TY - JOUR A1 - Kochereshko, Vladimir P. A1 - Durnev, Mikhail V. A1 - Besombes, Lucien A1 - Mariette, Henri A1 - Sapega, Victor F. A1 - Askitopoulos, Alexis A1 - Savenko, Ivan G. A1 - Liew, Timothy C. H. A1 - Shelykh, Ivan A. A1 - Platonov, Alexey V. A1 - Tsintzos, Simeon I. A1 - Hatzopoulos, Z. A1 - Savvidis, Pavlos G. A1 - Kalevich, Vladimir K. A1 - Afanasiev, Mikhail M. A1 - Lukoshkin, Vladimir A. A1 - Schneider, Christian A1 - Amthor, Matthias A1 - Metzger, Christian A1 - Kamp, Martin A1 - Hoefling, Sven A1 - Lagoudakis, Pavlos A1 - Kavokin, Alexey T1 - Lasing in Bose-Fermi mixtures JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, well-known for revolutionising photonic science, has been realised primarily in fermionic systems including widely applied diode lasers. The prerequisite for fermionic lasing is the inversion of electronic population, which governs the lasing threshold. More recently, bosonic lasers have also been developed based on Bose-Einstein condensates of exciton-polaritons in semiconductor microcavities. These electrically neutral bosons coexist with charged electrons and holes. In the presence of magnetic fields, the charged particles are bound to their cyclotron orbits, while the neutral exciton-polaritons move freely. We demonstrate how magnetic fields affect dramatically the phase diagram of mixed Bose-Fermi systems, switching between fermionic lasing, incoherent emission and bosonic lasing regimes in planar and pillar microcavities with optical and electrical pumping. We collected and analyzed the data taken on pillar and planar microcavity structures at continuous wave and pulsed optical excitation as well as injecting electrons and holes electronically. Our results evidence the transition from a Bose gas to a Fermi liquid mediated by magnetic fields and light-matter coupling. KW - Bose-Fermi KW - magnetic fields KW - Bose gas KW - Fermi liquid KW - light-matter coupling Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168152 VL - 6 IS - 20091 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Song, Ning-Ning A1 - Jia, Yun-Fang A1 - Zhang, Lei A1 - Zhang, Qiong A1 - Huang, Ying A1 - Liu, Xiao-Zhen A1 - Hu, Ling A1 - Lan, Wei A1 - Chen, Ling A1 - Lesch, Klaus-Peter A1 - Chen, Xiaoyan A1 - Xu, Lin A1 - Ding, Yu-Qiang T1 - Reducing central serotonin in adulthood promotes hippocampal neurogenesis JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Chronic administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which up-regulates central serotonin (5-HT) system function, enhances adult hippocampal neurogenesis. However, the relationship between central 5-HT system and adult neurogenesis has not fully been understood. Here, we report that lowering 5-HT level in adulthood is also able to enhance adult hippocampal neurogenesis. We used tamoxifen (TM)-induced Cre in Pet1-CreER\(^{T2}\) mice to either deplete central serotonergic (5-HTergic) neurons or inactivate 5-HT synthesis in adulthood and explore the role of central 5-HT in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. A dramatic increase in hippocampal neurogenesis is present in these two central 5-HT-deficient mice and it is largely prevented by administration of agonist for 5-HTR2c receptor. In addition, the survival of new-born neurons in the hippocampus is enhanced. Furthermore, the adult 5-HT-deficient mice showed reduced depression-like behaviors but enhanced contextual fear memory. These findings demonstrate that lowering central 5-HT function in adulthood can also enhance adult hippocampal neurogenesis, thus revealing a new aspect of central 5-HT in regulating adult neurogenesis. KW - serotonin KW - SSRI KW - hippocampal neurogenesis KW - adulthood Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168004 VL - 6 IS - 20338 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ritter, Cathrin A1 - Fan, Kaiji A1 - Paulson, Kelly G. A1 - Nghiem, Paul A1 - Schrama, David A1 - Becker, Jürgen C. T1 - Reversal of epigenetic silencing of MHC class I chain-related protein A and B improves immune recognition of Merkel cell carcinoma JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a virally associated cancer characterized by its aggressive behavior and strong immunogenicity. Both viral infection and malignant transformation induce expression of MHC class I chain-related protein (MIC) A and B, which signal stress to cells of the immune system via Natural Killer group 2D (NKG2D) resulting in elimination of target cells. However, despite transformation and the continued presence of virally-encoded proteins, MICs are only expressed in a minority of MCC tumors in situ and are completely absent on MCC cell lines in vitro. This lack of MIC expression was due to epigenetic silencing via MIC promoter hypo-acetylation; indeed, MIC expression was re-induced by pharmacological inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) both in vitro and in vivo. This re-induction of MICs rendered MCC cells more sensitive to immune-mediated lysis. Thus, epigenetic silencing of MICs is an important immune escape mechanism of MCCs. KW - epigenetic silencing KW - Merkel cell carcinoma KW - MHC class I chain-related protein KW - skin cancer Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167992 IS - 21678 ET - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Biscotti, Maria Assunta A1 - Gerdol, Marco A1 - Canapa, Adriana A1 - Forconi, Mariko A1 - Olmo, Ettore A1 - Pallavicini, Alberto A1 - Barucca, Marco A1 - Schartl, Manfred T1 - The Lungfish Transcriptome: A Glimpse into Molecular Evolution Events at the Transition from Water to Land JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Lungfish and coelacanths are the only living sarcopterygian fish. The phylogenetic relationship of lungfish to the last common ancestor of tetrapods and their close morphological similarity to their fossil ancestors make this species uniquely interesting. However their genome size, the largest among vertebrates, is hampering the generation of a whole genome sequence. To provide a partial solution to the problem, a high-coverage lungfish reference transcriptome was generated and assembled. The present findings indicate that lungfish, not coelacanths, are the closest relatives to land-adapted vertebrates. Whereas protein-coding genes evolve at a very slow rate, possibly reflecting a “living fossil” status, transposable elements appear to be active and show high diversity, suggesting a role for them in the remarkable expansion of the lungfish genome. Analyses of single genes and gene families documented changes connected to the water to land transition and demonstrated the value of the lungfish reference transcriptome for comparative studies of vertebrate evolution. KW - lungfish KW - transcriptome KW - genome KW - sarcopterygian fish Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167753 VL - 6 IS - 21571 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kurabi, Arwa A1 - Pak, Kwang K. A1 - Bernhardt, Marlen A1 - Baird, Andrew A1 - Ryan, Allen F. T1 - Discovery of a Biological Mechanism of Active Transport through the Tympanic Membrane to the Middle Ear JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Otitis media (OM) is a common pediatric disease for which systemic antibiotics are often prescribed. While local treatment would avoid the systemic treatment side-effects, the tympanic membrane (TM) represents an impenetrable barrier unless surgically breached. We hypothesized that the TM might harbor innate biological mechanisms that could mediate trans-TM transport. We used two M13-bacteriophage display biopanning strategies to search for mediators of trans-TM transport. First, aliquots of linear phage library displaying 10\(^{10th}\) 12mer peptides were applied on the TM of rats with active bacterial OM. The middle ear (ME) contents were then harvested, amplified and the preparation re-applied for additional rounds. Second, the same naïve library was sequentially screened for phage exhibiting TM binding, internalization and then transit. Results revealed a novel set of peptides that transit across the TM to the ME in a time and temperature dependent manner. The peptides with highest transport capacities shared sequence similarities. Historically, the TM was viewed as an impermeable barrier. However, our studies reveal that it is possible to translocate peptide-linked small particles across the TM. This is the first comprehensive biopanning for the isolation of TM transiting peptidic ligands. The identified mechanism offers a new drug delivery platform into the ME. KW - biological mechanism KW - otitis media KW - tympanic membrane KW - active transport KW - middle ear Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167741 VL - 6 IS - 22663 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lousada, Cláudio M. A1 - Soroka, Inna L. A1 - Yagodzinskyy, Yuriy A1 - Tarakina, Nadezda V. A1 - Todoshchenko, Olga A1 - Hänninen, Hannu A1 - Korzhavyi, Pavel A. A1 - Jonsson, Mats T1 - Gamma radiation induces hydrogen absorption by copper in water JF - Scientific Reports N2 - One of the most intricate issues of nuclear power is the long-term safety of repositories for radioactive waste. These repositories can have an impact on future generations for a period of time orders of magnitude longer than any known civilization. Several countries have considered copper as an outer corrosion barrier for canisters containing spent nuclear fuel. Among the many processes that must be considered in the safety assessments, radiation induced processes constitute a key-component. Here we show that copper metal immersed in water uptakes considerable amounts of hydrogen when exposed to γ-radiation. Additionally we show that the amount of hydrogen absorbed by copper depends on the total dose of radiation. At a dose of 69 kGy the uptake of hydrogen by metallic copper is 7 orders of magnitude higher than when the absorption is driven by H\(_{2}\)(g) at a pressure of 1 atm in a non-irradiated dry system. Moreover, irradiation of copper in water causes corrosion of the metal and the formation of a variety of surface cavities, nanoparticle deposits, and islands of needle-shaped crystals. Hence, radiation enhanced uptake of hydrogen by spent nuclear fuel encapsulating materials should be taken into account in the safety assessments of nuclear waste repositories. KW - gamma radiation KW - radioactive waste KW - nuclear power KW - repositories KW - safety KW - copper KW - water Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167730 VL - 6 IS - 24234 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Audehm, P. A1 - Schmidt, M. A1 - Brück, S. A1 - Tietze, T. A1 - Gräfe, J. A1 - Macke, S. A1 - Schütz, G. A1 - Goering, E. T1 - Pinned orbital moments - A new contribution to magnetic anisotropy JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Reduced dimensionality and symmetry breaking at interfaces lead to unusual local magnetic configurations, such as glassy behavior, frustration or increased anisotropy. The interface between a ferromagnet and an antiferromagnet is such an example for enhanced symmetry breaking. Here we present detailed X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and X-ray resonant magnetic reflectometry investigations on the spectroscopic nature of uncompensated pinned magnetic moments in the antiferromagnetic layer of a typical exchange bias system. Unexpectedly, the pinned moments exhibit nearly pure orbital moment character. This strong orbital pinning mechanism has not been observed so far and is not discussed in literature regarding any theory for local magnetocrystalline anisotropy energies in magnetic systems. To verify this new phenomenon we investigated the effect at different temperatures. We provide a simple model discussing the observed pure orbital moments, based on rotatable spin magnetic moments and pinned orbital moments on the same atom. This unexpected observation leads to a concept for a new type of anisotropy energy. KW - pinned orbital moments KW - ferromagnet KW - antiferromagnet KW - anisotropy energy Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167727 VL - 6 IS - 25517 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Horikiri, Tomoyuki A1 - Yamaguchi, Makoto A1 - Kamide, Kenji A1 - Matsuo, Yasuhiro A1 - Byrnes, Tim A1 - Ishida, Natsuko A1 - Löffler, Andreas A1 - Höfling, Sven A1 - Shikano, Yutaka A1 - Ogawa, Tetsuo A1 - Forchel, Alfred A1 - Yamamoto, Yoshihisa T1 - High-energy side-peak emission of exciton-polariton condensates in high density regime JF - Scientific Reports N2 - In a standard semiconductor laser, electrons and holes recombine via stimulated emission to emit coherent light, in a process that is far from thermal equilibrium. Exciton-polariton condensates–sharing the same basic device structure as a semiconductor laser, consisting of quantum wells coupled to a microcavity–have been investigated primarily at densities far below the Mott density for signatures of Bose-Einstein condensation. At high densities approaching the Mott density, exciton-polariton condensates are generally thought to revert to a standard semiconductor laser, with the loss of strong coupling. Here, we report the observation of a photoluminescence sideband at high densities that cannot be accounted for by conventional semiconductor lasing. This also differs from an upper-polariton peak by the observation of the excitation power dependence in the peak-energy separation. Our interpretation as a persistent coherent electron-hole-photon coupling captures several features of this sideband, although a complete understanding of the experimental data is lacking. A full understanding of the observations should lead to a development in non-equilibrium many-body physics. KW - side-peak emission KW - exciton-polariton condensates KW - standard semiconductor laser Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167711 VL - 6 IS - 25655 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gallo, Linda A. A1 - Ward, Micheal S. A1 - Fotheringham, Amelia K. A1 - Zhuang, Aowen A1 - Borg, Danielle J. A1 - Flemming, Nicole B. A1 - Harvie, Ben M. A1 - Kinneally, Toni L. A1 - Yeh, Shang-Ming A1 - McCarthy, Domenica A. A1 - Koepsell, Hermann A1 - Vallon, Volker A1 - Pollock, Carol A1 - Panchapakesan, Usha A1 - Forbes, Josephine M. T1 - Once daily administration of the SGLT2 inhibitor, empagliflozin, attenuates markers of renal fibrosis without improving albuminuria in diabetic db/db mice JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Blood glucose control is the primary strategy to prevent complications in diabetes. At the onset of kidney disease, therapies that inhibit components of the renin angiotensin system (RAS) are also indicated, but these approaches are not wholly effective. Here, we show that once daily administration of the novel glucose lowering agent, empagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor which targets the kidney to block glucose reabsorption, has the potential to improve kidney disease in type 2 diabetes. In male db/db mice, a 10-week treatment with empagliflozin attenuated the diabetes-induced upregulation of profibrotic gene markers, fibronectin and transforming-growth-factor-beta. Other molecular (collagen IV and connective tissue growth factor) and histological (tubulointerstitial total collagen and glomerular collagen IV accumulation) benefits were seen upon dual therapy with metformin. Albuminuria, urinary markers of tubule damage (kidney injury molecule-1, KIM-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, NGAL), kidney growth, and glomerulosclerosis, however, were not improved with empagliflozin or metformin, and plasma and intra-renal renin activity was enhanced with empagliflozin. In this model, blood glucose lowering with empagliflozin attenuated some molecular and histological markers of fibrosis but, as per treatment with metformin, did not provide complete renoprotection. Further research to refine the treatment regimen in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy is warranted. KW - SGLT2 inhibitor KW - empagliflozin KW - glucose lowering agent KW - kidney disease KW - type 2 diabetes Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167678 VL - 6 IS - 26428 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pfeiffer, Susanne A1 - Krüger, Jacqueline A1 - Maierhofer, Anna A1 - Böttcher, Yvonne A1 - Klöting, Nora A1 - El Hajj, Nady A1 - Schleinitz, Dorit A1 - Schön, Michael R. A1 - Dietrich, Arne A1 - Fasshauer, Mathias A1 - Lohmann, Tobias A1 - Dreßler, Miriam A1 - Stumvoll, Michael A1 - Haaf, Thomas A1 - Blüher, Matthias A1 - Kovacs, Peter T1 - Hypoxia-inducible factor 3A gene expression and methylation in adipose tissue is related to adipose tissue dysfunction JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Recently, a genome-wide analysis identified DNA methylation of the HIF3A (hypoxia-inducible factor 3A) as strongest correlate of BMI. Here we tested the hypothesis that HIF3A mRNA expression and CpG-sites methylation in adipose tissue (AT) and genetic variants in HIF3A are related to parameters of AT distribution and function. In paired samples of subcutaneous AT (SAT) and visceral AT (VAT) from 603 individuals, we measured HIF3A mRNA expression and analyzed its correlation with obesity and related traits. In subgroups of individuals, we investigated the effects on HIF3A genetic variants on its AT expression (N = 603) and methylation of CpG-sites (N = 87). HIF3A expression was significantly higher in SAT compared to VAT and correlated with obesity and parameters of AT dysfunction (including CRP and leucocytes count). HIF3A methylation at cg22891070 was significantly higher in VAT compared to SAT and correlated with BMI, abdominal SAT and VAT area. Rs8102595 showed a nominal significant association with AT HIF3A methylation levels as well as with obesity and fat distribution. HIF3A expression and methylation in AT are fat depot specific, related to obesity and AT dysfunction. Our data support the hypothesis that HIF pathways may play an important role in the development of AT dysfunction in obesity. KW - gene expression KW - adipose KW - hypoxia-inducible factor 3A KW - adipose tissue dysfunction KW - obesity Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167662 VL - 6 IS - 27969 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Richter, K. A1 - Mathes, V. A1 - Fronius, M. A1 - Althaus, M. A1 - Hecker, A. A1 - Krasteva-Christ, G. A1 - Padberg, W. A1 - Hone, A. J. A1 - McIntosh, J. M. A1 - Zakrzewicz, A. A1 - Grau, V. T1 - Phosphocholine - an agonist of metabotropic but not of ionotropic functions of α9-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors JF - Scientific Reports N2 - We demonstrated previously that phosphocholine and phosphocholine-modified macromolecules efficiently inhibit ATP-dependent release of interleukin-1β from human and murine monocytes by a mechanism involving nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). Interleukin-1β is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine of innate immunity that plays pivotal roles in host defence. Control of interleukin-1β release is vital as excessively high systemic levels cause life threatening inflammatory diseases. In spite of its structural similarity to acetylcholine, there are no other reports on interactions of phosphocholine with nAChR. In this study, we demonstrate that phosphocholine inhibits ion-channel function of ATP receptor P2X7 in monocytic cells via nAChR containing α9 and α10 subunits. In stark contrast to choline, phosphocholine does not evoke ion current responses in Xenopus laevis oocytes, which heterologously express functional homomeric nAChR composed of α9 subunits or heteromeric receptors containing α9 and α10 subunits. Preincubation of these oocytes with phosphocholine, however, attenuated choline-induced ion current changes, suggesting that phosphocholine may act as a silent agonist. We conclude that phophocholine activates immuno-modulatory nAChR expressed by monocytes but does not stimulate canonical ionotropic receptor functions. KW - phosphocholine KW - interleukin-1β KW - nicotinic acetylcholine receptors Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167655 VL - 6 IS - 28660 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nukarinen, Ella A1 - Nägele, Thomas A1 - Pedrotti, Lorenzo A1 - Wurzinger, Bernhard A1 - Mair, Andrea A1 - Landgraf, Ramona A1 - Börnke, Frederik A1 - Hanson, Johannes A1 - Teige, Markus A1 - Baena-Gonzalez, Elena A1 - Dröge-Laser, Wolfgang A1 - Weckwerth, Wolfram T1 - Quantitative phosphoproteomics reveals the role of the AMPK plant ortholog SnRK1 as a metabolic master regulator under energy deprivation JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Since years, research on SnRK1, the major cellular energy sensor in plants, has tried to define its role in energy signalling. However, these attempts were notoriously hampered by the lethality of a complete knockout of SnRK1. Therefore, we generated an inducible amiRNA::SnRK1α2 in a snrk1α1 knock out background (snrk1α1/α2) to abolish SnRK1 activity to understand major systemic functions of SnRK1 signalling under energy deprivation triggered by extended night treatment. We analysed the in vivo phosphoproteome, proteome and metabolome and found that activation of SnRK1 is essential for repression of high energy demanding cell processes such as protein synthesis. The most abundant effect was the constitutively high phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) in the snrk1α1/α2 mutant. RPS6 is a major target of TOR signalling and its phosphorylation correlates with translation. Further evidence for an antagonistic SnRK1 and TOR crosstalk comparable to the animal system was demonstrated by the in vivo interaction of SnRK1α1 and RAPTOR1B in the cytosol and by phosphorylation of RAPTOR1B by SnRK1α1 in kinase assays. Moreover, changed levels of phosphorylation states of several chloroplastic proteins in the snrk1α1/α2 mutant indicated an unexpected link to regulation of photosynthesis, the main energy source in plants. KW - phosphoproteomics KW - SnRK1 KW - energy deprivation KW - plants Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167638 VL - 6 IS - 31697 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Verma, Nidhi A1 - Rai, Amit Kumar A1 - Kaushik, Vibha A1 - Brünnert, Daniela A1 - Chahar, Kirti Raj A1 - Pandey, Janmejay A1 - Goyal, Pankaj T1 - Identification of gefitinib off-targets using a structure-based systems biology approach; their validation with reverse docking and retrospective data mining JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Gefitinib, an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is used as FDA approved drug in breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer treatment. However, this drug has certain side effects and complications for which the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. By systems biology based in silico analysis, we identified off-targets of gefitinib that might explain side effects of this drugs. The crystal structure of EGFR-gefitinib complex was used for binding pocket similarity searches on a druggable proteome database (Sc-PDB) by using IsoMIF Finder. The top 128 hits of putative off-targets were validated by reverse docking approach. The results showed that identified off-targets have efficient binding with gefitinib. The identified human specific off-targets were confirmed and further analyzed for their links with biological process and clinical disease pathways using retrospective studies and literature mining, respectively. Noticeably, many of the identified off-targets in this study were reported in previous high-throughput screenings. Interestingly, the present study reveals that gefitinib may have positive effects in reducing brain and bone metastasis, and may be useful in defining novel gefitinib based treatment regime. We propose that a system wide approach could be useful during new drug development and to minimize side effect of the prospective drug. KW - gefitinib KW - side effects KW - drug KW - off-targets Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167621 VL - 6 IS - 33949 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rahman, SK. Shaid-Ur A1 - Klein, Thorsten A1 - Klembt, Sebastian A1 - Gutowski, Jürgen A1 - Hommel, Detlef A1 - Sebald, Kathrin T1 - Observation of a hybrid state of Tamm plasmons and microcavity exciton polaritons JF - Scientific Reports N2 - We present evidence for the existence of a hybrid state of Tamm plasmons and microcavity exciton polaritons in a II-VI material based microcavity sample covered with an Ag metal layer. The bare cavity mode shows a characteristic anticrossing with the Tamm-plasmon mode, when microreflectivity measurements are performed for different detunings between the Tamm plasmon and the cavity mode. When the Tamm-plasmon mode is in resonance with the cavity polariton four hybrid eigenstates are observed due to the coupling of the cavity-photon mode, the Tamm-plasmon mode, and the heavy- and light-hole excitons. If the bare Tamm-plasmon mode is tuned, these resonances will exhibit three anticrossings. Experimental results are in good agreement with calculations based on the transfer matrix method as well as on the coupled-oscillators model. The lowest hybrid eigenstate is observed to be red shifted by about 13 meV with respect to the lower cavity polariton state when the Tamm plasmon is resonantly coupled with the cavity polariton. This spectral shift which is caused by the metal layer can be used to create a trapping potential channel for the polaritons. Such channels can guide the polariton propagation similar to one-dimensional polariton wires. KW - Tamm plasmons KW - microcavity exciton polaritons KW - hybrid state Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167617 VL - 6 IS - 34392 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Shepard, Blythe D. A1 - Cheval, Lydie A1 - Peterlin, Zita A1 - Firestein, Stuart A1 - Koepsell, Hermann A1 - Doucet, Alain A1 - Pluznick, Jennifer L. T1 - A Renal Olfactory Receptor Aids in Kidney Glucose Handling JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Olfactory receptors (ORs) are G protein-coupled receptors which serve important sensory functions beyond their role as odorant detectors in the olfactory epithelium. Here we describe a novel role for one of these ORs, Olfr1393, as a regulator of renal glucose handling. Olfr1393 is specifically expressed in the kidney proximal tubule, which is the site of renal glucose reabsorption. Olfr1393 knockout mice exhibit urinary glucose wasting and improved glucose tolerance, despite euglycemia and normal insulin levels. Consistent with this phenotype, Olfr1393 knockout mice have a significant decrease in luminal expression of Sglt1, a key renal glucose transporter, uncovering a novel regulatory pathway involving Olfr1393 and Sglt1. In addition, by utilizing a large scale screen of over 1400 chemicals we reveal the ligand profile of Olfr1393 for the first time, offering new insight into potential pathways of physiological regulation for this novel signaling pathway. KW - olfactory receptor KW - Olfr1393 KW - kidney KW - glucose handling Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167605 VL - 6 IS - 35215 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bernt, Alexander A1 - Rangrez, Ashraf Y. A1 - Eden, Matthias A1 - Jungmann, Andreas A1 - Katz, Sylvia A1 - Rohr, Claudia A1 - Müller, Oliver J. A1 - Katus, Hugo A. A1 - Sossalla, Samuel T. A1 - Williams, Tatjana A1 - Ritter, Oliver A1 - Frank, Derk A1 - Frey, Norbert T1 - Sumoylation-independent activation of Calcineurin-NFAT-signaling via SUMO2 mediates cardiomyocyte hypertrophy JF - Scientific Reports N2 - The objective of this study was to identify unknown modulators of Calcineurin (Cn)-NFAT signaling. Measurement of NFAT reporter driven luciferase activity was therefore utilized to screen a human cardiac cDNA-library (~10\(^{7}\) primary clones) in C2C12 cells through serial dilutions until single clones could be identified. This extensive screening strategy culminated in the identification of SUMO2 as a most efficient Cn-NFAT activator. SUMO2-mediated activation of Cn-NFAT signaling in cardiomyocytes translated into a hypertrophic phenotype. Prohypertrophic effects were also observed in mice expressing SUMO2 in the heart using AAV9 (Adeno-associated virus), complementing the in vitro findings. In addition, increased SUMO2-mediated sumoylation in human cardiomyopathy patients and in mouse models of cardiomyopathy were observed. To decipher the underlying mechanism, we generated a sumoylation-deficient SUMO2 mutant (ΔGG). Surprisingly, ΔGG replicated Cn-NFAT-activation and the prohypertrophic effects of native SUMO2, both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting a sumoylation-independent mechanism. Finally, we discerned a direct interaction between SUMO2 and CnA, which promotes CnA nuclear localization. In conclusion, we identified SUMO2 as a novel activator of Cn-NFAT signaling in cardiomyocytes. In broader terms, these findings reveal an unexpected role for SUMO2 in cardiac hypertrophy and cardiomyopathy, which may open the possibility for therapeutic manipulation of this pathway. KW - Calcineurin-NFATsignaling KW - activation KW - SUMO2 KW - cardiac hypertrophy Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167525 VL - 6 IS - 35758 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jahn, Martin T. A1 - Markert, Sebastian M. A1 - Ryu, Taewoo A1 - Ravasi, Timothy A1 - Stigloher, Christian A1 - Hentschel, Ute A1 - Moitinho-Silva, Lucas T1 - Shedding light on cell compartmentation in the candidate phylum Poribacteria by high resolution visualisation and transcriptional profiling JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Assigning functions to uncultivated environmental microorganisms continues to be a challenging endeavour. Here, we present a new microscopy protocol for fluorescence in situ hybridisation-correlative light and electron microscopy (FISH-CLEM) that enabled, to our knowledge for the first time, the identification of single cells within their complex microenvironment at electron microscopy resolution. Members of the candidate phylum Poribacteria, common and uncultivated symbionts of marine sponges, were used towards this goal. Cellular 3D reconstructions revealed bipolar, spherical granules of low electron density, which likely represent carbon reserves. Poribacterial activity profiles were retrieved from prokaryotic enriched sponge metatranscriptomes using simulation-based optimised mapping. We observed high transcriptional activity for proteins related to bacterial microcompartments (BMC) and we resolved their subcellular localisation by combining FISH-CLEM with immunohistochemistry (IHC) on ultra-thin sponge tissue sections. In terms of functional relevance, we propose that the BMC-A region may be involved in 1,2-propanediol degradation. The FISH-IHC-CLEM approach was proven an effective toolkit to combine -omics approaches with functional studies and it should be widely applicable in environmental microbiology. KW - high resolution visualisation KW - transcriptional profiling KW - FISH-CLEM KW - cell compartmentation Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167513 VL - 6 IS - 35860 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Plum, Sarah A1 - Steinbach, Simone A1 - Attems, Johannes A1 - Keers, Sharon A1 - Riederer, Peter A1 - Gerlach, Manfred A1 - May, Caroline A1 - Marcus, Katrin T1 - Proteomic characterization of neuromelanin granules isolated from human substantia nigra by laser-microdissection JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Neuromelanin is a complex polymer pigment found primarily in the dopaminergic neurons of human substantia nigra. Neuromelanin pigment is stored in granules including a protein matrix and lipid droplets. Neuromelanin granules are yet only partially characterised regarding their structure and function. To clarify the exact function of neuromelanin granules in humans, their enrichment and in-depth characterization from human substantia nigra is necessary. Previously published global proteome studies of neuromelanin granules in human substantia nigra required high tissue amounts. Due to the limited availability of human brain tissue we established a new method based on laser microdissection combined with mass spectrometry for the isolation and analysis of neuromelanin granules. With this method it is possible for the first time to isolate a sufficient amount of neuromelanin granules for global proteomics analysis from ten 10 μm tissue sections. In total 1,000 proteins were identified associated with neuromelanin granules. More than 68% of those proteins were also identified in previously performed studies. Our results confirm and further extend previously described findings, supporting the connection of neuromelanin granules to iron homeostasis and lysosomes or endosomes. Hence, this method is suitable for the donor specific enrichment and proteomic analysis of neuromelanin granules. KW - neuromelanin KW - substantia nigra KW - pigment KW - granules Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167507 VL - 6 IS - 37139 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Estrecho, E. A1 - Gao, T. A1 - Brodbeck, S. A1 - Kamp, M. A1 - Schneider, C. A1 - Höfling, S. A1 - Truscott, A. G. A1 - Ostrovskaya, E. A. T1 - Visualising Berry phase and diabolical points in a quantum exciton-polariton billiard JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Diabolical points (spectral degeneracies) can naturally occur in spectra of two-dimensional quantum systems and classical wave resonators due to simple symmetries. Geometric Berry phase is associated with these spectral degeneracies. Here, we demonstrate a diabolical point and the corresponding Berry phase in the spectrum of hybrid light-matter quasiparticles—exciton-polaritons in semiconductor microcavities. It is well known that sufficiently strong optical pumping can drive exciton-polaritons to quantum degeneracy, whereby they form a macroscopically populated quantum coherent state similar to a Bose-Einstein condensate. By pumping a microcavity with a spatially structured light beam, we create a two-dimensional quantum billiard for the exciton-polariton condensate and demonstrate a diabolical point in the spectrum of the billiard eigenstates. The fully reconfigurable geometry of the potential walls controlled by the optical pump enables a striking experimental visualization of the Berry phase associated with the diabolical point. The Berry phase is observed and measured by direct imaging of the macroscopic exciton-polariton probability densities. KW - Berry phase KW - diabolical points KW - quantum billiard KW - exciton-polariton Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167496 VL - 6 IS - 37653 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bossert, Nelli A1 - de Bruin, Donny A1 - Götz, Maria A1 - Bouwmeester, Dirk A1 - Heinrich, Doris T1 - Fluorescence-tunable Ag-DNA biosensor with tailored cytotoxicity for live-cell applications JF - Scientific Reports N2 - DNA-stabilized silver clusters (Ag-DNA) show excellent promise as a multi-functional nanoagent for molecular investigations in living cells. The unique properties of these fluorescent nanomaterials allow for intracellular optical sensors with tunable cytotoxicity based on simple modifications of the DNA sequences. Three Ag-DNA nanoagent designs are investigated, exhibiting optical responses to the intracellular environments and sensing-capability of ions, functional inside living cells. Their sequence-dependent fluorescence responses inside living cells include (1) a strong splitting of the fluorescence peak for a DNA hairpin construct, (2) an excitation and emission shift of up to 120 nm for a single-stranded DNA construct, and (3) a sequence robust in fluorescence properties. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of these Ag-DNA constructs is tunable, ranging from highly cytotoxic to biocompatible Ag-DNA, independent of their optical sensing capability. Thus, Ag-DNA represents a versatile live-cell nanoagent addressable towards anti-cancer, patient-specific and anti-bacterial applications. KW - Ag-DNA KW - DNA-encapsulated silver nanoclusters KW - nanoagent KW - fluorescence Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167482 VL - 6 IS - 37897 ER -