge als Maß für die evolutionäre Distanz zu rekonstruiren. Bei der Betrachtung alle 21 Arten würde der Baum jedoch sehr unpräzise: viel Arten wurden falsch plaziert. Durch eine Reduktion der Anzahl auf nur 12 Spezies clusterten jedoch alle Arten richtig, nur Insekten und Fische waren vertauscht. Anschließend wurde auf die In-paralog Matrix der Neighbor-net Algorithmus angewandt. Der daraus resultierende "Netz"-Baum repräsentiert die Spezies mit schneller oder langsamer Duplikationsrate im Vergleich zu den Anderen. Wir konnten Spezies mit sehr niedriger oder sehr hoher Rate identifizieren. Dabei korrelieren die Genome mit der höheren Rate zu der Anzahl der auftauchenden Whole Genome Duplikationen. Im nächsten Schritt erstellten wir Graphen für jede einzelne Spezies die das Verhältnis zwischen der Anzahl ihrer In-paraloger zur evolutionäre Distanz anzeigen. Jeder der 21 Graphen enthält insgesamt 20 Punkte. Die Punktkoordianten repräsentiern die evolutionere Distanz auf der X-Achse zu der Anzahl In-paraloger auf der Y-Achse. Bei Säugertieren wächst mit steigender Distanz auch die Anzahl In-paraloger. Das Verhältnis ist jedoch nicht linear. Bei Fischen und Insekten ist der Graph in der Nähe des Nullpunkts gleich dem von Säugetieren. Beim Erreichen einer Distanz von mehr als 800 Millionen Jahren sinkt jedoch die Anzahl der In-paralogen. Wir haben nun zusätzlich eine Simulation der Genduplikationen für alle 21 Spezies und alle dazu gehörigen Splits durchgeführt. Die Splits wurden aus publizierten Fossilien und "Molecular Clock" Daten entnommen. In unsere Simulation stieg die Duplikationsrate mit Annäherung an die heutige Zeit. In Vergleich zu den Experimentellen Daten haben die simulierten Graphen das gleiche Aussehen. Bei Fischen und Insekten musste der Koeffizient der Duplikationsrate negiert werden um die experimentelle Kurve zu erhalten. Der Koeffizient der Duplikationsrate stützt sich dabei auf folgende 2 Kriterien: Gen-Duplikation und Gen-Verlust. Da Genduplikationen einem stochastischen Prozess folgen sollten sie immer konstant sein. Daher sind die erhöhten Genverluste alter Gene verantwortlich für die Veränderunrg dieses Koeffizienten. Die Erklärung für dieses Verhalten basiert auf dem Evolutionsmodel - mit hohem Gen-Verlust und hoher Gen Duplikation. Der Verlust der In-Paralogen enstehet wahrscheinlich durch den BLAST Algorithmus. Man beobachtet dies besonders bei sehr divergenten Arten bei dennen BLAST die Orthologen nicht mehr so präzise findet. Der zweite Teil meiner Arbeit bezieht sich auf die spezifische Funktion von In-paralogen. Da diese Analyse sehr zeitaufwendig ist konnte sie nur an einer begrenzten Anzahl von Spezies durchgeführt werden. Hier habe ich die folgenden drei Insekten verwendet: Drosophila melanogaster (Fruchtfliege), Anopheles gambiae (Moskito) und Apis mellifera (Honigbiene). Alle durch die Inparanoid-Software entstandenen Cluster wurden mit der GO Annotation und der KEGG Pathway Datenbank analyiert. Wir haben herausgefunden, dass das Gen-Duplikationsmuster für jede Spezies einzigartig ist, und dass diese Einzigartigkeit durch Funktionale Unterschiede in duplizierten Genen entsteht. Die Bevorzugung einiger Gene repräsentiert die Evolutionsgeschichte der letzten 350 Millionen Jahre und erlaubt Annahmen über die Auswirkung der Gen Duplikationen im Leben der Spezies zu treffen. Weiterhin fanden wir durch die beobachteten Genduplikationen Zusammenhänge zwischen der Genomveränderung und ihrer phenotypischen Manifestation. Beispielsweise haben wir Duplikationen innerhalb des Karbohydratestoffwechsels für die Anpassung des Essvehaltens, Photo- und Olifaktorisch Rezeptoren - für Seh- und Geruchsvermögen und Troponin - zuständig für die Muskelentwicklung gefunden. Trotz diese speziesspezifischen Unterschiede haben wir starke Korrelation zwischen unabhängig duplizierten Genen erkannt. Dies könnte ein Indikator für einen "Pool" von bevorzugt duplizierten Genen sein. Zusammengefasst stellen die beobachteten Duplikationsmuster den Evolvierungsprozess dar, und liefern eine weitere Verbindung zur genomischen Zoologie.
KW  - Duplikation
KW  - Evolution
KW  - Genetik
KW  - In-paralogs
KW  - Gene duplication
KW  - Inparanoid
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-51358
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
T1  - Extrafloral nectaries versus ant-Homoptera mutualisms : a comment on Becerra and Venable
N2  - No abstract available
KW  - Nektarium
KW  - Ameise
Y1  - 1990
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-32948
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Randlkofer, Barbara
A1  - Jordan, Florian
A1  - Mitesser, Oliver
A1  - Meiners, Torsten
A1  - Obermaier, Elisabeth
T1  - Effect of vegetation density, height, and connectivity on the oviposition pattern of the leaf beetle Galeruca tanaceti
N2  - Vegetation structure can profoundly influence patterns of abundance, distribution, and reproduction of herbivorous insects and their susceptibility to natural enemies. The three main structural traits of herbaceous vegetation are density, height, and connectivity. This study determined the herbivore response to each of these three parameters by analysing oviposition patterns in the field and studying the underlying mechanisms in laboratory bioassays. The generalist leaf beetle, Galeruca tanaceti L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), preferentially deposits its egg clutches on non-host plants such as grasses. Earlier studies revealed that oviposition within structurally complex vegetation reduces the risk of egg parasitism. Consequently, leaf beetle females should prefer patches with dense, tall, or connected vegetation for oviposition in order to increase their reproductive success. In the present study, we tested the following three hypotheses on the effect of stem density, height, and connectivity on oviposition: (1) Within habitats, the number of egg clutches in areas with high stem densities is disproportionately higher than in low-density areas. The number of egg clutches on (2) tall stems or (3) in vegetation with high connectivity is higher than expected for a random distribution. In the field, stem density and height were positively correlated with egg clutch presence. Moreover, a disproportionately high presence of egg clutches was determined in patches with high stem densities. Stem height had a positive influence on oviposition, also in a laboratory two-choice bioassay, whereas stem density and connectivity did not affect oviposition preferences in the laboratory. Therefore, stem height and, potentially, density, but not connectivity, seem to trigger oviposition site selection of the herbivore. This study made evident that certain, but not all traits of the vegetation structure can impose a strong influence on oviposition patterns of herbivorous insects. The results were finally compared with data on the movement patterns of the specialised egg parasitoid of the herbivore in comparable types of vegetation structure.
KW  - Blattkäfer
KW  - Galeruca tanaceti
KW  - Hautflügler
KW  - Eulophidae
KW  - Oomyzus galerucivorus
KW  - Coleoptera
KW  - Chrysomelidae
KW  - tansy leaf beetle
KW  - vegetation structure
KW  - Oomyzus galerucivorus
KW  - Hymenoptera
KW  - Eulophidae
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-49665
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lambeets, Kevin
A1  - Vandegehuchte, Martijn L.
A1  - Maelfait, Jean-Pierre
A1  - Bonte, Dries
T1  - Understanding the impact of flooding on trait-displacements and shifts in assemblage structure of predatory arthropods on river banks
N2  - 1. Species assemblages of naturally disturbed habitats are governed by the prevailing disturbance regime. Consequently, stochastic flood events affect river banks and the inhabiting biota. Predatory arthropods occupy predominantly river banks in relation to specific habitat conditions. Therefore, species sorting and stochastic processes as induced by flooding are supposed to play important roles in structuring riparian arthropod assemblages in relation to their habitat preference and dispersal ability. 2. To ascertain whether assemblages of spiders and carabid beetles from disturbed river banks are structured by stochastic or sorting mechanisms, diversity patterns and assemblage-wide trait-displacements were assessed based on pitfall sampling data. We tested if flooding disturbance within a lowland river reach affects diversity patterns and trait distribution in both groups. 3. Whereas the number of riparian spider species decreased considerably with increased flooding, carabid beetle diversity benefited from intermediate degrees of flooding. Moreover, regression analyses revealed trait-displacements, reflecting sorting mechanisms particularly for spiders. Increased flooding disturbance was associated with assemblage-wide increases of niche breadth, shading and hygrophilic preference and ballooning propensity for spider (sub)families. Trait patterns were comparable for Bembidiini carabids, but were less univocal for Pterostichini species. Body size decreased for lycosid spiders and Bembidiini carabids with increased flooding, but increased in linyphiid spiders and Pterostichini carabids. 4. Our results indicate that mainly riparian species are disfavoured by either too high or too low degrees of disturbance, whereas eurytopic species benefit from increased flooding. Anthropogenic alterations of flooding disturbance constrain the distribution of common hygrophilous species and/or species with high dispersal ability, inducing shifts towards less specialized arthropod assemblages. River banks with divergent degrees of flooding impact should be maintained throughout dynamic lowland river reaches in order to preserve typical riparian arthropod assemblages.
KW  - Flussufer
KW  - body size
KW  - dispersal ability
KW  - niche breadth
KW  - riparian ecology
KW  - trait-displacement
Y1  - 2008
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-49580
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Heisswolf, Annette
A1  - Ulmann, Sandra
A1  - Obermaier, Elisabeth
A1  - Mitesser, Oliver
A1  - Poethke, Hans J.
T1  - Host plant finding in the specialised leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata: an analysis of small-scale movement behaviour
N2  - 1. Host plant finding in walking herbivorous beetles is still poorly understood. Analysis of small-scale movement patterns under semi-natural conditions can be a useful tool to detect behavioural responses towards host plant cues. 2. In this study, the small-scale movement behaviour of the monophagous leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was studied in a semi-natural arena (r = 1 m). In three different settings, a host (Salvia pratensis L., Lamiales: Lamiaceae), a non-host (Rumex conglomeratus Murr., Caryophyllales: Polygonaceae), or no plant was presented in the centre of the arena. 3. The beetles showed no differences in the absolute movement variables, straightness and mean walking speed, between the three settings. However, the relative movement variables, mean distance to the centre and mean angular deviation from walking straight to the centre, were significantly smaller when a host plant was offered. Likewise, the angular deviation from walking straight to the centre tended to decline with decreasing distance from the centre. Finally, significantly more beetles were found on the host than on the non-host at the end of all the trials. 4. It is concluded that C. canaliculata is able to recognise its host plant from a distance. Whether olfactory or visual cues (or a combination of both) are used to find the host plant remains to be elucidated by further studies.
KW  - Käfer
KW  - Blattkäfer
KW  - Ampfer
KW  - Wiesensalbei
KW  - Arena experiment
KW  - Coleoptera
KW  - Chrysomelidae
KW  - olfaction
KW  - Rumex
KW  - Salvia pratensis
KW  - vision
KW  - walking
Y1  - 2007
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-49485
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Heisswolf, Annette
A1  - Gabler, Dirk
A1  - Obermaier, Elisabeth
A1  - Müller, Caroline
T1  - Olfactory versus contact cues in host plant recognition of a monophagous chrysomelid beetle
N2  - The importance of olfactory versus contact cues for host plant recognition was investigated in the tortoise beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), which is strictly monophagous on meadow sage. The reaction of adult beetles to olfactory and contact host cues was tested using three bioassays (locomotion compensator, six-chamber-olfactometer, stem arena') to account for different behavioral contexts. Bioassay-guided fractionation of plant extracts was elaborated to characterize the nature of contact stimuli. The beetles were only slightly attracted to odors from small amounts of leaf material. However, when contact cues were provided additionally, the beetles showed strong preferences for samples of their host plant over controls. Bioassay-guided fractionation led to isolation of at least two non-polar contact stimuli acting in concert that are sufficient for host plant identification in C. canaliculata.
KW  - Insekt
KW  - Verhalten
KW  - Locomotion compensator
KW  - olfactometer
KW  - bioassay-guided fractionation
KW  - stem arena
KW  - host recognition
Y1  - 2007
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-49475
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Ruchty, Markus
T1  - Sensory basis of thermal orientation in leaf-cutting ants
T1  - Sensorische Grundlagen der thermischen Orientierung bei Blattschneiderameisen
N2  - Leaf-cutting ants have a highly developed thermal sense which the insects use to regulate the own body temperature and also to optimize brood and fungus development. Apart from the already described temperature guided behaviors inside the nest it is unknown to what extent the ants may use their thermal sense outside the nest. As part of the present thesis, the question was addressed whether leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri) are able to learn the position of a warm object as landmark for orientation during foraging. Using absolute conditioning, it was shown that ten training trials are sufficient to elicit the association be-tween food reward and the temperature stimulus. In the test situation (without reward) a significantly higher amount of ants preferred the heated site compared to the unheated con-trol. Importantly, thermal radiation alone was sufficient to establish the learned association and served as orientation cue during the test situation (chapter IV). Based on the experi-mental design used in the previous chapter, the localization of thermosensitive neurons, which detect the underlying thermal stimuli, is restricted to the head or the antennae of the ants. The antennal sensillum coeloconicum is a potential candidate to detect the thermal stimuli during the orientation behavior. In chapter V the sensillum coeloconicum of Atta vollenweideri was investigated concerning its gross morphology, fine-structure and the phy-siology of the associated thermosensitive neuron. The sensillum is predominantly located on the apical antennal segment (antennal tip) where around 12 sensilla are clustered, and it has a peg-in-pit morphology with a double walled, multiporous peg. The sensory peg is deeply embedded in a cuticular pit, connected to the environment only by a tiny aperture. The sen-sillum houses three receptor neurons of which one is thermosensitive whereas the sensory modality of the other two neurons remains to be shown. Upon stimulation with a drop in temperature, the thermosensitve neuron responds with a phasic-tonic increase in neuronal activity (cold-sensitive neuron) and shows rapid adaptation to prolonged stimulation. In ad-dition, it is shown that thermal radiation is an effective stimulus for the thermosensitive neuron. This is the first evidence that sensilla coeloconica play an important role during the thermal orientation behavior described in chapter IV. During the test situation of the classic-al conditioning paradigm, the ants showed rapid antennal movements, indicating that they scan their environment in order to detect the heated object. Rapid antennal movements will result in rapid discontinuities of thermal radiation that re-quire thermosensitive neurons with outstanding sensitivity and high temporal resolution. In Chapter VI the question was addressed whether the thermosensitive neuron of the sensilla coeloconica fulfils these preconditions. Extracellular recordings revealed that the neuron is extremely sensitive to temperature transients and that, due to the response dynamics, an estimated stimulus frequency of up to 5 Hz can be resolved by the neuron. Already a tem-perature increase of only 0.005 °C leads to a pronounced response of the thermosensitive neuron. Through sensory adaptation, the sensitivity to temperature transients is maintained over a wide range of ambient temperatures. The discovered extreme sensitivity, the high temporal resolution and the pronounced adaptation abilities are further evidence support-ing the idea that sensilla coeloconica receive information of the thermal environment, which the ants may use for orientation. In order to understand how the ants use their thermal environment for orientation, it is ne-cessary to know where and how thermal information is processed in their central nervous system. In Chapter VII the question is addressed where in the brain the thermal information, specifically received by the thermosensitive neuron of sensilla coeloconica, is represented. By selectively staining single sensilla coeloconica, the axons of the receptor neurons could be tracked into the antennal lobe of Atta vollenweideri workers. Each of the three axons termi-nated in a single functional unit (glomerulus) of the antennal lobe. Two of the innervated glomeruli were adjacent to each other and are located lateral, while the third one was clear-ly separate and located medial in the antennal lobe. Using two-photon Ca2+ imaging of an-tennal lobe projection neurons, the general representation of thermal information in the antennal lobe was studied. In 11 investigated antennal lobes up to six different glomeruli responded to temperature stimulation in a single specimen. Both, warm- and cold-sensitive glomeruli could be identified. All thermosensitive glomeruli were located in the medial half of the antennal lobe. Based on the correlative evidence of the general representation of thermal information and the results from the single sensilla stainings, it is assumed that thermal information received by sensilla coeloconica is processed in the medial of the three target glomeruli. This part of the thesis shows the important role of the antennal lobe in temperature processing and links one specific thermosensitive neuron to its target region (a single glomerulus). In chapter V it was shown that the sensilla coeloconica are clustered at the antennal tip and have an extraordinary peg-in-pit morphology. In the last chapter of this thesis (Chapter VIII) the question is addressed whether the morphology of the sensilla coeloconica predicts the receptive field of the thermosensitive neuron during the detection of thermal radiation. The sensory pegs of all sensilla coeloconica in the apical cluster have a similar orientation, which was not constraint by the shape of the antennal tip where the cluster is located. This finding indicates that the sensilla coeloconica function as a single unit. Finally the hypothesis was tested whether a single sensillum could be direction sensitive to thermal radiation based on its eye-catching morphology. By stimulating the thermosensitive neuron from various angles around the sensillum this indeed could be shown. This is the last and most significant evi-dence that the sensilla coeloconica may be adapted to detect spatially distributed heated objects in the environment during the thermal landmark orientation of ants.
N2  - Blattschneiderameisen besitzen einen hochgradig entwickelten Temperatursinn, den sie hauptsächlich zur Regulation ihrer Körpertemperatur, aber auch zur Optimierung der Brut- und Pilzentwicklung einsetzen. Abgesehen von temperaturgesteuerten Verhaltensweisen innerhalb des Nests ist nicht bekannt, ob die Tiere ihren Temperatursinn auch außerhalb des Nests einsetzen können. Im ersten Teil der vorliegenden Arbeit wird der Frage nachgegan-gen, ob Blattschneiderameisen (Atta vollenweideri) die Position eines warmen Objektes de-tektieren können und ob sie das Objekt anschließend als erlernte Landmarke zur Orientie-rung während des Furagierens nutzen können. Mit Hilfe eines absoluten Konditionierungs-paradigmas konnte gezeigt werden, dass nach zehn Trainingsdurchläufen die Assoziation zwischen Futter und einem thermischem Stimulus von den Tieren gebildet wird. In der unbe-lohnten Testsituation entscheiden sich die signifikant höhere Anzahl der Tiere für die er-wärmte Seite. Alleine die thermische Strahlung des erwärmten Körpers ist bereits ausrei-chend, um die Assoziation zu bilden und während des Tests als Orientierungssignal zu dienen (Kapitel IV). Durch die Art und Weise der Durchführung des Experiments im vorangegangenen Kapitel, konnte der Ort, an dem sich die nötigen thermosensitiven Neurone befinden, auf den Kopf bzw. die Antennen der Tiere beschränkt werden. Aufgrund ihrer Position auf den Antennen gelten die Sensilla coeloconica als potentielle Kandidaten für die Detektion der notwendigen Stimuli während des thermischen Orientierungsverhaltens. In Kapitel V dieser Arbeit wird das Sensillum coeloconicum in Bezug auf seine Morphologie, seine Ultrastruktur und die Physiologie des assoziierten thermosensitiven Neurons untersucht. Sensilla coeloconica be-finden sich hauptsächlich auf dem letzen Antennensegment, der Antennenspitze, in einer Gruppe von bis zu 12 einzelnen Sensillen. Morphologisch kann das Sensillum als Grubensensillum klassifiziert werden und es enthält einem doppelwandigen Zapfen, der von zahlreichen Poren durchzogen ist. Der Zapfen ist tief in eine kutikuläre Grube eingelassen und nur über eine winzige Apertur mit der Umwelt verbunden. Das Sensillum beherbergt drei Rezeptorneurone, von denen eines thermosensitiv ist, während die sensorische Modali-tät der anderen beiden Neurone bis auf weiteres unklar ist. Als Antwort auf eine Abnahme in der Stimulustemperatur generiert das thermosensitive Neuron eine phasisch-tonische Erhö-hung der neuronalen Aktivität (kältesensitives Neuron) und adaptiert sehr schnell an anhaltende Stimulationen. Zusätzlich kann gezeigt werden, dass thermische Strahlung ein wirksa-mer Stimulus für das thermosensitive Neuron ist. Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchungen sind ein erster Hinweis darauf, dass die Sensilla coeloconica eine wichtige Rolle während des thermischen Orientierungsverhaltens spielen. Bei der klassischen Konditionierung wurden schnelle Antennenbewegungen bei den Ameisen festgestellt, die sich in der Testsituation zwischen dem warmen Objekt und dem Kontrollob-jekt entscheiden mussten. Diese schnellen Bewegungen könnten bedeuten, dass die Tiere Ihre Umgebung nach dem konditionierten warmen Objekt absuchen. Solche schnellen An-tennenbewegungen führen zu schnellen Temperaturänderungen und die Detektion dieser Stimuli setzt thermosensitive Neurone mit besonderer Sensitivität und erhöhtem zeitlichen Auflösungsvermögen voraus. In Kapitel VI wird untersucht, ob das thermosensitive Neuron der Sensilla coeloconica diese Voraussetzungen erfüllt. Extrazelluläre Ableitungen zeigen, dass das Neuron extrem sensitiv auf Temperaturänderungen reagiert und dass aufgrund der Antwortdynamik Stimulationsfrequenzen von bis zu fünf Hertz aufgelöst werden können. Schon eine Temperaturänderung von 0.005 °C führt zu einer ausgeprägten Antwort des thermosensitiven Neurons. Durch sensorische Adaption bleibt diese erhöhte Sensitivität über einen großen Umgebungstemperaturbereich erhalten. Die außergewöhnliche Sensitivi-tät, die hohe zeitliche Auflösung sowie die Adaptionsfähigkeit des thermosensitiven Neurons sind weitere Hinweise darauf, dass die Sensilla coeloconica in der Lage sind Stimuli zu rezi-pieren, welche zur thermischen Orientierung genutzt werden könnten. Um zu verstehen, wie sich die Tiere anhand ihrer thermischen Umwelt orientieren, ist es nötig zu wissen, wo im Zentralnervensystem die thermische Information prozessiert wird. In Kapitel VII wird analysiert, in welchem Bereich des Gehirns die thermische Information der Sensilla coeloconica repräsentiert ist. Mittels selektiver Färbung einzelner Sensilla coeloconica können die Axone der Rezeptorneurone im Gehirn verfolgt werden. Jedes der drei Axone endet in jeweils einer funktionellen Einheit (Glomerulus) im Antennallobus. Zwei der innervierten Glomeruli sind direkt benachbart und liegen im lateralen Teil des Antennallobus während der dritte Glomerulus im medialen Bereich zu finden ist. Mit Hilfe von zwei-Photonen Ca2+ Imaging der Projektionsneurone wurde die Repräsentation von thermischer Information im Antennallobus untersucht. In 11 untersuchten Antennalloben antworten bis zu sechs einzelne Glomeruli auf die Temperaturstimulation. Sowohl warm- als auch kalt-sensitive Glomeruli konnten identifiziert werden. Alle thermosensitiven Glomeruli tende Stimulationen. Zusätzlich kann gezeigt werden, dass thermische Strahlung ein wirksa-mer Stimulus für das thermosensitive Neuron ist. Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchungen sind ein erster Hinweis darauf, dass die Sensilla coeloconica eine wichtige Rolle während des thermischen Orientierungsverhaltens spielen. Bei der klassischen Konditionierung wurden schnelle Antennenbewegungen bei den Ameisen festgestellt, die sich in der Testsituation zwischen dem warmen Objekt und dem Kontrollob-jekt entscheiden mussten. Diese schnellen Bewegungen könnten bedeuten, dass die Tiere Ihre Umgebung nach dem konditionierten warmen Objekt absuchen. Solche schnellen An-tennenbewegungen führen zu schnellen Temperaturänderungen und die Detektion dieser Stimuli setzt thermosensitive Neurone mit besonderer Sensitivität und erhöhtem zeitlichen Auflösungsvermögen voraus. In Kapitel VI wird untersucht, ob das thermosensitive Neuron der Sensilla coeloconica diese Voraussetzungen erfüllt. Extrazelluläre Ableitungen zeigen, dass das Neuron extrem sensitiv auf Temperaturänderungen reagiert und dass aufgrund der Antwortdynamik Stimulationsfrequenzen von bis zu fünf Hertz aufgelöst werden können. Schon eine Temperaturänderung von 0.005 °C führt zu einer ausgeprägten Antwort des thermosensitiven Neurons. Durch sensorische Adaption bleibt diese erhöhte Sensitivität über einen großen Umgebungstemperaturbereich erhalten. Die außergewöhnliche Sensitivi-tät, die hohe zeitliche Auflösung sowie die Adaptionsfähigkeit des thermosensitiven Neurons sind weitere Hinweise darauf, dass die Sensilla coeloconica in der Lage sind Stimuli zu rezipieren, welche zur thermischen Orientierung genutzt werden könnten.
KW  - Neurobiologie
KW  - Temperatur
KW  - Orientierung
KW  - Neurobiologie
KW  - soziale Insekten
KW  - Elektrophysiologie
KW  - Infrared radiation
KW  - thermal orientation
KW  - social insects
KW  - imaging
KW  - neurobiology
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48906
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Knapek, Stephan
T1  - Synapsin and Bruchpilot, two synaptic proteins underlying specific phases of olfactory aversive memory in Drosophila melanogaster
T1  - Synapsin und Bruchpilot, zwei synaptische Proteine für spezifische Komponenten von aversivem olfaktorischem Gedächtnis bei Drosophila melanogaster
N2  - Memory is dynamic: shortly after acquisition it is susceptible to amnesic treatments, gets gradually consolidated, and becomes resistant to retrograde amnesia (McGaugh, 2000). Associative olfactory memory of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster also shows these features. After a single associative training where an odor is paired with electric shock (Quinn et al., 1974; Tully and Quinn, 1985), flies form an aversive odor memory that lasts for several hours, consisting of qualitatively different components. These components can be dissociated by mutations, their underlying neuronal circuitry and susceptibility to amnesic treatments (Dubnau and Tully, 1998; Isabel et al., 2004; Keene and Waddell, 2007; Masek and Heisenberg, 2008; Xia and Tully, 2007). A component that is susceptible to an amnesic treatment, i.e. anesthesia-sensitive memory (ASM), dominates early memory, but decays rapidly (Margulies et al., 2005; Quinn and Dudai, 1976). A consolidated anesthesia-resistant memory component (ARM) is built gradually within the following hours and lasts significantly longer (Margulies et al., 2005; Quinn and Dudai, 1976). I showed here that the establishment of ARM requires less intensity of shock reinforcement than ASM. ARM and ASM rely on different molecular and/or neuronal processes: ARM is selectively impaired in the radish mutant, whereas for example the amnesiac and rutabaga genes are specifically required for ASM (Dudai et al., 1988; Folkers et al., 1993; Isabel et al., 2004; Quinn and Dudai, 1976; Schwaerzel et al., 2007; Tully et al., 1994). The latter comprise the cAMP signaling pathway in the fly, with the PKA being its supposed major target (Levin et al., 1992). Here I showed that a synapsin null-mutant encoding the evolutionary conserved phosphoprotein Synapsin is selectively impaired in the labile ASM. Further experiments suggested Synapsin as a potential downstream effector of the cAMP/PKA cascade. Similar to my results, Synapsin plays a role for different learning tasks in vertebrates (Gitler et al., 2004; Silva et al., 1996). Also in Aplysia, PKA-dependent phosphorylation of Synapsin has been proposed to be involved in regulation of neurotransmitter release and short-term plasticity (Angers et al., 2002; Fiumara et al., 2004). Synapsin is associated with a reserve pool of vesicles at the presynapse and is required to maintain vesicle release specifically under sustained high frequency nerve stimulation (Akbergenova and Bykhovskaia, 2007; Li et al., 1995; Pieribone et al., 1995; Sun et al., 2006). In contrast, the requirement of Bruchpilot, which is homologous to the mammalian active zone proteins ELKS/CAST (Wagh et al., 2006), is most pronounced in immediate vesicle release (Kittel et al., 2006). Under repeated stimulation of a bruchpilot mutant motor neuron, immediate vesicle release is severely impaired whereas the following steady-state release is still possible (Kittel et al., 2006). In line with that, knockdown of the Bruchpilot protein causes impairment in clustering of Ca2+ channels to the active zones and a lack of electron-dense projections at presynaptic terminals (T-bars). Thus, less synaptic vesicles of the readily-releasable pool are accumulated to the release sites and their release probability is severely impaired (Kittel et al., 2006; Wagh et al., 2006). First, I showed that Bruchpilot is required for aversive olfactory memory and localized the requirement of Bruchpilot to the Kenyon cells of the mushroom body, the second-order olfactory interneurons in Drosophila. Furthermore, I demonstrated that Bruchpilot selectively functions for the consolidated anesthesia-resistant memory. Since Synapsin is specifically required for the labile anesthesia sensitive memory, different synaptic proteins can dissociate consolidated and labile components of olfactory memory and two different modes of neurotransmission (high- vs. low frequency dependent) might differentiate ASM and ARM.
N2  - Gedächtnis ist ein dynamischer Prozess. In der Zeit kurz nach seiner Bildung ist es instabil und anfällig gegen amnestische Störungen, dann wird es schrittweise konsolidiert und schließlich resistent gegenüber retrogradem Gedächtnisverlust (McGaugh, 2000). Auch das assoziative olfaktorische Gedächtnis der Fruchtfliege Drosophila melanogaster zeigt diese Merkmale. Nach einem einzelnen assoziativen Training, in welchem ein Duft mit elektrischen Stromstößen gepaart wird, bilden die Fliegen ein aversives Duftgedächtnis, welches über mehrere Stunden anhält und aus qualitativ unterschiedlichen Komponenten besteht (Quinn et al., 1974; Tully and Quinn, 1985). Diese Komponenten können zum Beispiel durch Mutationen, die zugrunde liegenden neuronalen Verknüpfungen oder durch ihre Anfälligkeit für amnestische Behandlungen unterschieden werden (Dubnau and Tully, 1998; Isabel et al., 2004; Keene and Waddell, 2007; Masek and Heisenberg, 2008; Xia and Tully, 2007). Eine gegen amnestische Behandlungen, wie beispielsweise Kälte-induzierte Betäubung, anfällige Komponente beherrscht das frühe Gedächtnis, zerfällt jedoch schnell (Margulies et al., 2005; Quinn and Dudai, 1976). Diese wird deshalb Anästhesie-sensitives Gedächtnis genannt (anesthesia-sensitive memory [ASM]). Im Gegensatz dazu baut sich eine konsolidierte Komponente erst langsam in den folgenden Stunden nach dem Training auf, hält stattdessen jedoch länger an (Margulies et al., 2005; Quinn and Dudai, 1976). Diese Komponente ist resistent gegenüber Kälte-induzierter Anästhesie und wird deshalb als ARM (anesthesia-resistant memory) bezeichnet. In der vorliegenden Arbeit konnte ich zeigen, dass das konsolidierte ARM bereits mit deutlich weniger starken Elektroschocks im Training gebildet wird als das instabile ASM. ARM und ASM unterliegen unterschiedliche molekulare und/oder neuronale Prozesse. Während in einer Mutante für das radish Gen selektiv ARM beeinträchtigt ist, werden andere Gene wie zum Beispiel amnesiac oder rutabaga ausschließlich für ASM benötigt (Dudai et al., 1988; Folkers et al., 1993; Isabel et al., 2004; Quinn and Dudai, 1976; Schwaerzel et al., 2007; Tully et al., 1994). Die beiden letzteren sind Teil des cAMP Signalweges, welcher vermutlich hauptsächlich die cAMP abhängige Protein-Kinase A (PKA) aktiviert (Levin et al., 1992). Hier zeige ich, dass eine Null-Mutante für das evolutionär konservierte Phosphoprotein Synapsin einen selektiven Defekt in ASM hat. Weitere Experimente lassen vermuten, dass Synapsin als Effektor stromabwärts der cAMP/PKA Kaskade wirkt. Ähnlich wie bei Drosophila spielt Synaspin auch in Vertebraten eine Rolle in unterschiedlichen Lernparadigmen (Gitler et al., 2004; Silva et al., 1996). Auch in der Meeresschnecke Aplysia wurde eine PKA abhängige Phosphorylierung von Synapsin als Mechanismus für die Regulierung von Neurotransmitterausschüttung und Kurzzeitplastizität vorgeschlagen (Angers et al., 2002; Fiumara et al., 2004). Synapsin wird für die Bildung eines Reserve-Pools von Vesikeln an der Präsynapse und für die Aufrechterhaltung der Vesikelausschüttung speziell bei anhaltender, hochfrequenter Stimulation von Nervenzellen benötigt (Akbergenova and Bykhovskaia, 2007; Li et al., 1995; Pieribone et al., 1995; Sun et al., 2006). Im Gegensatz dazu wird Bruchpilot, ein Protein der aktiven Zone und homolog zu den ELKS/CAST Proteinen bei Säugern (Wagh et al., 2006), haupsächlich für sofortige Vesikelausschüttung gebraucht (Kittel et al., 2006). Bei wiederholter Stimulation an Motorneuronen einer bruchpilot Mutante ist die akute Vesikelausschüttung stark vermindert, während die darauf folgende andauernde Ausschüttung noch immer möglich ist (Kittel et al., 2006). Dazu passend beeinträchtigt eine künstliche Verminderung des Bruchpilot-Proteins die Ansammlung von Ca2+ Kanälen an den aktiven Zonen, sowie die Bildung von elektronendichten Strukturen (T-bars) an den präsynaptischen Endigungen. Deshalb akkumulieren weniger Vesikel des “readily-releasable” Pools an den Ausschüttungsstellen und die Ausschüttungswahrscheinlichkeit ist stark vermindert (Kittel et al., 2006; Wagh et al., 2006). In dieser Arbeit zeige ich zum ersten Mal, dass Bruchpilot für aversives olfaktorisches Gedächtnis benötigt wird. Der Ort an dem Bruchpilot hierfür gebraucht wird sind die Kenyon-Zellen des Pilzkörpers, die olfaktorischen Interneuronen zweiter Ordnung in Drosophila. Desweiteren zeige ich, dass die Funktion von Bruchpilot selektiv für das konsolidierte ARM ist. Da Synapsin spezifisch für das labile ASM benötigt wird, können diese beiden olfaktorischen Gedächtniskomponenten durch verschiedene synaptische Proteine getrennt werden, und zwei unterschiedliche Arten der Neurotransmitterausschüttung (abhängig von hoch- oder niedrig-frequenter Stimulation) könnten ASM und ARM auseinander halten.
KW  - Taufliege
KW  - Assoziatives Gedächtnis
KW  - Geruchswahrnehmung
KW  - Molekularbiologie
KW  - Synapsin
KW  - Bruchpilot
KW  - Präsynapse
KW  - Drosophila melanogaster
KW  - olfaktorisches Gedächtnis
KW  - Synapsin
KW  - Bruchpilot
KW  - presynapse
KW  - Drosophila melanogaster
KW  - olfactory memory
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-49726
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Poethke, Hans J.
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
T1  - Evolution of density-and patch-size-dependent dispersal rates
N2  - Based on a marginal value approach, we derive a nonlinear expression for evolutionarily stable (ES) dispersal rates in a metapopulation with global dispersal. For the general case of density-dependent population growth, our analysis shows that individual dispersal rates should decrease with patch capacity and-beyond a certain threshold-increase with population density. We performed a number of spatially explicit, individual-based simulation experiments to test these predictions and to explore further the relevance of variation in the rate of population increase, density dependence, environmental fluctuations and dispersal mortality on the evolution of dispersal rates. They confirm the predictions of our analytical approach. In addition, they show that dispersal rates in metapopulations mostly depend on dispersal mortality and inter-patch variation in population density. The latter is dominantly driven by environmental fluctuations and the rate of population increase. These conclusions are not altered by the introduction of neighbourhood dispersal. With patch capacities in the order of 100 individuals, kin competition seems to be of negligible importance for ES dispersal rates except when overall dispersal rates are low.
KW  - Metapopulation
KW  - Dichte
KW  - Verteilung
KW  - density-dependent dispersal
KW  - metapopulation
KW  - patch size
KW  - ESS
KW  - dispersal rate
KW  - individual based model (IBM)
Y1  - 2002
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-49659
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kreft, Jürgen
A1  - Haas, Albert
A1  - Goebel, Werner
T1  - Isolation and characterization of genes coding for proteins involved in the cytolysis by Listeria ivanovii
N2  - We established a library of chromosomal DNA of Listeria ivanovii in the pTZ19R plasmid system, using Escherichia coli DH5alpha as the host. One recombinant clone reacted strongly with a polyclonal antiserum raised against the listeriolysin 0 and a second exoprotein (24kDa) of L. ivanovii, which is most probably also involved in cytolytic processes. The recombinant E. coli clone may contain part of the listeriolysin 0 gene of L. ivanovii.
Y1  - 1989
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-46991
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kreft, Jürgen
A1  - Funke, D.
A1  - Schlesinger, R.
A1  - Lottspeich, F.
A1  - Goebel, Werner
T1  - Purification and characterization of cytolysins from Listeria monocytogenes serovar 4b and Listeria ivanovii
N2  - Several exoproteins from Listeria monocytogenes serovar 4b (NCTC 10527) and Listeria ivanovii (ATCC) 19119, SLCC 2379), respectively, have been purified to homogeneity by thiol-disulfide exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Both strains produce a haemolytic/cytolytic protein of Mr 58 kDa, which has all the properties of a SH-activated cytolysin, the prototype of which is streptolysin 0 (SLO), and this protein has therefore heen termed Iisteriolysin 0 (LLO). In addition a protein of Mr 24 kDa from culture supernatants of L. ivanovii co-purified withLLO. The N-terminal aminoacid sequences of both proteins from L. ivanovii have been determined. By mutagenesis with transposons of Gram-positive origin (Tn916 and TnI545), which have been introduced via conjugation into L. ivanovii, several phenotypic mutants (altered haemolysis on sheep blood agar or lecithinase-negative) were obtained. Results on the properties of these muntants will he presented.
Y1  - 1989
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47036
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kreft, Jürgen
A1  - Hughes, Colin
T1  - Cloning vectors derived from plasmids and phage of Bacillus
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1982
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47014
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kreft, Jürgen
A1  - Bernhard, K.
A1  - Goebel, Werner
T1  - Recombinant plasmids capable to replication in B. subtilis and E. coli
N2  - The plasmid pBC16 (4.25 kbases), ongtnally isolated from Bacillus cereus, determines tetracycline resistance and can be transformed into competent cells of B. subtilis. A miniplasmid of pBCl6 (pBCI6-1), 2,7 kb) which has lost an EcoRI fragment of pBCI6 retains the replication functions and the tetracycline resistance. This plasmid which carries only one EcoRI site has been joined in vitro to pBS], a cryptic plasmid previously isolated from B. subtilis and shown to carry also a single EcoRI site (Bernhard et aI., 1978). The recombinant plasmid is unstable and dissociates into the plasmid pBSl61 (8.2 kb) and the smaller plasmid pBS162 (2. I kb). Plasmid pBS161 retains the tetracycline resistance. It possesses a single EcoRI site and 6 HindlII sites. The largest HindIII fragment of pBS161 carries the tetracycline resistance gene and the replication function. After circularization in vitro of this fragment a new plasmid, pBS161-l is generated, which can be used as a HindlII and EcoRI cloning vector in Bacillus suhtilis. Hybrid plasmids consisting of the E. coli plasmids pBR322, p WL 7 or pACl84 and different HindlII fragments of pBSI61 were constructed in vitro. Hybrids containing together with the E. coli plasmid the largest HindlII fragment of pBS161 can replicate in E. coli and B. sublilis. In E. coli only the replicon of the E. coli plasmid part is functioning whereas in B. suhtilis replication of the hybrid plasmid is under the control of the Bacillus replicon. The tetracycline resistance of the B. subtilis plasmid is expressed in E. coli, but several antibiotic resistances of the E. coli plasmids (ampicillin, kanamycin and chloramphenicol) are not expressed in B. suhtilis. The hybrid plasmids seem to be more unstable in B. subtilis than in E. coli.
Y1  - 1978
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47000
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kreft, Jürgen
T1  - Reovirus-specific messenger ribonucleoprotein particles from Hela cells
N2  - When reovirus-infected Hela cells are incubated at 43°C virus-specific messenger RNA is released ~rom the polysomes. It accumulates free in the cytoplasm as messenger ribonucleoprotem partIcles (mRNPs). The:e part~cles have a sedimentati~n rate of about 50S and a buoyant densIty m CsCI of 1.42 g/cm . ReovIrus mRNPs contam, beSIdes all three size classes of reovirus messenger RNA, the same spectrum of proteins found in the polysomal mRNPs from uninfected cells, plus t~o addi~ional pr?teins with molecular masses of 7000~ d and 110000 d, respectively. Electron mIcroscoPIc exammatlOn of the reovIrus mRNP fractIOn reveals specific Y-shaped structures wIth a total mean length ofO.5Ilm.
KW  - Hela Cells
KW  - Reovirus
KW  - Messenger Ribonucleoprotein Particles
KW  - mRNP-Proteins
KW  - Electron Microscopy
Y1  - 1980
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47028
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kreft, Jürgen
A1  - Goebel, Werner
T1  - Complex Co1E1 DNA in Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis
N2  - Incubation of the colicinogenic Escherichia coli strain JC 411 (ColE1) at elevated temperatures (47-49°) leads to the accumulation of catenated molecules and replicative intermediates of this plasmid. Mature supercoiled OolE1 DNA molecules synthesized under these conditions have an increased number of tertiary turns as shown by electron microscopy. The monomeric tightly supercoiled molecules possess a slightly slower sedimentation rate and a higher binding capacity for ethidium bromide than supercoiJed monomers synthesized at lower temperatures. Recombination deficient mutants of E. coli recA, recB and recC, which carry the ColE1 plasmid, form about the same amount of catenated molecules at the elevated temperature as a rec+ strain. In addition, we have observed by electron microscopy a small percentage (.--.5% of the circular DNA molecules) of minicircular DNA molecules in all preparations of JC 411 (CoIE1). They are homogenous in size, with a molecular weight of 1.4 X 106 daltons. Addition of chloramphenicol to a culture of Proteus mirabilis (ColE1) leads to an increased amount of higher multiple circular oligomers and to a stimulated accumulation of catenated OolE1 DNA molecules of varying sizes. ColE1 DNA synthesis is more thermosensitive than chromosomal DNA replication in P. mirabili8. Plasmid replication stops completely at temperatures above 43°C.
Y1  - 1974
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47044
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bonte, Dries
A1  - Travis, Justin M. J.
A1  - De Clercq, Nele
A1  - Zwertvaegher, Ingrid
A1  - Lens, Luc
T1  - Thermal conditions during juvenile development affect adult dispersal in a spider
N2  - Abstract: Understanding the causes and consequences of dispersal is a prerequisite for the effective management of natural populations. Rather than treating dispersal as a fixed trait, it should be considered a plastic process that responds to both genetic and environmental conditions. Here, we consider how the ambient temperature experienced by juvenile Erigone atra, a spider inhabiting crop habitat, influences adult dispersal. This species exhibits 2 distinct forms of dispersal, ballooning (long distance) and rappelling (short distance). Using a half-sib design we raised individuals under 4 different temperature regimes and quantified the spiders' propensity to balloon and to rappel. Additionally, as an indicator of investment in settlement, we determined the size of the webs build by the spiders following dispersal. The optimal temperature regimes for reproduction and overall dispersal investment were 20 °C and 25 °C. Propensity to perform short-distance movements was lowest at 15 °C, whereas for long-distance dispersal it was lowest at 30 °C. Plasticity in dispersal was in the direction predicted on the basis of the risks associated with seasonal changes in habitat availability; long-distance ballooning occurred more frequently under cooler, spring-like conditions and short-distance rappelling under warmer, summer-like conditions. Based on these findings, we conclude that thermal conditions during development provide juvenile spiders with information about the environmental conditions they are likely to encounter as adults and that this information influences the spider's dispersal strategy. Climate change may result in suboptimal adult dispersal behavior, with potentially deleterious population level consequences.
KW  - Erigone atra
KW  - emigration
KW  - dispersal distance
KW  - immigration
KW  - behavior
KW  - plasticity
KW  - silk
KW  - body condition
KW  - seasonality
Y1  - 2008
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48691
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gros, Andreas
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
A1  - Poethke, Hans Joachim
T1  - Evolution of sex-biased dispersal : the role of sex-specific dispersal costs, demographic stochasticity, and inbreeding
N2  - Abstract: Inbreeding avoidance and asymmetric competition over resources have both been identified as factors favoring the evolution of sex-biased dispersal. It has also been recognized that sex-specific costs of dispersal would select for sex-biased dispersal, but there is little quantitative information on this aspect. In this paper we explore (i) the quantitative relationship between cost-asymmetry and a bias in dispersal, (ii) the influence of demographic stochasticity on this effect, and (iii) how inbreeding and cost-asymmetry interact in their effect on sex-specific dispersal. We adjust an existing analytical model to account for sex-specific costs of dispersal. Based on numerical calculations we predict a severe bias in dispersal already for small differences in dispersal costs. We corroborate these predictions in individual-based simulations, but show that demographic stochasticity generally leads to more balanced dispersal. In combination with inbreeding, cost asymmetries will usually determine which of the two sexes becomes the more dispersive.
KW  - asymmetric dispersal costs
KW  - kin-selection
KW  - numerical model
KW  - individual-based simulations
Y1  - 2008
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48705
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gros, Andreas
A1  - Poethke, Hans Joachim
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
T1  - Sex-specific spatio-temporal variability in reproductive success promotes the evolution of sex-biased dispersal
N2  - Abstract: Inbreeding depression, asymmetries in costs or benefits of dispersal, and the mating system have been identified as potential factors underlying the evolution of sex-biased dispersal. We use individual-based simulations to explore how the mating system and demographic stochasticity influence the evolution of sex-specific dispersal in a metapopulation with females competing over breeding sites, and males over mating opportunities. Comparison of simulation results for random mating with those for a harem system (locally, a single male sires all offspring) reveal that even extreme variance in local male reproductive success (extreme male competition) does not induce male-biased dispersal. The latter evolves if the between-parch variance in reproductive success is larger for males than females. This can emerge due to demographic stochasticity if the habitat patches are small. More generally, members of a group of individuals experiencing higher spatio-temporal variance in fitness expectations may evolve to disperse with greater probability than others.
KW  - sex-biased dispersal
KW  - demographic stochasticity
KW  - metapopulation
KW  - individual-based simulation
KW  - sex-specific competition
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48711
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bonte, Dries
A1  - Clercq, Nele De
A1  - Zwertvaegher, Ingrid
A1  - Lens, Luc
T1  - Repeatability of dispersal behaviour in a common dwarf spider: evidence for different mechanisms behind short- and long-distance dispersal
N2  - Abstract: 1. The response of dispersal towards evolution largely depends on its heritability for which upper limits are determined by the trait's repeatability. 2. In the Linyphiid spider E. atra, we were able to separate long- and short-distance dispersal behaviours (respectively ballooning and rappelling) under laboratory conditions. By performing repeated behavioural trials for females, we show that average dispersal trait values decrease with increasing testing days. By comparing mated and unmated individuals during two periods (before and after mating for the mated group, and the same two periods for the unmated group), we show that mating has no effect on the mean displayed dispersal behaviour or its within-individual variation. Repeatabilities were high and consistent for ballooning motivation, but not for rappelling. 3. Ballooning motivation can be regarded as highly individual-specific behaviour, while general pre-dispersal and rappelling behaviours showed more individual variation. Such difference in repeatability between long-and short-distance dispersal suggests that short-and long-distance dispersal events are triggered by different ecological and evolutionary mechanisms.
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48242
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bonte, Dries
A1  - Maes, Dirk
T1  - Trampling affects the distribution of specialised coastal dune arthropods
N2  - Abstract: From a conservation point of view, species- tolerances towards disturbance are often generalised and lack reference to spatial scales and underlying processes. In order to investigate how average typical species react to habitat fragmentation and disturbance, we adopted a multi-species approach to address occupancy patterns of five specialised dune arthropods (butterflies Hipparchia semele, Issoria lathonia; grasshopper Oedipoda caerulescens; spiders Alopecosa fabrilis, Xysticus sabulosus) in recently fragmented coastal dune habitats which are subjected to varying levels and modes of local disturbance, i.e. trampling by cattle or people. Occupancy patterns were assessed during two successive years in 133 grey dune fragments of the Flemish coastal dunes (Belgium, France). By treating species as a random factor in our models, emphasis was placed on generalisations rather than documenting species-specific patterns. Our study demonstrates that deteriorating effects of local disturbance on arthropod incidence cannot be interpreted independent of its landscape context, and appear to be more severe when patch area and connectivity decrease. When controlled for patch area and trampling intensity, the probability of species occupancy in poorly connected patches is higher under cattle trampling than under recreation. Incidences additionally decrease with increasing intensity of cattle trampling, but increases with trampling by tourists. This study provides evidence of mode- and landscape-dependent effects of local disturbance on species occupancy patterns. Most importantly, it demonstrates that trampling of sensitive dune fragments will lead to local and metapopulation extinction in landscapes where trampling occurs in a spatially autocorrelated way, but that the outcome (spatial patterns) varies in relation to disturbance mode, indicating that effects of disturbance cannot be generalised.
KW  - Araneae
KW  - grazing
KW  - grey dunes
KW  - Lepidoptera
KW  - multispecies metapopulation
KW  - Orthoptera
KW  - recreation
KW  - trampling
Y1  - 2008
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48274
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bonte, Dries
A1  - Lanckacker, Kjell
A1  - Wiersma, Elisabeth
A1  - Lens, Luc
T1  - Web building flexibility of an orb-web spider in a heterogeneous agricultural landscape
N2  - Abstract: Intensification of land-use in agricultural landscapes is responsible for a decline of biodiversity which provide important ecosystem services like pest-control. Changes in landscape composition may also induce behavioural changes of predators in response to variation in the biotic or abiotic environment. By controlling for environmentally confounding factors, we here demonstrate that the orb web spider Araneus diadematus alters its web building behaviour in response to changes in the composition of agricultural landscapes. Thereby, the species increases its foraging efficiency (i.e. investments in silk and web asymmetry) with an increase of agricultural land-use at intermediate spatial scales. This intensification is also related to a decrease in the abundance of larger prey. A negative effect of landscape properties at similar spatial scales on spider fitness was recorded when controlling for relative investments in capture thread length. This study consequently documents the web building flexibility in response to changes in landscape composition, possibly due to changes in prey availability.
KW  - Araneus diadematus
KW  - Araneidae
KW  - behavioural flexibility
KW  - orb web geometry
KW  - landscape
KW  - model selection
KW  - semi-natural habitats
Y1  - 2008
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48262
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bonte, Dries
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
A1  - Poethke, Hans-Joachim
T1  - Male-killing endosymbionts: influence of environmental conditions on persistance of host metapopulation
N2  - Background: Male killing endosymbionts manipulate their arthropod host reproduction by only allowing female embryos to develop into infected females and killing all male offspring. Because of the reproductive manipulation, we expect them to have an effect on the evolution of host dispersal rates. In addition, male killing endosymbionts are expected to approach fixation when fitness of infected individuals is larger than that of uninfected ones and when transmission from mother to offspring is nearly perfect. They then vanish as the host population crashes. High observed infection rates and among-population variation in natural systems can consequently not be explained if defense mechanisms are absent and when transmission efficiency is perfect. Results: By simulating the host-endosymbiont dynamics in an individual-based metapopulation model we show that male killing endosymbionts increase host dispersal rates. No fitness compensations were built into the model for male killing endosymbionts, but they spread as a group beneficial trait. Host and parasite populations face extinction under panmictic conditions, i.e. conditions that favor the evolution of high dispersal in hosts. On the other hand, deterministic 'curing' (only parasite goes extinct) can occur under conditions of low dispersal, e.g. under low environmental stochasticity and high dispersal mortality. However, high and stable infection rates can be maintained in metapopulations over a considerable spectrum of conditions favoring intermediate levels of dispersal in the host. Conclusion: Male killing endosymbionts without explicit fitness compensation spread as a group selected trait into a metapopulation. Emergent feedbacks through increased evolutionary stable dispersal rates provide an alternative explanation for both, the high male-killing endosymbiont infection rates and the high among-population variation in local infection rates reported for some natural systems.
KW  - Metapopulation
KW  - Parasit
KW  - Wirt
KW  - Endosymbiont
KW  - Theoretische Ökologie
KW  - Host-parasite interactions
KW  - individual-based model
Y1  - 2008
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-45344
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bonte, Dries
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
A1  - Poethke, Hans Joachim
T1  - Sex-specific dispersal and evolutionary rescue in metapopulations infected by male killing endosymbionts
N2  - Background: Male killing endosymbionts manipulate their arthropod host reproduction by only allowing female embryos to develop into infected females and killing all male offspring. Because the resulting change in sex ratio is expected to affect the evolution of sex-specific dispersal, we investigated under which environmental conditions strong sex-biased dispersal would emerge, and how this would affect host and endosymbiont metapopulation persistence. Results: We simulated host-endosymbiont metapopulation dynamics in an individual-based model, in which dispersal rates are allowed to evolve independently for the two sexes. Prominent male-biased dispersal emerges under conditions of low environmental stochasticity and high dispersal mortality. By applying a reshuffling algorithm, we show that kin-competition is a major driver of this evolutionary pattern because of the high within-population relatedness of males compared to those of females. Moreover, the evolution of sex-specific dispersal rescues metapopulations from extinction by (i) reducing endosymbiont fixation rates and (ii) by enhancing the extinction of endosymbionts within metapopulations that are characterized by low environmental stochasticity. Conclusion: Male killing endosymbionts induce the evolution of sex-specific dispersal, with prominent male-biased dispersal under conditions of low environmental stochasticity and high dispersal mortality. This male-biased dispersal emerges from stronger kin-competition in males compared to females and induces an evolutionary rescue mechanism.
KW  - Metapopulation
KW  - Theoretische Ökologie
KW  - Endosymbiont
KW  - Wirt
KW  - Parasit
KW  - Host-parasite interactions
KW  - individual-based model
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-45351
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gros, Andreas
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
A1  - Poethke, Hans Joachim
T1  - Evolution of local adaptions in dispersal strategies
N2  - The optimal probability and distance of dispersal largely depend on the risk to end up in unsuitable habitat. This risk is highest close to the habitat’s edge and consequently, optimal dispersal probability and distance should decline towards the habitat’s border. This selection should lead to the emergence of spatial gradients in dispersal strategies. However, gene flow caused by dispersal itself is counteracting local adaptation. Using an individual based model we investigate the evolution of local adaptations of dispersal probability and distance within a single, circular, habitat patch. We compare evolved dispersal probabilities and distances for six different dispersal kernels (two negative exponential kernels, two skewed kernels, nearest neighbour dispersal and global dispersal) in patches of different size. For all kernels a positive correlation between patch size and dispersal probability emerges. However, a minimum patch size is necessary to allow for local adaptation of dispersal strategies within patches. Beyond this minimum patch area the difference in mean dispersal distance between center and edge increases linearly with patch radius, but the intensity of local adaptation depends on the dispersal kernel. Except for global and nearest neighbour dispersal, the evolved spatial pattern are qualitatively similar for both, mean dispersal probability and distance. We conclude, that inspite of the gene-flow originating from dispersal local adaptation of dispersal strategies is possible if a habitat is of sufficient size. This presumably holds for any realistic type of dispersal kernel.
KW  - Ausbreitung
KW  - Evolution
KW  - Computersimulation
KW  - Ökologie
KW  - nearest-neighbour dispersal
KW  - global dispersal
KW  - evolution
KW  - individual based simulation
Y1  - 2006
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-45406
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Obermaier, Elisabeth
A1  - Heisswolf, Annette
A1  - Randlkofer, B.
A1  - Meiners, T.
T1  - Enemies in low places - insects avoid winter mortality and egg parasitism by modulating oviposition height
N2  - Oviposition site selection in insects is essential in terms of low egg mortality, high offspring survival and therefore a high reproductive output. Although oviposition height could be a crucial factor for the fitness of overwintering eggs, it has rarely been investigated. In this study the oviposition height of a polyphagous leaf beetle, Galeruca tanaceti Linnaeus in different habitats and at different times of the season was examined and its effect on egg clutch mortality was recorded. The leaf beetle occurs as an occasional pest on several agricultural plants. It deposits its eggs within herbaceous vegetation in autumn. Eggs are exposed to numerous biotic and abiotic mortality factors summarized as egg parasitism and winter mortality. Oviposition height of the leaf beetle was not uniform, but changed significantly with the structure of the habitat and during the season. Mean oviposition height per site (70.2±4.9 cm) was significantly higher than mean vegetation height (28.4±2.4 cm). Height of plants with egg clutches attached and oviposition height were significantly positively correlated. The results suggest that females try to oviposit as high as possible in the vegetation and on the plants selected. In accordance with this, the probability of egg parasitism and of winter egg clutch mortality significantly declined with increasing oviposition height. A preference of G. tanaceti for oviposition sites high up in the vegetation might therefore have evolved due to selection pressures by parasitoids and winter mortality.
KW  - abiotic factors
KW  - Chrysomelidae
KW  - enemy free space
KW  - Galeruca tanaceti
KW  - oviposition site
KW  - plant-animal interactions
KW  - Oomyzus galerucivorus
Y1  - 2006
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48200
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
A1  - Mitesser, Oliver
A1  - Elmes, Graham
A1  - Thomas, Jeremy A.
A1  - Hochberg, Michael E.
T1  - An Evolutionarily Stable Strategy model for the evolution of dimorphic development in the butterfly Maculinea rebeli, a social parasite of Myrmica Ant Colonies
N2  - Caterpillars of the butterfly Maculinea rebeli develop as parasites inside ant colonies. In intensively studied French populations, about 25% of caterpillars mature within 1 year (fast-developing larvae [FDL]) and the others after 2 years (slow-developing larvae [SDL]); all available evidence indicates that this ratio is under the control of egg-laying females. We present an analytical model to predict the evolutionarily stable fraction of FDL (pESS). The model accounts for added winter mortality of SDL, general and kin competition among caterpillars, a competitive advantage of SDL over newly entering FDL (priority effect), and the avoidance of renewed infection of ant nests by butterflies in the coming season (segregation). We come to the following conclusions: (1) all factors listed above can promote the evolution of delayed development; (2) kin competition and segregation stabilize pESS near 0.5; and (3) a priority effect is the only mechanism potentially selecting for. However, given the empirical data, pESS is predicted to fall closer to 0.5 than to the 0.25 that has been observed. In this particular system, bet hedging cannot explain why more than 50% of larvae postpone growth. Presumably, other fitness benefits for SDL, for example, higher fertility or longevity, also contribute to the evolution of delayed development. The model presented here may be of general applicability for systems where maturing individuals compete in small subgroups.
KW  - delayed development
KW  - growth dimorphism
KW  - evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS)
KW  - ant-butterfly interaction
KW  - social parasitism
Y1  - 2007
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48165
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Poethke, Hans J.
A1  - Pfenning, Brenda
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
T1  - The relative contribution of individual and kin selection to the evolution of density-dependent dispersal rates
N2  - Questions: What are the relative contributions of kin selection and individual selection to the evolution of dispersal rates in fragmented landscapes? How do environmental parameters influence the relative contributions of both evolutionary forces? Features of the model: Individual-based simulation model of a metapopulation. Logistic local growth dynamics and density-dependent dispersal. An optional shuffling algorithm allows the continuous destruction of any genetic structure in the metapopulation. Ranges of key variables: Depending on dispersal mortality (0.05-0.4) and the strength of environmental fluctuations, mean dispersal probability varied between 0.05 and 0.5. Conclusions: For local population sizes of 100 individuals, kin selection alone could account for dispersal probabilities of up to 0.1. It may result in a ten-fold increase of optimal dispersal rates compared with those predicted on the basis of individual selection alone. Such a substantial contribution of kin selection to dispersal is restricted to cases where the overall dispersal probabilities are small (textless 0.1). In the latter case, as much as 30% of the total fitness of dispersing individuals could arise from the increased reproduction of kin left in the natal patch.
KW  - dispersal rate
KW  - dynamics
KW  - environmental correlation
KW  - evolutionary modelling
KW  - genetics
KW  - individual-based model
KW  - kin competition
Y1  - 2007
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48225
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
A1  - Poethke, Hans J.
A1  - Messner, Stefan
T1  - Variability in dispersal distances generates typical successional patterns: a simple simulation model
N2  - More recently, it became clear that conclusions drawn from traditional ecological theory may be altered substantially if the spatial dimension of species interactions is considered explicitly. Regardless of the details of these models, spatially explicit simulations of ecological processes have nearly universally shown that spatial or spatio-temporal patterns in species distributions can emerge even from homogeneous starting conditions; limited dispersal is one of the key factors responsible for the development of such aggregated and patchy distributions (cf., Pacala 1986, Holmes et al. 1994, Molofsky 1994, Tilman 1994, Bascompte and Sole 1995, 1997, 1998, Jeltsch et al. 1999). In line with these ideas, we wish to draw attention to the fact that in heterogeneous landscapes differences in characteristic dispersal distances between species are a sufficient precondition for the emergence of a successional pattern. We will use a simple, spatially explicit simulation program to demonstrate the validity of this statement. We will also show that the speed of the successional progress depends on scale and heterogeneity in the distribution of suitable habitat.
KW  - community
KW  - competition
KW  - environments
KW  - habitats
KW  - life-history
Y1  - 2000
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48178
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mahsberg, Dieter
T1  - Contact chemoreception of prey in hunting scorpions
N2  - Scorpions commonly are assumed to hunt on living prey. But under laboratory conditions they also respond very sensitively to dead insects lying on the substrate. In many cases the motionless prey is seized and consumed. It was investigated how this behavior can be elicited. The buthid scorpions Androctonus australis (L.) and Buthus occitanus (Am.) not only find motionless prey again which was stung but managed to escape before dying: They also respond to extracts of the cuticle of prey insects. After touching prey marks' either with the tips of the chelae fingers or the tarsi of the walking legs or the pectine organs specific responses (searching, seizing, feeding) are released at a high rate. Behavioral experiments demonstrate for the first time the chemosensitivity of the pectine organs for which only mechanosensitivity had been proofed formerly. Mechanical as well as contact chemical stimulation of these organs cause scorpions to orient towards the stimulus source which is grasped, retained and consumed or rejected depending on its quality. The probably responsible chemosensitive receptors are already described in the literature. The possible adaptive value and the biological significance of contact chemoreception in prey catching and in other aspects of the life of scorpions is discussed.
KW  - Skorpion
Y1  - 1986
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-45784
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Mahsberg, Dieter
T1  - Brood care and family cohesion in the tropical scorpion Pandinus imperator (Koch) (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae)
N2  - Pandinus imperator is a forest dweller of tropical West Africa. In the field, lobserved aggregations of up to 15 individuals. In the laboratory, mixed age groups of related and also unrelated animals lived jointly in terraria rarely showing within-group aggression or cannibalism. Brood-caring behavior of the mother influenced growth rate and survival probability of the young. With birth, mothers became very aggressive. To study family cohesion in Pandinus, experiments with family groups were conducted. Siblings aggregated around their mother. In choice experiments with two family groups, mothers were placed in enclosures that only the young were able to enter or to leave. Second instars significantly preferred the enclosure containing their own mother. Aggression among unrelated young of the same age was not observed. Feeding experiments studied the possible advantages of long-Iasting group living with regard to enhanced success in prey capture and its effect on growth of the young. Even groups of second instars were unable to subdue large prey on their own. Sibling groups with their mother removed suffered high mortality due to starvation and cannibalism compared to groups with mothers present. Here, young grew significantly faster: they shared the prey that only the mother was able to kill and dismember. Pandinus imperator has to be considered an intermediate subsocial scorpion.
KW  - Skorpion
Y1  - 1990
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-45776
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Hauff, Cornelia
T1  - Aspects of the mode of action of bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) antibodies
T1  - Wirkmechanismus eines bispezifischen T cell engager Antikörpers
N2  - Bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) display a novel design among the class of bispecific antibodies and hold great promise to fight diverse cancers. BiTE molecules consist of two different binding entities derived from two human IgG antibodies connected by a short peptide linker. Their binding arms are directed against the CD3e chain of the T cell receptor on T cells and against an antigen that is specific for (e.g., CD19 for lymphoma in MT103) or over-expressed on (e.g., EpCAM for epithelial cancer in MT110) tumor cells. Without requirement for pre- or co-stimulation, BiTE molecules efficiently redirect CD3+ T cells towards tumor cells expressing the relevant target antigen. Only a BiTE molecule simultaneously bound to both tumor cell and T cell activates the T cell to exert its cytolytic function resulting in tumor cell death. In T cells stimulated with both BiTE and target cells, elevated levels of caspase activation and increased expression of cytotoxic and signaling proteins are observed. These include cytolytic proteins granzyme B and perforin, activation markers CD69 and CD25 and adhesion molecules CD2 and LFA-1. Activated T cells secrete the usual mix of cytokines, among them pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-g and TNF-a. The membrane of tumor cells expressing the relevant target antigen is perforated during the attack of BiTE-stimulated effector cells as can be concluded from adenylate kinase release from the cytosol of tumor cells. Ca2+-chelator EGTA completely blocked BiTE-mediated activation of caspases and tumor cell lysis. As perforin is strictly Ca2+-dependent, a major role for this pore-forming protein is assumed for the elimination of tumor cells via BiTE-stimulated T cells. Granzyme B and caspases are main players in BiTE-mediated elimination of tumor cells. Inhibitors of granzyme B or caspases reduce or block, respectively the activation of caspases. However, other signals of apoptosis (cleavage of PARP and fragmentation of DNA) were only reduced by granzyme B inhibitor or caspase inhibitor. Most interestingly, the lytic capacity of BiTE molecules was not impaired by granzyme B inhibitor or caspase inhibitor. It seems that there is no requirement for granzyme B and caspases to be present simultaneously. Instead the data presented provide evidence that they can be replaced one at a time by related proteins. Pre-incubation of effector cells with the glucocorticoids dexamethasone or methylprednisolone resulted in markedly decreased secretion of cytokines by T cells yet only a small reduction in the expression of activation markers and adhesion molecules on T cells and specific lysis of tumor cells upon BiTE stimulation. Soluble factors secreted in an undirected manner by BiTE-stimulated T cells do not mediate tumor cell death by themselves. Bystander cells negative for the antigen that is recognized by the BiTE molecule will not be compromised by BiTE activity. The cytokine TGF-b reduced proliferation as well as granzyme B and perforin expression of BiTE-stimulated T cells. Redirected lysis by BiTE-activated T cells was also decreased under the influence of TGF-b, however lysis was still performed at a reasonable rate (72 % of target cells). TGF-b does not exert a deleterious effect on lytic potential of BiTE-stimulated T cells. The minimal anticipated biological effect level for the BiTE MT110 was determined for the entry of MT110 into phase I clinical studies. Experiments analyzing redirected lysis of tumor cells, expression of activation marker CD25 and cytokine release by T cells revealed a MABEL value of 50 pg/ml for MT110.
N2  - Bispecific T cell engager stellen mit ihrem neuartigen Design eine eigene Gruppe unter den bispezifischen Antikörpern dar und zeigen sich vielversprechend im Kampf gegen unter-schiedliche Krebsarten. BiTE Moleküle bestehen aus zwei unterschiedlichen Bindungsstellen, die von zwei humanen IgG Antikörpern abgeleitet sind und durch einen kurzen Peptidlinker verbunden sind. Die Bindungsstellen sind gerichtet gegen die CD3e Kette des T-Zell-Rezeptors auf T-Zellen und gegen ein Antigen, das auf den Tumorzellen ausschließlich (CD19 bei Lymphomen in MT103) oder in erhöhtem Maße (EpCAM bei epithelialem Krebs in MT110) exprimiert wird. BiTE Moleküle richten CD3+ T-Zellen gegen Tumorzellen, die das relevante Zielantigen präsentieren. Dabei sind sie nicht auf Vor- oder Kostimulation angewiesen. Nur wenn das BiTE Molekül gleichzeitig an Tumorzelle und T-Zelle gebunden ist, aktiviert es die T-Zelle zytolytisch zu wirken und die Tumorzelle zu töten. T-Zellen, die mit BiTE und zugleich Targetzellen stimuliert wurden, zeigen erhöhte Raten von Caspaseaktivierung und vermehrte Expression von zytotoxischen und Signalproteinen. Diese beinhalten die zytolytischen Proteine Granzyme B und Perforin, die Aktivierungs-marker CD69 und CD25 und die Adhäsionsmoleküle CD2 und LFA-1. Aktivierte T-Zellen sezernieren die übliche Mischung an Zytokinen, darunter die pro-inflammatorischen Zytokine IFN-g und TNF-a. Die Freisetzung von Adenylatkinase aus dem Zytosol von Tumorzellen lässt darauf schließen, dass die Membran von Tumorzellen, die das relevante Zielantigen exprimieren, während dem Angriff von BiTE-stimulierten Effektorzellen durchlöchert wird. Der Ca2+ Chelator EGTA verhinderte die BiTE-vermittelte Aktivierung von Caspasen und Lyse von Tumorzellen vollständig. Da Perforin in Abhängigkeit von Ca2+ wirkt, wird für dieses porenbildende Protein eine entscheidende Rolle in der Beseitigung von Tumorzellen mittels BiTE-stimulierter T-Zellen angenommen. Granzyme B und Caspasen sind die Hauptakteure in der BiTE-vermittelten Beseitigung von Tumorzellen. Inhibitoren von Granzyme B oder den Caspasen vermindern bzw. hemmen die Aktivierung von Caspasen. Andere Apoptosesignale (PARP-Spaltung und DNA-Fragmentierung) werden von Granzyme B- oder Caspase-Inhibitoren jedoch lediglich reduziert. Bemerkenswerterweise wurde die lytische Kapazität von BiTE Molekülen durch einen Granzyme B- oder Caspase-Inhibitor nicht beeinträchtigt. Es scheint, dass keine Notwendigkeit für die gleichzeitige Anwesenheit von Granzyme B und Caspasen besteht. Stattdessen erbringen die vorgestellten Ergebnisse einen Hinweis dafür, dass diese Proteine jeweils einzeln durch verwandte Proteine ersetzt werden können. Präinkubation von Effektorzellen mit den Glucocorticoiden Dexamethason oder Methylpred-nisolon bewirkte eine deutlich verminderte Zytokinsekretion von T-Zellen, jedoch nur eine geringe Abnahme der Expression von Aktivierungsmarkern und Adhäsionsmolekülen auf T-Zellen und der spezifischen Lyse von Tumorzellen in Folge von BiTE-Stimulierung. Lösliche Faktoren, die von BiTE-stimulierten T-Zellen nicht zielgerichtet abgegeben werden, vermitteln keine Lyse von Tumorzellen. Zellen, die sich in der Nachbarschaft des Tumors befinden, aber das Antigen nicht exprimieren, das vom BiTE Moleküle erkannt wird, werden daher durch BiTE Aktivität nicht in Mitleidenschaft gezogen. Das Zytokin TGF-b verminderte die Proliferation von BiTE-stimulierten T-Zellen sowie deren Expression von Granzyme B und Perforin. Die gerichtete Lyse von BiTE-aktivierten T-Zellen war unter dem Einflusss von TGF-b ebenfalls vermindert. Trotzdem erreichten die Lysisraten Werte von 72 %. TGF-b übt keinen schädlichen Effekt auf das lytische Potential von BiTE-stimulierten T-Zellen aus. Die MT110-Konzentration, bei der der geringste biologische Effekt erwartet wird, wurde für den Eintritt von MT110 in klinische Studien der Phase I bestimmt. Auf Grundlage von Experimenten zur gerichteten Lyse von Tumorzellen, zur Expression des Aktivierungsmarker CD25 auf T-Zellen und zu Freisetzung von Zytokinen aus T-Zellen, ergab sich ein MABEL-Wert von 50 pg/ml für MT110.
KW  - Antikörper
KW  - Krebs <Medizin>
KW  - Therapie
KW  - T-Lymphozyt
KW  - bispezifische Antikörper
KW  - Krebstherapie
KW  - T cell
KW  - bispecific antibody
KW  - cancer therapy
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48369
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Blume, Constanze
T1  - Cellular functions of VASP phosphorylations
T1  - Die zellulären Funktionen der VASP-Phosphorylierungen
N2  - Members of the enabled/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP) family are important regulators of the actin cytoskeleton dynamics. VASP functions as well as its interactions with other proteins are regulated by phosphorylation at three sites - serine157 (S157), serine239 (S239), and threonine278 (T278) in humans. cAMP- and cGMP- dependent protein kinases phosphorylate S157 and S239, respectively. In contrast, the kinase responsible for T278 was as yet unknown and identified in the first part of this thesis. In a screen for T278 phosphorylating kinases using a phospho-specific antibody against phosphorylated T278 AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was identified in endothelial cells. Mutants of AMPK with altered kinase-activity modulate T278-phosphorylation levels in cells. AMPK-driven T278-phosphorylation impaired stress fiber formation and changed cell morphology in living cells. AMPK is a fundamental sensor of cellular and whole body energy homeostasis. Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats, which are an animal model for type II diabetes mellitus, were used to analyze the impact of phosphorylated T278 in vivo. AMPK-activity and T278-phosphorylation were substantially reduced in arterial vessel walls of ZDF rats in comparison to control animals. These findings demonstrate that VASP is a new AMPK substrate, that VASP phosphorylation mediates the effects of metabolic regulation on actin cytoskeleton rearrangements, and that this signaling system becomes down-regulated in diabetic vessel disorders in rats. In the second part of this thesis, a functional analysis of differential VASP phosphorylations was performed. To systematically address VASP phosphorylation patterns, a set of VASP phosphomimetic mutants was cloned. These mutants enable the mimicking of defined phosphorylation patterns and the specific analysis of single kinase-mediated phosphorylations. VASP localization to the cell periphery was increased by S157- phosphorylation and modulated by phosphorylation at S239 and T278. Latter phosphorylations synergistically reduced actin polymerization. In contrast, S157- phosphorylation had no effect on actin-dynamics. Taken together, the results of the second part show that phosphorylation of VASP serves as a fine regulator of localization and actin polymerization activity. In summary, this study revealed the functions of VASP phosphorylations and established novel links between signaling pathways and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement.
N2  - Die Mitglieder der Enabled/Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP) Familie sind bedeutende Regulatoren der Aktinzytoskelettdynamik. Die Funktionen und die Protein-Protein-Wechselwirkungen von VASP werden durch Phosphorylierungen an drei Aminosäureresten reguliert. Im Fall von humanem VASP sind dies Serin157 (S157), Serin239 (S239) und Threonin278 (T278). S157 und S239 sind Substrate der cAMP- und cGMP-abhängigen Proteinkinasen. Die Kinase, die T278-Phosphorylierung vermittelt, ist nicht bekannt. Der erste Teil der Arbeit bescha&#776;ftigt sich mit der Identifizierung der T278-phosphorylierenden Kinase. Mit Hilfe eines phospho-spezifischen Antiko&#776;rpers gegen das phosphorylierte T278 (pT278) wurde in Endothelzellen eine systematischen Suche nach T278-phosphorylierenden Kinasen durchgefu&#776;hrt. Dabei wurde die AMP-aktivierte Proteinkinase (AMPK) entdeckt. Mutanten der AMPK, welche eine vera&#776;nderte Kinaseaktivita&#776;t besitzen, erho&#776;hten bzw. reduzierenten das Niveau der pT278. Die T278-Phosphorylierung durch die AMPK reduzierte die Stressfaserbildung und fu&#776;hrt zu einer vera&#776;nderten Zellmorphologie. Die AMPK ist ein fundamentaler Sensor des zellula&#776;ren und Organismus-umfassenden Energiehaushalts. Zur Analyse der Funktion der pT278 in vivo wurden Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) Ratten, ein Tiermodell fu&#776;r den Diabetes mellitus Typ II, verwendet. Die AMPK-Aktivita&#776;t und die pT278 waren in arteriellen Gefa&#776;ßwa&#776;nden von ZDF-Ratten im Vergleich zu Kontrolltieren deutlich reduziert. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass VASP ein neues Substrat der AMPK ist, dass die T278-Phosphorylierung metabolische Signale an das Aktin-Zytoskelett koppelt und, dass bei diabetischen Ratten dieser Signaltransduktionsweg supprimiert ist. Im zweiten Teil wurde die Bedeutung der VASP-Phosphorylierungsmuster fu&#776;r die Aktin- bildung und die VASP-Lokalisation untersucht. Hierzu wurden systematisch VASP- Phoshorylierungsmutanten generiert. Diese Mutanten imitieren fixierte Phosphorylierungen oder erlauben einzelne Phosphorylierungen durch die jeweilige Kinase. Die Untersuchungen zeigten, dass S157-phosphoryliertes VASP (pS157) sich an der Zellperipherie anreichert, wobei die S239- und T278-Phosphorylierungen diesen Lokalisationseffekt modulieren. Phosphoryliertes S239 und T278 reduzierten synergistisch die Aktinpolymerisation. Im Gegensatz hierzu beeinflusste pS157 die Aktindynamik nicht. Dies zeigt, dass die VASP- Phosphorylierungen als Feinregulator fu&#776;r die Lokalisation und die Aktinpolymerisationsak- tivita&#776;t fungierten. Zusammenfassend identifiziert diese Studie die Funktionen der einzelnen VASP- Phosphorylierungen und deckt neue Verbindungen von Signalwegen zur Aktinzytoskelett- Reorganisation auf.
KW  - Vasodilatator-stimuliertes Phosphoprotein
KW  - Phosphorylierung
KW  - Actin-bindende Proteine
KW  - Actin-Polymerisation
KW  - PKA
KW  - PKG
KW  - AMPK
KW  - Metabolismus
KW  - Actin-Polymerisation
KW  - PKA
KW  - PKG
KW  - AMPK
KW  - Metabolism
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48321
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mitesser, Oliver
A1  - Weissel, Norbert
A1  - Strohm, Erhard
A1  - Poethke, Hans-Joachim
T1  - Adaptive dynamic resource allocation in annual eusocial insects: Environmental variation will not necessarily promote graded control
N2  - Background: According to the classical model of Macevicz and Oster, annual eusocial insects should show a clear dichotomous "bang-bang" strategy of resource allocation; colony fitness is maximised when a period of pure colony growth (exclusive production of workers) is followed by a single reproductive period characterised by the exclusive production of sexuals. However, in several species graded investment strategies with a simultaneous production of workers and sexuals have been observed. Such deviations from the "bang-bang" strategy are usually interpreted as an adaptive (bet-hedging) response to environmental fluctuations such as variation in season length or food availability. To generate predictions about the optimal investment pattern of insect colonies in fluctuating environments, we slightly modified Macevicz and Oster's classical model of annual colony dynamics and used a dynamic programming approach nested into a recurrence procedure for the solution of the stochastic optimal control problem. Results: 1) The optimal switching time between pure colony growth and the exclusive production of sexuals decreases with increasing environmental variance. 2) Yet, for reasonable levels of environmental fluctuations no deviation from the typical bang-bang strategy is predicted. 3) Model calculations for the halictid bee Lasioglossum malachurum reveal that bet-hedging is not likely to be the reason for the graded allocation into sexuals versus workers observed in this species. 4) When environmental variance reaches a critical level our model predicts an abrupt change from dichotomous behaviour to graded allocation strategies, but the transition between colony growth and production of sexuals is not necessarily monotonic. Both, the critical level of environmental variance as well as the characteristic pattern of resource allocation strongly depend on the type of function used to describe environmental fluctuations. Conclusion: Up to now bet-hedging as an evolutionary response to variation in season length has been the main argument to explain field observations of graded resource allocation in annual eusocial insect species. However, our model shows that the effect of moderate fluctuations of environmental conditions does not select for deviation from the classical bang-bang strategy and that the evolution of graded allocation strategies can be triggered only by extreme fluctuations. Detailed quantitative observations on resource allocation in eusocial insects are needed to analyse the relevance of alternative explanations, e.g. logistic colony growth or reproductive conflict between queen and workers, for the evolution of graded allocation strategies.
KW  - Insekten
KW  - Fitness
KW  - Evolution
KW  - Sozialität
KW  - resource allocation
KW  - fitness
KW  - evolution
KW  - eusociality
KW  - insect
Y1  - 2007
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-45412
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mitesser, Oliver
A1  - Weissel, Norbert
A1  - Strohm, Erhard
A1  - Poethke, Hans J.
T1  - The evolution of activity breaks in the nest cycle of annual eusocial bees: A simple model of delayed exponential growth
N2  - Abstract: Background Social insects show considerable variability not only in social organisation but also in the temporal pattern of nest cycles. In annual eusocial sweat bees, nest cycles typically consist of a sequence of distinct phases of activity (queen or workers collect food, construct, and provision brood cells) and inactivity (nest is closed). Since the flight season is limited to the time of the year with sufficiently high temperatures and resource availability, every break reduces the potential for foraging and, thus, the productivity of a colony. This apparent waste of time has not gained much attention. Results We present a model that explains the evolution of activity breaks by assuming differential mortality during active and inactive phases and a limited rate of development of larvae, both reasonable assumptions. The model predicts a systematic temporal structure of breaks at certain times in the season which increase the fitness of a colony. The predicted pattern of these breaks is in excellent accordance with field data on the nest cycle of the halictid Lasioglossum malachurum. Conclusion Activity breaks are a counter-intuitive outcome of varying mortality rates that maximise the reproductive output of primitively eusocial nests.
Y1  - 2006
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48196
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Poethke, Hans J. ;
A1  - Liebig, Jürgen
T1  - Risk-sensitive foraging and the evolution of cooperative breeding and reproductive skew
N2  - Abstract: Background Group formation and food sharing in animals may reduce variance in resource supply to breeding individuals. For some species it has thus been interpreted as a mechanism of risk avoidance. However, in many groups reproduction is extremely skewed. In such groups resources are not shared equally among the members and inter-individual variance in resource supply may be extreme. The potential consequences of this aspect of group living have not attained much attention in the context of risk sensitive foraging. Results We develop a model of individually foraging animals that share resources for reproduction. The model allows analyzing how mean foraging success, inter-individual variance of foraging success, and the cost of reproduction and offspring raising influence the benefit of group formation and resource sharing. Our model shows that the effects are diametrically opposed in egalitarian groups versus groups with high reproductive skew. For individuals in egalitarian groups the relative benefit of group formation increases under conditions of increasing variance in foraging success and decreasing cost of reproduction. On the other hand individuals in groups with high skew will profit from group formation under conditions of decreasing variance in individual foraging success and increasing cost of reproduction. Conclusion The model clearly demonstrates that reproductive skew qualitatively changes the influence of food sharing on the reproductive output of groups. It shows that the individual benefits of variance reduction in egalitarian groups and variance enhancement in groups with reproductive skew depend critically on ecological and life-history parameters. Our model of risk-sensitive foraging thus allows comparing animal societies as different as spiders and birds in a single framework.
Y1  - 2008
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48214
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bonte, Dries
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
A1  - Poethke, Hans-Joachim
T1  - Evolution of dispersal polymorphism and local adaptation of dispersal distance in spatially structured landscapes
N2  - Many organisms show polymorphism in dispersal distance strategies. This variation is particularly ecological relevant if it encompasses a functional separation of short- (SDD) and long-distance dispersal (LDD). It remains, however, an open question whether both parts of the dispersal kernel are similarly affected by landscape related selection pressures. We implemented an individual-based model to analyze the evolution of dispersal traits in fractal landscapes that vary in the proportion of habitat and its spatial configuration. Individuals are parthenogenetic with dispersal distance determined by two alleles on each individual‘s genome: one allele coding for the probability of global dispersal and one allele coding for the variance of a Gaussian local dispersal with mean value zero. Simulations show that mean distances of local dispersal and the probability of global dispersal, increase with increasing habitat availability, but that changes in the habitat's spatial autocorrelation impose opposing selective pressure: local dispersal distances decrease and global dispersal probabilities increase with decreasing spatial autocorrelation of the available habitat. Local adaptation of local dispersal distance emerges in landscapes with less than 70% of clumped habitat. These results demonstrate that long and short distance dispersal evolve separately according to different properties of the landscape. The landscape structure may consequently largely affect the evolution of dispersal distance strategies and the level of dispersal polymorphism.
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47856
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Reichert, Nina
T1  - The Role of LIN9 in Mouse Development
T1  - Die Rolle von LIN9 in der Mausentwicklung
N2  - LINC, the human homologue of an evolutionary conserved complex, regulates the transcription of a set of genes essential during the G2/M transition (Osterloh et al., 2007; Schmit et al., 2007). One component of the LINC core module is LIN-9. LIN-9 is essential for the transcriptional activation of LINC target genes and also promotes differentiation in association with pRB (Gagrica et al., 2004). However, nothing is known about its function in vivo. Histological and molecular analysis revealed that Lin9 is ubiquitously expressed throughout embryonic development and in all examined adult organs. Additionally, Lin9 mRNA is expressed in ES cells and blastocysts. Moreover the analogous distribution of the other LINC components suggested that they all function in the same cells and most likely in the same pathway. To deeper investigate the role of LIN9 in cell cycle and differentiation in vivo, a Lin9 gene trap mouse model (GT) was successfully generated and examined. Heterozygouse Lin9GT/+ mice were inconspicuous and develop normally. However, homozygouse knockout embryos were never obtained. The Lin9GT/GT embryos die at peri-implantation, probably due to a defect in the development of the epiblast, which could be shown with in situ hybridization with specific lineage markers. In vitro, the ICM of Lin9-deficient blastocysts did not develop properly. These data suggest that the loss of Lin9 leads to embryonic lethality at peri-implantation, and indicates that LIN9 is required for proper formation of the epiblast. In parallel, the first conditional Lin9 mouse model based on the Cre-loxP technology was generated. The Lin9fl/fl allele can be deleted by Cre-recombinase, in vivo and in vitro. Therefore an inducible system with Lin9fl/fl mice harboring Cre-ERT2 was established. The MEFs generated from these transgenic mice carried a nearly complete knockout upon induction with tamoxifen. Deletion of LIN9 in MEFs had a major impact upon the cell cycle and growth rates. Specifically, they arrested in G2/M phase and stopped to proliferate. Taken together, I was able to generate a lin9 gene trap and a lin9 conditional knockout mouse model. All results obtained so far demonstrate, that Lin9 is an essential gene for embryonic development and cell cycle control. It will be of great interest to further investigate Lin9-deficiency to gain insights into the mechanism of cell cycle control in early embryonic development and cell differentiation.
N2  - LINC, das humane Homolog eines evolutionär konservierten Komplexes, reguliert die Transkription von Genen, die essentiell für die G2/M Transition sind (Osterloh et al., 2007; Schmit et al., 2007). Eine Komponente des LINC Komplexes ist LIN-9. LIN-9 ist für die transkriptionelle Aktivierung LINC spezifischer Zielgene essentiell und kann, in Assoziation mit pRB, die Differenzierung humaner Zellen fördern (Gagrica et al., 2004). Bisher ist jedoch nichts über die in vivo Funktion LIN9s bekannt. Histologische und molekulare Analysen der Maus machen deutlich, dass Lin9 während der embryonalen Entwicklung und in allen untersuchten adulten Organen ubiquitär exprimiert wird. Zusätzlich wird Lin9 mRNA in ES Zellen und in Blastocysten exprimiert. Außerdem legt die analoge Verteilung anderer LINC Komponenten nahe, dass sie sehr wahrscheinlich gemeinsam in den gleichen Zellen und Signalwegen agieren. Um die Funktion des LIN9 Proteins im Zellzyklus und der Differenzierung in vivo genauer zu erforschen, wurde ein Lin9 „Gene Trap“ Maus Modell (GT) generiert und untersucht. Heterozygote Lin9GT/+ Mäuse sind unauffällig und entwickeln sich normal. Allerdings wurden keine Lin9 knockout Embryonen erhalten. Lin9GT/GT Embryonen sterben in der peri-Implantationsphase, vermutlich auf Grund eines Entwicklungsdefekts des Epiblasten, was mit in situ Hybridisierung von Abstammungslinien spezifischen Markern gezeigt werden konnte. Die ICM Lin9 defizienter Blastocysten entwickelte sich in vitro nicht richtig. Diese Daten machen deutlich, dass der Verlust von Lin9 zu embryonaler Letalität im Peri-Implantations-stadium führt, und zeigt dass Lin9 für die richtige Ausbildung des Epiblasten benötigt wird. Gleichzeitig wurde das erste konditionelle Lin9 Maus Modell, basierend auf der Cre-loxP Technologie, generiert. Das Lin9fl/fl Allele kann in vivo und in vitro mit der Cre-Recombinase deletiert werden. Deshalb wurde ein induzierbares System mit Lin9fl/fl Mäusen, die zusätzlich Cre-ERT2 tragen, etabliert. Die MEFs dieser transgenen Mäuse trugen nach Induktion mit Tamoxifen einen kompletten Lin9 Knockout. Die Deletion von LIN9 hat dramatische Auswirkung auf den Zellzyklus und die Wachstumsrate der MEFs. Neben der Akkumulation in der G2/M Phase des Zellzyklus kommt es zu einem vollständigen Proliferationsstop. Zusammenfassend war es möglich, ein Lin9 „Gene Trap“ und ein konditionelles Knockout Maus Modell zu generieren. Beide Mausmodelle belegen, dass Lin9 ein essenzielles Gen für die Embryonalentwicklung und die Kontrolle des Zellzyklus ist. Die weitere Erforschung der LIN9 Defizienz wird dazu beitragen, grundlegende Mechanismen der frühen Zellzykluskontrolle und der embryonalen Entwicklung zu verstehen.
KW  - Zellzyklus
KW  - Knockout <Molekulargenetik>
KW  - Cell cyle
KW  - Knockout
Y1  - 2008
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-30889
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Liang, Chunguang
T1  - Tools for functional genomics applied to Staphylococci, Listeriae, Vaccinia virus and other organisms
N2  - Genome sequence analysis A combination of genome analysis application has been established here during this project. This offers an efficient platform to interactively compare similar genome regions and reveal loci differences. The genes and operons can be rapidly analyzed and local collinear blocks (LCBs) categorized according to their function. The features of interests are parsed, recognized, and clustered into reports. Phylogenetic relationships can be readily examined such as the evolution of critical factors or a certain highly-conserved region. The resulting platform-independent software packages (GENOVA and inGeno), have been proven to be efficient and easy to handle in a number of projects. The capabilities of the software allowed the investigation of virulence factors, e.g., rsbU, strains’ biological design, and in particular pathogenicity feature storage and management. We have successfully investigated the genomes of Staphylococcus aureus strains (COL, N315, 8325, RN1HG, Newman), Listeria spp. (welshimeri, innocua and monocytogenes), E.coli strains (O157:H7 and MG1655) and Vaccinia strains (WR, Copenhagen, Lister, LIVP, GLV-1h68 and parental strains). Metabolic network analysis Our YANAsquare package offers a workbench to rapidly establish the metabolic network of such as Staphylococcous aureus bacteria in genome-scale size as well as metabolic networks of interest such as the murine phagosome lipid signalling network. YANAsquare recruits reactions from online databases using an integrated KEGG browser. This reduces the efforts in building large metabolic networks. The involved calculation routines (METATOOL-derived wrapper or native Java implementation) readily obtain all possible flux modes (EM/EP) for metabolite fluxes within the network. Advanced layout algorithms visualize the topological structure of the network. In addition, the generated structure can be dynamically modified in the graphic interface. The generated network as well as the manipulated layout can be validated and stored (XML file: scheme of SBML level-2). This format can be further parsed and analyzed by other systems biology software, such as CellDesigner. Moreover, the integrated robustness-evaluation routine is able to examine the synthesis rates affected by each single mutation throughout the whole network. We have successfully applied the method to simulate single and multiple gene knockouts, and the affected fluxes are comprehensively revealed. Recently we applied the method to proteomic data and extra-cellular metabolite data of Staphylococci, the physiological changes regarding the flux distribution are studied. Calculations at different time points, including different conditions such as hypoxia or stress, show a good fit to experimental data. Moreover, using the proteomic data (enzyme amounts) calculated from 2D-Gel-EP experiments our study provides a way to compare the fluxome and the enzyme expression. Oncolytic vaccinia virus (VACV) We investigated the genetic differences between the de novo sequence of the recombinant oncolytic GLV-1h68 and other related VACVs, including function predictions for all found genome differences. Our phylogenetic analysis indicates that GLV-1h68 is closest to Lister strains but has lost several ORFs present in its parental LIVP strain, including genes encoding CrmE and a viral Golgi anti-apoptotic protein, v-GAAP. Functions of viral genes were either strain-specific, tissue-specific or host-specific comparing viral genes in the Lister, WR and COP strains. This helps to rationally design more optimized oncolytic virus strains to benefit cancer therapy in human patients. Identified differences from the comparison in open reading frames (ORFs) include genes for host-range selection, virulence and immune modulation proteins, e.g. ankyrin-like proteins, serine proteinase inhibitor SPI-2/CrmA, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor homolog CrmC, semaphorin-like and interleukin-1 receptor homolog proteins. The contribution of foreign gene expression cassettes in the therapeutic and oncolytic virus GLV-1h68 was studied, including the F14.5L, J2R and A56R loci. The contribution of F14.5L inactivation to the reduced virulence is demonstrated by comparing the virulence data of GLV-1h68 with its F14.5L-null and revertant viruses. The comparison suggests that insertion of a foreign gene expression cassette in a nonessential locus in the viral genome is a practical way to attenuate VACVs, especially if the nonessential locus itself contains a virulence gene. This reduces the virulence of the virus without compromising too much the replication competency of the virus, the key to its oncolytic activity. The reduced pathogenicity of GLV-1h68 was confirmed by our experimental collaboration partners in male mice bearing C6 rat glioma and in immunocompetent mice bearing B16-F10 murine melanoma. In conclusion, bioinformatics and experimental data show that GLV-1h68 is a promising engineered VACV variant for anticancer therapy with tumor-specific replication, reduced pathogenicity and benign tissue tropism.
N2  - Genom Sequenz Analyse Im Zuge der vorliegenden Doktorarbeit wurden verschiedene Programme zur Genomanalyse kombiniert, um eine effiziente Plattform zum interaktiven Vergleich lokaler Ähnlichkeiten bzw. Unterschiede in Genomen bereitzustellen. Damit können Gene und Operons schnell untersucht und “local collinear blocks” entsprechend ihrer Funktion kategorisiert werden. Phylogenetische Beziehungen, wie beispielsweise die Evolution spezifischer Elemente oder stark konservierter Regionen können leicht überprüft werden. Die hierfür entwickelte plattformunabhängige Software (GENOVA und inGeno) hat sich in mehreren Projekten als effizient und leicht handhabbar bewährt. Die Programme erlauben die Untersuchung von Virulenzfaktoren auf Sequenz- oder Annotationsebene. Während der vorliegenden Doktorarbeit konnten so die Genome von verschiedenen Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria spp., Escherichia coli und Vaccinia Stämmen untersucht werden. Metabolische Netzwerk Analyse Unser “YANAsquare” Programmpaket bietet eine Oberfläche um schnell metabolische Netzwerke vom genomweiten Anzatz bis hinunter zum Einzelnetzwerk zu analysieren. Dafür greift YANA mit Hilfe des integrierten KEGG-Browsers auf Onlinedatenbanken zu, um die notwendigen Informationen zum metabolischen Reaktionsweg bereitzustellen und reduziert so maßgeblich den Arbeitsaufwand beim Beschreiben von Netzwerke. Die implementierten Methoden zur Berechnung (METATOOL, eigene Implementation in Java) des Netzwerkes liefern exakt alle die möglichen Elementarmoden (EM/EP) für die Metabolite zurück. Durch den Einsatz von fortgeschrittenen Layout Algorithmen wird anschliessend die Darstellung der Netzwerktopologie möglich. Außerdem kann in der grafischen Darstellung das generierte Netzwerklayout dynamisch verändert werden. Das Speichern der Daten erfolgt im XML (SBML level-2) Format und erlaubt so die Weiterverwendung in anderen systembiologischen Programmen, wie dem “CellDesigner”. Mit Hilfe einer gen-Knockout Simulations Methode kann der Einfluss von einzelnen Mutationen im gesamten Netzwerk auf die Syntheseraten untersucht werden. Wir konnten mit dieser Methode Einzel- sowie Mehrfachgenknockouts und deren Effekte auf die Elementarmoden analysieren. Die Methode wurde ebenfalls auf Proteomdaten und extrazelluläre Metabolite von Staphylokokken angewandt, um Änderungen bezüglich der Flussverteilung zu untersuchen. Die Simulationen zu verschieden Zeitpunkten und unter verschiedenen Stessbedingungen zeigen große Übereinstimmung mit experimentell erhobenen Daten. Onkolytischer Vaccinia Virus (VACV) Wir haben die genetischen Unterschiede zwischen der de novo Sequenz des rekombinanten onkolytischen Virus GLV-1h68 und anderen VACVs untersucht und gefundene Unterschiede funktionell charakterisiert. Die phylogenetische Analyse zeigt das GLV-1h68 mit dem Lister Stamm am nächsten verwandt ist. Auffällig ist dabei der Verlust von einigen open reading frames (ORFs), die noch im Eltern LIVP Stamm vorhanden sind (CrmE, v-GAAP). Beim Vergleich der Funktion viraler Gene aus Lister, WR und COP Stämmen treten stamm-, gewebe- und wirtsspezifische Gene auf. Diese Tatsache ermöglicht die Optimierung der onkolytischen Virusstämme für den Einsatz bei humanen Krebstherapien. Die beim Vergleich identifizierten Unterschiede zwischen den ORFs enthalten Gene für die Wirtsselektion, Virulenz und immunmodulierende Proteine (Ankyrin ähnliche Proteine, Serine-Proteinasen Inhibitor SPI-2/CrmA, Tumor Nekrose Faktor (TNF) Rezeptorhomolog CrmC, semaphorinähnliche und Interleukin-1 rezeptorhomologe Proteine). An den Loki F14.5L, J2R und A56R des GLV-1h68 Virus wurden die Vorteile der eingesetzten fremden Genexpressionskassetten untersucht. So zeigt GLV-1h68 mit F14.5L-Inaktivierung gegenüber der F14.5L-Revertanten Viren eine reduzierte Virulenz. Das erlaubt die Schlussfolgerung, dass die Insertion von fremden Genexpressionskassetten in nicht-essentielle Loki zur Verminderung der Virulenz von VACVs führt, besonders, wenn der nicht-essentielle Lokus selbst ein Virulenzgen enthält. Das Replikationsvermögen, welches ausschlaggebend für die onkolytische Aktivität des Virus ist, wird trotz der verminderten Virulenz nicht eingeschränkt. Die reduzierte Pathogenität des GLV-1h68 Virus wurde durch experimentelle Daten unserer Kollaborationspartner in männlichen Mäusen mit Ratten C6 Gliom und in immunokompetenten Mäusen mit B16-F10 Mausmelanom nachgewiesen. Zusammenfassend zeigen experimentelle und bioinformatisch gewonnene Daten, dass GLV-1h68 eine vielversprechende VACV Variante für die Krebstherapie mit tumorspezifischer Replikation, verringerter Pathogenität und hoher Gewebsspezifität ist.
KW  - Genanalyse
KW  - Bioinformatik
KW  - Systembiologie
KW  - bacterial
KW  - virulence
KW  - systems biologie
KW  - genomic
KW  - algorithm
KW  - metabolic
KW  - network
KW  - pathway
KW  - flux
KW  - Bacterial
KW  - genomics
KW  - algorithm
KW  - tool
KW  - metabolic
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48051
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Maschwitz, Ulrich
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
A1  - Linsenmair, Karl Eduard
T1  - Clerodendrum fistulosum (Verbenanceae), an unspecific myrmecophyte from Borneo with spontaneously opening domatia
N2  - Clerodendrumjistulosum Becc. is a true myrmecophyte as it offers nesting space for ants in hollow intemodes. In contrast to previous reports our investigations proved that these domatia open by themselves, thus providing cavities for a variety of different ant species. In Sarawak, Malaysia, we did not find an obligate relationship between C. jistulosum and a specific ant-partner. For comparison, studies on herbarium material of other Clerodendrum species were carried out a further species, C. deflexum from the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra presumably also is myrmecophytic.
Y1  - 1994
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-31013
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weising, K.
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
A1  - Ramloch, K.
A1  - Kahl, K.
A1  - Epplen, J. T.
T1  - Olingonucleotide fingerprinting in angiosperms
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1990
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-42884
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
A1  - Maschwitz, Ulrich
A1  - Pong, Tho, Yow
A1  - Helbig, Andreas J.
T1  - Studies of a South East Asian ant-plant association : protection of Macaranga trees by Crematogaster borneensis
N2  - In the humid tropics of SE Asia there are some 14 myrmecophytic species of the pioneer tree genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae). In Peninsular Malaysia a close association exists between the trees and the small, non-stinging myrmicine Crema togas ter borneensis. These ants feed mainly on food bodies provided by the plants and have their colonies inside the hollow intemodes. In a ten months field study we were able to demonstrate for four Macaranga species (M. triloba, M. hypoleuca, M. hosei, M. hulletti) that host plants also benefit considerably from ant-occupation. Ants do not contribute to the nutrient demands of their host plant, they do, however, protect it against herbivores and plant competition. Cleaning behaviour of the ants results in the removal of potential herbivores already in their earliest developmental stages. Strong aggressiveness and a mass recruiting system enable the ants to defend the host plant against many herbivorous insects. This results in a significant decrease in leaf damage due to herbivores on ant-occupied compared to ant-free myrmecophytes as well as compared to non-myrmecophytic Macaranga species. Most important is the ants' defense of the host plant against plant competitors, especially vines, which are abundant in the well-lit pioneer habitats where Macaranga grows. Ants bite off any foreign plant part coming into contact with their host plant. Both ant-free myrmecophytes and non-myrmecophytic Macaranga species had a significantly higher incidence of vine growth than specimens with active ant colonies. This may be a factor of considerable importance allowing Macaranga plants to grow at sites of strongest competition.
KW  - Ant/plant interaction
KW  - Myrmecophytes
KW  - Protection
KW  - Macaranga
KW  - Crematogaster borneensis
Y1  - 1989
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-42857
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Maschwitz, Ulich
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
A1  - Lee, Ying Fah
A1  - Chey, Vun Khen
A1  - Tan, Fui Lian
T1  - New and little-known myrmecophytic associations from Bornean rain forests
N2  - The woody climber Millettia niuewenhuisii (Fabaceae) and the shrub Myrmeconauclea strigosa (Rubiaceae) in Sabah, Borneo are associated with ants. The hollow stems of Millettia nieuwenhuisii are regularly inhabited by an aggressive Cladomyrma sp., which keeps pseudococcids inside the stem. On Myrmeconauclea strigosa the ants live in hollow internodal swellings near the end of the branches. In this plant many different ant species use the nesting space in an opportunistic manner.
Y1  - 1989
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-42957
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Maschwitz, Ulich
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
A1  - Saw, L. G.
A1  - Norma-Rashid, Yusoff
A1  - Idris, Azarae Haji
T1  - Ficus obscura var. borneensis (Moraceae), a new non-specific ant-plant from Malesia
N2  - Ficus obscura var. borneensis is a true myrmecophyte. It spontaneously forms cavities (domatia) in parts of its twigs which open by slits, These occur in the internodes and are usually not swollen. The domatia are inhabited by a variety of non-specific tree-living ants including Crematogaster spp., Cataulacus sp., Tetramorium sp., Cardio condyla sp. and Camponotus sp.. Additionally the plant providL a su~ar-containing secretion from extrafloral nectaries on the lower surfaces of the leaves. Examination of herbarium specimens of 37 other South-east Asian Ficus species did not reveal a single specimen with domatia.
Y1  - 1994
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-42926
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Heisswolf, Annette
A1  - Obermaier, Elisabeth
A1  - Poethke, Hans-Joachim
T1  - Selection of large host plants for oviposition by a monophagous leaf beetle: nutritional quality or enemy-free space?
N2  - 1. Oviposition site selection is crucial for the reproductive success of herbivorous insects. According to the preference–performance hypothesis, females should oviposit on host plants that enhance the performance of their offspring. More specifically, the plant vigour hypothesis predicts that females should prefer large and vigorously growing host plants for oviposition and that larvae should perform best on these plants. 2. The present study examined whether females of the monophagous leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) prefer to oviposit on large host plant individuals of the meadow clary and whether large host plants are of higher nutritional quality than small host plants. Subsequently, it was tested whether the female preference correlates with offspring performance and survival. 3. In the field, females preferred large host plant individuals for oviposition and host plant quality, i.e. leaf nitrogen content, was significantly higher in leaves of large than of small host plants. 4. In the laboratory, larval development time was shorter on leaves of large host plant individuals than on small host plant individuals, but this could not be shown in the field. 5. However, a predator-exclusion experiment in the field resulted in a higher survival of larvae on large host plants than on small host plants when all predators had free access to the plants. On caged host plants there was no difference in survival of larvae between plant size categories. 6. It is concluded that females of C. canaliculata select oviposition sites that enhance both performance and survival of their offspring, which meets the predictions of the plant vigour hypothesis.
KW  - Insekten
KW  - Eiablage
KW  - Fitness
KW  - Präferenz
KW  - Chrysomelidae
KW  - leaf nitrogen content
KW  - plant vigour
KW  - predator-exclusion
KW  - preference–performance hypothesis
Y1  - 2005
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47728
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Heisswolf, Annette
A1  - Poethke, Hans-Joachim
A1  - Obermaier, Elisabeth
T1  - Multitrophic influences on oviposition site selection in a specialized leaf beetle at multiple spatial scales
N2  - Egg distribution in herbivorous beetles can be affected by bottom-up (host plant), and by top-down factors (parasitoids and predators), as well as by other habitat parameters. The importance of bottom-up and top-down effects may change with spatial scale. In this study, we investigated the influence of host plant factors and habitat structure on egg distribution in the leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a monophagous herbivore on Salvia pratensis L. (Lamiales: Lamiaceae), on four spatial scales: individual host plant, microhabitat, macrohabitat, and landscape. At the individual host plant scale we studied the correlation between egg clutch incidence and plant size and quality. On all other scales we analyzed the relationship between the egg clutch incidence of C. canaliculata and host plant percentage cover, host plant density, and the surrounding vegetation structure. Vegetation structure was examined as herbivores might escape egg parasitism by depositing their eggs on sites with vegetation factors unfavorable for host searching parasitoids. The probability that egg clutches of C. canaliculata were present increased with an increasing size, percentage cover, and density of the host plant on three of the four spatial scales: individual host plant, microhabitat, and macrohabitat. There was no correlation between vegetation structure and egg clutch occurrence or parasitism on any spatial scale. A high percentage of egg clutches (38–56%) was parasitized by Foersterella reptans Nees (Hymenoptera: Tetracampidae), the only egg parasitoid, but there was no relationship between egg parasitism and the spatial distribution of egg clutches of C. canaliculata on any of the spatial scales investigated. However, we also discuss results from a further study, which revealed top-down effects on the larval stage.
N2  - Die Gelegeverteilung herbivorer Insekten kann sowohl durch bottom-up (Wirtspflanzen) und top-down Faktoren (Parasitoide und Prdatoren), als auch durch weitere Habitatparameter beeinflusst werden. Die Bedeutung der bottom-up und top-down Einflüsse kann zusätzlich von der räumlichen Skala abhängen. In dieser Studie untersuchen wir den Einfluss von Wirtspflanzenfaktoren und der Vegetationsstruktur auf die Gelegeverteilung des Blattkäfers Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), einem auf Salvia pratensis L. (Lamiales: Lamiaceae) monophagen Herbivoren, auf vier räumlichen Skalen: dem Wirtspflanzenindividuum, Mikro- und Makrohabitat, sowie der Landschaft. Auf der Skala des Wirtspflanzenindividuums wurde der Zusammenhang zwischen der Gelegeinzidenz und der Größe und Qualität der Wirtspflanze untersucht. Auf allen anderen Skalen wurde die Korrelation zwischen der Gelegeinzidenz von C. canaliculata und der prozentualen Wirtspflanzendeckung und Wirtspflanzendichte, sowie der umgebenden Vegetationsstruktur analysiert. Die Vegetationsstruktur wurde untersucht, da die Herbivoren ihren Eiparasitoiden entkommen knönten, indem sie ihre Eigelege an Plätzen ablegen, deren Vegetationsstrukturparameter den Eiparasitoiden die Suche erschweren. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass Eigelege von C. canaliculata vorhanden waren, nahm mit zunehmender Größe, prozentualer Deckung und Dichte der Wirtspflanze auf drei der vier untersuchten Skalen zu: Wirtspflanzenindividuum, Mikrohabitat und Makrohabitat. Die Vegetationsstruktur stand jedoch auf keiner räumlichen Skala in einem Zusammenhang mit der Gelegeinzidenz bzw. der Parasitierung der Eigelege. Ein hoher Anteil der Eigelege (38-56%) war durch den einzigen Eiparasitoiden Foersterella reptans Nees (Hymenoptera: Tetracampidae) parasitiert. Es konnte jedoch auf keiner der untersuchten räumlichen Skalen eine Korrelation zwischen der Parasitierung und der räumlichen Gelegeverteilung von C. canaliculata gefunden werden. Wir diskutieren aber auch Ergebnisse einer weiterführenden Studie, in der sich top-down Effekte auf das Larvalstadium zeigten.
KW  - Eiablage
KW  - Pflanzenfressende Insekten
KW  - Eiparasitismus
KW  - Käfer
KW  - Chrysomelidae
KW  - egg parasitism
KW  - herbivore
KW  - hostparasitoid interactions
KW  - plant quality
Y1  - 2006
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47738
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Heisswolf, Annette
A1  - Reichmann, Stefanie
A1  - Poethke, Hans-Joachim
A1  - Schröder, Boris
A1  - Obermaier, Elisabeth
T1  - Habitat quality matters for the distribution of an endangered leaf beetle and its egg parasitoid in a fragmented landscape
N2  - Fragmentation, deterioration, and loss of habitat patches threaten the survival of many insect species. Depending on their trophic level, species may be differently affected by these factors. However, studies investigating more than one trophic level on a landscape scale are still rare. In the present study we analyzed the effects of habitat size, isolation, and quality for the occurrence and population density of the endangered leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and its egg parasitoid, the hymenopteran wasp Foersterella reptans Nees (Hymenoptera: Tetracampidae). C. canaliculata is strictly monophagous on meadow sage (Salvia pratensis), while F. reptans can also parasitize other hosts. Both size and isolation of habitat patches strongly determined the occurrence of the beetle. However, population density increased to a much greater extent with increasing host plant density ( = habitat quality) than with habitat size. The occurrence probability of the egg parasitoid increased with increasing population density of C. canaliculata. In conclusion, although maintaining large, well-connected patches with high host plant density is surely the major conservation goal for the specialized herbivore C. canaliculata, also small patches with high host plant densities can support viable populations and should thus be conserved. The less specialized parasitoid F. reptans is more likely to be found on patches with high beetle density, while patch size and isolation seem to be less important.
KW  - Fragmentierung
KW  - Pflanzenfressende Insekten
KW  - Eiparasitismus
KW  - Metapopulation
KW  - Habitat fragmentation
KW  - herbivore
KW  - host plant density
KW  - metapopulation
KW  - multitrophic
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47740
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Poethke, Hans-Joachim
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
A1  - Mitesser, Oliver
T1  - Local extinction and the evolution of dispersal rates: Causes and correlations
N2  - We present the results of individual-based simulation experiments on the evolution of dispersal rates of organisms living in metapopulations. We find conflicting results regarding the relationship between local extinction rate and evolutionarily stable (ES) dispersal rate depending on which principal mechanism causes extinction: if extinction is caused by environmental catastrophes eradicating local populations, we observe a positive correlation between extinction and ES dispersal rate; if extinction is a consequence of stochastic local dynamics and environmental fluctuations, the correlation becomes ambiguous; and in cases where extinction is caused by dispersal mortality, a negative correlation between local extinction rate and ES dispersal rate emerges. We conclude that extinction rate, which both affects and is affected by dispersal rates, is not an ideal predictor for optimal dispersal rates.
KW  - Ausbreitung
KW  - Evolution
KW  - Computersimulation
KW  - Metapopulation
KW  - dispersal
KW  - evolution
KW  - ESS
KW  - metapopulation
KW  - extinction
KW  - individual-based model
Y1  - 2003
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47718
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Kelber, Christina
T1  - The olfactory system of leafcutting ants: neuroanatomy and the correlation to social organization
T1  - Das olfaktorische System der Blattschneiderameisen: Neuroanatomie und Korrelation zur sozialen Organisation
N2  - In leaf-cutting ants (genera Atta and Acromyrmex), the worker caste exhibits a pronounced size-polymorphism, and division of labor is largely dependent on worker size (alloethism). Behavioral studies have shown a rich diversity of olfactory-guided behaviors, and the olfactory system seems to be highly developed and very sensitive. To allow fine-tuned behavioral responses to different tasks, adaptations within the olfactory system of different sized workers are expected. In a recent study, two different phenotypes of the antennal lobe of Atta vollenweideri workers were found: MG- and RG-phenotype (with and without a macroglomerulus, MG). The existence of the macroglomerulus is correlated to the body size of workers, with small workers showing the RG-phenotype and large workers showing the MG-phenotype. In the MG, the information about the releaser component of the trail-pheromone is processed. In the first part of my PhD-project, I focus on quantifying behavioral differences between different sized workers in Atta vollenweideri. The study analyzes the trail following behavior; which can be generally performed by all workers. An artificial trail consisting of the releaser component of the trail-pheromone in decreasing concentration was used to test the trail-following performance of individual workers. The trail-following performance of the polymorphic workers is depended of the existence of the MG in the antennal lobe. Workers possessing the MG-phenotype were significantly better in following a decreasing trail then workers showing the RG-phenotype. In the second part I address the question if there are more structural differences, besides the MG, in the olfactory system of different sized workers. Therefore I analyze whether the glomerular numbers are related to worker size. The antennal lobes of small workers contain ~390 glomeruli (low-number; LN-phenotype), and in large workers I found a substantially higher number of ~440 glomeruli (high-number; HN-phenotype). All LN-phenotype workers and some of the small HN-phenotype workers do not possess an MG (LN-RG-phenotype and HN-RG-phenotype) at all, whereas the remaining majority of HN-phenotype workers do possess an MG (HN-MG-phenotype). Mass-stainings of antennal olfactory receptor neurons revealed that the sensory tracts divide the antennal lobe into six clusters of glomeruli (T1-T6). In the T4-cluster ~50 glomeruli are missing in the LN-phenotype workers. Selective staining of single sensilla and their associated receptor neurons showed that T4-glomeruli are innervated by receptor neurons from the main type of olfactory sensilla, the Sensilla trichodea curvata which are also projecting to glomeruli in all other clusters. The other type of olfactory sensilla, the Sensilla basiconica, exclusively innervates T6-glomeruli. Quantitative analyses revealed a correlation between the number of Sensilla basiconica and the volume of T6 glomeruli in different sized workers. The results of both behavioral and neuroanatomical studies in Atta vollenweideri suggest that developmental plasticity of antennal-lobe phenotypes promotes differences in olfactory-guided behavior which may underlie task specialization within ant colonies. The last part of my project focuses on the evolutionary origin of the macroglomerulus and the number of glomeruli in the antennal lobe. I compared the number, volumes and position of the glomeruli of the antennal lobe of 25 different species from all three major Attini groups (lower, higher and leaf-cutting Attini). The antennal lobes of all investigated Attini comprise a high number of glomeruli (257-630). The highest number was found in Apterostigma cf. mayri. This species is at a basal position within the Attini phylogeny, and a high number of glomeruli might have been advantageous in the evolution of the advanced olfactory systems of this Taxa. The macroglomerulus can be found in all investigated leaf-cutting Attini, but in none of the lower and higher Attini species. It is found only in large workers, and is located close to the entrance of the antennal nerve in all investigated species. The results indicate that the presence of a macroglomerulus in large workers of leaf-cutting Attini is a derived overexpression of a trait in the polymorphic leaf-cutting species. It presumably represents an olfactory adaptation to elaborate foraging and mass recruitment systems, and adds to the complexity of division of labor and social organization known for this group.
N2  - Die Arbeiterinnenkaste der Blattschneideameisen zeigt einen ausgeprägten Größenpolymorphismus. Man findet hier einen Alloethismus; unterschiedlich große Arbeiterinnen führen verschiedene Arbeiten im Stock durch. Verschiedene Verhaltensversuche haben gezeigt, dass viele Verhaltensweisen der Arbeiterinnen olfaktorisch gesteuert werden und dass das olfaktorische System hoch entwickelt und sehr sensitiv ist. Es ist wahrscheinlich, dass sich im olfaktorischen System verschieden großer Arbeiterinnen Anpassungen finden lassen, die gut abgestimmte Verhaltensantworten auf die verschiedenen Aufgaben der Tiere ermöglichen. Und tatsächlich zeigt eine aktuelle Studie, dass zwei verschiedene Phänotypen des Antennallobus der Arbeiterin bei Atta vollenweideri existieren, der MG- und der RG-Phänotyp (mit oder ohne Makroglomerulus, MG). Die Existenz des Makroglomerulus kann mit der Körpergröße der Tiere korreliert werden: bei kleinen Arbeiterinnen findet man den RG-Phänotyp, bei großen den MG-Phänotyp. Im Makroglomerulus wird die olfaktorische Information über den verhaltensauslösenden Bestandteil des Spurpheromons verarbeitet. Im ersten Tel meiner Doktorarbeit versuche ich, Verhaltensunterschiede verschieden großer Atta vollenweideri Arbeiterinnen zu quantifizieren. Dazu konzentriere ich mich auf das Spurfolgeverhalten, dass bei Arbeiterinnen jeder Größe beobachtet werden kann. Um die Spurfolgeleistung einzelner Arbeiterinnen zu testen, wurde eine künstlich gelegte Spur mit abnehmender Konzentration des verhaltensauslösenden Bestandteils des Spurpheromons verwendet. Die Spurfolgeleistung der Arbeiterinnen hängt von der Existenz des Makroglomerulus im Antennallobus ab. Im zweiten Teil meiner Doktorarbeit untersuche ich die Neuroanatomie des olfaktorischen Systems bei verschieden großen Atta vollenweideri Arbeiterinnen auf eventuelle weitere anatomische Unterschiede neben dem Makroglomerulus – im Besonderen ob die Anzahl an Glomeruli bei verschieden großen Tieren unterschiedlich ist. Die Antennalloben kleiner Arbeiterinnen beinhalten cirka 390 Glomeruli (geringe Anzahl, LN-Phänotyp), die Antennalloben großer Arbeiterinnen dagegen cirka 440 Glomeruli (hohe Anzahl, HN-Phänotyp). Alle Arbeiterinnen mit dem LN-Phänotyp und einige mit dem HN-Phänotyp besitzen keinen Makroglomerulus (LN-RG-Phänotyp und HN-RG-Phänotyp). Die meisten Tiere mit HN-Phänotyp besitzen jedoch einen Makroglomerulus (HN-MG-Phänotyp). Massenfärbungen der olfaktorischen Rezeptorneuron-Axone zeigen, dass der Antennennerv sich in sechs Trakte teilt und so die Glomeruli in sechs verschiedene Glomerulicluster unterteilt werden können (T1-T6). Bei den Arbeiterinnen mit LN-Phänotyp fehlen cirka 50 Glomeruli im T4-Cluster. Einzelsensillenfärbungen zeigen, dass die Rezeptorneuronen der olfaktorischen Sensilla trichodea curvata alle sechs Cluster, also auch das T4-Cluster innervieren. Ein weiterer Sensillentyp, die Sensilla basiconica, innerviert ausschließlich Glomeruli im T6-Cluster. Quantitative Analysen ergeben eine Korrelation zwischen der Anzahl der Sensilla basiconica auf der Arbeiterinnenantenne und des durchschnittlichen Volumens der T6-Glomeruli bei verschieden großen Tieren. Die Ergebnisse der Verhaltensversuche und der neuroanatomischen Studien könnten darauf hinweisen, dass Unterschiede im Verhalten auf olfaktorische Reize möglicherweise durch die Entwicklungsplastizität der Antenallobus-Phänotypen ausgelöst werden. Dies könnte innerhalb der Kolonie die Grundlage der Spezialisierung von Arbeiterinnen auf bestimmte Arbeiten sein. Den letzten Teil meiner Doktorarbeit nimmt eine Untersuchung über den evolutionären Ursprung des Makroglomerulus und der Anzahl der Glomeruli im Antennallobus ein. Dazu verglich ich in den Antennalloben 25 verschiedener Arten aus den drei Attini-Gruppen (basale, höhere und blattschneidende Attini) die Anzahl, das Volumen und die Position der Glomeruli. Die Antennalloben aller untersuchten Arten bestehen aus sehr vielen Glomeruli (257-630). Der Makroglomerulus findet sich in allen untersuchten blattschneidenden Attini-Arten, aber nie in den untersuchten basalen und höheren Attini-Arten. Er findet sich nur bei größeren Arbeiterinnen und befindet sich immer in der Nähe des Antennennerveingangs. Dies bedeutet, dass es sich bei der Existenz des Makroglomerulus in den großen Blattschneidearbeiterinnen um eine abgeleitete Überexpression eines Merkmals innerhalb der polymorphen blattschneidenden Attini-Arten handelt. Der Makroglomerulus ist wahrscheinlich eine olfaktorische Anpassung an das hoch entwickelte Fouragier- und Rekrutiersystem dieser Arten. Er ist ein Baustein der komplexen Arbeitsteilung und der komplexen sozialen Organisation, die für die Arten dieser Gruppe bekannt sind.
KW  - Gehirn
KW  - Polymorphismus
KW  - Arbeitsteilung
KW  - Geruchswahrnehmung
KW  - Antennallobus
KW  - Glomeruli
KW  - olfaktorische Rezeptorneurone
KW  - Brain
KW  - polymorphism
KW  - antennal lobe
KW  - glomeruli
KW  - dvision of labor
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47769
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Brandes, Nicolas
T1  - Oxidative Thiol Modifications in Pro- and Eukaryotic Organisms
T1  - Oxidative Thiol Modifikationen in Pro- und Eukaryotischen Organismen
N2  - Cystein spielt eine wichtige Rolle in der Biochemie vieler Proteine. Aufgrund der Redox-Eigenschaften und der hohen Reaktivität der freien Thiol-Gruppe sowie dessen Fähigkeit Metallionen zu koordinieren, ist Cystein oft Bestandteil von katalytischen Zentren vieler Enzyme. Zudem lassen sich Cysteine durch reaktive Sauerstoff- und Stickstoffspezies leicht reversibel oxidativ modifizieren. In den letzten Jahren wurde gezeigt, dass Proteine redox-bedingte Thiol-Modifikationen nutzen, um Veränderungen ihrer Aktivität zu steuern. Diese redox-regulierten Proteine spielen eine zentrale Rolle in vielen physiologischen Prozessen. Das erste Ziel meiner Arbeit war die Identifizierung von Stickstoffmonoxid (NO)-sensitiven Proteinen in E. coli. Die redox-bedingten Funktionsänderungen solcher Proteine erklären möglicherweise die veränderte Physiologie von E. coli Zellen, die unter NO-Stress leiden. Um E. coli Proteine zu identifizieren, die unter Einwirkung von NO-Stress reversibel Thiol-modifiziert werden, wandte ich eine Kombination aus differentiellem Thiol-Trapping und 2D Gel-Elektrophorese an. Es wurden zehn Proteinen identifiziert, welche NO-sensitive Thiol-Gruppen enthalten. Genetische Studien ergaben, dass Modifikationen an AceF & IlvC mitverantwortlich sind für die NO-induzierte Wachstumshemmung. Bemerkenswert ist es, dass die Mehrheit der identifizierten Proteine speziell nur gegen reaktive Stickstoffspezies empfindlich ist, welches an einem der identifizierten Stickstoffmonoxid-sensitiven Proteinen, der kleinen Untereinheit von Glutamate synthase, getestet wurde. In vivo und in vitro Aktivitätsstudien zeigten, dass es zu einer schnellen Inaktivierung von Glutamate synthase nach NO-Behandlung kommt, das Protein aber resistent gegenüber anderen Oxidationsmittel ist. Diese Resultate implizieren, dass reaktive Sauerstoff- und Stickstoffspezies unterschiedliche physiologische Vorgänge in Bakterien beeinflussen. Das zweite Ziel meiner Arbeit war es, redox-sensitive Proteine in S. cerevisiae zu identifizieren und deren Redox-Zustand als in vivo Read-Out zu verwenden, um die Rolle von oxidativen Stress während des Alterungsprozess eukaryotischer Zellen zu analysieren. Zunächst bestimmte ich in Hefezellen mit Hilfe von OxICAT, einer hochsensiblen quantitativen Methode, die Thiol-Trapping mit Massenspektrometrie verbindet, den exakten in vivo Thiol-Status von fast 300 Proteinen. Diese Proteine lassen sich in vier Gruppen einteilen: 1) Proteine, deren Cysteinreste resistent gegen Oxidation sind; 2) Proteine, in denen Cysteinmodifikationen strukturelle Aufgaben übernehmen; 3) Proteine mit oxidationsempfindlichen Cysteinen, die bereits eine gewisse Oxidation in exponentiell wachsenden Hefezellen aufweisen; 4) Proteine, die reduziert sind, aber redox-sensitive Cysteinreste enthalten, die die Funktion der Proteine bei Vorhandensein von oxidativen Stress beeinflussen. Die Sensitivität dieser Proteine gegenüber oxidativen Stress wurde durch Exposition subletaler Konzentrationen von H2O2 oder Superoxid auf Hefezellen nachgewiesen. Es wurde gezeigt, dass die wichtigsten zellulären Angriffspunkte von H2O2- und Superoxid-bedingtem Stress Proteine sind, die an Vorgängen der Translation, Glykolyse, des Citratzyklus und der Aminosäure-Biosynthese beteiligt sind. Diese Zielproteine zeigen, dass Zellen für die Bekämpfung von oxidativen Stress Metabolite schnell in Richtung des Pentosephosphatweges umleiten, um die Produktion des Reduktionsmittels NADPH sicherzustellen. Die hier präsentierten Ergebnisse belegen, dass die quantitative Bestimmung des Oxidationsstatus von Proteinen eine wertvolle Methode ist, um redox-sensitive Cysteinreste zu identifizieren. Die OxICAT Technologie wurde dann verwendet, um das genaue Ausmaß und die Entstehung von oxidativen Stress in chronologisch alternden S. cerevisiae Zellen zu bestimmen. Für diese Bestimmung wurde der Oxidationsstatus von Proteinen in alternden Hefezellen als physiologischer Read-Out verwendet. Ich zeigte, dass die zelluläre Redox-Homöostase in chronologisch alternden Hefezellen global zusammenbricht, wobei es sich dabei um einen Prozess handelt, der dem Zelltod vorausgeht. Der Beginn dieses Zusammenbruchs scheint mit der Lebensdauer der Hefezellen zu korrelieren, da Kalorienrestriktion die Lebensdauer der Hefezellen erhöht und den Zusammenbruch des Redox-Gleichgewichts verzögert. Die Oxidation einer kleinen Anzahl an Proteinen (z.B. Thioredoxin reductase) geht dem Redox-Zusammenbruch deutlich voraus, was maßgeblich zum Verlust der Redox-Homöostase beitragen könnte. Diese Studien an alternden Hefezellen erweitern unser Verständnis, wie sich Veränderungen in der Redox-Homöostase auf die Lebensdauer von Hefezellen auswirken. Zudem bestätigen die hier präsentierten Ergebnisse die Bedeutung von oxidativen Thiol-Modifikationen als eine der wichtigsten posttranslationalen Proteinmodifikationen in pro-und eukaryotischen Organismen
N2  - Cysteines play important roles in the biochemistry of many proteins. The high reactivity, redox properties, and ability of the free thiol group to coordinate metal ions designate cysteines as the amino acids of choice to form key catalytic components of many enzymes. Also, cysteines readily react with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species to form reversible oxidative thiol modifications. Over the last few years, an increasing number of proteins have been identified that use redox-mediated thiol modifications to modulate their function, activity, or localization. These redox-regulated proteins are central players in numerous important cellular processes. First aim of this study was to discover nitric oxide (NO) sensitive proteins in E. coli, whose redox-mediated functional changes might explain the physiological alterations observed in E. coli cells suffering from NO-stress. To identify E. coli proteins that undergo reversible thiol modifications upon NO-treatment in vivo, I applied a differential thiol trapping technique combined with two-dimensional gel analysis. 10 proteins were found to contain thiol groups sensitive to NO-treatment. Subsequent genetic studies revealed that the oxidative modifications of AceF & IlvC are, in part, responsible for the observed NO-induced growth inhibition. Noteworthy, the majority of identified protein targets turned out to be specifically sensitive towards reactive nitrogen species. This oxidant specificity was tested on one NO-sensitive protein, the small subunit of glutamate synthase. In vivo and in vitro activity studies demonstrated that glutamate synthase rapidly inactivates upon nitric oxide treatment but is resistant towards other oxidative stressors. These results imply that reactive oxygen and nitrogen species affect distinct physiological processes in bacteria. The second aim of my study was to identify redox-sensitive proteins in S. cerevisiae and to use their redox state as in vivo read-out to assess the role of oxidative stress during the eukaryotic aging process. I first determined the precise in vivo thiol status of almost 300 yeast proteins located in the cytosol and sub-cellular compartments of yeast cells using a highly quantitative mass spectrometry based thiol trapping technique, called OxICAT. The identified proteins can be clustered in four groups: 1) proteins, whose cysteine residues are oxidation resistant; 2) proteins with structurally or functionally important cysteine modifications 3) proteins with highly oxidation-sensitive active site cysteines, which are partially oxidized in exponentially growing yeast cells due to their exquisite sensitivity towards low amounts of ROS; 4) proteins that are reduced in exponentially growing cells but harbor redox-sensitive cysteine(s) that affect the catalytic function of the protein during oxidative stress. These oxidative stress sensitive proteins were identified by exposure of yeast cells to sublethal concentrations of H2O2 or superoxide. It was shown that the major targets of peroxide- and superoxide-mediated stress in the cell are proteins involved in translation, glycolysis, TCA cycle and amino acid biosynthesis. These targets indicate that cells rapidly redirect the metabolic flux and energy towards the pentose phosphate pathway in an attempt to ensure the production of the reducing equivalent NADPH to counterattack oxidative stress. These results reveal that the quantitative assessment of a protein’s oxidation state is a valuable tool to identify catalytically active and redox-sensitive cysteine residues. The OxICAT technology was then used to precisely determine extent and onset of oxidative stress in chronologically aging S. cerevisiae cells by utilizing the redox status of proteins as physiological read-out. I found that chronological aging yeast cells undergo a global collapse of the cellular redox homeostasis, which precedes cell death. The onset of this collapse appears to correlate with the yeast life span, as caloric restriction increases the life span and delays the redox collapse. These results suggest that maintenance of the redox balance might contribute to the life expanding benefits of regulating the caloric intake of yeast. Clustering analysis of all oxidatively modified proteins in chronological aging yeast revealed a subset of proteins whose oxidative thiol modifications significantly precede the general redox collapse. Oxidation of these early target proteins, which most likely results in a loss of their activity, might contribute to or even cause the observed loss of redox homeostasis (i.e., thioredoxin reductase) in chronologically aging yeast. These studies in aging yeast expand our understanding how changes in redox homeostasis affect the life span of yeast cells and confirm the importance of oxidative thiol modifications as key posttranslational modifications in pro- and eukaryotic organisms.
KW  - Oxidativer Stress
KW  - Cystein
KW  - Saccharomyces cerevisiae
KW  - Escherichia coli
KW  - Wasserstoffperoxid
KW  - Hyperoxide
KW  - Sauerstoffradikal
KW  - Thiolgruppe
KW  - Altern
KW  - Oxidation
KW  - Biologische Oxidation
KW  - Oxidative Thiol Modifikationen
KW  - Reaktive Sauerstoffspezies
KW  - Chronologisches Altern
KW  - Reversibel
KW  - Posttranslational
KW  - oxidative thiol modification
KW  - chronological aging
KW  - reactive oxygen species
KW  - Saccharomyces cerevisiae
KW  - thioredoxin reductase
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-46542
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Böhme, Linda
T1  - Cellular response to double-stranded RNA in Chlamydia trachomatis-infected human host cells
T1  - Zelluläre Antwort auf doppelsträngige RNA in Chlamydia trachomatis-infizierten humanen Wirtszellen
N2  - Chlamydien sind Gram-negative, obligat-intrazelluläre Bakterien, die für ein weites Spektrum an relevanten Krankheiten verantwortlich sind. Auf Grund ihres zweiphasigen Entwicklungszyklusses sind Chlamydien von einer intakten Wirtszelle abhängig, um sich erfolgreich vermehren und im Organismus ausbreiten zu können. Daher haben Chlamydien anspruchsvolle Strategien entwickelt, um das Immunsystem des Wirtes auszuschalten oder den programmierten Zelltod ihrer Wirtszelle zu verhindern. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde untersucht, ob eine Infektion mit C. trachomatis einen Einfluss auf die zelluläre Antwort auf dsRNA nehmen kann. Die Synthese von dsRNA ist ein charakteristisches Merkmal der Replikation von Viren, welche sowohl die Apoptose induzieren als auch das Immunsystem aktivieren kann. Um eine chlamydiale und virale Co-Infektion zu simulieren, wurden Chlamydien-infizierte Epithelzellen mit der synthetischen dsRNA Polyinosin-Polycytidinsäure (polyI:C) transfiziert. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit wurde untersucht, ob Chlamydien die durch dsRNA eingeleitete Apoptose verhindern können. Eine signifikante Reduktion der dsRNA-induzierten Apoptose konnte in infizierten Zellen beobachtet werden. Es zeigte sich, dass die Prozessierung der Initiator-Caspase-8 in infizierten Zellen unterblieb. Dies war von der frühen bakteriellen Proteinsynthese abhängig und für die dsRNA-vermittelte Apoptose spezifisch, da der durch TNFalpha bewirkte Zelltod nicht auf der Ebene der Caspase-8 verhindert werden konnte. Die Aktivierung von zellulären Faktoren, die bei der Apoptoseinduzierung eine wichtige Rolle spielen, beispielsweise PKR und RNase L, war in infizierten Zellen jedoch unverändert. Stattdessen konnte durch RNA Interferenz-vermittelte Depletion gezeigt werden, dass der zelluläre Caspase-8-Inhibitor cFlip eine entscheidende Rolle bei der chlamydialen Blockierung der dsRNA-vermittelten Apoptose spielt. Mittels Co-Immunopräzipitation konnte ein erster Hinweis darauf gefunden werden, dass C. trachomatis eine Anreicherung von cFlip im dsRNA-induzierten Komplex von Caspase-8 und FADD bewirkt. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wurde untersucht, ob Chlamydien die Immunantwort auf virale Infektionen beeinflussen, welche vor allem die Expression von Interferonen und Interleukinen beinhaltet. Es stellte sich heraus, dass die Aktivierung des Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) und des zur Familie von NF-kappaB Trankriptionsfaktoren gehörenden p65, zwei zentralen Regulatoren der Immunantwort auf dsRNA, in infizierten Epithelzellen verändert war. Die Degradation von IkappaB-alpha, des Inhibitors von NF-kappaB, war in infizierten Zellen beschleunigt, begleitet von einer Veränderung der Translokation des Transkriptionsfaktors in den Zellkern. Im Gegensatz dazu wurde die nukleäre Translokation von IRF-3 durch die Infektion signifikant verhindert. Die hier vorgestellten Daten zeigen erstmals, dass eine Infektion mit C. trachomatis die zelluläre Antwort auf dsRNA signifikant verändern kann und implizieren einen Einfluss von chlamydialen Infektionen auf den Ausgang von viralen Superinfektionen.
N2  - Chlamydia are Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacteria responsible for a wide spectrum of relevant diseases. Due to their biphasic developmental cycle Chlamydia depend on an intact host cell for replication and establishment of an acute infection. Chlamydia have therefore evolved sophisticated strategies to inhibit programmed cell death (PCD) induced by a variety of stimuli and to subvert the host immune system. This work aimed at elucidating whether an infection with C. trachomatis can influence the cellular response to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). The synthesis of dsRNA is a prominent feature of viral replication inside infected cells that can induce both PCD and the activation of a cellular innate immune response. In order to mimic chlamydial and viral co-infections, Chlamydia-infected cells were transfected with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (polyI:C), a synthetic dsRNA. In the first part of this work it was investigated whether C. trachomatis-infected host cells could resist apoptosis induced by polyI:C. A significant reduction in apoptosis, determined by PARP cleavage and DNA fragmentation, could be observed in infected cells. It could be shown that processing of the initiator caspase-8 was inhibited in infected host cells. This process was dependent on early bacterial protein synthesis and was specific for dsRNA because apoptosis induced by TNFalpha was not blocked at the level of caspase-8. Interestingly, the activation of cellular factors involved in apoptosis induction by dsRNA, most importantly PKR and RNase L, was not abrogated in infected cells. Instead, RNA interference experiments revealed the crucial role of cFlip, a cellular caspase-8 inhibitor, for chlamydial inhibition of dsRNA-induced apoptosis. First data acquired by co-immunoprecipitation experiments pointed to an infection-induced concentration of cFlip in the dsRNA-induced death complex of caspase-8 and FADD. In the second part of this work, the chlamydial influence on the first line of defense against viral infections, involving expression of interferons and interleukins, was examined. Activation of the interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) and the NF-kappaB transcription factor family member p65, both central regulators of the innate immune response to dsRNA, was altered in Chlamydia-infected epithelial cells. polyI:C-induced degradation of IkappaB-alpha, the inhibitor of NF-kappaB, was accelerated in infected cells which was accompanied by a change in nuclear translocation of the transcription factor. Translocation of IRF-3, in contrast, was significantly blocked upon infection. Together the data presented here demonstrate that infection with C. trachomatis can drastically alter the cellular response to dsRNA and imply an impact of chlamydial infections on the outcome of viral super-infections.
KW  - Chlamydia trachomatis
KW  - Signaltransduktion
KW  - Immunreaktion
KW  - Doppelhelix
KW  - RNS
KW  - Apoptosis
KW  - Apoptose
KW  - doppelsträngige RNA
KW  - Immunantwort
KW  - Apoptosis
KW  - Chlamydia trachomatis
KW  - double-stranded RNA
KW  - innate immunity
KW  - signal transduction
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-46474
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Linsenmair, Karl Eduard
T1  - Some adaptations of the desert woodlouse Hemilepistus reaumuri (Isopoda, Oniscoidea) to desert environment
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1974
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-44483
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Warburg, M. R.
A1  - Linsenmair, Karl Eduard
A1  - Bercovitz, K.
T1  - The effect of climate on the distribution and abundance of isopods
N2  - Climate affects both the distribution and abundance of isopods. Humidity and moisture affect their activity and distribution. Survival of juveniles is largely dependent on moisture. The reproductive pattern is affected by temperature and light. Food affects growth and thus, indirectly, also reproduction, as larger females tend to produce larger broods and more frequent broods than smaller ones. Generally in isopods there is little evidence to suggest that food is a very important factor affecting their abundance. Both semelparity and iteroparity are found in isopods and both reproductive strategies are apparently successful. Mortality factors affect the oocytes, the marsupial stages, and most of all the newly released individuals . Apart from climatic factors, predation and, to a lesser extent, parasitism are the main causes of mortality. Longevity of isopods ranges from one to five years. Occasional population explosions ofisopods are known to take place, their cause being unknown.
Y1  - 1984
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-44473
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - A novel type of chromatin organization in lampbrush chromosomes of Pleurodeles waltlii: visualization of clusters of tandemly repeated, very short transcriptional units
N2  - A novel chromatin configuration is described in lampbrush chromosomes of Pleurodeles waltlii oocytes which is different from transcriptionally inactive chromatin as weil as from the various forms of transcribed chromatin hitherto described. This novel type of chromatin is not arranged in Christmas tree-Iike configurations of densely packed lateral ribonucleoprotein (RNP) fibriIs but is characterized by a periodic alternating pattern of thick and thin regions which occur in clusters 01 some 10,000 repeats. Each thickened unit with an average length of 45 nm contains two c10sely spaced particles, the putative RNA polymerases, and each thickened unit is separated from the next one by a beaded chromatin spacer with a length of about 80 nm. This chromatin spacer contains on average two particles of approximately 14 nm in diameter, assumed to be nucleosomes. The thickened regions are interpreted to represent short transcriptional units containing approximately 130 base pairs of DNA which are separated from each other by nontranscribed spacers of 240-400 base pairs of DNA. The possibility is discussed that these transcriptional units represent 5S rRNA or tRNA genes.
KW  - Lampbrush chromosomes
KW  - Amphibian oocytes
KW  - Transcription units
KW  - Electron microscopy
Y1  - 1982
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41087
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Higgins, M. J.
A1  - Smilinich, N. J.
A1  - Sait, S.
A1  - Koenig, A.
A1  - Pongratz, J.
A1  - Gessler, Manfred
A1  - Richard III., C. W.
A1  - James, M. R.
A1  - Sanford, J. P.
A1  - Kim, B.-W.
A1  - Cattelane, J.
A1  - Nowak, N. J.
A1  - Winterpacht, A.
A1  - Zabel, B. U.
A1  - Munroe, D. J.
A1  - Bric, E.
A1  - Housman, D. E.
A1  - Jones, C.
A1  - Nakamura, Y.
A1  - Gerhard, D. S.
A1  - Shows, T. B.
T1  - An Ordered NotI Fragment Map of Human Chromosome Band 11p15
N2  - An ordered NotI fragment map containing over 60 loci and encompassing approximately 17 Mb has been constructed for human chromosome band llpl5. Forty-two probes, including 11 NotI-linking cosmids, were subregionaUy mapped to llpl5 using a subset of the Jl-deletion hybrids. These and 23 other probes defining loci previously mapped to 11p15 were hybridized to genomic DNA digested with NotI and 5 other infrequently cleaving restriction enzymes and separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Thirty-nine distinct NotI fragments were detected encompassing approximately 85% of the estimated length of llp15. The predicted order of the gene loci used is cenMYODI- PTH-CALCA-ST5-RBTNI-HPX-HBB-RRMlTH/ INS!1GF2-H19-CTSD-MUC2-DRD4-HRAS-RNHtel. This map wiu allow higher resolution mapping of new Ilp15 markers, facilitate positional cloning of disease genes, and provide a framework for the physical mapping of llp15 in clone contigs.
KW  - Genom / Genkartierung / Genanalyse
Y1  - 1994
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-45766
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Benavente, Ricardo
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Chaly, Nathalie
T1  - Nucleocytoplasmic sorting of macromolecules following mitosis: fate of nuclear constituents after inhibition of pore complex function
N2  - PtK2 cells in which pore complex-mediated transport is blocked by microinjection early in mitosis of a monoclonal antibody (specific for an Mr 68000 pore complex glycoprotein) or of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) complete cytokinesis. However, their nuclei remain stably arrested in a telophase-like organization characterized by highly condensed chromatin and the absence of nucleoli, indicating a requirement for pore-mediated transport for the reassembly of interphase nuclei. We have now examined this requirement more closely by monitoring the behavior of individual nuclear macromolecules in microinjected cells using immunofluorescence microscopy and have investigated the effect of microinjecting the antibody or WGA on cellular ultrastructure. The absence of nuclear transport did not affect the sequestration into daughter nuclei of components such as DNA, DNA topoisomerase I and the nucleolar protein fibrillarin that are carried through mitosis on chromosomes. On the other hand, lamins, snRNAs and the p68 pore complex glycoprotein, all cytoplasmic during mitosis, remained largely cytoplasmic in the telophase-arrested cells. Electron microscopy showed the nuclei to be surrounded by a doublelayered membrane with some inserted pore complexes. In addition, however, a variety of membranous structures with associated pore complexes was regularly noted in the cytoplasm, suggesting that chromatin may not be essential for the postmitotic formation of pore complexes. We propose that cellular compartmentalization at telophase is a two-step process. First, a nuclear envelope tightly encloses the condensed chromosomes, excluding non-selectively all macromolecules not associated with the chromosomes. Interphase nuclear organization is then progressively restored by selective pore complex-mediated uptake of nuclear proteins from the cytoplasm.
KW  - Cytologie
KW  - Nucleocytoplasmic transport
KW  - nuclear organization
KW  - nuclear envelope
KW  - nucleologenesis
KW  - mitosis
Y1  - 1989
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40777
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Worschech, Andrea
T1  - Oncolytic Therapy with Vaccinia Virus GLV-1h68 - Comparative Microarray Analysis of Infected Xenografts and Human Tumor Cell Lines -
T1  - Onkolytische Therapy mit Vaccinia Virus GLV-1h68 - Vergleichende Mikroarray Analyse von infizierten Xenografts und humanen Tumorzelllinien -
N2  - Aim of this thesis was to study the contribution of the hosts immune system during tumor regression. A wild-type rejection model was studied in which tumor regression is mediated through an adaptive, T cell host response (Research article 1). Additionally, the relationship between VACV infection and cancer rejection was assessed by applying organism-specific microarray platforms to infected and non-infected xenografts. It could be shown that tumor rejection in this nude mouse model was orchestrated solely by the hosts innate immune system without help of the adaptive immunity. In a third study the inflammatory baseline status of 75 human cancer cell lines was tested in vitro which was correlated with the susceptibility to VACV and Adenovirus 5 (Ad5) replication of the respective cell line (Manuscript for Research article 3). Although xenografts by themselves lack the ability to signal danger and do not provide sufficient proinflammatory signals to induce acute inflammation, the presence of viral replication in the oncolytic xenograft model provides the "tissue-specific trigger" that activates the immune response and in concordance with the hypothesis, the ICR is activated when chronic inflammation is switched into an acute one. Thus, in conditions in which a switch from a chronic to an acute inflammatory process can be induced by other factors like the immune-stimulation induced by the presence of a virus in the target tissue, adaptive immune responses may not be necessary and immune-mediated rejection can occur without the assistance of T or B cells. However, in the regression study using neu expressing MMC in absence of a stimulus such as a virus and infected cancer cells thereafter, adaptive immunity is needed to provoke the switch into an acute inflammation and initiate tissue rejection. Taken together, this work is supportive of the hypothesis that the mechanisms prompting TSD differ among immune pathologies but the effect phase converges and central molecules can be detected over and over every time TSD occurs. It could be shown that in presence of a trigger such as infection with VACV and functional danger signaling pathways of the infected tumor cells, innate immunity is sufficient to orchestrate rejection of manifested tumors.
N2  - Ziel dieser Arbeit war, die Beteiligung des Wirts-eigenen Immunsystems bei der Tumoregression zu analysieren. Mittels eines Wildtyp-Regressionsmodells, wurde der Anteil des adaptiven Immunsystems studiert (Research-Artikel 1). Mit Hilfe von Organismus-spezifischen Mikroarrays und Genexpressionsanalysen konnte in einem Nacktmausmodell gezeigt werden, dass erfolgreiche, durch onkolytische VACV-vermittelte Tumortherapie auch ohne Beteiligung des adaptiven Immunsystems möglich ist (Research Artikel 2). In einer dritten Studie wurden 75 humane Tumorzelllinien auf ihren intrinsischen Entzündungsstatus hin getestet und bezüglich eines Zusammenhanges von diesem mit der Replikationsfähigkeit von VACV und Adenovirus 5 (Ad5) analysiert (Manuskript für den Research-Artikel 3). Obwohl Xenografts allein kein ausreichendes „Gefahrsignal“ geben und durch das Fehlen einer pro-inflammatorischen Stimulierung keine akute Entzündung verursachen können, ist die Infektion mit onkolytischem VACV ausreichend, um den Gewebe-spezifischen „Trigger“ darzustellen. In diesem Fall wird die Immunantwort aktiviert und nach der Hypothese des „Immunologic Constant of Rejection“ (ICR) geschieht dies, wenn eine chronische in eine akute Inflammation verändert wird. In dem beschriebenen onkolytischen Regressionsmodell ist die Präsenz des Virus ausreichend, um das Immunsystem zu aktivieren, d.h. die chronische Entzündung im Tumor in eine akute umzuwandeln. Dabei ist die adaptive Immunität mit T- und B-Zell-Aktivierung nicht notwendig für die Rückbildung des Tumors. In Abwesenheit eines solchen Stimulus, wie in der ersten Studie mit neu-exprimierenden MMCs, wird die Spezifität der adaptiven Immunantwort benötigt, um die akute Inflammation anzustoßen und die Tumorregression voranzutreiben. Zusammengefasst unterstützt diese Arbeit die Hypothese, dass die Mechanismen, die zu „tissue specific destruction“ (TSD) führen, in verschiedenen immunologischen Erkrankungen zwar divergieren, der Effektor-Mechanismus aber stets der Gleiche ist. Es zeigte sich, dass in Anwesenheit eines „triggers“, wie z.B. der VACV-Infektion und intakten „danger signaling pathways“ der Tumorzellen, die angeborene Immunität allein ausreicht, um die Tumorrückbildung zu vermitteln.
KW  - Tumorimmunologie
KW  - Tumor
KW  - Vaccinia-Virus
KW  - Interferon
KW  - Interferon Regulator Faktor 1
KW  - Tumorregression
KW  - HT-29
KW  - GI-101A
KW  - tissue-specific destruction
Y1  - 2010
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-45338
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Reimer, Georg
A1  - Raska, Ivan
A1  - Tan, Eng M.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Human autoantibodies: probes for nucleolus structure and function
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1987
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41410
ER  - 
TY  - BOOK
A1  - Kartenbeck, J.
A1  - Zentgraf, H.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
T1  - The nuclear envelope in freeze-etching
N2  - No abstract available
KW  - Anatomie
Y1  - 1971
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40534
SN  - 3-540-05538-X
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Jarasch, Ernst-Dieter
A1  - Herth, Werner
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Zerban, Heide
T1  - Cytology : general and molecular cytology
N2  - The present review discusses some general aspects of membrane structure and problems of membrane isolation and membrane biochemistry, with particular focus on the endoplasmic reticulum.
KW  - Botanik
Y1  - 1975
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41458
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Spring, Herbert
A1  - Krohne, Georg
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Trendelenburg, Michael F.
T1  - Homogeneity and heterogeneity of sizes of transcriptional units and spacer regions in nucleolar genes of Acetabularia
N2  - The arrangement of genes of precursor molecules for ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA) in primary nuclei from two green algae species, Acetabularia mediterranea and A. major, has been analyzed in an electron microscope study. The pattern of transcriptional units in individual strands of nucleolar chromatin was investigated using spread and positively stained preparations. The rDNA pattern is not uniform but differs in different strands. The predominant type of nucleolar chromatin exhibits a high degree of homogeneity in the sequence of matrix units (intercepts covered with fibrilst hat contain the pre-rRNA) and fibril-free spacer intercepts. Substantial differences, however, are observed between the patterns in different strands. In addition, there is evidence in some strands for intraaxial heterogeneity of both spacer and matrix units. The following major types can be distinguished: type la, ca. 2 micrometer long matrix units, extremely short spacer intercepts in A. mediterranea (ca. 1 micrometer long ones in A. major), completely homogeneous distribution; type Ib, as type la but with intercalated, isolated, significantly shorter and/or longer matrix units; type lIa, matrix unit sizes as in type la, but much longer spacer intercepts, high degree of homogeneity; type Ill, largely heterogeneous arrangements of matrix and spacer units of varying sizes. The matrix unit data are compared with the sizes of pre-rRNA as determined by polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis under denaturing and non-denaturing conditions. The findings are discussed in relation to recent observations in amphibia and insects and with respect to current concepts of the species-specificity of rDNA arrangements.
Y1  - 1976
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41398
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weber, Klaus
A1  - Osborn, Mary
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Seib, Erinita
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Herth, Werner
T1  - Identification of microtubular structures in diverse plant and animal cells by immunological cross-reaction revealed in immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies against tubulin from porcine brain
N2  - Antibody against tubulin from porcine brain was used to evaluate the immunological cross reactivity of tubulin from a variety of animal and plant cells. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy revealed microtubule-containing structures including cytoplasmic microtubules, spindle microtubules, cilia and fIagella. Thus tubulin from diverse species of both mammals and plants show immunological cross-reactivity with tubulin from porcine brain. Results obtained by immunofluorescence microscopy are whenever possible compared with previously known ultrastructural results obtained by electron microscopy.
KW  - Cytologie
KW  - Microtubules
KW  - immunofluorescence
KW  - evolution
KW  - antibody
KW  - sperm
Y1  - 1977
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41383
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Trendelenburg, Michael F.
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Frequencies of circular units of nucleolar DNA in oocytes of two insects, Acheta domesticus and Dytiscus marginalis, and changes of nucleolar morphology during oogenesis
N2  - The organization of the extrachromosomal nucleolar material in oocytes of two insect species with different ovary types, the house cricket Acheta domesticus (panoistic ovary) and the water beetle Dytiscus marginalis (meroistic ovary), was studied with light and electron microscopic techniques. Stages early in oogenesis were compared with fully vitellogenic stages (mid-to-Iate diplotene). The arrangement of the nucleolar material undergoes a marked change from a densely aggregated to a dispersed state. The latter was characterized by high transcriptional activity. In spread and positively stained preparations of isolated nucleolar material, a high frequency of small circular units of transcribed rDNA was observed and rings with small numbers (1-5) of pre-rRNA genes were predominant. The observations suggest that the "extra DNA body" observed in early oogenic stages of both species represents a dense aggregate of numerous short circular units of nucleolar chromatin, with morphological subcomponents identifiable in ultrathin sections. These apparently remain in close association with the chromosomal nucleolar organizer(s). The observations further indicate that the individual small nucleolar subunit circles dissociate and are dispersed as actively transcribed rDNA units later in diplotene. The results are discussed in relation to principles of the ultrastructural organization of nucleoli in other cell types as well as in relation to possible mechanisms of gene amplification.
KW  - Zelldifferenzierung
Y1  - 1977
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41370
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Morphology of transcriptional units at different states of activity
N2  - The morphology of two forms of transcription ally active chromatin, the nucleoli and the loops of lampbrush chromosomes, has been examined after fixation in situ or after isolation and dispersion of the material in media of low ionic strengths, using a variety of electron microscopic preparation techniques (e.g. spread preparations with positive or negative staining or without any staining at all, with bright and dark field illumination, with autoradiography, after pretreatment of the chromatin with specific detergents such as Sarkosyl NL-30; transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopy of ultrathin sections). Nucleolar chromatin and chromosomes from oocytes of various amphibia and insects as well as from green algae of the family of the Dasycladaceae were studied in particular detail. The morphology of transcriptional units that are densely packed with lateral ribonucleoprotein fibrils, indicative of great transcriptional activity, was compared with that of chromatin of reduced lateral fibril density, including stages of drug-induced inhibition. The micrographs showed that under conditions which preserve the nucleosomal organization in condensed chromatin studied in parallel, nucleosomes are not recognized in transcriptionally active chromatin. This holds for the transcribed regions as well as for apparently untranscribed (i.e. fibril-free) regions interspersed between ('spacer') and/or adjacent to transcribed genes and for the fibril-free regions within transcriptional units of reduced fibril density. In addition, comparison oflengths of repeating units of isolated rDNA with those observed in spread nucleolar chromatin indicated that this DNA is not foreshortened and packed into nucleosomal structures. Granular particles which were observed, at irregular frequencies and in variable patterns, in some spacer regions, did not result in a proportional shortening of the spacer axis, and were found to be resistant to detergent treatment effective in removing most of the chromatin associated proteins including histones. Thus, these particles behave like RNA polymerases rather than nucleosomes. It is suggested that structural changes from nucleosomal packing to an extended form of DNA are involved in the transcriptional activation of chromatin.
Y1  - 1978
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41363
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hock, Robert
A1  - Moormann, Antoon
A1  - Fischer, Dagmar
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Absence of somatic histone H1 in oocytes and preblastula embryos of Xenopus laevis
N2  - Available data on the occurrence and expression of somatic histone HI during oogenesis and early embryogenesis of Xenopus laevis are contradictory. In particular the reported presence of a large storage pool of histone HIA in oocytes is difficult to reconcile with the high transcriptional activity of all gene classes in this specific cell type. In the present study we have used polyclonal antibodies raised against somatic Xenopus histone HI (HIA and HIA/B) for combined immunoblotting experiments to quantitate HI pools and immunolocalization studies to visualize chromosome- bound HI. Both approaches failed to detect soluble or chromosomal histone HI in vitellogenic oocytes, eggs, and cleavage-stage embryos up to early blastula. In addition, chromatin assembled in Xenopus egg extract was also negative for histone HI as revealed by immunofluorescence microscopy. Lampbrush chromosomes not only lacked histone HI but also the previously identified histone HI-like B4 protein (Smith et al., 1988, Genes Dev. 2,1284-1295). In contrast, chromosomes of eggs and early embryos fluoresced brightly with anti-B4 antibodies. Our results lend further support to the view that histone HI expression is developmentally regulated during Xenopus oogenesis and embryogenesis similar to what is known from other species.
Y1  - 1993
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41350
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Dabauvalle, Marie-Christine
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Assembly of nuclear pore complexes in Xenopus egg extract
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1991
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41194
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Injection of antibodies into the nucleus of amphibian oocytes: an experimental means of interfering with gene expression in the living cell
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1986
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41182
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Dabauvalle, Marie-Christine
T1  - Functional organization of the amphibian oocyte nucleus
N2  - No abstract available
KW  - Oogenese
Y1  - 1985
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41178
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Structural organization of spacer chromatin between transcribed ribosomal RNA genes in amphibian oocytes
N2  - Transcribed nucleolar chomatin, including the spacer regions interspersed between the rRNA genes, is different from the bulk of nontranscribed chromatin in that the DNA of these regions appears to be in an extended (B) conformation when examined by electron microscopy. The possibility that this may reflect artificial unfolding of nucleosomes during incubation in very low salt buffers as routinely used in such spread preparations has been examined by studying the influence of various ion concentrations on nucleolar chromatin structure. Amplified nucleolar chromatin of amphibian oocytes (Xenopus laevis, Pleurodeles waltlii, Triturus cristatus) was spread in various concentrations of NaCl (range 0 to 20 mM). Below 1 mM salt spacer chromatin frequently revealed a variable number of irregularly shaped beads, whereas above this concentration the chromatin axis appeared uniformly smooth. At all salt concentrations studied, however, the length distribution of spacer and gene regions was identical. Preparations fixed with glutaraldehyde instead of formaldehyde, or unftxed preparations, were indistinguishable in this respect. The observations indicate that (i) rDNA spacer regions are not compacted into nucleosomal particles and into supranucleosomal structures when visualized at chromatin stabilizing salt concentrations (e.g., 20 mM NaCl), and (ii) spacer DNA is covered by a uniform layer of proteins of unknown nature which, at very low salt concentrations (below 1 mM NaCl), can artificially give rise to the appearance of small granular particles of approximately nucleosome-like sizes. These particles, however, are different from nucleosomes in that they do not foreshorten the associated spacer DNA. The data support the concept of an altered nucleohistone conformation not only in transcribed chromatin but also in the vicinity of transcriptional events.
KW  - Cytologie
KW  - Chromatin structure
KW  - rDNA
KW  - amphibian oocytes
Y1  - 1980
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41057
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Messner, Karin
A1  - Hazan, Rachel
A1  - Raska, Ivan
A1  - Hansmann, Paul
A1  - Falk, Heinz
A1  - Spiess, Eberhard
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
T1  - High sensitivity immunolocalization of double and single-stranded DNA by a monoclonal antibody
N2  - A monoclonal antibody (AK 30-10) is described which specifically reacts with DNA both in double and single-stranded forms but not with other molecules and structures, including deoxyribonucleotides and RNAs. When used in immunocytochemical experiments on tissue sections and permeabilized cultured cells, this antibody detects DNA-containing structures, even when the DNA is present in very small amounts. Examples of high resolution detection include the DNA present in amplified extrachromosomal nucleoli, chromomeres of lampbrush chromosomes, mitochondria, chloroplasts and mycoplasmal particles. In immunoelectron microscopy using the immunogold technique, the DNA was localized in distinct substructures such as the "fibrillar centers" of nucleoli and certain stromal centers in chloroplasts. The antibody also reacts with DNA of chromatin of living cells, as shown by microinjection into cultured mitotic cells and into nuclei of amphibian oocytes. The potential value and the limitations of immunocytochemical DNA detection are discussed.
KW  - Cytologie
KW  - DNA antibodies
KW  - monoclonal antibodies
KW  - DNA immunolocalization
KW  - chromatin
KW  - mycoplasma tests
Y1  - 1987
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41063
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
T1  - Transcriptional complexes of  nucleolar genes
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1976
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41072
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Trendelenburg, Michael F.
A1  - Zentgraf, H.
A1  - Spring, H.
T1  - Morphology of transcriptionally active chromatin
N2  - Some decades ago it was noted by cytologists that within the interphase nucleus large portions of the transcriptionally ("genetically," in their terms) inactive chromosomal material are contained in aggregates of condensed chromatin, the "chromocenters," whereas transcriptionally active regions of chromosomes appear in a more dispersed form and are less intensely stained with DNA-directed staining procedures (Heitz 1929, 1932, 1956; Bauer 1933). The hypothesis that condensed chromatin is usually characterized by very low or no transcriptional activity, and that transcription occurs in loosely packed forms of chromatin (including, in most cells, the nucleolar chromatin) has received support from studies of ultrathin sections in the electron microscope and from the numerous attempts to separate transcriptionally active from inactive chromatin biochemically (for references, see Anderson et al. 1975; Berkowitz and Doty 1975; Krieg and Wells 1976; Rickwood and Birnie 1976; Gottesfeld 1977). Electron microscopic autoradiography has revealed that sites of RNA synthesis are enriched in dispersed chromatin regions located at the margins of condensed chromatin (Fakan and Bernhard 1971, 1973; Bouteille et al. 1974; Bachellerie et al. 1975) and are characterized by the occurrence of distinct granular and fibrillar ribonucleoprotein (RNP) structures, such as perichromatin granules and fibrils. The discovery that, in most eukaryotic nuclei, major parts of the chromatin are organized in the form of nucleosomes (Olins and Olins 1974; Kornberg 1974; Baldwin et al. 1975) has raised the question whether the same nucleosomal packing of DNA is also present in transcriptionally active chromatin strands. Recent detailed examination of the morphology of active and inactive chromatin involving a diversity of electron microscopic methods, particularly the spreading technique by Miller and coworkers (Miller and Beatty 1969; Miller and Bakken 1972), has indicated that the DNA of some actively transcribed regions is not packed into nucleosomal particles but is present in a rather extended form within a relatively thin (4-7 nm) chromatin fiber.
Y1  - 1978
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41097
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Zentgraf, Hanswalter
T1  - Morphology of nucleolar chromatin in electron microscopic spread preparations
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1982
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41155
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hügle, Barbara
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
T1  - Ribocharin: a nuclear M\(_r\) 40,000 protein specific to precursor particles of the large ribosomal subunit
N2  - Using a monoclonal antibody (No-194) we have identified, in Xenopus laevis and other amphibia, an acidic protein of M, 40,000 (ribocharin) which is specifically associated with the granular component of the nucleolus and nucleoplasmic 65S particles. These particles contain the nuclear 28S rRNA and apparently represent the precursor to the large ribosomal subunit in nucleocytoplasmic transit. By immunoelectron microscopy ribocharin has been localized in the granular component of the nucleolus and in interchromatin granules. During mitosis ribocharin-containing particles are associated with surfaces of chromosomes and are recollected in the reconstituting nucleoli in late telophase. We suggest that ribocharin is a specific component of precursor particles of the large ribosomal subunit, which dissociates from the 65S particle before passage through the nuclear envelope, and is reutilized in ribosome biogenesis.
Y1  - 1985
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41169
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weber, Thomas
A1  - Schmidt, Erwin
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Mapping of transcription units on Xenopus laevis lampbrush chromosomes by in situ hybridization with biotin-labeled cDNA probes
N2  - A non-radioactive in situ hybridization method is described for the localization of transcription units of defined genes to lateral loops of Xenopus laevis lampbrush chromosomes. Two Xenopus cONA probes were used encoding the nucleolar protein N038/ B23 and cytokeratin 1(8). Both proteins are known to be synthesized in Xenopus oocytes, and Northern blot analysis revealed the presence of the corresponding mRNAs in different oogenic stages. The probes were enzymatically labeled with biotin-dCTP and hybridized to lampbrush chromosomes. The sites of hybridization were detected either by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy using rabbit antibodies against biotin and fluorescein-conjugated antirabbit IgG or enzymatically using peroxidase-conjugated streptavi din. The probe encoding the nucleolar protein hybridized to two sets of lateral loops on different bivalents, the cytokeratin probe to at least four. Our finding that each probe hybridized to more than one chromosomal locus may reflect the tetraploid nature of the Xenopus laevis genome or results from cross-hybridization to other transcriptionally active members of the N038/ B23-nucleoplasmin or the cytokeratin-Iamin gene families. The method described should facilitate further in situ hybridization studies with appropriate genomic clones in order to map specific DNA sequences to defined loop regions and to come to a better understanding of the relationship between loop organization and gene transcription unit.
KW  - Cytologie
KW  - Lampbrush chromosomes
KW  - in situ hybridization
KW  - transcription units
KW  - Xenopus oocytes
Y1  - 1989
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40763
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Benavente, Ricardo
A1  - Dabauvalle, Marie-Christine
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Chaly, Nathalie
T1  - Functional role of newly formed pore complexes in postmitotic nuclear reorganization
N2  - Many nuclear proteins are released into the cytoplasm at prometaphase and are transported back into the daughter nuclei at the end of mitosis. To determine the role of this reentry in nuclear remodelling during early interphase, we experimentally manipulated nuclear protein uptake in dividing cells. Recently we and others have shown that signal-dependent, pore complex-mediated uptake of nuclear protein is blocked in living cells on microinjection of the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), or of antibodies such as PI1 that are directed against WGA-binding pore complex glycoproteins. In the present study, we microinjected mitotic PtKz cells with WGA or antibody PIt and followed nuclear reorganization of the daughter cells by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. The inhibitory effect on nuclear protein uptake was monitored by co-injection of the karyophilic protein nucleoplasmin. When injected by itself early in mitosis, nucleoplasmin became sequestered into the daughter nuclei as they entered telophase. In contrast, nucleoplasmin was excluded from the daughter nuclei in the presence of WGA or antibody PI1 . Although PtKz cells with blocked nuclear protein uptake completed cytokinesis, their nuclei showed a telophaselike organization characterized by highly condensed chromatin surrounded by a nuclear envelope containing a few pore complexes. These findings suggest that pore complexes become functional as early as telophase, in close coincidence with nuclear envelope reformation. They further indicate that the extensive structural rearrangement of the nucleus during the telophase-G1 transition is dependent on the influx of karyophilic proteins from the cytoplasm through the pore complexes, and is not due solely to chromosome- associated components.
Y1  - 1989
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40754
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Thiry, Marc
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Goessens, Guy
T1  - Immunoelectron microscopic study of nucleolar DNA during mitosis in Ehrlich tumour cells
N2  - In order to investigate the DNA localization within Ehrlich tumor cell nucleoli during mitosis, two recent immunocytochemical methods using either an anti-DNA or an anti-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) monoclonal antibody have been applied. In both cases, the immunogold labeling has been performed on ultrathin sections of cells embedded either in Lowicryl K4M or in Epon, respectively. Identical results are observed with both immunocytochemical approaches. In the interphase nucleolus, besides the labeling of the perinucleolar chromatin shell and of its intranucleolar invaginations which penetrate into the nucleolar body and often terminate at the fibrillar centers, a few gold particles are also preferentially found towards the peripheral region of the fibrillar centers. In contrast, the dense fibrillar component and the granular component are never labeled. During mitosis, the fibrillar centers persist at the chromosomal nucleolus organizing regions (NOR's) and can be selectively stained by the silver method. However, these metaphase fibrillar centers are no longer decorated by the DNA- or BrdU antibodies. These results indicate that until the end of prophase, rRNA genes are present inside the fibrillar center material, disappear during metaphase and reappear in reconstituting nucleoli during telophase. Thus, fibrillar centers appear to represent structures sui generis, which are populated by rRNA genes only when the nucleolus is functionally active. In segregated nucleoli after actinomycin D treatment, the DNA labeling is exclusively restricted to the perinucleolar chromatin blocks. These findings also suggest that the DNA content of the fibrillar center material varies according to the rRNA transcription level of the cells. The results are discussed in the light of the present knowledge of the functional organization of the nucleolus.
KW  - Cytologie
KW  - Nucleolus
KW  - DNA
KW  - mitosis
Y1  - 1988
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40745
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Benavente, Ricardo
A1  - Reimer, Georg
A1  - Rose, Kathleen M.
A1  - Hügle-Dörr, Barbara
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Nucleolar changes after microinjection of antibodies to RNA polymerase I into the nucleus of mammalian cells
N2  - After microinjection of antibodies against RNA polymerase I into the nuclei of cultured rat kangaroo (PtKz) and rat (RVF-SMC) cells alterations in nucleolar structure and composition were observed. These were detected by electron microscopy and double-label immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies to proteins representative of the three major components of the nucleolus. The microinjected antibodies produced a progressive loss of the material of the dense fibrillar component (DFC) from the nucleoli which, at 4 h after injection, were transformed into bodies with purely granular component (GC) structure with attached fibrillar centers (FCs). Concomitantly, numerous extranucleolar aggregates appeared in the nucleoplasm which morphologically resembled fragments of the DFC and contained a protein (fibrillarin) diagnostic for this nucleolar structure. These observations indicate that the topological distribution of the material constituting the DFC can be experimentally influenced in interphase cells, apparently by modulating the transcriptional activity of the rRNA genes. These effects are different from nucleolar lesions induced by inhibitory drugs such as actinomycin D-dependent "nucleolar segregation". The structural alterations induced by antibodies to RNA polymerase I resemble, however, the initial events of nucleolar disintegration during mitotic prophase.
Y1  - 1988
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40666
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Zentgraf, Hanswalter
A1  - Trendelenburg, Michael F.
A1  - Müller, U.
A1  - Krohne, G.
A1  - Spring, H.
T1  - Organization of transcribed and nontranscribed chromatin
N2  - No abstract available
KW  - Tumor / Zellteilung
Y1  - 1980
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40656
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Trendelenburg, Michael F.
A1  - Spring, Herbert
A1  - Zentgraf, Hanswalter
T1  - Absence of nucleosomes in transcriptionally active chromatin
N2  - The ultrastructure of twO kinds of transcription ally active chromatin, the lampbrush chromosome loops and the nucleoli from amphibian oocytes and primary nuclei of the green alga Acetabularia, has been examined after manual isolation and dispersion in low salt media of slightly alkaline pH using various electron microscopic staining techniques (positive staining, metal shadowing, negative staining, preparation on positively charged films, etc.) and compared with the appearance of chromatin from various somatic cells (hen erythrocytes, rat hepatocytes, ClIltured murine sarcoma cells) prepared in parallel. While typical nucleosomes were revealed with all the techniques for chromatin from the latter three cell system, no nucleosomes were identified in either the lampbrush chromosome structures or the nucleolar chromatin. Nucleosomal arrays were absent not only in maximally fibril-covered matrix units but also in fibril-free regions between transcriptional complexes, including the apparent spacer intercepts between different transcriptional units. Moreover, comparisons of the length of the repeating units of rDNA in the transcribed state with those determined in the isolated rDNA and with the lengths of the first stable product of rDNA transcription, the pre-rRNA, demonstrated that the transcribed rDNA was not significantly shortened and/or condensed but rather extended in the transcriptional units. Distinct granules of about nucleosomal size which were sometimes found in apparent spacer regions as well as within matrix units of reduced fibril density were shown not to represent nucleosomes since their number per spacer unit was not inversely correlated with the length of the specific unit and also on the basis of their resistance to treatment with the detergent Sarkosyl NL-30. It is possible to structurally distinguish between transcriptionally active chromatin in which the DNA is extended in a non-nucleosomal form of chromatin and condensed, inactive chromatin within the typical nucleosomal package. The characteristic extended structure of transcriptionally active chromatin is found not only in the transcribed genes but also in non-transcribed regions within or between ("spacer") transcriptional units as well as in transcriptional units that are untranscribed amidst transcribed ones and/or have been inactivated for relatively short time. It is hypothesized that activation of transcription involves a transition from a nucleosomal to an extended chromatin organisation and that this structural transition is not specific for single "activated" genes but may involve larger chromatin regions, including adjacent untranscribed intercepts.
KW  - Cytologie
KW  - Chromatin structure
KW  - nucleosomes
KW  - transcription
KW  - electron microscopy
Y1  - 1976
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40646
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Eckert, W. A.
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Actinomycin D and the central granules in the nuclear pore complex: thin sectioning versus negative staining
N2  - Thin section electron microscopy of Actinomycin D treated Tetrahymena cells and amphibian oocytes (Xenopus laevis, Triturus aZpestris) reveal no reduction in the central granules in the nuclear pore complexes. Possible reasons for the diversity between these results and earlier observations using negatively stained isolated nuclear envelopes from the same objects are discussed. The results clearly show that the presence of central granules within the nuclear pores does neither depend on nuclear RNA synthesis nor does indicate nucleocytoplasmic RNA transport. This conclusion leads to a reconsideration of the nature of the central granule. The functioning of the central granule of the nuclear pore complexes is further discussed in connection with recent studies on the ultrastructure of various types of cisternal pores.
KW  - Nuclear pores
KW  - Nucleocytoplasmic exchange
KW  - Actinomycin D
KW  - Tetrahymena
KW  - Amphibian oocytes
Y1  - 1972
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40636
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Kleinschmidt, Jürgen A.
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
T1  - Transcriptional and skeletal elements in nucleoli of amphibian oocytes
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1982
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40625
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Some structural differentiations in the HeLa cell: heavy bodies, annulate lamellae and cotte de maillet endoplasmic reticulum
N2  - A small fraction of HeLa cells within an exponentially growing culture showed cisternal differentiations, such as cytoplasmic as well as intranuclear annulate lamellae and special smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum aggregates with a typical "Cotte de maillet" appearance. Additionally, clusters of dense granules were observed in the cytoplasm which were often associated with polysomes and strongly resembled the so-called "heavy bodies" known in particular in diverse oocytes. The functional meaning of these structures is discussed. Moreover, it is deduced from the ultrastructural identity of the pore complexes in the nuclear envelope and the cytoplasmic and intranuclear annulate lamellae that the pore complex material with its highly ordered arrangement is not a structure characteristic for nucleocytoplasmically migrating material, but rather is a general structural expression of a tight binding of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) to cisternal membranes. The pore complexes are thought of as representing sites of a RNP-storage. A similar functioning is hypothesized for the "heavy body"like aggregates. To the current hypotheses on the formation of annulate lamellae and the nuclear envelope, which are based on the concept of membrane continuities and constancies, the alternative view of a self assembly mechanism of membrane constituents on nucleoprotein structures is added.
KW  - Cytologie
Y1  - 1971
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40614
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Spring, Herbert
A1  - Trendelenbrug, Michael F.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Herth, Werner
T1  - Structural and biochemical studies of the primary nucleus of two green algal species, Acetabularia mediterranea and Acetabularia major
N2  - Primary (giant) nuclei of the green algae Acetabularia mediterranea and A. major were studied by light and electron microscopy using in situ fixed material as well as manually isolated nuclear components. In addition, cytochemical reactions of nuclear structures and biochemical determinations of nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA and of genome DNA content were performed. The data obtained and the structures observed are interpreted as demonstralions of transcriptional activities of different gene classes. The most prominent class is the nucleolar cistrons of precursors of ribosomal RNA which occur highly repeated in clusters in the form of regularly alternating intercepts on deoxyribonucleoprotein axes of transcribed rDNA, the fibril-covered matrix units, and the fibril-free "spacer" segments. A description and a classification of the various structural complexes which seem to represent transcriptional activities is given. Quantitative evaluations of these arrangements are presented. The morphology and the dimensions of such structures are compared with the RNA molecular weight determinations and with the corresponding data reported from various animal cell systems. It is suggested that the formation of the giant nucleus is correlated with, and probably due to, an enormous amplification of transcriptionally active rDNA and packing of the extrachromosomal copies into the large nucleolar aggregate bodies.
KW  - Cytologie
KW  - Nucleolus
KW  - electron microscopy
KW  - Acetabularia
KW  - transcription
KW  - gene activity
KW  - ribosomes
Y1  - 1974
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40600
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Zentgraf, Hanswalter
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Membrane linkages at the nuclear envelope
N2  - Electron-opaque material is shown in the perinuclear cisternae of various cell types to connect the inner and outer nuclear membrane faces. Similar bridges were observed between the outer nuclear membrane and the outer mitochondrial membrane. The intracisternal bridges of the nuclear envelope appear to be important for the structural stability of the perinuclear cisterna. Stable structural linkage of mitochondria to the outer nuclear membrane might be relevant to the understanding of the characteristic juxtanuclear accumulation of mitochondria and also provide arguments for the discussions of certain biochemical activities found in nuclear and nuclear membrane fractions.
KW  - Cytologie
Y1  - 1973
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40596
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Franke, Werner W.
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Zentgraf, Hanswalter
T1  - Organization of transcriptionally active and inactive chromatin
N2  - No abstract available
KW  - Deutschland
KW  - Gefäßpflanzen
KW  - Verzeichnis
Y1  - 1984
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-40588
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weisenberger, Dieter
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Benavente, Ricardo
T1  - The DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin blocks postmitotic reformation of nucleoli in mammmalian cells
N2  - No abstract available
KW  - Cytologie
KW  - Nucleolus-DNA
KW  - opoisomerase I
KW  - camptothecin
KW  - mitosis
Y1  - 1993
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-41434
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Triphan, Tilman
T1  - The Central Control of Gap Climbing Behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster
T1  - Die zentrale Kontrolle des Kletterverhaltens bei Drosophila melanogaster
N2  - In this work, a behavioural analysis of different mutants of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been carried out. Primarily, the gap climbing behaviour (Pick & Strauss, 2005) has been assayed as it lends itself for the investigation of decision making processes and the neuronal basis of adaptive behaviour. Furthermore it shows how basic motor actions can be combined into a complex motor behaviour. Thanks to the neurogenetic methods, Drosophila melanogaster has become an ideal study object for neurobiological questions. Two different modules of climbing control have been examined in detail. For the decision making, the mutant climbing sisyphus was analysed. While wild-type flies adapt the initiation of climbing behaviour to the width of the gap and the probability for a successful transition. climbing sisyphus flies initiate climbing behaviour even at clearly insurmountable gap widths. The climbing success itself is not improved in comparison to the wild-type siblings. The mutant climbing sisyphus is a rare example of a hyperactive mutant besides many mutants that show a reduced activity. Basic capabilities in vision have been tested in an optomotor and a distance-estimation paradigm. Since they are not affected, a defect in decision making is most probably the cause of this behavioural aberration. A second module of climbing control is keeping up orientation towards the opposite side of the gap during the execution of climbing behaviour. Mutants with a structural defect in the protocerebral bridge show abnormal climbing behaviour. During the climbing attempt, the longitudinal body axis does not necessarily point into the direction of the opposite side. Instead, many climbing events are initiated at the side edge of the walking block into the void and have no chance to ever succeed. The analysed mutants are not blind. In one of the mutants, tay bridge1 (tay1) a partial rescue attempt used to map the function in the brain succeeded such that the state of the bridge was restored. That way, a visual targeting mechanism has been activated, allowing the flies to target the opposite side. When the visibility of the opposing side was reduced, the rescued flies went back to a tay1 level of directional scatter. The results are in accord with the idea that the bridge is a central constituent of the visual targeting mechanism. The tay1 mutant was also analysed in other behavioural paradigms. A reduction in walking speed and walking activity in this mutant could be rescued by the expression of UAS-tay under the control of the 007Y-GAL4 driver line, which concomitantly restores the structure of the protocerebral bridge. The separation of bridge functions from functions of other parts of the brain of tay1 was accomplished by rescuing the reduced optomotor compensation in tay1 by the mb247-GAL4>UAS-tay driver. While still having a tay1-like protocerebral bridge, mb247-GAL4 rescue flies are able to compensate at wild-type levels. An intact compensation is not depended on the tay expression in the mushroom bodies, as mushroom body ablated flies with a tay1 background and expression of UAS-tay under the control of mb247-GAL4 show wild-type behaviour as well. The most likely substrate for the function are currently unidentified neurons in the fan-shaped body, that can be stained with 007Y-GAL4 and mb247-GAL4 as well.
N2  - In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde eine Verhaltensanalyse verschiedener Mutanten der Fruchtfliege Drosophila melanogaster durchgeführt. Dazu wurde primär das Lücken-überwindungsparadigma (Pick & Strauss, 2005) herangezogen, das sich auf besondere Weise zur Erforschung von Entscheidungsfindung und adaptivem Verhalten anbietet. Weiterhin zeigt sich hier, wie einfache motorische Aktionen zu einem komplexen motorischen Verhalten zusammengefügt werden können. Dank der Möglichkeiten der Gentechnik bietet sich Drosophila hier als Studienobjekt an. Zwei Module der Kletterkontrolle wurden genauer untersucht. Im Bezug auf die Entscheidungsfindung wurde die Mutante climbing sisyphus getestet. Während der Wildtyp sein Kletterverhalten sehr genau an die Lückenbreite und die Wahrscheinlichkeit einer erfolgreichen Überquerung anpasst (Pick & Strauss, 2005), werden bei climbing sisyphus auch bei einer unmöglich zu überquerenden Lücke noch Kletteraktionen initiiert. Der Klettererfolg selbst ist im Vergleich zum Wildtyp nicht verbessert. Die Mutante climbing sisyphus ist ein seltenes Beispiel einer hyperaktiven Mutante neben vielen Mutanten die eine reduzierte Aktivität zeigen. Grundlegende Fähigkeiten im visuellen Bereich wurden in der Optomotorik und im Entfernungsschätzen getestet und sind in climbing sisyphus nicht beeinträchtigt, ein Defekt in der Entscheidungsfindung ist wahrscheinlich Ursache des gestörten Verhaltens. Ein zweites Modul der Kletterkontrolle betrifft die Aufrechterhaltung der Orientierung hin zur gegenüberliegenden Seite der Lücke. Mutanten mit einem Strukturdefekt in der Protozerebralbrücke des Zentralkomplexes zeigen ein abnormes Kletterverhalten. Die Körperlängsachse zeigt während des Klettervorgangs nicht in die Richtung der gegenüberliegenden Seite. Stattdessen werden oft Klettervorgänge am seitlichen Rand des Klettersteges initiiert, die keinerlei Aussicht auf Erfolg haben. Die untersuchten mutanten Fliegen sind nicht blind. In einem der Stämme, tay bridge1 (tay1), gelang zur funktionellen Kartierung eine partielle Rettung dieses Verhaltens durch die Expression des wildtypischen Gens in einem kleinen Teil des Nervensystems. Das Wiederherstellen der wildtypischen Brückenstruktur in tay1 aktiviert einen visuellen Zielmechanismus, der eine Ausrichtung der Fliegen auf die gegenüberliegende Seite ermöglicht. Wenn die Sichtbarkeit der gegenüberliegenden Seite reduziert wird, geht dieser Rettungseffekt verloren. Die Brücke ist nach diesen Befunden ein zentraler Bestandteil der visuell gesteuerten Zielmotorik. Die tay1 Mutante wurde auch in weiteren Verhaltensexperimenten untersucht. So konnte eine in dieser Mutante vorliegende Reduktion der Laufgeschwindigkeit und Laufaktivität durch die Expression von UAS-tay unter der Kontrolle des Treibers 007Y-GAL4 zusammen mit der Struktur der Brücke gerettet werden. Eine Rettung der reduzierten Kompensation für optomotorische Stimuli in tay1 durch den Treiber mb247-GAL4 erlaubte eine Trennung von tay1 Defekten in der Brücke von Defekten in anderen Teilen des Gehirns. Trotz einer tay1-typischen unterbrochenen Brücke sind mit mb247-GAL4>UAS-tay gerettete Fliegen in der Lage eine Stimulation mit optomotorischen Reizen auf wildtypischem Niveau zu kompensieren. Diese Kompensation hängt nicht von den Pilzkörpern ab, da auf chemischen Wege pilzkörperablatierte Fliegen mit einer Expression von UAS-tay unter der Kontrolle von mb247-GAL4 sich trotz tay1 Hintergrund ebenfalls wildtypisch verhalten. Die wahrscheinlichsten Träger für diese Rettung sind noch nicht identifizierte Neurone im Fächerförmigen Körper des Zentralkomplexes, die mit 007Y-GAL4 und mb247-GAL4 angefärbt werden können.
KW  - Taufliege
KW  - Drosophila
KW  - Bewegungsverhalten
KW  - Mutante
KW  - Verhaltensanalyse
KW  - Drosophila
KW  - Behaviour
KW  - Locomotion
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-43666
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
A1  - Maschwitz, Ulrich
T1  - Extrafloral nectaries in the genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae) in Malaysia: comparative studies of their possible significance as predispositions for myrmecophytism.
N2  - So me species of the paleotropical tree genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae) live in elose association with ants. Thc genus comprises the full range of species from those not regularly inhabited by ants to obligate myrmecophytes. In Malaysia (peninsular and Borneo) 23 ofthe 52 species areknown to be ant-associated (44%). The simplest structural adaptation of plants to attract ants are extrafloral nectaries. We studied the distribution of extraflural nectaries in the genus Macaranga to assess the significance of this character as a possible predisposition for the evolution of obligate myrmecophytism. All species have marginal glands on the leaves. However, only the glands of nonmyrmecophytic species function as nectaries, whereas liquids secreted by these glands in myrmecophytic species did not contain sugar. Some non-myrmecophytic Macaranga and transitional Macaranga species in addition have extrafloral nectaries on the leaf blade near the petiole insertion. All obligatorily myrmecophytic Macaranga species, however, lack additional glands on the lamina. The non-myrmecophytic species are visited by a variety of different ant species, whereas myrmecophytic Macaranga are associated only with one specific ant-partner. Since these ants keep scale insects in the hollow sterns, reduction of nectary production in ant-inhabited Macaranga seems to be biologically significant. We interpret this as a means of (a) saving the assimilates and (b) stabilization of maintenance of the association's specificity. Competition with other ant species for food rewards is avoided and thereby danger ofweakening the protective function ofthe obligate antpartner for the plant is reduced. A comparison with other euphorb species living in the same habitats as Macaranga showed that in genera in which extrafloral nectaries are widespread, no myrmecophytes have evolved. Possession of extrafloral nectaries does not appear to be essential for the development of symbiotic ant-plant interactions. Other predispositions such as nesting space might have played a more important role.
KW  - Macaranga
KW  - extrafloral nectaries
KW  - ant-plant interactions
KW  - evolution of myrmecophytism
KW  - Malaysia
Y1  - 1991
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-42863
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Maschwitz, Ulrich
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
A1  - Linsenmair, K. Eduard
T1  - A new ant-tree from SE Asia: Zanthoxylum myriacanthum (Rutaceae), the Thorny Ivy-Rue
N2  - Zanthoxylum myriacanthum, a small Rutaceous tree growing mainly in secondary hill forests in SE Asia, is a true myrmecophyte. It possesses stem domatia in the form of hollow branches with slitlike openings. Branch hollows and entrance slits are produced by the plant itself through pith degene~.tion ?u.d growth proceSses. If the entrance is not kept open by ants it closes again by growth ol the surrounding tissue after some time. The domatia are colonized opportunistic ally by different arboreous ants, e.g. Crematogaster and Campono tus. Additionally many small extrafloral nectaries are found on the leaflets of Zanthoxylum myriacanthum. Judging from herbarium studies and literature records at least four more true ant trees are found in the genus Zanthoxylum namely Z. rhetsa in SE Asia, Z. conspersipunctatum, Z. pluviatile and Z. vinkii in New Guinea. We could not confirm ant inhabitation in Drypetes pendula (Euphorbiaceae) on the Malay Peninsula, which has also been recorded to be an anttree.
Y1  - 1992
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-42967
SN  - 0025-1291
ER  - 
TY  - THES
A1  - Pinkert, Stefan
T1  - The human proteome is shaped by evolution and interactions
T1  - Das menschliche Proteom ist geformt durch Evolution und Interaktion
N2  - Das menschliche Genom ist seit 2001 komplett sequenziert. Ein Großteil der Proteine wurde mittlerweile beschrieben und täglich werden bioinformatische Vorhersagen praktisch bestätigt. Als weiteres Großprojekt wurde kürzlich die Sequenzierung des Genoms von 1000 Menschen gestartet. Trotzdem ist immer noch wenig über die Evolution des gesamten menschlichen Proteoms bekannt. Proteindomänen und ihre Kombinationen sind teilweise sehr detailliert erforscht, aber es wurden noch nicht alle Domänenarchitekturen des Menschen in ihrer Gesamtheit miteinander verglichen. Der verwendete große hochqualitative Datensatz von Protein-Protein-Interaktionen und Komplexen stammt aus dem Jahr 2006 und ermöglicht es erstmals das menschliche Proteom mit einer vorher nicht möglichen Genauigkeit analysieren zu können. Hochentwickelte Cluster Algorithmen und die Verfügbarkeit von großer Rechenkapazität befähigen uns neue Information über Proteinnetzwerke ohne weitere Laborarbeit zu gewinnen. Die vorliegende Arbeit analysiert das menschliche Proteom auf drei verschiedenen Ebenen. Zuerst wurde der Ursprung von Proteinen basierend auf ihrer Domänenarchitektur analysiert, danach wurden Protein-Protein-Interaktionen untersucht und schließlich erfolgte Einteilung der Proteine nach ihren vorhandenen und fehlenden Interaktionen. Die meisten bekannten Proteine enthalten mindestens eine Domäne und die Proteinfunktion ergibt sich aus der Summe der Funktionen der einzelnen enthaltenen Domänen. Proteine, die auf der gleichen Domänenarchitektur basieren, das heißt die die gleichen Domänen in derselben Reihenfolge besitzen, sind homolog und daher aus einem gemeinsamen ursprünglichen Protein entstanden. Die Domänenarchitekturen der ursprünglichen Proteine wurden für 750000 Proteine aus 1313 Spezies bestimmt. Die Gruppierung von Spezies und ihrer Proteine ergibt sich aus taxonomischen Daten von NCBI-Taxonomy, welche mit zusätzlichen Informationen basierend auf molekularen Markern ergänzt wurden. Der resultierende Datensatz, bestehend aus 5817 Domänen und 32868 Domänenarchitekturen, war die Grundlage für die Bestimmung des Ursprungs der Proteine aufgrund ihrer Domänenarchitekturen. Es wurde festgestellt, dass nur ein kleiner Teil der neu evolvierten Domänenarchitekturen eines Taxons gleichzeitig auch im selben Taxon neu entstandene Proteindomänen enthält. Ein weiteres Ergebnis war, dass Domänenarchitekturen im Verlauf der Evolution länger und komplexer werden, und dass so verschiedene Organismen wie der Fadenwurm, die Fruchtfliege und der Mensch die gleiche Menge an unterschiedlichen Proteinen haben, aber deutliche Unterschiede in der Anzahl ihrer Domänenarchitekturen aufweisen. Der zweite Teil beschäftigt sich mit der Frage wie neu entstandene Proteine Bindungen mit dem schon bestehenden Proteinnetzwerk eingehen. In früheren Arbeiten wurde gezeigt, dass das Protein-Interaktions-Netzwerk ein skalenfreies Netz ist. Skalenfreie Netze, wie zum Beispiel das Internet, bestehen aus wenigen Knoten mit vielen Interaktionen, genannt Hubs, und andererseits aus vielen Knoten mit wenigen Interaktionen. Man vermutet, dass zwei Mechanismen zur Entstehung solcher Netzwerke führen. Erstens müssen neue Proteine um auch Teil des Proteinnetzwerkes zu werden mit Proteinen interagieren, die bereits Teil des Netzwerkes sind. Zweitens interagieren die neuen Proteine, gemäß der Theorie der bevorzugten Bindung, mit höherer Wahrscheinlichkeit mit solchen Proteinen im Netzwerk, die schon an zahlreichen weiteren Protein-Interaktionen beteiligt sind. Die Human Protein Reference Database stellt ein auf Informationen aus in-vivo Experimenten beruhendes Proteinnetzwerk für menschliche Proteine zur Verfügung. Basierend auf den in Kapitel I gewonnenen Informationen wurden die Proteine mit dem Ursprungstaxon ihrer Domänenarchitekturen versehen. Dadurch wurde gezeigt, dass ein Protein häufiger mit Proteinen, die im selben Taxon entstanden sind, interagiert, als mit Proteinen, die in anderen Taxa neu aufgetreten sind. Es stellte sich heraus, dass diese Interaktionsraten für alle Taxa deutlich höher waren, als durch das Zufallsmodel vorhergesagt wurden. Alle Taxa enthalten den gleichen Anteil an Proteinen mit vielen Interaktionen. Diese zwei Ergebnisse sprechen dagegen, dass die bevorzugte Bindung der alleinige Mechanismus ist, der zum heutigen Aufbau des menschlichen Proteininteraktion-Netzwerks beigetragen hat. Im dritten Teil wurden Proteine basierend auf dem Vorhandensein und der Abwesenheit von Interaktionen in Gruppen eingeteilt. Proteinnetzwerke können in kleine hoch vernetzte Teile zerlegt werden, die eine spezifische Funktion ausüben. Diese Gruppen können mit hoher statistischer Signifikanz berechnet werden, haben meistens jedoch keine biologische Relevanz. Mit einem neuen Algorithmus, welcher zusätzlich zu Interaktionen auch Nicht-Interaktionen berücksichtigt, wurde ein Datensatz bestehend aus 8,756 Proteinen und 32,331 Interaktionen neu unterteilt. Eine Einteilung in elf Gruppen zeigte hohe auf Gene Ontology basierte Werte und die Gruppen konnten signifikant einzelnen Zellteilen zugeordnet werden. Eine Gruppe besteht aus Proteinen, welche wenige Interaktionen miteinander aber viele Interaktionen zu zwei benachbarten Gruppen besitzen. Diese Gruppe enthält eine signifikant erhöhte Anzahl an Transportproteinen und die zwei benachbarten Gruppen haben eine erhöhte Anzahl an einerseits extrazellulären und andererseits im Zytoplasma und an der Membran lokalisierten Proteinen. Der Algorithmus hat damit unter Beweis gestellt das die Ergebnisse nicht bloß statistisch sondern auch biologisch relevant sind. Wenn wir auch noch weit vom Verständnis des Ursprungs der Spezies entfernt sind, so hat diese Arbeit doch einen Beitrag zum besseren Verständnis der Evolution auf dem Level der Proteine geleistet. Im Speziellen wurden neue Erkenntnisse über die Beziehung von Proteindomänen und Domänenarchitekturen, sowie ihre Präferenzen für Interaktionspartner im Interaktionsnetzwerk gewonnen.
N2  - The human genome has been sequenced since 2001. Most proteins have been characterized now and with everyday more bioinformatical predictions are experimentally verified. A project is underway to sequence thousand humans. But still, little is known about the evolution of the human proteome itself. Domains and their combinations are analysed in detail but not all of the human domain architectures at once. Like no one before, we have large datasets of high quality human protein-protein-protein interactions and complexes available which allow us to characterize the human proteome with unmatched accuracy. Advanced clustering algorithms and computing power enable us to gain new information about protein interactions without touching a pipette. In this work, the human proteome is analysed at three different levels. First, the origin of the different types of proteins was analysed based on their domain architectures. The second part focuses on the protein-protein interactions. Finally, in the third part, proteins are clustered based on their interactions and non-interactions. Most proteins are built of domains and their function is the sum of their domain functions. Proteins that share the same domain architecture, the linear order of domains are homologues and should have originated from one common ancestral protein. This ancestor was calculated for roughly 750 000 proteins from 1313 species. The relations between the species are based on the NCBI Taxonomy and additional molecular data. The resulting data set of 5817 domains and 32868 domain architectures was used to estimate the origin of these proteins based on their architectures. It could be observed, that new domain architectures are only in a small fraction composed of domains arisen at the same taxon. It was also found that domain architectures increase in length and complexity in the course of evolution and that different organisms like worm, and human share nearly the same amount of proteins but differ in their number of distinct domain architectures. The second part of this thesis focuses on protein-protein interactions. This chapter addresses the question how new evolved proteins form connections within the existing network. The network built of protein-protein interactions was shown to be scale free. Scale free networks, like the internet, consist of few hubs with many connections and many nodes with few connections. They are thought to arise by two mechanisms. First, newly emerged proteins interact with proteins of the network. Second, according to the theory of preferential attachment, new proteins have a higher chance to interact with already interaction rich proteins. The Human Protein Reference Database provides an on in-vivo interaction data based network for human. With the data obtained from chapter one, proteins were marked with their taxon of origin based on their domain architectures. The interaction ratio of proteins of the same taxa compared to all interactions was calculated and higher values than the random model showed for nearly every taxa. On the other hand, there was no enrichment of proteins originated at the taxon of cellular organisms for the node degree found. The node degree is the number of links for this node. According to the theorie of preferential attachment the oldest nodes should have the most interactions and newly arisen proteins should be preferably attached to them not together. Both could not be shown in this analysis, preferential attachment could therefore not be the only explanation for the forming of the human protein interaction network. Finally in part three, proteins and all their interactions in the network are analysed. Protein networks can be divided into smaller highly interacting parts carrying out specific functions. This can be done with high statistical significance but still, it does not reflect the biological significance. Proteins were clustered based on their interactions and non-interactions with other proteins. A version with eleven clusters showed high gene ontology based ratings and clusters related to specific cell parts. One cluster consists of proteins having very few interactions together but many to proteins of two other clusters. This first cluster is significantly enriched with transport proteins and the two others are enriched with extracellular and cytoplasm/membrane located proteins. The algorithm seems therefore well suited to reflect the biological importance behind functional modules. Although we are still far from understanding the origin of species, this work has significantly contributed to a better understanding of evolution at the protein level and has, in particular, shown the relation of protein domains and protein architectures and their preferences for binding partners within interaction networks.
KW  - Evolution
KW  - Protein
KW  - Domäne
KW  - Interaktion
KW  - evolution
KW  - protein
KW  - interaction
KW  - domain
Y1  - 2008
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-35566
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
A1  - Maschwitz, Ulrich
T1  - Food bodies and their significance for obligate ant-association in the tree genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae)
N2  - The production of extrafloral nectar and food bodies plays an important role in many tropical ant-plant mutualisms. In Malaysia, a close association exists between ants and some species of the pioneer tree genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaccac). Macaranga is a very diverse genus which exhibits all stages ofintcraction with ants, from facultative to obligatory associations. The ants nest inside the hollow inlcrnodes and reed mainly on food budies provided by the plants. Food body production had previously been reported only in myrrnecophytic Macaranga species, where it is usually coneentrated on protected parts or the plants such as recurved stipules. We found that non-myrmecophytic Macaranga species also produce food bodies on leaves and stems, where they are collected by a variety or ants. Levels of food body production differ between facultatively and obligatorily ant-associated species but also among the various non-myrmecophytes. This may he rdated to the degree of interaction with ants. Food body production starts at a younger age in the myrmccophytic species than in the transitional or non-myrmcccophytic Macaranga. Although food bodies of the non-inhabited Macaranga species are collected by a variety of ants, there is nu evidence of association with specific ant species. Our observations suggest that food bodies enhance the evolution of ant-plant interactions. Production of food bodies alone, however, does not appear to be the most important factor for the development of obligate myrmccopllytism in Macaranga.
KW  - Ant-plant interactions
KW  - evolution
KW  - food bodies
KW  - Macaranga
KW  - Malaysia
KW  - myrmrcophytism
Y1  - 1992
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-32921
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fischer, Dagmar
A1  - Weißenberger, Dieter
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Assigning functions to nucleolar structures
N2  - Nucleoli provide the fascinating possibility of linking morphologically distinct structures such as those seen in the electron microscope with biochemical f eatures of the formation and step wise maturation of ribosomes. Localization of proteins by immunocytochemistry and of rRNA genes and their transcripts by in situ hybridization has greatly improved our understanding of the structural-functional relationships of the nucleolus. The present review describes some recent results obtained by electron microscopic in situ hybridization and argues that this approach has the potential to correlate each step of the complex pre-rRNA maturation pathway with nucleolar structures. Evidence is accumulating that the nucleolus-specific U3 snRNPs (small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles) participate in rRNA processing events, similar to the role played by the nucleoplasmic snRNPs in mRNA maturation. The intranucleolar distribution of U3 snRNA is consistent with the view that it is involved in both early and late stages of pre-rRNA processing.
Y1  - 1991
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-34258
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
T1  - Structure of lampbrush chromosome loops during different states of transcriptional activity as visualized in the presence of physiological salt concentrations
N2  - Lampbrush chromosomes of amphibian oocytes were isolated in the presence of near-physiological salt concentrations, to preserve their native state, and studied by electron microscopy of ultrathin s~dions. The transcriptional state of the lampbrush chromosomes was experimentally modulated by incubating the oocytes for various time periods in medium containing actinomycin D. The observations show that the structure of the lateral loops changes rapidly in response to alterations in transcriptional activity. During decreasing transcriptional activity and reduced packing density of transcripts, the chromatin axis first condensed into nucleosomes and then into an approximately 30 nm thick higher order chromatin fiber. Packaging of the loop axis into supranucleosomal structures may contribute to the foreshortening and retraction of the loops observed during inhibition of transcription and in later stages of meiotic prophase. The increasing packing density of the DNA during the retraction process of the loops could also be visualized by immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies to DNA. The dependence of the loop chromatin structure on transcriptional activity is discussed in relation to current views of mechanisms involved in gene activation.
KW  - lampbrush chromosomes
KW  - chromatin structure
KW  - electron microscopy
KW  - immunofluorescence microscopy
KW  - DNA antibodies
Y1  - 1987
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-39304
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Thiry, Marc
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Goessens, Guy
T1  - Localization of DNA within Ehrlich tumour cells nucleoli by immunoelectron microscopy
N2  - The distribution of DNA in Ehrlich tumour cell nucleoli was investigated by means of an immunocytochemical approach , involving a monoclonal antibody directed against double- and single-stranded DNA. Immunolabelling was performed . either before or after the embedding process. The postembedding labelling method allows better ultrastructural preservation than the preembedding labelling method. In particular, the various nucleolar components are well preserved and identifiable. In the nucleolus, labelling is particularly concentrated over the perinucleolar chromatin and over its intranucleolar invaginations, which penetrate the nucleolar body and often terminate at the fibrillar centres. In addition, aggregates of gold particles are found in the fibrillar centres, preferentially towards the peripheral regions. By contrast, the dense fibrillar component is completely devoid of labelling. The results seem to indicate that DNA containing the rDNA genes is located in the fibrillar centres, with a preference for the peripheral regions. This finding suggests that transcription of the rDNA genes should occur within the confines of the fibrillar centre, probably close to the boundary region of the surrounding dense fibrillar component. The results are discussed in the light of present knowledge of the functional organization of the nucleolus.
KW  - nucleolus
KW  - DNA
KW  - monoclonal antibody
Y1  - 1988
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-39327
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Scheer, Ulrich
A1  - Spring, Herbert
A1  - Trendelenburg, Michael F.
T1  - Organization of transcriptionally active chromatin in lampbrush chromosome loops
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1979
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-39293
ER  -