TY - THES A1 - Zimnol, Anna T1 - Relevance of angiotensin II type 1a receptor and NADPH oxidase for the formation of angiotensin II-mediated DNA damage T1 - Relevanz des Angiotensin II Typ 1a-Rezeptors und der NADPH-Oxidase für die Entstehung Angiotensin II-vermittelter DNA-Schäden N2 - Das Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosteron-System (RAAS) reguliert den Blutdruck sowie den Elektrolyt- und Wasserhaushalt. Das aktive Peptid, Angiotensin II (AngII), führt dabei zur Vasokonstriktion und in höheren Konzentrationen zu Bluthochdruck. Hypertensive Patienten haben ein erhöhtes Risiko an Krebs zu erkranken, vor allem an Nierenkrebs. Wir konnten bereits in vivo zeigen, dass AngII in der Lage ist, den Blutdruck zu steigern und dosisabhängig zu DNA-Schäden über den Angiotensin II Typ 1-Rezeptor (AT1R) führt. Ein stimuliertes RAAS kann ferner über die Aktivierung der NADPH-Oxidase, einer Hauptquelle der Generierung reaktiver Sauerstoffspezies (ROS) in der Zelle, zu oxidativem Stress führen. Zielsetzung dieser Arbeit war es zum einen, mit Hilfe von AT1a-Rezeptor-defizienten Mäusen in vivo zu prüfen, ob die Bildung von ROS, sowie die Bildung von DNA-Schäden in der Niere und im Herzen unabhängig von einem erhöhten Blutdruck auftreten. Zum anderen sollte, ebenfalls in vivo, untersucht werden, ob eine oder beide von zwei untersuchten Isoformen der NADPH-Oxidase (Nox) für die Auslösung oxidativen Stresses in der Niere verantwortlich ist. Zunächst wurden für den Versuch zur Überprüfung der Abhängigkeit AngII-induzierter DNA-Schäden vom Blutdruck männliche C57BL/6-Mäuse und AT1a-Knockout (KO)-Mäuse mit osmotischen Minipumpen ausgestattet, die AngII in einer Konzentrationen von 600 ng/kg min über einen Zeitraum von 28 Tagen abgaben. Zusätzlich wurde eine Gruppe von AngII-behandelten Wildtyp (WT)-Mäusen mit dem AT1-Rezeptor-Blocker Candesartan (Cand) behandelt. Während des Versuchszeitraumes fanden regelmäßige, nicht-invasive Blutdruckmessungen an den wachen Mäusen statt. In WT-Mäusen induzierte AngII Bluthochdruck, verursachte erhöhte Albumin-Level im Urin und führte zur Bildung von ROS in Niere und im Herzen. Außerdem traten in dieser Gruppe DNA-Schäden in Form von Einzel- und Doppelstrangbrüchen auf. All diese Reaktionen auf AngII konnten jedoch durch gleichzeitige Behandlung mit Cand verhindert werden. AT1a-KO-Mäuse hatten, verglichen mit WT-Kontrollmäusen, einen signifikant niedrigeren Blutdruck und normale Albumin-Level im Urin. In AT1a-KO-Mäusen, die mit AngII behandelt wurden, konnte kein Anstieg des systolischen Blutdrucks sowie kein Einfluss auf die Nierenfunktion gefunden werden. Jedoch führte AngII in dieser Gruppe zu einer Steigerung von ROS in der Niere und im Herzen. Zusätzlich wurden genomische Schäden, vor allem in Form von Doppelstrangbrüchen signifikant in dieser Gruppe induziert. Auch wenn AT1a-KO-Tiere, unabhängig von einer AngII-Infusion, keine eingeschränkte Nierenfunktion zeigten, so wiesen sie erhebliche histopathologische Schäden im Hinblick auf die Glomeruli und das Tubulussystem auf. Diese Art von Schäden deuten auf eine besondere Bedeutung des AT1aR im Hinblick auf die embryonale Entwicklung der Niere hin. Zusammenfassend beweisen die Ergebnisse dieses Experiments eindeutig, dass eine AngII-induzierte ROS-Produktion und die Induktion von DNA-Schäden unabhängig von einem erhöhten Blutdruck auftreten. Da in der AngII-behandelten AT1a-KO-Gruppe eine signifikant höhere Expression des AT1b-Rezeptors zu finden war und die Blockade von beiden Rezeptorsubtypen mit Cand zu einer Verhinderung der schädlichen Effekte durch AngII führte, scheint der AT1bR im Falle einer AT1aR-Defizienz für die Entstehung der Schäden zuständig zu sein. Ziel des zweiten Experimentes war es, den Beitrag der Nox2 und Nox4 zum oxidativen DNA-Schaden in vivo zu untersuchen. Hierfür wurden männliche C57BL/6-Mäuse und Nox2- oder Nox4-defiziente Mäuse mit osmotischen Minipumpen ausgestattet, die AngII in einer Konzentration von 600 ng/kg min über einen Zeitraum von 28 Tagen abgaben. Im WT-Stamm und in beiden Nox-defizienten Stämmen induzierte AngII Bluthochdruck, verursachte erhöhte Albumin-Level im Urin und führte zur Bildung von ROS in der Niere. Außerdem waren in allen AngII-behandelten Gruppen genomische Schäden, vor allem in Form von Doppelstrangbrüchen, erhöht. Auch in Abwesenheit von AngII wiesen Nox2- und Nox4-defiziente Mäuse mehr Doppelstrangbrüche im Vergleich zu WT-Kontrollmäusen auf. Interessanterweise kompensieren allerdings weder Nox2 noch Nox4 das Fehlen der jeweils anderen Isoform auf RNA-Basis. Aufgrund dieser Ergebnisse schließen wir, dass bislang keine Isoform alleine für die Generierung von oxidativen DNA-Schäden in der Niere verantwortlich gemacht werden kann und dass eine Beteiligung einer weiteren Nox-Isoform sehr wahrscheinlich ist. Möglicherweise könnten aber auch andere ROS-generierende Enzyme, wie Xanthinoxidase oder Stickoxidsynthase involviert sein. Da genomische Schäden in Nieren von Nox2- und Nox4-defizienten Mäusen in Abwesenheit von AngII gegenüber den Schäden in WT-Kontrollmäusen erhöht waren, könnten die beiden Isoformen auch eine schützende Funktion im Bereich von Nierenkrankheiten übernehmen. Da dies aber bislang nur für Nox4 beschrieben ist, ist es wahrscheinlicher, dass das Fehlen von einer der beiden Isoformen eher einen Einfluss auf die Embryonalentwicklung hat. Um dies jedoch abschließend zu klären wäre es sinnvoll mit induzierbaren Knockout-Modellen zu arbeiten, bei denen mögliche entwicklungsbedingte Effekte minimiert werden können. N2 - The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) regulates blood pressure, electrolyte metabolism and water balance. The reactive peptide, Angiotensin II (AngII), of the RAAS causes vasoconstriction and, in higher concentrations, increased blood pressure. Hypertensive patients have an increased risk to develop cancer, especially kidney cancer. We have shown in vivo, that AngII is capable to cause an elevation of blood pressure, as well as DNA damage dose-dependently via the AngII type 1 receptor (AT1R). A stimulated RAAS can further lead to oxidative stress by activating NADPH oxidases which are major enzymatic sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cell. On the one hand the aim of this work was to examine in vivo with the help of AT1aR-deficient mice whether the formation of ROS and DNA damage in the kidney and the heart occur independently of an increased blood pressure. On the other hand we wanted to investigate whether one or both of the two examined isoforms of the NADPH oxidase (Nox) is responsible for the triggering of oxidative stress in the kidney. For the purpose of the first experiment which examined the dependency of AngII-induced DNA damage on blood pressure, male C57BL/6-mice and AT1a-knockout (KO)-mice were equipped with osmotic minipumps, delivering AngII in a concentration of 600 ng/kg x min during 28 days. Additionally, wild-type (WT) mice were treated with the AT1R antagonist candesartan (cand). Over the whole time period, frequent non-invasive blood pressure measurements were taken. In WT mice, AngII induced hypertension, an elevated urinary albumin level and formation of ROS in kidney and heart. Furthermore, genomic damage, in form of single- and double strand breaks, was augmented in this group. All these responses to AngII could be attenuated by concurrent administration of candesartan. AT1a-deficient mice had lower basal systolic pressures than WT mice and comparable urinary albumin levels. In AT1a-deficient mice treated with AngII, systolic pressure was not increased, and no effect on renal function could be detected. However, AngII led to an increase of ROS in kidney and heart in this group. In addition, genomic damage, especially in form of double strand breaks was significantly induced. Although AT1a-KO-mice, independent of an AngII-infusion, showed no renal impairment they had significant histopathological changes in glomeruli and tubules. This points to a special importance of AT1aR with regard to the embryonic development of the kidney. In summary our results clearly demonstrate that AngII-induced ROS production and DNA damage is independent of blood pressure. Since we found a significantly higher expression of the AT1bR in the AngII-treated AT1aR-KO-group and since blocking of both subtypes with cand resulted in a complete prevention of adverse AngII effects, the receptor responsible for the mediation of these effects seems to be AT1bR. The aim of the second experiment was to examine the contribution of Nox2 and Nox4 to oxidative DNA damage in vivo. Therefore male C57BL/6-mice and Nox2- or Nox4-deficient mice were equipped with osmotic minipumps, delivering AngII in a concentration of 600 ng/kg × min during 28 days. In WT and in both strains of Nox-deficient mice, AngII induced hypertension, elevated urinary albumin levels and formation of ROS in the kidney. Furthermore, genomic damage, especially in form of double strand breaks were augmented in all of the AngII-treated groups. Also in the absence of AngII, Nox2- and Nox4-deficient mice exhibited a higher background of double strand breaks. Interestingly neither Nox2 nor Nox4 do not compensate for the deficiency of the other isoform on mRNA level. Due to these results we conclude that there is no isoform so far which is solely responsible for the generation of ROS in the kidney under AngII-treatment. Potentially there might also be a contribution of other enzymes like xanthine oxidase or nitric oxide synthase to the formation of ROS. Since genomic damage in kidneys of Nox2- and Nox4-deficient mice in the absence of AngII was higher as compared to the damages in WT control mice it might be that both isoforms could have a protective role in renal disease. But, since this is so far only described for Nox4 it is likely that the absence of one of the two isoforms rather has an influence on the embryonic development. To finally clarify this hypothesis it would be suggestive to work with inducible knockout mouse models where possible developmental effects can be minimized. KW - Angiotensin II KW - NADPH-Oxidase KW - DNS-Schädigung KW - Oxidativer Stress KW - Angiotensin II KW - NADPH oxidase KW - angiotensin II type 1a receptor KW - DNA damage KW - oxidative stress KW - Angiotensin II Typ 1a-Rezeptor Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137469 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zimmermann, Henriette A1 - Subota, Ines A1 - Batram, Christopher A1 - Kramer, Susanne A1 - Janzen, Christian J. A1 - Jones, Nicola G. A1 - Engstler, Markus T1 - A quorum sensing-independent path to stumpy development in Trypanosoma brucei JF - PLoS Pathogens N2 - For persistent infections of the mammalian host, African trypanosomes limit their population size by quorum sensing of the parasite-excreted stumpy induction factor (SIF), which induces development to the tsetse-infective stumpy stage. We found that besides this cell density-dependent mechanism, there exists a second path to the stumpy stage that is linked to antigenic variation, the main instrument of parasite virulence. The expression of a second variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) leads to transcriptional attenuation of the VSG expression site (ES) and immediate development to tsetse fly infective stumpy parasites. This path is independent of SIF and solely controlled by the transcriptional status of the ES. In pleomorphic trypanosomes varying degrees of ES-attenuation result in phenotypic plasticity. While full ES-attenuation causes irreversible stumpy development, milder attenuation may open a time window for rescuing an unsuccessful antigenic switch, a scenario that so far has not been considered as important for parasite survival. KW - Trypanosoma KW - hyperexpression techniques KW - parasitic cell cycles KW - cloning KW - cell cycle and cell division KW - cell differentiation KW - tetracyclines KW - parasitic diseases Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158230 VL - 13 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ziegler, Sabrina A1 - Weiss, Esther A1 - Schmitt, Anna-Lena A1 - Schlegel, Jan A1 - Burgert, Anne A1 - Terpitz, Ulrich A1 - Sauer, Markus A1 - Moretta, Lorenzo A1 - Sivori, Simona A1 - Leonhardt, Ines A1 - Kurzai, Oliver A1 - Einsele, Hermann A1 - Loeffler, Juergen T1 - CD56 Is a Pathogen Recognition Receptor on Human Natural Killer Cells JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Aspergillus (A.) fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal mold inducing invasive aspergillosis (IA) in immunocompromised patients. Although antifungal activity of human natural killer (NK) cells was shown in previous studies, the underlying cellular mechanisms and pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) are still unknown. Using flow cytometry we were able to show that the fluorescence positivity of the surface receptor CD56 significantly decreased upon fungal contact. To visualize the interaction site of NK cells and A. fumigatus we used SEM, CLSM and dSTORM techniques, which clearly demonstrated that NK cells directly interact with A. fumigatus via CD56 and that CD56 is re-organized and accumulated at this interaction site time-dependently. The inhibition of the cytoskeleton showed that the receptor re-organization was an active process dependent on actin re-arrangements. Furthermore, we could show that CD56 plays a role in the fungus mediated NK cell activation, since blocking of CD56 surface receptor reduced fungal mediated NK cell activation and reduced cytokine secretion. These results confirmed the direct interaction of NK cells and A. fumigatus, leading to the conclusion that CD56 is a pathogen recognition receptor. These findings give new insights into the functional role of CD56 in the pathogen recognition during the innate immune response. KW - pattern recognition receptors KW - fungal infection KW - Aspergillus fumigatus KW - natural killer cells Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170637 VL - 7 IS - 6138 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wu, Yu A1 - Pons, Valérie A1 - Goudet, Amélie A1 - Panigai, Laetitia A1 - Fischer, Annette A1 - Herweg, Jo-Ana A1 - Kali, Sabrina A1 - Davey, Robert A. A1 - Laporte, Jérôme A1 - Bouclier, Céline A1 - Yousfi, Rahima A1 - Aubenque, Céline A1 - Merer, Goulven A1 - Gobbo, Emilie A1 - Lopez, Roman A1 - Gillet, Cynthia A1 - Cojean, Sandrine A1 - Popoff, Michel R. A1 - Clayette, Pascal A1 - Le Grand, Roger A1 - Boulogne, Claire A1 - Tordo, Noël A1 - Lemichez, Emmanuel A1 - Loiseau, Philippe M. A1 - Rudel, Thomas A1 - Sauvaire, Didier A1 - Cintrat, Jean-Christophe A1 - Gillet, Daniel A1 - Barbier, Julien T1 - ABMA, a small molecule that inhibits intracellular toxins and pathogens by interfering with late endosomal compartments JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Intracellular pathogenic microorganisms and toxins exploit host cell mechanisms to enter, exert their deleterious effects as well as hijack host nutrition for their development. A potential approach to treat multiple pathogen infections and that should not induce drug resistance is the use of small molecules that target host components. We identifed the compound 1-adamantyl (5-bromo-2-methoxybenzyl) amine (ABMA) from a cell-based high throughput screening for its capacity to protect human cells and mice against ricin toxin without toxicity. This compound efciently protects cells against various toxins and pathogens including viruses, intracellular bacteria and parasite. ABMA provokes Rab7-positive late endosomal compartment accumulation in mammalian cells without affecting other organelles (early endosomes, lysosomes, the Golgi apparatus, the endoplasmic reticulum or the nucleus). As the mechanism of action of ABMA is restricted to host-endosomal compartments, it reduces cell infection by pathogens that depend on this pathway to invade cells. ABMA may represent a novel class of broad-spectrum compounds with therapeutic potential against diverse severe infectious diseases. KW - biology KW - antimicrobials KW - high-throughput screening KW - infectious diseases Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-173170 VL - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wolter, Patrick A1 - Hanselmann, Steffen A1 - Pattschull, Grit A1 - Schruf, Eva A1 - Gaubatz, Stefan T1 - Central spindle proteins and mitotic kinesins are direct transcriptional targets of MuvB, B-MYB and FOXM1 in breast cancer cell lines and are potential targets for therapy JF - Oncotarget N2 - The MuvB multiprotein complex, together with B-MYB and FOXM1 (MMB-FOXM1), plays an essential role in cell cycle progression by regulating the transcription of genes required for mitosis and cytokinesis. In many tumors, B-MYB and FOXM1 are overexpressed as part of the proliferation signature. However, the transcriptional targets that are important for oncogenesis have not been identified. Given that mitotic kinesins are highly expressed in cancer cells and that selected kinesins have been reported as target genes of MMB-FOXM1, we sought to determine which mitotic kinesins are directly regulated by MMB-FOXM1. We demonstrate that six mitotic kinesins and two microtubule-associated non-motor proteins (MAPs) CEP55 and PRC1 are direct transcriptional targets of MuvB, B-MYB and FOXM1 in breast cancer cells. Suppression of KIF23 and PRC1 strongly suppressed proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells. The set of MMB-FOXM1 regulated kinesins genes and 4 additional kinesins which we referred to as the mitotic kinesin signature (MKS) is linked to poor outcome in breast cancer patients. Thus, mitotic kinesins could be used as prognostic biomarker and could be potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of breast cancer. KW - breast cancer KW - kinesin KW - cell cycle KW - cytokinesis Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-171851 VL - 8 IS - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wiegering, Armin A1 - Matthes, Niels A1 - Mühling, Bettina A1 - Koospal, Monika A1 - Quenzer, Anne A1 - Peter, Stephanie A1 - Germer, Christoph-Thomas A1 - Linnebacher, Michael A1 - Otto, Christoph T1 - Reactivating p53 and Inducing Tumor Apoptosis (RITA) Enhances the Response of RITA-Sensitive Colorectal Cancer Cells to Chemotherapeutic Agents 5-Fluorouracil and Oxaliplatin JF - Neoplasia N2 - Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the most common cancer of the gastrointestinal tract with frequently dysregulated intracellular signaling pathways, including p53 signaling. The mainstay of chemotherapy treatment of CRC is 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and oxaliplatin. The two anticancer drugs mediate their therapeutic effect via DNA damage-triggered signaling. The small molecule reactivating p53 and inducing tumor apoptosis (RITA) is described as an activator of wild-type and reactivator of mutant p53 function, resulting in elevated levels of p53 protein, cell growth arrest, and cell death. Additionally, it has been shown that RITA can induce DNA damage signaling. It is expected that the therapeutic benefits of 5FU and oxaliplatin can be increased by enhancing DNA damage signaling pathways. Therefore, we highlighted the antiproliferative response of RITA alone and in combination with 5FU or oxaliplatin in human CRC cells. A panel of long-term established CRC cell lines (n = 9) including p53 wild-type, p53 mutant, and p53 null and primary patient-derived, low-passage cell lines (n = 5) with different p53 protein status were used for this study. A substantial number of CRC cells with pronounced sensitivity to RITA (IC\(_{50}\)< 3.0 μmol/l) were identified within established (4/9) and primary patient-derived (2/5) CRC cell lines harboring wild-type or mutant p53 protein. Sensitivity to RITA appeared independent of p53 status and was associated with an increase in antiproliferative response to 5FU and oxaliplatin, a transcriptional increase of p53 targets p21 and NOXA, and a decrease in MYC mRNA. The effect of RITA as an inducer of DNA damage was shown by a strong elevation of phosphorylated histone variant H2A.X, which was restricted to RITA-sensitive cells. Our data underline the primary effect of RITA, inducing DNA damage, and demonstrate the differential antiproliferative effect of RITA to CRC cells independent of p53 protein status. We found a substantial number of RITA-sensitive CRC cells within both panels of established CRC cell lines and primary patient-derived CRC cell lines (6/14) that provide a rationale for combining RITA with 5FU or oxaliplatin to enhance the antiproliferative response to both chemotherapeutic agents. KW - colorectal carcinoma KW - reactivating p53 and inducing tumor apoptosis (RITA) KW - chemotherapy KW - 5-fluorouracil KW - oxaliplatin Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-171067 VL - 19 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegert, Jenny A1 - Vokuh, Christian A1 - Ziegler, Barbara A1 - Ernestus, Karen A1 - Leuschner, Ivo A1 - Furtwängler, Rhoikos A1 - Graf, Norbert A1 - Gessler, Manfred T1 - TP53 alterations in Wilms tumour represent progression events with strong intratumour heterogeneity that are closely linked but not limited to anaplasia JF - The Journal of Pathology: Clinical Research N2 - TP53 mutations have been associated with anaplasia in Wilms tumour, which conveys a high risk for relapse and fatal outcome. Nevertheless, TP53 alterations have been reported in no more than 60% of anaplastic tumours, and recent data have suggested their presence in tumours that do not fulfil the criteria for anaplasia, questioning the clinical utility of TP53 analysis. Therefore, we characterized the TP53 status in 84 fatal cases of Wilms tumour, irrespective of histological subtype. We identified TP53 alterations in at least 90% of fatal cases of anaplastic Wilms tumour, and even more when diffuse anaplasia was present, indicating a very strong if not absolute coupling between anaplasia and deregulation of p53 function. Unfortunately, TP53 mutations do not provide additional predictive value in anaplastic tumours since the same mutation rate was found in a cohort of non-fatal anaplastic tumours. When classified according to tumour stage, patients with stage I diffuse anaplastic tumours still had a high chance of survival (87%), but this rate dropped to 26% for stages II–IV. Thus, volume of anaplasia or possible spread may turn out to be critical parameters. Importantly, among non-anaplastic fatal tumours, 26% had TP53 alterations, indicating that TP53 screening may identify additional cases at risk. Several of these non-anaplastic tumours fulfilled some criteria for anaplasia, for example nuclear unrest, suggesting that such partial phenotypes should be under special scrutiny to enhance detection of high-risk tumours via TP53 screening. A major drawback is that these alterations are secondary changes that occur only later in tumour development, leading to striking intratumour heterogeneity that requires multiple biopsies and analysis guided by histological criteria. In conclusion, we found a very close correlation between histological signs of anaplasia and TP53 alterations. The latter may precede development of anaplasia and thereby provide diagnostic value pointing towards aggressive disease. KW - tumour heterogeneity KW - Wilms tumour KW - nephroblastoma KW - anaplasia KW - TP53 Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158302 VL - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wanzek, Katharina A1 - Schwindt, Eike A1 - Capra, John A. A1 - Paeschke, Katrin T1 - Mms1 binds to G-rich regions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and influences replication and genome stability JF - Nucleic Acids Research N2 - The regulation of replication is essential to preserve genome integrity. Mms1 is part of the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that is linked to replication fork progression. By identifying Mms1 binding sites genome-wide in Saccharomyces cerevisiae we connected Mms1 function to genome integrity and replication fork progression at particular G-rich motifs. This motif can form G-quadruplex (G4) structures in vitro. G4 are stable DNA structures that are known to impede replication fork progression. In the absence of Mms1, genome stability is at risk at these G-rich/G4 regions as demonstrated by gross chromosomal rearrangement assays. Mms1 binds throughout the cell cycle to these G-rich/G4 regions and supports the binding of Pif1 DNA helicase. Based on these data we propose a mechanistic model in which Mms1 binds to specific G-rich/G4 motif located on the lagging strand template for DNA replication and supports Pif1 function, DNA replication and genome integrity. KW - replication KW - regulation KW - genome integrity KW - Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170577 VL - 45 IS - 13 ER - TY - THES A1 - Tsoneva, Desislava T1 - Humanized mouse model: a system to study the interactions of human immune system with vaccinia virus-infected human tumors in mice T1 - Humanisiertes Mausmodell: ein System, um die Wechselwirkungen des menschlichen Immunsystems mit Vaccinia-Virus-infizierten humanen Tumoren in Mäusen zu untersuchen N2 - Ein vielversprechender neuer Ansatz zur Behandlung von Krebs beim Menschen ist die Verwendung von onkolytischen Viren, die einen Tumor-spezifischen Tropismus aufweisen. Einer der Top-Kandidaten in diesem Bereich ist das onkolytische Vaccinia Virus (VACV), das bereits vielversprechende Ergebnisse in Tierversuchen und in klinischen Studien gezeigt hat. Aber die von den in vivo in tierischen Modellen erhaltenen Resultate könnten ungenaue Informationen wegen der anatomischen und physiologischen Unterschiede zwischen den Spezies liefern. Andererseits sind Studien in Menschen aufgrund ethischer Erwägungen und potenzieller Toxizität nur limitiert möglich. Die zahlreichen Einschränkungen und Risiken, die mit den Humanstudien verbunden sind, könnten mit der Verwendung eines humanisierten Mausmodells vermieden werden. Die LIVP-1.1.1, GLV-2b372, GLV-1h68, GLV-1h375, GLV-1h376 and GLV-1h377 VACV Stämmen wurden von der Genelux Corporation zur Verfügung gestellt. GLV-2b372 wurde durch Einfügen der TurboFP635 Expressionskassette in den J2R Genlocus des parentalen LIVP-1.1.1-Stammes konstruiert. GLV-1h375, -1h376 and -1h377 kodiert das Gen für den menschlichen CTLA4-blockierenden Einzelketten-Antikörper (CTLA4 scAb). Befunde aus Replikations- and Zytotoxizitätsstudien zeigten, dass alle sechs Viren Tumorzellen infizieren, sich in ihnen replizieren und sie in Zellkultur schließlich ebenso dosis- und zeitabhängig effizient abtöten konnten. CTLA4 scAb und β-Glucuronidase (GusA) Expression sowie Virus Titer in GLV-1h376-infizierten A549-Zellen wurde anhand von ELISA-, β-Glucuronidase- and Standard Plaque-Assays bestimmt. Hierbei zeigte sich eine ausgezeichnete Korrelation mit Korrelationskoeffizienten R2>0.9806. Der durch das GLV-1h376 kodierte CTLA4 scAb wurde erfolgreich aus Überständen von infizierten CV-1-Zellen gereinigt. CTLA4 scAb hat eine hohe in-vitro-Affinität zu seinem menschlichen CTLA4-Zielmolekül sowie abwesende Kreuzreaktivität gegenüber murine CTLA4 gezeigt. CTLA4 scAb Funktionalität wurde in Jurkat-Zellen bestätigt. LIVP-1.1.1, GLV-2b372, GLV-1h68 und GLV-1h376 wurden auch in nicht-tumorösen und/oder tumortragenden humanisierten Mäusen getestet. Zunächst wurde gezeigt, dass die Injektion von menschlichen CD34+ Stammzellen in die Leber von vorkonditionierten neugeborenen NSG Mäusen zu einer erfolgreichen systemische Rekonstitution mit menschlichen Immunzellen geführt hat. CD19+-B-Zellen, CD4+- und CD8+-CD3+-T-Zellen, NKp46+CD56- und NKp46+CD56+-NK-Zellen sowie CD33+-myeloischen Zellen wurden detektiert. Die Mehrheit der nachgewisenen humanen hämatopoetischen Zellen im Mäuseblut in den ersten Wochen nach der Humanisierung waren CD19+-B-Zellen, und nur ein kleiner Teil waren CD3+-T-Zellen. Mit der Zeit wurde eine signifikante Veränderung in CD19+/CD3+-Verhältnis beobachtet, die parallel zur Abnahme der B-Zellen und einem Anstieg der T-Zellen kam. Die Implantation von A549-Zellen unter die Haut dieser Mäuse führte zu einem progressiven Tumorwachstum. Bildgebende Verfahren zur Detektion von Virus-vermittelter TurboFP635- und GFP-Expression, Standard Plaque Assays sowie immunohistochemische Analysen bestätigten die erfolgreiche Invasion der Viren in die subkutanen Tumoren. Die humane CD45+-Zellpopulation in Tumoren wurde hauptsächlich durch NKp46+CD56bright-NK-Zellen und einen hohen Anteil von aktivierten CD4+- und zytotoxische CD8+-T-Zellen dargestellt. Es wurden jedoch keine signifikanten Unterschiede zwischen den Kontroll- und LIVP-1.1.1-infizierten Tumoren beobachtet, was darauf hindeutete, dass die Rekrutierung von NK- und aktivierten T-Zellen, mehr Tumorgewebe-spezifisch als Virus-abhängig waren. Die GLV-1h376-vermittelten CTLA4 scAb-Expression in den infizierten Tumoren war ebenfalls nicht in der Lage, die Aktivierung von Tumor-infiltrierenden T-Zellen im Vergleich zur Kontrolle und GLV-1h68-behandelten Mäusen, signifikant zu erhöhen. ELISA-, β-Glucuronidase- and Standard Plaque-Assays zeigten eine eindeutige Korrelation mit den Korrelationskoeffizienten R2>0,9454 zwischen CTLA4 scAb- und GusA-Konzentrationen und Virus Titer in Tumorproben von GLV-1h376-behandelten Mäusen. T-Zellen, die aus der Milz dieser Tumor-tragenden Mäuse isoliert wurden, waren funktionell und konnten erfolgreich mit Beads aktiviert werden. Mehr CD25+ und IFN-ɣ+ T-Zellen wurden in der GLV-1h376-Gruppe gefunden, wahrscheinlich aufgrund der CTLA4-Blockade durch die Virus-vermittelte CTLA4 scAb-Expression in den Mäusen. Außerdem wurde eine höhere Konzentration von IL-2 in dem Kulturüberstand von diesen Splenozyten im Vergleich zu Kontrollproben nachgewiesen. Im Gegensatz zu der Aktivierung mit Beads konnten T-Zellen von allen drei Maus-Gruppen nicht durch A549 Tumorzellen ex vivo aktiviert werden. Unser Mausmodell hat den besonderen Vorteil, dass sich Tumoren unter der Haut der humanisierten Mäuse entwickeln, was eine genaue Überwachung des Tumorwachstums und Auswertung der onkolytischen Virotherapie ermöglicht. N2 - A promising new approach for the treatment of human cancer is the use of oncolytic viruses, which exhibit tumor tropism. One of the top candidates in this area is the oncolytic vaccinia virus (VACV), which has already shown promising results in animal studies and in clinical trials. However, due to discrepancies in both innate and adaptive immunity between mice and men the evaluation of the vaccinia virus’ interactions with the host immune system in mice are not fully conclusive of what is actually happening in human cancer patients after systemic administration of vaccinia virus. Also, ethical and legal concerns as well as risk of potential toxicity limit research involving human patients. Therefore, a good in vivo model for testing interactions between vaccinia virus and human immune cells, avoiding the numerous limitations and risks associated with human studies, could be a humanized mouse model. LIVP-1.1.1, GLV-2b372, GLV-1h68, GLV-1h375, GLV-1h376 and GLV-1h377 VACVs were provided by Genelux Corporation. GLV-2b372 was constructed by inserting TurboFP635 expression cassette into the J2R locus of the parental LIVP-1.1.1. GLV-1h375, -1h376 and -1h377 VACVs encode the human CTLA4-blocking single-chain antibody (CTLA4 scAb). Performed replication and cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that all six viruses were able to infect, replicate in and kill human tumor cells in virus-dose- and time-dependent fashion. CTLA4 scAb and β-glucuronidase (GusA) expression as well as viral titers in GLV-1h376-infected cells were analyzed by ELISA, β-glucuronidase assay and standard plaque assay, respectively, and compared. An excellent correlation with correlation coefficients R2>0.9806 were observed. GLV-1h376-encoded CTLA4 scAb was successfully purified from supernatants of infected CV-1 cells and demonstrated in vitro affinity to its human CTLA4 target and lack of cross-reactivity to mouse CTLA4. CTLA4 scAb functionality was confirmed in Jurkat cells. LIVP-1.1.1, GLV-2b372, GLV-1h68 and GLV-1h376 were next studied in non-tumorous and/or tumor-bearing humanized mice. It was demonstrated that injection of human CD34+ stem cells into the liver of preconditioned newborn NSG mice let to a successful systemic reconstitution with human immune cells. CD19+ B cells, CD4 and CD8 single positive CD3+ T cell, NKp46+CD56- and NKp46+CD56+ NK cells as well as CD33+ myeloid cells developed. At early time points after engraftment, majority of the human hematopoietic cells detected in the mouse blood were CD19+ B cells and only a small portion were CD3+ T cells. With time a significant change in CD19+/CD3+ ratio was reported with a decrease of B cells and an increase of T cells. Implantation of A549 cells under the skin of those humanized NSG mice resulted in a progressive tumor growth, described for the first time in this thesis. Successful colonization of subcutaneous A549 tumors with VACVs was visualized and demonstrated by detection of virus-mediated TurboFP635 and GFP expression as well as by standard plaque assay and immunohistochemistry. The human CD45+ cell population in tumors was represented mainly by NKp46+CD56bright NK cells and a large portion of activated CD4+ and cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. However, no significant differences were observed between control and LIVP-1.1.1-infected tumors, suggesting that the recruitment of NK and activated T cells were more tumor tissue specific than virus-dependent. Unfortunately, virus-mediated CTLA4 scAb expression in the GLV-1h376-infected tumors was also not able to significantly increase activation of T cells compared to control and GLV-1h68-treated mice. Importantly, ELISA, β-glucuronidase and standard plaque assays showed an excellent correlation with correlation coefficients R2>0.9454 between CTLA4 scAb, GusA concentrations and viral titers in tumor samples from those GLV-1h376 treated mice. T cells isolated from the spleens of such control or GLV-1h68- or -1h376-treated A549 tumor-bearing mice were functional and could successfully be activated with human T cells activation beads. However, although no significant difference was observed between the three mouse groups, a slightly higher percentage of the GLV-1h376-treated mice-derived T cells were expressing CD25 and producing IFN-ɣ after ex vivo activation, probably due to the CTLA4 blockade by the virus-encoded CTLA4 scAb in the GLV-1h376-treated mice. Also, slightly higher levels of IL-2 were detected in the culture supernatant of those splenocytes compared to control samples. In contrast, T cells from all three mouse groups were not able be activated by A549 tumor cells ex vivo. Our model has the specific advantage that tumors develop under the skin of the humanized mice, which allows accurate monitoring of the tumor growth and evaluation of the oncolytic virotherapy. Therefore it is important to choose the right approaches for its further improvement. KW - Vaccinia virus KW - cancer KW - vaccinia virus KW - humanized mice Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-118983 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Temme, Sebastian A1 - Friebe, Daniela A1 - Schmidt, Timo A1 - Poschmann, Gereon A1 - Hesse, Julia A1 - Steckel, Bodo A1 - Stühler, Kai A1 - Kunz, Meik A1 - Dandekar, Thomas A1 - Ding, Zhaoping A1 - Akhyari, Payam A1 - Lichtenberg, Artur A1 - Schrader, Jürgen T1 - Genetic profiling and surface proteome analysis of human atrial stromal cells and rat ventricular epicardium-derived cells reveals novel insights into their cardiogenic potential JF - Stem Cell Research N2 - Epicardium-derived cells (EPDC) and atrial stromal cells (ASC) display cardio-regenerative potential, but the molecular details are still unexplored. Signals which induce activation, migration and differentiation of these cells are largely unknown. Here we have isolated rat ventricular EPDC and rat/human ASC and performed genetic and proteomic profiling. EPDC and ASC expressed epicardial/mesenchymal markers (WT-1, Tbx18, CD73,CD90, CD44, CD105), cardiac markers (Gata4, Tbx5, troponin T) and also contained phosphocreatine. We used cell surface biotinylation to isolate plasma membrane proteins of rEPDC and hASC, Nano-liquid chromatography with subsequent mass spectrometry and bioinformatics analysis identified 396 rat and 239 human plasma membrane proteins with 149 overlapping proteins. Functional GO-term analysis revealed several significantly enriched categories related to extracellular matrix (ECM), cell migration/differentiation, immunology or angiogenesis. We identified receptors for ephrin and growth factors (IGF, PDGF, EGF, anthrax toxin) known to be involved in cardiac repair and regeneration. Functional category enrichment identified clusters around integrins, PI3K/Akt-signaling and various cardiomyopathies. Our study indicates that EPDC and ASC have a similar molecular phenotype related to cardiac healing/regeneration. The cell surface proteome repository will help to further unravel the molecular details of their cardio-regenerative potential and their role in cardiac diseases. KW - Biology KW - Epicardium-derived cells KW - Human atrial stromal cells KW - Cell surface proteomics Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172716 VL - 25 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stein, Katharina A1 - Coulibaly, Drissa A1 - Stenchly, Kathrin A1 - Goetze, Dethardt A1 - Porembski, Stefan A1 - Lindner, André A1 - Konaté, Souleymane A1 - Linsenmair, Eduard K. T1 - Bee pollination increases yield quantity and quality of cash crops in Burkina Faso, West Africa JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Mutualistic biotic interactions as among flowering plants and their animal pollinators are a key component of biodiversity. Pollination, especially by insects, is a key element in ecosystem functioning, and hence constitutes an ecosystem service of global importance. Not only sexual reproduction of plants is ensured, but also yields are stabilized and genetic variability of crops is maintained, counteracting inbreeding depression and facilitating system resilience. While experiencing rapid environmental change, there is an increased demand for food and income security, especially in sub-Saharan communities, which are highly dependent on small scale agriculture. By combining exclusion experiments, pollinator surveys and field manipulations, this study for the first time quantifies the contribution of bee pollinators to smallholders’ production of the major cash crops, cotton and sesame, in Burkina Faso. Pollination by honeybees and wild bees significantly increased yield quantity and quality on average up to 62%, while exclusion of pollinators caused an average yield gap of 37% in cotton and 59% in sesame. Self-pollination revealed inbreeding depression effects on fruit set and low germination rates in the F1-generation. Our results highlight potential negative consequences of any pollinator decline, provoking risks to agriculture and compromising crop yields in sub-Saharan West Africa. KW - bees KW - pollination KW - Burkina Faso KW - cash crops KW - cotton KW - sesame Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-169914 VL - 7 IS - 17691 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steijven, Karin A1 - Spaethe, Johannes A1 - Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf A1 - Härtel, Stephan T1 - Learning performance and brain structure of artificially-reared honey bees fed with different quantities of food JF - PeerJ N2 - Background Artificial rearing of honey bee larvae is an established method which enables to fully standardize the rearing environment and to manipulate the supplied diet to the brood. However, there are no studies which compare learning performance or neuroanatomic differences of artificially-reared (in-lab) bees in comparison with their in-hive reared counterparts. Methods Here we tested how different quantities of food during larval development affect body size, brain morphology and learning ability of adult honey bees. We used in-lab rearing to be able to manipulate the total quantity of food consumed during larval development. After hatching, a subset of the bees was taken for which we made 3D reconstructions of the brains using confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Learning ability and memory formation of the remaining bees was tested in a differential olfactory conditioning experiment. Finally, we evaluated how bees reared with different quantities of artificial diet compared to in-hive reared bees. Results Thorax and head size of in-lab reared honey bees, when fed the standard diet of 160 µl or less, were slightly smaller than hive bees. The brain structure analyses showed that artificially reared bees had smaller mushroom body (MB) lateral calyces than their in-hive counterparts, independently of the quantity of food they received. However, they showed the same total brain size and the same associative learning ability as in-hive reared bees. In terms of mid-term memory, but not early long-term memory, they performed even better than the in-hive control. Discussion We have demonstrated that bees that are reared artificially (according to the Aupinel protocol) and kept in lab-conditions perform the same or even better than their in-hive sisters in an olfactory conditioning experiment even though their lateral calyces were consistently smaller at emergence. The applied combination of experimental manipulation during the larval phase plus subsequent behavioral and neuro-anatomic analyses is a powerful tool for basic and applied honey bee research. KW - nutrition KW - cognition KW - neuroanatomy KW - differential olfactory conditioning KW - mushroom bodies KW - proboscis extension reflex KW - confocal laser scanning microscopy KW - Apis mellifera KW - brain development KW - morphometry Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170137 VL - 5 IS - e3858 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Silva-Vilches, Cinthia A1 - Pletinckx, Katrien A1 - Lohnert, Miriam A1 - Pavlovic, Vladimir A1 - Ashour, Diyaaeldin A1 - John, Vini A1 - Vendelova, Emilia A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Zhou, Jie A1 - Chen, Rena A1 - Reinheckel, Thomas A1 - Mueller, Thomas D. A1 - Bodem, Jochen A1 - Lutz, Manfred B. T1 - Low doses of cholera toxin and its mediator cAMP induce CTLA-2 secretion by dendritic cells to enhance regulatory T cell conversion JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Immature or semi-mature dendritic cells (DCs) represent tolerogenic maturation stages that can convert naive T cells into Foxp3\(^{+}\) induced regulatory T cells (iTreg). Here we found that murine bone marrow-derived DCs (BM-DCs) treated with cholera toxin (CT) matured by up-regulating MHC-II and costimulatory molecules using either high or low doses of CT (CT\(^{hi}\), CT\(^{lo}\)) or with cAMP, a known mediator CT signals. However, all three conditions also induced mRNA of both isoforms of the tolerogenic molecule cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 2 (CTLA-2α and CTLA-2β). Only DCs matured under CT\(^{hi}\) conditions secreted IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-23 leading to the instruction of Th17 cell polarization. In contrast, CT\(^{lo}\)- or cAMP-DCs resembled semi-mature DCs and enhanced TGF-β-dependent Foxp3\(^{+}\) iTreg conversion. iTreg conversion could be reduced using siRNA blocking of CTLA-2 and reversely, addition of recombinant CTLA-2α increased iTreg conversion in vitro. Injection of CT\(^{lo}\)- or cAMP-DCs exerted MOG peptide-specific protective effects in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) by inducing Foxp3\(^{+}\) Tregs and reducing Th17 responses. Together, we identified CTLA-2 production by DCs as a novel tolerogenic mediator of TGF-β-mediated iTreg induction in vitro and in vivo. The CT-induced and cAMP-mediated up-regulation of CTLA-2 also may point to a novel immune evasion mechanism of Vibrio cholerae. KW - small interfering RNAs KW - toxins KW - regulatory T cells KW - T cells KW - cytokines KW - cholera KW - cell differentiation KW - immune evasion Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158244 VL - 12 IS - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Selcho, Mareike A1 - Millán, Carola A1 - Palacios-Muñoz, Angelina A1 - Ruf, Franziska A1 - Ubillo, Lilian A1 - Chen, Jiangtian A1 - Bergmann, Gregor A1 - Ito, Chihiro A1 - Silva, Valeria A1 - Wegener, Christian A1 - Ewer, John T1 - Central and peripheral clocks are coupled by a neuropeptide pathway in Drosophila JF - Nature Communications N2 - Animal circadian clocks consist of central and peripheral pacemakers, which are coordinated to produce daily rhythms in physiology and behaviour. Despite its importance for optimal performance and health, the mechanism of clock coordination is poorly understood. Here we dissect the pathway through which the circadian clock of Drosophila imposes daily rhythmicity to the pattern of adult emergence. Rhythmicity depends on the coupling between the brain clock and a peripheral clock in the prothoracic gland (PG), which produces the steroid hormone, ecdysone. Time information from the central clock is transmitted via the neuropeptide, sNPF, to non-clock neurons that produce the neuropeptide, PTTH. These secretory neurons then forward time information to the PG clock. We also show that the central clock exerts a dominant role on the peripheral clock. This use of two coupled clocks could serve as a paradigm to understand how daily steroid hormone rhythms are generated in animals. KW - circadian clock KW - Drosophila KW - neuropeptide pathway KW - peripheral clocks KW - central clocks Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170831 VL - 8 IS - 15563 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seher, Axel A1 - Lagler, Charlotte A1 - Stühmer, Thorsten A1 - Müller-Richter, Urs Dietmar Achim A1 - Kübler, Alexander Christian A1 - Sebald, Walter A1 - Müller, Thomas Dieter A1 - Nickel, Joachim T1 - Utilizing BMP-2 muteins for treatment of multiple myeloma JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Multiple myeloma (MM) represents a haematological cancer characterized by the pathological hyper proliferation of antibody-producing B-lymphocytes. Patients typically suffer from kidney malfunction and skeletal disorders. In the context of MM, the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) member Activin A was recently identified as a promoter of both accompanying symptoms. Because studies have shown that bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2-mediated activities are counteracted by Activin A, we analysed whether BMP2, which also binds to the Activin A receptors ActRII and ActRIIB but activates the alternative SMAD-1/5/8 pathway, can be used to antagonize Activin A activities, such as in the context of MM. Therefore three BMP2 derivatives were generated with modified binding activities for the type II (ActRIIB) and/or type I receptor (BMPRIA) showing either increased or decreased BMP2 activity. In the context of MM these BMP2 muteins show two functionalities since they act as a) an anti-proliferative/apoptotic agent against neoplastic B-cells, b) as a bone-formation promoting growth factor. The molecular basis of both activities was shown in two different cellular models to clearly rely on the properties of the investigated BMP2 muteins to compete for the binding of Activin A to the Activin type II receptors. The experimental outcome suggests new therapeutic strategies using BMP2 variants in the treatment of MM-related pathologies. KW - multiple myeloma KW - signaling KW - cell proliferation KW - cell binding KW - membrane receptor signaling KW - BMP KW - gene expression KW - B cell receptors KW - B cells Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158144 VL - 12 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schuster, Sarah A1 - Krüger, Timothy A1 - Subota, Ines A1 - Thusek, Sina A1 - Rotureau, Brice A1 - Beilhack, Andreas A1 - Engstler, Markus T1 - Developmental adaptations of trypanosome motility to the tsetse fly host environments unravel a multifaceted in vivo microswimmer system JF - eLife N2 - The highly motile and versatile protozoan pathogen Trypanosoma brucei undergoes a complex life cycle in the tsetse fly. Here we introduce the host insect as an expedient model environment for microswimmer research, as it allows examination of microbial motion within a diversified, secluded and yet microscopically tractable space. During their week-long journey through the different microenvironments of the fly´s interior organs, the incessantly swimming trypanosomes cross various barriers and confined surroundings, with concurrently occurring major changes of parasite cell architecture. Multicolour light sheet fluorescence microscopy provided information about tsetse tissue topology with unprecedented resolution and allowed the first 3D analysis of the infection process. High-speed fluorescence microscopy illuminated the versatile behaviour of trypanosome developmental stages, ranging from solitary motion and near-wall swimming to collective motility in synchronised swarms and in confinement. We correlate the microenvironments and trypanosome morphologies to high-speed motility data, which paves the way for cross-disciplinary microswimmer research in a naturally evolved environment. KW - none KW - tsetse fly KW - Trypanosoma KW - biophysics KW - microswimmer KW - sleeping sickness KW - structural biology Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158662 VL - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scholz, Nicole A1 - Guan, Chonglin A1 - Nieberler, Matthias A1 - Grotmeyer, Alexander A1 - Maiellaro, Isabella A1 - Gao, Shiqiang A1 - Beck, Sebastian A1 - Pawlak, Matthias A1 - Sauer, Markus A1 - Asan, Esther A1 - Rothemund, Sven A1 - Winkler, Jana A1 - Prömel, Simone A1 - Nagel, Georg A1 - Langenhan, Tobias A1 - Kittel, Robert J T1 - Mechano-dependent signaling by Latrophilin/CIRL quenches cAMP in proprioceptive neurons JF - eLife N2 - Adhesion-type G protein-coupled receptors (aGPCRs), a large molecule family with over 30 members in humans, operate in organ development, brain function and govern immunological responses. Correspondingly, this receptor family is linked to a multitude of diverse human diseases. aGPCRs have been suggested to possess mechanosensory properties, though their mechanism of action is fully unknown. Here we show that the Drosophila aGPCR Latrophilin/dCIRL acts in mechanosensory neurons by modulating ionotropic receptor currents, the initiating step of cellular mechanosensation. This process depends on the length of the extended ectodomain and the tethered agonist of the receptor, but not on its autoproteolysis, a characteristic biochemical feature of the aGPCR family. Intracellularly, dCIRL quenches cAMP levels upon mechanical activation thereby specifically increasing the mechanosensitivity of neurons. These results provide direct evidence that the aGPCR dCIRL acts as a molecular sensor and signal transducer that detects and converts mechanical stimuli into a metabotropic response. KW - Latrophilin KW - adhesion GPCR KW - dCIRL KW - sensory physiology KW - metabotropic signalling KW - mechanotransduction Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170520 VL - 6 IS - e28360 ER - TY - THES A1 - Scholz, Nicole T1 - Genetic analyses of sensory and motoneuron physiology in Drosophila melanogaster T1 - Genetische Analyse sensorischer und motoneuronaler Physiologie in Drosophila melanogaster N2 - During my PhD I studied two principal biological aspects employing Drosophila melanogaster. Therefore, this study is divided into Part I and II. Part I: Bruchpilot and Complexin interact to regulate synaptic vesicle tethering to the active zone cytomatrix At the presynaptic active zone (AZ) synaptic vesicles (SVs) are often physically linked to an electron-dense cytomatrix – a process referred to as “SV tethering”. This process serves to concentrate SVs in close proximity to their release sites before contacting the SNARE complex for subsequent fusion (Hallermann and Silver, 2013). In Drosophila, the AZ protein Bruchpilot (BRP) is part of the proteinous cytomatrix at which SVs accumulate (Kittel et al., 2006b; Wagh et al., 2006; Fouquet et al., 2009). Intriguingly, truncation of only 1% of the C-terminal region of BRP results in a severe defect in SV tethering to this AZ scaffold (hence named brpnude; Hallermann et al., 2010b). Consistent with these findings, cell-specific overexpression of a C-terminal BRP fragment, named mBRPC-tip (corresponds to 1% absent in brpnude; m = mobile) phenocopied the brpnude mutant in behavioral and functional experiments. These data indicate that mBRPC-tip suffices to saturate putative SV binding sites, which induced a functional tethering deficit at motoneuronal AZs. However, the molecular identity of the BRP complement to tether SVs to the presynaptic AZ scaffold remains unknown. Moreover, within larval motoneurons membrane-attached C-terminal portions of BRP were sufficient to tether SVs to sites outside of the AZ. Based on this finding a genetic screen was designed to identify BRP interactors in vivo. This screen identified Complexin (CPX), which is known to inhibit spontaneous SV fusion and to enhance stimulus evoked SV release (Huntwork and Littleton, 2007; Cho et al., 2010; Martin et al., 2011). However, so far CPX has not been associated with a function upstream of priming/docking and release of SVs. This work provides morphological and functional evidence, which suggests that CPX promotes recruitment of SVs to the AZ and thereby curtails synaptic short-term depression. Together, the presented findings indicate a functional interaction between BRP and CPX at Drosophila AZs. Part II: The Adhesion-GPCR Latrophilin/CIRL shapes mechanosensation The calcium independent receptor of α-latrotoxin (CIRL), also named Latrophilin, represents a prototypic Adhesion class G-protein coupled-receptor (aGPCR). Initially, Latrophilin was identified based on its capacity to bind the α-component of latrotoxin (α-LTX; Davletov et al., 1996; Krasnoperov et al., 1996), which triggers massive exocytotic activity from neurons of the peripheral nervous system (Scheer et al., 1984; Umbach et al., 1998; Orlova et al., 2000). As a result Latrophilin is considered to play a role in synaptic transmission. Later on, Latrophilins have been associated with other biological processes including tissue polarity (Langenhan et al., 2009), fertility (Prömel et al., 2012) and synaptogenesis (Silva et al., 2011). However, thus far its subcellular localization and the identity of endogenous ligands, two aspects crucial for the comprehension of Latrophilin’s in vivo function, remain enigmatic. Drosophila contains only one latrophilin homolog, named dCirl, whose function has not been investigated thus far. This study demonstrates abundant dCirl expression throughout the nervous system of Drosophila larvae. dCirlKO animals are viable and display no defects in development and neuronal differentiation. However, dCirl appears to influence the dimension of the postsynaptic sub-synaptic reticulum (SSR), which was accompanied by an increase in the postsynaptic Discs-large abundance (DLG). In contrast, morphological and functional properties of presynaptic motoneurons were not compromised by the removal of dCirl. Instead, dCirl is required for the perception of mechanical challenges (acoustic-, tactile- and proprioceptive stimuli) through specialized mechanosensory devices, chordotonal organs (Eberl, 1999). The data indicate that dCirl modulates the sensitivity of chordotonal neurons towards mechanical stimulation and thereby adjusts their input-output relation. Genetic interaction analyses suggest that adaption of the molecular mechanotransduction machinery by dCirl may underlie this process. Together, these results uncover an unexpected function of Latrophilin/dCIRL in mechanosensation and imply general modulatory roles of aGPCR in mechanoception. N2 - In dieser These wurden zwei grundlegende biologische Aspekte mittels Drosophila melanogaster untersucht, weshalb diese in zwei Teile gegliedert ist. TeiL I: Die Interaktion von Bruchpilot und Complexin vermittelt die Anbindung von synaptischen Vesikeln an die Zytomatrix der aktiven Zone Oft findet man an aktiven Zonen (AZ) von Präsynapsen elektronendichte Matrices, welche meist in physischem Kontakt mit synaptischen Vesikeln (SV) stehen. Dieser als „SV Tethering“ bezeichnete Prozess dient der Anreicherung SV in der unmittelbaren Nähe ihrer Freisetzungszonen, noch bevor diese mit dem SNARE Komplex interagieren, um mit der präsynapti-schen Plasmamembran zu fusionieren (Hallermann und Silver, 2013). In der Taufliege Drosophila melanogaster bildet das AZ Protein Bruchpilot (BRP) Protrusionen, um welche SV akkumulieren (Kittel et al., 2006b; Wagh et al., 2006; Fouquet et al., 2009). Interessan-terweise resultiert bereits eine minimale Verkürzung von BRP (1% der Gesamtlänge) am C-terminalen Ende in einem schwerwiegenden Anbindedefekt von SV, der mit einem Funkti-onsverlust dieser Synapsen einhergeht (brpnude; Hallermann et al., 2010b). Entsprechend diesem Vorbefund resultierte die gewebespezifische Überexpression eines C-terminalen BRP Fragments - mBRPC-tip (entspricht dem fehlenden Fragment der brpnude Mu-tante; m = mobil) - sowohl in Verhaltens- als auch funktionellen Analysen in einer Phänoko-pie der brpnude Mutante. Dies deutet daraufhin, dass mBRPC-tip vermeintliche vesikuläre Interaktionspartner blockiert und so die Anreicherung von SV an motoneuronalen AZ verhindert, was ähnlich wie in brpnude Mutanten zu einem funktionellen Tethering-Defekt führt. Die molekulare Identität eines BRP Partners zur Anreicherung von SV an der Zytomatrix der AZ wurde bisher nicht beschrieben. Weiterhin zeigt diese Arbeit, dass membrangebundene C-terminale BRP Anteile genügen, um SV an Positionen außerhalb von AZ zu binden. Basierend auf diesem Befund wurde ein gene-tischer in vivo Screen zur Identifikation von BRP Interaktoren entwickelt. Dieser Screen identifizierte Complexin (CPX), ein Protein, dessen hemmende beziehungsweise fördernde Wirkung auf die spontane und reizinduzierte Vesikelfusion bekannt ist (Huntwork und Littleton, 2007; Cho et al., 2010; Martin et al., 2011). CPX wurde bisher nicht mit einer Funktion ober-halb von Vesikelpriming und -fusion in Verbindung gebracht. Diese Studie dokumentiert strukturelle und funktionelle Hinweise, die darauf hindeuten, dass CPX mit BRP interagiert, um Vesikelakkumulation an AZ zu fördern und dadurch synaptischer Kurzzeit-Depression entgegen zu wirken. Teil II: Adhäsions-GPCR Latrophilin/CIRL moduliert die Wahrnehmung mechanischer Reize Der Kalzium-unabhängige Rezeptor für α-Latrotoxin (CIRL), oder Latrophilin, ist ein prototypischer Rezeptor der Adhäsions G-Protein gekoppelten Klasse (aGPCR). Identifiziert wurde Latrophilin ursprünglich aufgrund seiner Fähigkeit die α-Komponente von Latrotoxin (α-LTX) zu binden (Davletov et al., 1996; Krasnoperov et al., 1996), welches seine Wirkung am peripheren Nervensystem entfaltet und dort übermäßige Transmitterausschüttung an neuronalen Endigungen induziert (Scheer et al., 1984; Umbach et al., 1998; Orlova et al., 2000). Basierend auf diesem Effekt wurde Latrophilin eine Rolle bei der synaptischen Transmission zugesprochen. Später wurden Latrophiline mit weiteren biologischen Prozessen in Zusammenhang gebracht, darunter Gewebepolarität (Langenhan et al., 2009), Fertilität (Prömel et al., 2012) und Synaptogenese (Silva et al., 2011). Allerdings blieb sowohl die subzelluläre Lokalisation als auch die Identität endogener Liganden, zwei Schlüsselaspekte im Verständnis der in vivo Funktion von Latrophilinen bisher rätselhaft. Drosophila besitzt lediglich ein latrophilin Homolog, dCirl, dessen Funktion bisher nicht untersucht wurde. Diese Arbeit zeigt, dass dCirl in weiten Teilen des larvalen Nervensystems von Drosophila exprimiert ist. dCirl knock-out Mutanten sind lebensfähig und weisen keine Störungen in der Entwicklung und neuronalen Differenzierung auf. Allerdings schien dCirl Einfluss auf die Ausdehnung des postsynaptischen subsynaptischen Retikulums (SSR) zu nehmen, was mit einer erhöhten Menge an Discs-large (DLG) assoziiert war. Die morphologischen und funktionellen Eigenschaften präsynaptischer Motoneurone der Fliegenlarve hingegen, waren durch den Verlust von dCirl funktionell weitestgehend unbeeinträchtigt. Vielmehr ist dCirl notwendig für die Wahrnehmung mechanischer Reize (akustische-, taktile und propriozeptive) durch spezialisierte Vorrichtungen - Chordotonalorgane (Eberl, 1999). Die Befunde deuten daraufhin, dass dCirl die Sensitivität der Chordotonalneurone gegenüber mechanischen Reizen moduliert und dadurch das Input-Output Verhältnis einstellt. Adaptation der molekularen Mechanotransduktionsmaschinerie durch dCirl könnte die molekulare Grundlage für diesen Prozess darstellen, eine Hypothese die durch genetische Interaktionsanalysen gestützt wird. Schlussfolglich enthüllen die experimentellen Befunde dieser These eine unerwartete Funktion von Latrophilin/dCirl bei der Mechanoperzeption und implizieren eine generelle modula-torische Rolle für aGPCR bei der Wahrnehmung mechanischer Reize. KW - Drosophila KW - Synapse KW - GPCR KW - synaptic vesicle tethering KW - active zone KW - Complexin KW - Bruchpilot KW - Adhesion-GPCR KW - Latrophilin KW - mechanosensing Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123249 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheiner, Ricarda A1 - Entler, Brian V. A1 - Barron, Andrew B. A1 - Scholl, Christina A1 - Thamm, Markus T1 - The Effects of Fat Body Tyramine Level on Gustatory Responsiveness of Honeybees (Apis mellifera) Differ between Behavioral Castes JF - Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience N2 - Division of labor is a hallmark of social insects. In the honeybee (Apis mellifera) each sterile female worker performs a series of social tasks. The most drastic changes in behavior occur when a nurse bee, who takes care of the brood and the queen in the hive, transitions to foraging behavior. Foragers provision the colony with pollen, nectar or water. Nurse bees and foragers differ in numerous behaviors, including responsiveness to gustatory stimuli. Differences in gustatory responsiveness, in turn, might be involved in regulating division of labor through differential sensory response thresholds. Biogenic amines are important modulators of behavior. Tyramine and octopamine have been shown to increase gustatory responsiveness in honeybees when injected into the thorax, thereby possibly triggering social organization. So far, most of the experiments investigating the role of amines on gustatory responsiveness have focused on the brain. The potential role of the fat body in regulating sensory responsiveness and division of labor has large been neglected. We here investigated the role of the fat body in modulating gustatory responsiveness through tyramine signaling in different social roles of honeybees. We quantified levels of tyramine, tyramine receptor gene expression and the effect of elevating fat body tyramine titers on gustatory responsiveness in both nurse bees and foragers. Our data suggest that elevating the tyramine titer in the fat body pharmacologically increases gustatory responsiveness in foragers, but not in nurse bees. This differential effect of tyramine on gustatory responsiveness correlates with a higher natural gustatory responsiveness of foragers, with a higher tyramine receptor (Amtar1) mRNA expression in fat bodies of foragers and with lower baseline tyramine titers in fat bodies of foragers compared to those of nurse bees. We suggest that differential tyramine signaling in the fat body has an important role in the plasticity of division of labor through changing gustatory responsiveness. KW - behavior KW - biogenic amines KW - division of labor KW - nurse bee KW - forager KW - PER KW - octopamine KW - insect Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-157874 VL - 11 IS - 55 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sbirkov, Yordan A1 - Kwok, Colin A1 - Bhamra, Amandeep A1 - Thompson, Andrew J. A1 - Gil, Veronica A1 - Zelent, Arthur A1 - Petrie, Kevin T1 - Semi-quantitative mass spectrometry in AML cells identifies new non-genomic targets of the EZH2 methyltransferase JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Alterations to the gene encoding the EZH2 (KMT6A) methyltransferase, including both gain-of-function and loss-of-function, have been linked to a variety of haematological malignancies and solid tumours, suggesting a complex, context-dependent role of this methyltransferase. The successful implementation of molecularly targeted therapies against EZH2 requires a greater understanding of the potential mechanisms by which EZH2 contributes to cancer. One aspect of this effort is the mapping of EZH2 partner proteins and cellular targets. To this end we performed affinity-purification mass spectrometry in the FAB-M2 HL-60 acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cell line before and after all-trans retinoic acid-induced differentiation. These studies identified new EZH2 interaction partners and potential non-histone substrates for EZH2-mediated methylation. Our results suggest that EZH2 is involved in the regulation of translation through interactions with a number of RNA binding proteins and by methylating key components of protein synthesis such as eEF1A1. Given that deregulated mRNA translation is a frequent feature of cancer and that eEF1A1 is highly expressed in many human tumours, these findings present new possibilities for the therapeutic targeting of EZH2 in AML. KW - acute myeloid leukaemia KW - EZH2 KW - mass spectrometry KW - methylation KW - eEF1A1 Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-285541 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 18 IS - 7 ER -