TY  - JOUR
A1  - Thomas, H. J. D.
A1  - Myers‐Smith, I. H.
A1  - Bjorkman, A. D.
A1  - Elmendorf, S. C.
A1  - Blok, D.
A1  - Cornelissen, J. H. C.
A1  - Forbes, B. C.
A1  - Hollister, R. D.
A1  - Normand, S.
A1  - Prevéy, J. S.
A1  - Rixen, C.
A1  - Schaepman‐Strub, G.
A1  - Wilmking, M.
A1  - Wipf, S.
A1  - Cornwell, W. K.
A1  - Kattge, J.
A1  - Goetz, S. J.
A1  - Guay, K. C.
A1  - Alatalo, J. M.
A1  - Anadon‐Rosell, A.
A1  - Angers‐Blondin, S.
A1  - Berner, L. T.
A1  - Björk, R. G.
A1  - Buchwal, A.
A1  - Buras, A.
A1  - Carbognani, M.
A1  - Christie, K.
A1  - Siegwart Collier, L.
A1  - Cooper, E. J.
A1  - Eskelinen, A.
A1  - Frei, E. R.
A1  - Grau, O.
A1  - Grogan, P.
A1  - Hallinger, M.
A1  - Heijmans, M. M. P. D.
A1  - Hermanutz, L.
A1  - Hudson, J. M. G.
A1  - Hülber, K.
A1  - Iturrate‐Garcia, M.
A1  - Iversen, C. M.
A1  - Jaroszynska, F.
A1  - Johnstone, J. F.
A1  - Kaarlejärvi, E.
A1  - Kulonen, A.
A1  - Lamarque, L. J.
A1  - Lévesque, E.
A1  - Little, C. J.
A1  - Michelsen, A.
A1  - Milbau, A.
A1  - Nabe‐Nielsen, J.
A1  - Nielsen, S. S.
A1  - Ninot, J. M.
A1  - Oberbauer, S. F.
A1  - Olofsson, J.
A1  - Onipchenko, V. G.
A1  - Petraglia, A.
A1  - Rumpf, S. B.
A1  - Semenchuk, P. R.
A1  - Soudzilovskaia, N. A.
A1  - Spasojevic, M. J.
A1  - Speed, J. D. M.
A1  - Tape, K. D.
A1  - te Beest, M.
A1  - Tomaselli, M.
A1  - Trant, A.
A1  - Treier, U. A.
A1  - Venn, S.
A1  - Vowles, T.
A1  - Weijers, S.
A1  - Zamin, T.
A1  - Atkin, O. K.
A1  - Bahn, M.
A1  - Blonder, B.
A1  - Campetella, G.
A1  - Cerabolini, B. E. L.
A1  - Chapin III, F. S.
A1  - Dainese, M.
A1  - de Vries, F. T.
A1  - Díaz, S.
A1  - Green, W.
A1  - Jackson, R. B.
A1  - Manning, P.
A1  - Niinemets, Ü.
A1  - Ozinga, W. A.
A1  - Peñuelas, J.
A1  - Reich, P. B.
A1  - Schamp, B.
A1  - Sheremetev, S.
A1  - van Bodegom, P. M.
T1  - Traditional plant functional groups explain variation in economic but not size-related traits across the tundra biome
JF  - Global Ecology and Biogeography
N2  - Aim
Plant functional groups are widely used in community ecology and earth system modelling to describe trait variation within and across plant communities. However, this approach rests on the assumption that functional groups explain a large proportion of trait variation among species. We test whether four commonly used plant functional groups represent variation in six ecologically important plant traits.

Location
Tundra biome.

Time period
Data collected between 1964 and 2016.

Major taxa studied
295 tundra vascular plant species.

Methods
We compiled a database of six plant traits (plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, seed mass) for tundra species. We examined the variation in species-level trait expression explained by four traditional functional groups (evergreen shrubs, deciduous shrubs, graminoids, forbs), and whether variation explained was dependent upon the traits included in analysis. We further compared the explanatory power and species composition of functional groups to alternative classifications generated using post hoc clustering of species-level traits.

Results
Traditional functional groups explained significant differences in trait expression, particularly amongst traits associated with resource economics, which were consistent across sites and at the biome scale. However, functional groups explained 19% of overall trait variation and poorly represented differences in traits associated with plant size. Post hoc classification of species did not correspond well with traditional functional groups, and explained twice as much variation in species-level trait expression.

Main conclusions
Traditional functional groups only coarsely represent variation in well-measured traits within tundra plant communities, and better explain resource economic traits than size-related traits. We recommend caution when using functional group approaches to predict tundra vegetation change, or ecosystem functions relating to plant size, such as albedo or carbon storage. We argue that alternative classifications or direct use of specific plant traits could provide new insights for ecological prediction and modelling.
KW  - cluster analysis
KW  - community composition
KW  - ecosystem function
KW  - plant functional groups
KW  - plant functional types
KW  - plant traits
KW  - tundra biome
KW  - vegetation change
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-241310
VL  - 28
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Dornelas, Maria
A1  - Antão, Laura H.
A1  - Moyes, Faye
A1  - Bates, Amanda E.
A1  - Magurran, Anne E.
A1  - Adam, Dušan
A1  - Akhmetzhanova, Asem A.
A1  - Appeltans, Ward
A1  - Arcos, José Manuel
A1  - Arnold, Haley
A1  - Ayyappan, Narayanan
A1  - Badihi, Gal
A1  - Baird, Andrew H.
A1  - Barbosa, Miguel
A1  - Barreto, Tiago Egydio
A1  - Bässler, Claus
A1  - Bellgrove, Alecia
A1  - Belmaker, Jonathan
A1  - Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro
A1  - Bett, Brian J.
A1  - Bjorkman, Anne D.
A1  - Błażewicz, Magdalena
A1  - Blowes, Shane A.
A1  - Bloch, Christopher P. Bloch
A1  - Bonebrake, Timothy C.
A1  - Boyd, Susan
A1  - Bradford, Matt
A1  - Brooks, Andrew J.
A1  - Brown, James H.
A1  - Bruelheide, Helge
A1  - Budy, Phaedra
A1  - Carvalho, Fernando
A1  - Castañeda-Moya, Edward
A1  - Chen, Chaolun Allen
A1  - Chamblee, John F.
A1  - Chase, Tory J.
A1  - Siegwart Collier, Laura
A1  - Collinge, Sharon K.
A1  - Condit, Richard
A1  - Cooper, Elisabeth J.
A1  - Cornelissen, J. Hans C.
A1  - Cotano, Unai
A1  - Crow, Shannan Kyle
A1  - Damasceno, Gabriella
A1  - Davies, Claire H.
A1  - Davis, Robert A.
A1  - Day, Frank P.
A1  - Degraer, Steven
A1  - Doherty, Tim S.
A1  - Dunn, Timothy E.
A1  - Durigan, Giselda
A1  - Duffy, J. Emmett
A1  - Edelist, Dor
A1  - Edgar, Graham J.
A1  - Elahi, Robin
A1  - Elmendorf, Sarah C.
A1  - Enemar, Anders
A1  - Ernest, S. K. Morgan
A1  - Escribano, Rubén
A1  - Estiarte, Marc
A1  - Evans, Brian S.
A1  - Fan, Tung-Yung
A1  - Turini Farah, Fabiano
A1  - Loureiro Fernandes, Luiz
A1  - Farneda, Fábio Z.
A1  - Fidelis, Alessandra
A1  - Fitt, Robert
A1  - Fosaa, Anna Maria
A1  - Franco, Geraldo Antonio Daher Correa
A1  - Frank, Grace E.
A1  - Fraser, William R.
A1  - García, Hernando
A1  - Cazzolla Gatti, Roberto
A1  - Givan, Or
A1  - Gorgone-Barbosa, Elizabeth
A1  - Gould, William A.
A1  - Gries, Corinna
A1  - Grossman, Gary D.
A1  - Gutierréz, Julio R.
A1  - Hale, Stephen
A1  - Harmon, Mark E.
A1  - Harte, John
A1  - Haskins, Gary
A1  - Henshaw, Donald L.
A1  - Hermanutz, Luise
A1  - Hidalgo, Pamela
A1  - Higuchi, Pedro
A1  - Hoey, Andrew
A1  - Van Hoey, Gert
A1  - Hofgaard, Annika
A1  - Holeck, Kristen
A1  - Hollister, Robert D.
A1  - Holmes, Richard
A1  - Hoogenboom, Mia
A1  - Hsieh, Chih-hao
A1  - Hubbell, Stephen P.
A1  - Huettmann, Falk
A1  - Huffard, Christine L.
A1  - Hurlbert, Allen H.
A1  - Ivanauskas, Natália Macedo
A1  - Janík, David
A1  - Jandt, Ute
A1  - Jażdżewska, Anna
A1  - Johannessen, Tore
A1  - Johnstone, Jill
A1  - Jones, Julia
A1  - Jones, Faith A. M.
A1  - Kang, Jungwon
A1  - Kartawijaya, Tasrif
A1  - Keeley, Erin C.
A1  - Kelt, Douglas A.
A1  - Kinnear, Rebecca
A1  - Klanderud, Kari
A1  - Knutsen, Halvor
A1  - Koenig, Christopher C.
A1  - Kortz, Alessandra R.
A1  - Král, Kamil
A1  - Kuhnz, Linda A.
A1  - Kuo, Chao-Yang
A1  - Kushner, David J.
A1  - Laguionie-Marchais, Claire
A1  - Lancaster, Lesley T.
A1  - Lee, Cheol Min
A1  - Lefcheck, Jonathan S.
A1  - Lévesque, Esther
A1  - Lightfoot, David
A1  - Lloret, Francisco
A1  - Lloyd, John D.
A1  - López-Baucells, Adrià
A1  - Louzao, Maite
A1  - Madin, Joshua S.
A1  - Magnússon, Borgþór
A1  - Malamud, Shahar
A1  - Matthews, Iain
A1  - McFarland, Kent P.
A1  - McGill, Brian
A1  - McKnight, Diane
A1  - McLarney, William O.
A1  - Meador, Jason
A1  - Meserve, Peter L.
A1  - Metcalfe, Daniel J.
A1  - Meyer, Christoph F. J.
A1  - Michelsen, Anders
A1  - Milchakova, Nataliya
A1  - Moens, Tom
A1  - Moland, Even
A1  - Moore, Jon
A1  - Moreira, Carolina Mathias
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Murphy, Grace
A1  - Myers-Smith, Isla H.
A1  - Myster, Randall W.
A1  - Naumov, Andrew
A1  - Neat, Francis
A1  - Nelson, James A.
A1  - Nelson, Michael Paul
A1  - Newton, Stephen F.
A1  - Norden, Natalia
A1  - Oliver, Jeffrey C.
A1  - Olsen, Esben M.
A1  - Onipchenko, Vladimir G.
A1  - Pabis, Krzysztof
A1  - Pabst, Robert J.
A1  - Paquette, Alain
A1  - Pardede, Sinta
A1  - Paterson, David M.
A1  - Pélissier, Raphaël
A1  - Peñuelas, Josep
A1  - Pérez-Matus, Alejandro
A1  - Pizarro, Oscar
A1  - Pomati, Francesco
A1  - Post, Eric
A1  - Prins, Herbert H. T.
A1  - Priscu, John C.
A1  - Provoost, Pieter
A1  - Prudic, Kathleen L.
A1  - Pulliainen, Erkki
A1  - Ramesh, B. R.
A1  - Ramos, Olivia Mendivil
A1  - Rassweiler, Andrew
A1  - Rebelo, Jose Eduardo
A1  - Reed, Daniel C.
A1  - Reich, Peter B.
A1  - Remillard, Suzanne M.
A1  - Richardson, Anthony J.
A1  - Richardson, J. Paul
A1  - van Rijn, Itai
A1  - Rocha, Ricardo
A1  - Rivera-Monroy, Victor H.
A1  - Rixen, Christian
A1  - Robinson, Kevin P.
A1  - Rodrigues, Ricardo Ribeiro
A1  - de Cerqueira Rossa-Feres, Denise
A1  - Rudstam, Lars
A1  - Ruhl, Henry
A1  - Ruz, Catalina S.
A1  - Sampaio, Erica M.
A1  - Rybicki, Nancy
A1  - Rypel, Andrew
A1  - Sal, Sofia
A1  - Salgado, Beatriz
A1  - Santos, Flavio A. M.
A1  - Savassi-Coutinho, Ana Paula
A1  - Scanga, Sara
A1  - Schmidt, Jochen
A1  - Schooley, Robert
A1  - Setiawan, Fakhrizal
A1  - Shao, Kwang-Tsao
A1  - Shaver, Gaius R.
A1  - Sherman, Sally
A1  - Sherry, Thomas W.
A1  - Siciński, Jacek
A1  - Sievers, Caya
A1  - da Silva, Ana Carolina
A1  - da Silva, Fernando Rodrigues
A1  - Silveira, Fabio L.
A1  - Slingsby, Jasper
A1  - Smart, Tracey
A1  - Snell, Sara J.
A1  - Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A.
A1  - Souza, Gabriel B. G.
A1  - Souza, Flaviana Maluf
A1  - Souza, Vinícius Castro
A1  - Stallings, Christopher D.
A1  - Stanforth, Rowan
A1  - Stanley, Emily H.
A1  - Sterza, José Mauro
A1  - Stevens, Maarten
A1  - Stuart-Smith, Rick
A1  - Suarez, Yzel Rondon
A1  - Supp, Sarah
A1  - Tamashiro, Jorge Yoshio
A1  - Tarigan, Sukmaraharja
A1  - Thiede, Gary P.
A1  - Thorn, Simon
A1  - Tolvanen, Anne
A1  - Toniato, Maria Teresa Zugliani
A1  - Totland, Ørjan
A1  - Twilley, Robert R.
A1  - Vaitkus, Gediminas
A1  - Valdivia, Nelson
A1  - Vallejo, Martha Isabel
A1  - Valone, Thomas J.
A1  - Van Colen, Carl
A1  - Vanaverbeke, Jan
A1  - Venturoli, Fabio
A1  - Verheye, Hans M.
A1  - Vianna, Marcelo
A1  - Vieira, Rui P.
A1  - Vrška, Tomáš
A1  - Vu, Con Quang
A1  - Vu, Lien Van
A1  - Waide, Robert B.
A1  - Waldock, Conor
A1  - Watts, Dave
A1  - Webb, Sara
A1  - Wesołowski, Tomasz
A1  - White, Ethan P.
A1  - Widdicombe, Claire E.
A1  - Wilgers, Dustin
A1  - Williams, Richard
A1  - Williams, Stefan B.
A1  - Williamson, Mark
A1  - Willig, Michael R.
A1  - Willis, Trevor J.
A1  - Wipf, Sonja
A1  - Woods, Kerry D.
A1  - Woehler, Eric J.
A1  - Zawada, Kyle
A1  - Zettler, Michael L.
T1  - BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene
JF  - Global Ecology and Biogeography
N2  - Motivation
The BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community-led open-source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the Anthropocene.

Main types of variables included
The database contains 8,777,413 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of 2 years, which need not necessarily be consecutive. In addition, the database contains metadata relating to sampling methodology and contextual information about each record.

Spatial location and grain
BioTIME is a global database of 547,161 unique sampling locations spanning the marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. Grain size varies across datasets from 0.0000000158 km2 (158 cm2) to 100 km2 (1,000,000,000,000 cm2).

Time period and grain
BioTIME records span from 1874 to 2016. The minimal temporal grain across all datasets in BioTIME is a year.

Major taxa and level of measurement
BioTIME includes data from 44,440 species across the plant and animal kingdoms, ranging from plants, plankton and terrestrial invertebrates to small and large vertebrates.

Software format
.csv and .SQL.
KW  - biodiversity
KW  - global
KW  - spatial
KW  - species richness
KW  - temporal
KW  - turnover
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-222846
VL  - 27
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Noss, Reed F.
A1  - Thorn, Simon
A1  - Bässler, Claus
A1  - Leverkus, Alexandro B.
A1  - Lindenmayer, David
T1  - Increasing disturbance demands new policies to conserve intact forest
JF  - Conservation Letters
N2  - Ongoing controversy over logging the ancient Białowieża Forest in Poland symbolizes a global problem for policies and management of the increasing proportion of the earth's intact forest that is subject to postdisturbance logging. We review the extent of, and motivations for, postdisturbance logging in protected and unprotected forests globally. An unprecedented level of logging in protected areas and other places where green-tree harvest would not normally occur is driven by economic interests and a desire for pest control. To avoid failure of global initiatives dedicated to reducing the loss of species, five key policy reforms are necessary: (1) salvage logging must be banned from protected areas; (2) forest planning should address altered disturbance regimes for all intact forests to ensure that significant areas remain undisturbed by logging; (3) new kinds of integrated analyses are needed to assess the potential economic benefits of salvage logging against its ecological, economic, and social costs; (4) global and regional maps of natural disturbance regimes should be created to guide better spatiotemporal planning of protected areas and undisturbed forests outside reserves; and (5) improved education and communication programs are needed to correct widely held misconceptions about natural disturbances.
KW  - anthropogenic disturbance
KW  - forestry
KW  - FSC
KW  - natural disturbance
KW  - protected area management
KW  - sanitary logging
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224256
VL  - 12
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bahram, Mohammad
A1  - Anslan, Sten
A1  - Hildebrand, Falk
A1  - Bork, Peer
A1  - Tedersoo, Leho
T1  - Newly designed 16S rRNA metabarcoding primers amplify diverse and novel archaeal taxa from the environment
JF  - Environmental Microbiology Reports
N2  - High-throughput studies of microbial communities suggest that Archaea are a widespread component of microbial diversity in various ecosystems. However, proper quantification of archaeal diversity and community ecology remains limited, as sequence coverage of Archaea is usually low owing to the inability of available prokaryotic primers to efficiently amplify archaeal compared to bacterial rRNA genes. To improve identification and quantification of Archaea, we designed and validated the utility of several primer pairs to efficiently amplify archaeal 16S rRNA genes based on up-to-date reference genes. We demonstrate that several of these primer pairs amplify phylogenetically diverse Archaea with high sequencing coverage, outperforming commonly used primers. Based on comparing the resulting long 16S rRNA gene fragments with public databases from all habitats, we found several novel family- to phylum-level archaeal taxa from topsoil and surface water. Our results suggest that archaeal diversity has been largely overlooked due to the limitations of available primers, and that improved primer pairs enable to estimate archaeal diversity more accurately.
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-221380
VL  - 11
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Moll, Julia
A1  - Kellner, Harald
A1  - Leonhardt, Sabrina
A1  - Stengel, Elisa
A1  - Dahl, Andreas
A1  - Bässler, Claus
A1  - Buscot, François
A1  - Hofrichter, Martin
A1  - Hoppe, Björn
T1  - Bacteria inhabiting deadwood of 13 tree species are heterogeneously distributed between sapwood and heartwood
JF  - Environmental Microbiology
N2  - Deadwood represents an important structural component of forest ecosystems, where it provides diverse niches for saproxylic biota. Although wood-inhabiting prokaryotes are involved in its degradation, knowledge about their diversity and the drivers of community structure is scarce. To explore the effect of deadwood substrate on microbial distribution, the present study focuses on the microbial communities of deadwood logs from 13 different tree species investigated using an amplicon based deep-sequencing analysis. Sapwood and heartwood communities were analysed separately and linked to various relevant wood physico-chemical parameters. Overall, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria represented the most dominant phyla. Microbial OTU richness and community structure differed significantly between tree species and between sapwood and heartwood. These differences were more pronounced for heartwood than for sapwood. The pH value and water content were the most important drivers in both wood compartments. Overall, investigating numerous tree species and two compartments provided a remarkably comprehensive view of microbial diversity in deadwood.
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224168
VL  - 20
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hilmers, Torben
A1  - Friess, Nicolas
A1  - Bässler, Claus
A1  - Heurich, Marco
A1  - Brandl, Roland
A1  - Pretzsch, Hans
A1  - Seidl, Rupert
A1  - Müller, Jörg
T1  - Biodiversity along temperate forest succession
JF  - Journal of Applied Ecology
N2  - 1.
The successional dynamics of forests—from canopy openings to regeneration, maturation, and decay—influence the amount and heterogeneity of resources available for forest-dwelling organisms. Conservation has largely focused only on selected stages of forest succession (e.g., late-seral stages). However, to develop comprehensive conservation strategies and to understand the impact of forest management on biodiversity, a quantitative understanding of how different trophic groups vary over the course of succession is needed.

2.
We classified mixed mountain forests in Central Europe into nine successional stages using airborne LiDAR. We analysed α- and β-diversity of six trophic groups encompassing approximately 3,000 species from three kingdoms. We quantified the effect of successional stage on the number of species with and without controlling for species abundances and tested whether the data fit the more-individuals hypothesis or the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis. Furthermore, we analysed the similarity of assemblages along successional development.

3.
The abundance of producers, first-order consumers, and saprotrophic species showed a U-shaped response to forest succession. The number of species of producer and consumer groups generally followed this U-shaped pattern. In contrast to our expectation, the number of saprotrophic species did not change along succession. When we controlled for the effect of abundance, the number of producer and saproxylic beetle species increased linearly with forest succession, whereas the U-shaped response of the number of consumer species persisted. The analysis of assemblages indicated a large contribution of succession-mediated β-diversity to regional γ-diversity.

4.
Synthesis and applications. Depending on the species group, our data supported both the more-individuals hypothesis and the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis. Our results highlight the strong influence of forest succession on biodiversity and underline the importance of controlling for successional dynamics when assessing biodiversity change in response to external drivers such as climate change. The successional stages with highest diversity (early and late successional stages) are currently strongly underrepresented in the forests of Central Europe. We thus recommend that conservation strategies aim at a more balanced representation of all successional stages.
KW  - biodiversity
KW  - forest dynamics
KW  - forest succession
KW  - habitat heterogeneity
KW  - LiDAR
KW  - species density
KW  - temperate forests
KW  - β-diversity
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320632
VL  - 55
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - König, Kerstin
A1  - Zundel, Petra
A1  - Krimmer, Elena
A1  - König, Christian
A1  - Pollmann, Marie
A1  - Gottlieb, Yuval
A1  - Steidle, Johannes L. M.
T1  - Reproductive isolation due to prezygotic isolation and postzygotic cytoplasmic incompatibility in parasitoid wasps
JF  - Ecology and Evolution
N2  - The reproductive barriers that prevent gene flow between closely related species are a major topic in evolutionary research. Insect clades with parasitoid lifestyle are among the most species-rich insects and new species are constantly described, indicating that speciation occurs frequently in this group. However, there are only very few studies on speciation in parasitoids. We studied reproductive barriers in two lineages of Lariophagus distinguendus (Chalcidoidea: Hymenoptera), a parasitoid wasp of pest beetle larvae that occur in human environments. One of the two lineages occurs in households preferably attacking larvae of the drugstore beetle Stegobium paniceum (“DB-lineage”), the other in grain stores with larvae of the granary weevil Sitophilus granarius as main host (“GW-lineage”). Between two populations of the DB-lineage, we identified slight sexual isolation as intraspecific barrier. Between populations from both lineages, we found almost complete sexual isolation caused by female mate choice, and postzygotic isolation, which is partially caused by cytoplasmic incompatibility induced by so far undescribed endosymbionts which are not Wolbachia or Cardinium. Because separation between the two lineages is almost complete, they should be considered as separate species according to the biological species concept. This demonstrates that cryptic species within parasitoid Hymenoptera also occur in Central Europe in close contact to humans.
KW  - cytoplasmic incompatibility
KW  - endosymbiotic bacteria
KW  - Lariophagus distinguendus
KW  - parasitoid wasps
KW  - sexual isolation
KW  - speciation
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-222796
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hartke, Juliane
A1  - Sprenger, Philipp P.
A1  - Sahm, Jacqueline
A1  - Winterberg, Helena
A1  - Orivel, Jérôme
A1  - Baur, Hannes
A1  - Beuerle, Till
A1  - Schmitt, Thomas
A1  - Feldmeyer, Barbara
A1  - Menzel, Florian
T1  - Cuticular hydrocarbons as potential mediators of cryptic species divergence in a mutualistic ant association
JF  - Ecology and Evolution
N2  - Upon advances in sequencing techniques, more and more morphologically identical organisms are identified as cryptic species. Often, mutualistic interactions are proposed as drivers of diversification. Species of the neotropical parabiotic ant association between Crematogaster levior and Camponotus femoratus are known for highly diverse cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles, which in insects serve as desiccation barrier but also as communication cues. In the present study, we investigated the association of the ants’ CHC profiles with genotypes and morphological traits, and discovered cryptic species pairs in both genera. To assess putative niche differentiation between the cryptic species, we conducted an environmental association study that included various climate variables, canopy cover, and mutualistic plant species. Although mostly sympatric, the two Camponotus species seem to prefer different climate niches. However in the two Crematogaster species, we could not detect any differences in niche preference. The strong differentiation in the CHC profiles may thus suggest a possible role during speciation itself either by inducing assortative mating or by reinforcing sexual selection after the speciation event. We did not detect any further niche differences in the environmental parameters tested. Thus, it remains open how the cryptic species avoid competitive exclusion, with scope for further investigations.
KW  - environmental association
KW  - integrative taxonomy
KW  - niche differentiation
KW  - population structure
KW  - sexual selection
KW  - speciation
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227857
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kendall, Liam K.
A1  - Rader, Romina
A1  - Gagic, Vesna
A1  - Cariveau, Daniel P.
A1  - Albrecht, Matthias
A1  - Baldock, Katherine C. R.
A1  - Freitas, Breno M.
A1  - Hall, Mark
A1  - Holzschuh, Andrea
A1  - Molina, Francisco P.
A1  - Morten, Joanne M.
A1  - Pereira, Janaely S.
A1  - Portman, Zachary M.
A1  - Roberts, Stuart P. M.
A1  - Rodriguez, Juanita
A1  - Russo, Laura
A1  - Sutter, Louis
A1  - Vereecken, Nicolas J.
A1  - Bartomeus, Ignasi
T1  - Pollinator size and its consequences: Robust estimates of body size in pollinating insects
JF  - Ecology and Evolution
N2  - Body size is an integral functional trait that underlies pollination-related ecological processes, yet it is often impractical to measure directly. Allometric scaling laws have been used to overcome this problem. However, most existing models rely upon small sample sizes, geographically restricted sampling and have limited applicability for non-bee taxa. Allometric models that consider biogeography, phylogenetic relatedness, and intraspecific variation are urgently required to ensure greater accuracy. We measured body size as dry weight and intertegular distance (ITD) of 391 bee species (4,035 specimens) and 103 hoverfly species (399 specimens) across four biogeographic regions: Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. We updated existing models within a Bayesian mixed-model framework to test the power of ITD to predict interspecific variation in pollinator dry weight in interaction with different co-variates: phylogeny or taxonomy, sexual dimorphism, and biogeographic region. In addition, we used ordinary least squares regression to assess intraspecific dry weight ~ ITD relationships for ten bees and five hoverfly species. Including co-variates led to more robust interspecific body size predictions for both bees and hoverflies relative to models with the ITD alone. In contrast, at the intraspecific level, our results demonstrate that the ITD is an inconsistent predictor of body size for bees and hoverflies. The use of allometric scaling laws to estimate body size is more suitable for interspecific comparative analyses than assessing intraspecific variation. Collectively, these models form the basis of the dynamic R package, “pollimetry,” which provides a comprehensive resource for allometric pollination research worldwide.
KW  - Apoidea
KW  - biogeography
KW  - body size
KW  - dry weight
KW  - pollimetry
KW  - pollination
KW  - predictive models
KW  - R package
KW  - Syrphidae
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325705
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hillaert, Jasmijn
A1  - Hovestadt, Thomas
A1  - Vandegehuchte, Martijn L.
A1  - Bonte, Dries
T1  - Size-dependent movement explains why bigger is better in fragmented landscapes
JF  - Ecology and Evolution
N2  - Body size is a fundamental trait known to allometrically scale with metabolic rate and therefore a key determinant of individual development, life history, and consequently fitness. In spatially structured environments, movement is an equally important driver of fitness. Because movement is tightly coupled with body size, we expect habitat fragmentation to induce a strong selection pressure on size variation across and within species. Changes in body size distributions are then, in turn, expected to alter food web dynamics. However, no consensus has been reached on how spatial isolation and resource growth affect consumer body size distributions. Our aim was to investigate how these two factors shape the body size distribution of consumers under scenarios of size-dependent and size-independent consumer movement by applying a mechanistic, individual-based resource–consumer model. We also assessed the consequences of altered body size distributions for important ecosystem traits such as resource abundance and consumer stability. Finally, we determined those factors that explain most variation in size distributions. We demonstrate that decreasing connectivity and resource growth select for communities (or populations) consisting of larger species (or individuals) due to strong selection for the ability to move over longer distances if the movement is size-dependent. When including size-dependent movement, intermediate levels of connectivity result in increases in local size diversity. Due to this elevated functional diversity, resource uptake is maximized at the metapopulation or metacommunity level. At these intermediate levels of connectivity, size-dependent movement explains most of the observed variation in size distributions. Interestingly, local and spatial stability of consumer biomass is lowest when isolation and resource growth are high. Finally, we highlight that size-dependent movement is of vital importance for the survival of populations or communities within highly fragmented landscapes. Our results demonstrate that considering size-dependent movement is essential to understand how habitat fragmentation and resource growth shape body size distributions—and the resulting metapopulation or metacommunity dynamics—of consumers.
KW  - allometric scaling
KW  - body size distributions;
KW  - eco-evolutionary dynamics
KW  - habitat fragmentation
KW  - isolation
KW  - metabolic theory
KW  - optimal size
KW  - size-dependent movement
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320322
VL  - 8
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Stein, Katharina
A1  - Stenchly, Kathrin
A1  - Coulibaly, Drissa
A1  - Pauly, Alain
A1  - Dimobe, Kangbeni
A1  - Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf
A1  - Konaté, Souleymane
A1  - Goetze, Dethardt
A1  - Porembski, Stefan
A1  - Linsenmair, K. Eduard
T1  - Impact of human disturbance on bee pollinator communities in savanna and agricultural sites in Burkina Faso, West Africa
JF  - Ecology and Evolution
N2  - All over the world, pollinators are threatened by land-use change involving degradation of seminatural habitats or conversion into agricultural land. Such disturbance often leads to lowered pollinator abundance and/or diversity, which might reduce crop yield in adjacent agricultural areas. For West Africa, changes in bee communities across disturbance gradients from savanna to agricultural land are mainly unknown. In this study, we monitored for the impact of human disturbance on bee communities in savanna and crop fields. We chose three savanna areas of varying disturbance intensity (low, medium, and high) in the South Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso, based on land-use/land cover data via Landsat images, and selected nearby cotton and sesame fields. During 21 months covering two rainy and two dry seasons in 2014 and 2015, we captured bees using pan traps. Spatial and temporal patterns of bee species abundance, richness, evenness and community structure were assessed. In total, 35,469 bee specimens were caught on 12 savanna sites and 22 fields, comprising 97 species of 32 genera. Bee abundance was highest at intermediate disturbance in the rainy season. Species richness and evenness did not differ significantly. Bee communities at medium and highly disturbed savanna sites comprised only subsets of those at low disturbed sites. An across-habitat spillover of bees (mostly abundant social bee species) from savanna into crop fields was observed during the rainy season when crops are mass-flowering, whereas most savanna plants are not in bloom. Despite disturbance intensification, our findings suggest that wild bee communities can persist in anthropogenic landscapes and that some species even benefitted disproportionally. West African areas of crop production such as for cotton and sesame may serve as important food resources for bee species in times when resources in the savanna are scarce and receive at the same time considerable pollination service.
KW  - bee communities
KW  - cotton
KW  - sesame
KW  - species spillover
KW  - sub-Saharan Africa
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-239999
VL  - 8
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Minden, Vanessa
A1  - Schnetger, Bernhard
A1  - Pufal, Gesine
A1  - Leonhardt, Sara D.
T1  - Antibiotic-induced effects on scaling relationships and on plant element contents in herbs and grasses
JF  - Ecology and Evolution
N2  - Plant performance is correlated with element concentrations in plant tissue, which may be impacted by adverse chemical soil conditions. Antibiotics of veterinary origin can adversely affect plant performance. They are released to agricultural fields via grazing animals or manure, taken up by plants and may be stored, transformed or sequestered by plant metabolic processes. We studied the potential effects of three antibiotics (penicillin, sulfadiazine, and tetracycline) on plant element contents (macro- and microelements). Plant species included two herb species (Brassica napus and Capsella bursa-pastoris) and two grass species (Triticum aestivum and Apera spica-venti), representing two crop species and two noncrop species commonly found in field margins, respectively. Antibiotic concentrations were chosen as to reflect in vivo situations, that is, relatively low concentrations similar to those detected in soils. In a greenhouse experiment, plants were raised in soil spiked with antibiotics. After harvest, macro- and microelements in plant leaves, stems, and roots were determined (mg/g). Results indicate that antibiotics can affect element contents in plants. Penicillin exerted the greatest effect both on element contents and on scaling relationships of elements between plant organs. Roots responded strongest to antibiotics compared to stems and leaves. We conclude that antibiotics in the soil, even in low concentrations, lead to low-element homeostasis, altering the scaling relationships between roots and other plant organs, which may affect metabolic processes and ultimately the performance of a plant.
KW  - antibiotics
KW  - homeostasis
KW  - scaling relationships
KW  - standardized major axis regression
KW  - tissue nutrient contents
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224094
VL  - 8
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schubert, Frank K.
A1  - Hagedorn, Nicolas
A1  - Yoshii, Taishi
A1  - Helfrich-Förster, Charlotte
A1  - Rieger, Dirk
T1  - Neuroanatomical details of the lateral neurons of Drosophila melanogaster support their functional role in the circadian system
JF  - Journal of Comparative Neurology
N2  - Drosophila melanogaster is a long-standing model organism in the circadian clock research. A major advantage is the relative small number of about 150 neurons, which built the circadian clock in Drosophila. In our recent work, we focused on the neuroanatomical properties of the lateral neurons of the clock network. By applying the multicolor-labeling technique Flybow we were able to identify the anatomical similarity of the previously described E2 subunit of the evening oscillator of the clock, which is built by the 5th small ventrolateral neuron (5th s-LNv) and one ITP positive dorsolateral neuron (LNd). These two clock neurons share the same spatial and functional properties. We found both neurons innervating the same brain areas with similar pre- and postsynaptic sites in the brain. Here the anatomical findings support their shared function as a main evening oscillator in the clock network like also found in previous studies. A second quite surprising finding addresses the large lateral ventral PDF-neurons (l-LNvs). We could show that the four hardly distinguishable l-LNvs consist of two subgroups with different innervation patterns. While three of the neurons reflect the well-known branching pattern reproduced by PDF immunohistochemistry, one neuron per brain hemisphere has a distinguished innervation profile and is restricted only to the proximal part of the medulla-surface. We named this neuron “extra” l-LNv (l-LNvx). We suggest the anatomical findings reflect different functional properties of the two l-LNv subgroups.
KW  - circadian clock neurons
KW  - Drosophila melanogaster
KW  - flybow
KW  - morphology
KW  - RRID: AB_760350
KW  - RRID: AB_2315460
KW  - RRID: AB_2314242
KW  - RRID: AB_2315311
KW  - RRID: AB_2314041
KW  - RRID: AB_300798
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234477
VL  - 526
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Flunkert, Julia
A1  - Maierhofer, Anna
A1  - Dittrich, Marcus
A1  - Müller, Tobias
A1  - Horvath, Steve
A1  - Nanda, Indrajit
A1  - Haaf, Thomas
T1  - Genetic and epigenetic changes in clonal descendants of irradiated human fibroblasts
JF  - Experimental Cell Research
N2  - To study delayed genetic and epigenetic radiation effects, which may trigger radiation-induced carcinogenesis, we have established single-cell clones from irradiated and non-irradiated primary human fibroblasts. Stable clones were endowed with the same karyotype in all analyzed metaphases after 20 population doublings (PDs), whereas unstable clones displayed mosaics of normal and abnormal karyotypes. To account for variation in radiation sensitivity, all experiments were performed with two different fibroblast strains. After a single X-ray dose of 2 Gy more than half of the irradiated clones exhibited radiation-induced genome instability (RIGI). Irradiated clones displayed an increased rate of loss of chromosome Y (LOY) and copy number variations (CNVs), compared to controls. CNV breakpoints clustered in specific chromosome regions, in particular 3p14.2 and 7q11.21, coinciding with common fragile sites. CNVs affecting the FHIT gene in FRA3B were observed in independent unstable clones and may drive RIGI. Bisulfite pyrosequencing of control clones and the respective primary culture revealed global hypomethylation of ALU, LINE-1, and alpha-satellite repeats as well as rDNA hypermethylation during in vitro ageing. Irradiated clones showed further reduced ALU and alpha-satellite methylation and increased rDNA methylation, compared to controls. Methylation arrays identified several hundred differentially methylated genes and several enriched pathways associated with in vitro ageing. Methylation changes in 259 genes and the MAP kinase signaling pathway were associated with delayed radiation effects (after 20 PDs). Collectively, our results suggest that both genetic (LOY and CNVs) and epigenetic changes occur in the progeny of exposed cells that were not damaged directly by irradiation, likely contributing to radiation-induced carcinogenesis. We did not observe epigenetic differences between stable and unstable irradiated clones. The fact that the DNA methylation (DNAm) age of clones derived from the same primary culture varied greatly suggests that DNAm age of a single cell (represented by a clone) can be quite different from the DNAm age of a tissue. We propose that DNAm age reflects the emergent property of a large number of individual cells whose respective DNAm ages can be highly variable.
KW  - copy number variation (CNV)
KW  - delayed radiation effects
KW  - DNA methylation (DNAm) age
KW  - global DNA methylation
KW  - loss of chromosome Y (LOY);
KW  - methylation array analysis
KW  - radiation-induced genome instability (RIGI)
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228177
VL  - 370
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Baluapuri, Apoorva
A1  - Hofstetter, Julia
A1  - Dudvarski Stankovic, Nevenka
A1  - Endres, Theresa
A1  - Bhandare, Pranjali
A1  - Vos, Seychelle Monique
A1  - Adhikari, Bikash
A1  - Schwarz, Jessica Denise
A1  - Narain, Ashwin
A1  - Vogt, Markus
A1  - Wang, Shuang-Yan
A1  - Düster, Robert
A1  - Jung, Lisa Anna
A1  - Vanselow, Jens Thorsten
A1  - Wiegering, Armin
A1  - Geyer, Matthias
A1  - Maric, Hans Michael
A1  - Gallant, Peter
A1  - Walz, Susanne
A1  - Schlosser, Andreas
A1  - Cramer, Patrick
A1  - Eilers, Martin
A1  - Wolf, Elmar
T1  - MYC Recruits SPT5 to RNA Polymerase II to Promote Processive Transcription Elongation
JF  - Molecular Cell
N2  - The MYC oncoprotein binds to promoter-proximal regions of virtually all transcribed genes and enhances RNA polymerase II (Pol II) function, but its precise mode of action is poorly understood. Using mass spectrometry of both MYC and Pol II complexes, we show here that MYC controls the assembly of Pol II with a small set of transcription elongation factors that includes SPT5, a subunit of the elongation factor DSIF. MYC directly binds SPT5, recruits SPT5 to promoters, and enables the CDK7-dependent transfer of SPT5 onto Pol II. Consistent with known functions of SPT5, MYC is required for fast and processive transcription elongation. Intriguingly, the high levels of MYC that are expressed in tumors sequester SPT5 into non-functional complexes, thereby decreasing the expression of growth-suppressive genes. Altogether, these results argue that MYC controls the productive assembly of processive Pol II elongation complexes and provide insight into how oncogenic levels of MYC permit uncontrolled cellular growth.
KW  - MYC
KW  - SPT5
KW  - SUPT5H
KW  - SPT6
KW  - RNA polymerase II
KW  - transcription
KW  - elongation rate
KW  - processivity
KW  - directionality
KW  - tumorigenesis
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-221438
VL  - 74
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Göttlich, Claudia
A1  - Kunz, Meik
A1  - Zapp, Cornelia
A1  - Nietzer, Sarah L.
A1  - Walles, Heike
A1  - Dandekar, Thomas
A1  - Dandekar, Gudrun
T1  - A combined tissue-engineered/in silico signature tool patient stratification in lung cancer
JF  - Molecular Oncology
N2  - Patient-tailored therapy based on tumor drivers is promising for lung cancer treatment. For this, we combined in vitro tissue models with in silico analyses. Using individual cell lines with specific mutations, we demonstrate a generic and rapid stratification pipeline for targeted tumor therapy. We improve in vitro models of tissue conditions by a biological matrix-based three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture that allows in vitro drug testing: It correctly shows a strong drug response upon gefitinib (Gef) treatment in a cell line harboring an EGFR-activating mutation (HCC827), but no clear drug response upon treatment with the HSP90 inhibitor 17AAG in two cell lines with KRAS mutations (H441, A549). In contrast, 2D testing implies wrongly KRAS as a biomarker for HSP90 inhibitor treatment, although this fails in clinical studies. Signaling analysis by phospho-arrays showed similar effects of EGFR inhibition by Gef in HCC827 cells, under both 2D and 3D conditions. Western blot analysis confirmed that for 3D conditions, HSP90 inhibitor treatment implies different p53 regulation and decreased MET inhibition in HCC827 and H441 cells. Using in vitro data (western, phospho-kinase array, proliferation, and apoptosis), we generated cell line-specific in silico topologies and condition-specific (2D, 3D) simulations of signaling correctly mirroring in vitro treatment responses. Networks predict drug targets considering key interactions and individual cell line mutations using the Human Protein Reference Database and the COSMIC database. A signature of potential biomarkers and matching drugs improve stratification and treatment in KRAS-mutated tumors. In silico screening and dynamic simulation of drug actions resulted in individual therapeutic suggestions, that is, targeting HIF1A in H441 and LKB1 in A549 cells. In conclusion, our in vitro tumor tissue model combined with an in silico tool improves drug effect prediction and patient stratification. Our tool is used in our comprehensive cancer center and is made now publicly available for targeted therapy decisions.
KW  - 3D lung tumor model
KW  - Boolean signaling network
KW  - chemoresistance
KW  - HSP90 inhibitor
KW  - insilico drug screening too
KW  - KRAS mutation signature
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233137
VL  - 12
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Seitz, Nicola
A1  - vanEngelsdorp, Dennis
A1  - Leonhardt, Sara D.
T1  - Conserving bees in destroyed landscapes: The potentials of reclaimed sand mines
JF  - Global Ecology and Conservation
N2  - Sand mines represent anthropogenically impacted habitats found worldwide, which bear potential for bee conservation. Although floral resources can be limited at these habitats, vegetation free patches of open sandy soils and embankments may offer good nesting possibilities for sand restricted and other bees. We compared bee communities as found in three reclaimed sand mines and at adjacent roadside meadows in Maryland, USA, over two years. Both sand mines and roadsides hosted diverse bee communities with 111 and 88 bee species, respectively. Bee abundances as well as richness and Shannon diversity of bee species were higher in sand mines than at roadsides and negatively correlated with the percentage of vegetational ground cover. Species composition also differed significantly between habitats. Sand mines hosted a higher proportion of ground nesters, more uncommon and more ‘sand loving’ bees similar to natural sandy areas of Maryland. Despite the destruction of the original pre-mining habitat, sand mines thus appear to represent a unique habitat for wild bees, particularly when natural vegetation and open sand spots are encouraged. Considering habitat loss, the lack of natural disturbance regimes, and ongoing declines of wild bees, sand mines could add promising opportunities for bee conservation which has hitherto mainly focused on agricultural and urban habitats.
KW  - bee conservation
KW  - bee decline
KW  - habitat restoration
KW  - land use
KW  - wild bees
KW  - ground nesters
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235877
VL  - 19
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - van de Peppel, L. J. J.
A1  - Aanen, D. K.
A1  - Biedermann, P. H. W.
T1  - Low intraspecific genetic diversity indicates asexuality and vertical transmission in the fungal cultivars of ambrosia beetles
JF  - Fungal Ecology
N2  - Ambrosia beetles farm ascomycetous fungi in tunnels within wood. These ambrosia fungi are regarded asexual, although population genetic proof is missing. Here we explored the intraspecific genetic diversity of Ambrosiella grosmanniae and Ambrosiella hartigii (Ascomycota: Microascales), the mutualists of the beetles Xylosandrus germanus and Anisandrus dispar. By sequencing five markers (ITS, LSU, TEF1α, RPB2, β-tubulin) from several fungal strains, we show that X. germanus cultivates the same two clones of A. grosmanniae in the USA and in Europe, whereas A. dispar is associated with a single A. hartigii clone across Europe. This low genetic diversity is consistent with predominantly asexual vertical transmission of Ambrosiella cultivars between beetle generations. This clonal agriculture is a remarkable case of convergence with fungus-farming ants, given that both groups have a completely different ecology and evolutionary history.
KW  - clonal fungiculture
KW  - ambrosia fungus
KW  - Ambrosiella
KW  - vertical transmission
KW  - symbiosis
KW  - Xylosandrus
KW  - Anisandrus
KW  - asexuality
KW  - genetic diversity
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232161
VL  - 32
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Grebinyk, Anna
A1  - Grebinyk, Sergii
A1  - Prylutska, Svitlana
A1  - Ritter, Uwe
A1  - Matyshevska, Olga
A1  - Dandekar, Thomas
A1  - Frohme, Marcus
T1  - C60 fullerene accumulation in human leukemic cells and perspectives of LED-mediated photodynamic therapy
JF  - Free Radical Biology and Medicine
N2  - Recent progress in nanobiotechnology has attracted interest to a biomedical application of the carbon nanostructure C60 fullerene since it possesses a unique structure and versatile biological activity. C60 fullerene potential application in the frame of cancer photodynamic therapy (PDT) relies on rapid development of new light sources as well as on better understanding of the fullerene interaction with cells.

The aim of this study was to analyze C60 fullerene effects on human leukemic cells (CCRF-CEM) in combination with high power single chip light-emitting diodes (LEDs) light irradiation of different wavelengths: ultraviolet (UV, 365 nm), violet (405 nm), green (515 nm) and red (632 nm). The time-dependent accumulation of fullerene C60 in CCRF-CEM cells up to 250 ng/106 cells at 24 h with predominant localization within mitochondria was demonstrated with immunocytochemical staining and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. In a cell viability assay we studied photoexcitation of the accumulated C60 nanostructures with ultraviolet or violet LEDs and could prove that significant phototoxic effects did arise. A less pronounced C60 fullerene phototoxic effect was observed after irradiation with green, and no effect was detected with red light. A C60 fullerene photoactivation with violet light induced substantial ROS generation and apoptotic cell death, confirmed by caspase3/7 activation and plasma membrane phosphatidylserine externalization. Our work proved C60 fullerene ability to induce apoptosis of leukemic cells after photoexcitation with high power single chip 405 nm LED as a light source. This underlined the potential for application of C60 nanostructure as a photosensitizer for anticancer therapy.
KW  - C-60 fullerene
KW  - photodanamic therapy
KW  - LEDs
KW  - leukemic cells
KW  - immunocytochemistry
KW  - HPLC-ESI-MS
KW  - apoptosis
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228245
VL  - 124
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hofrichter, Michaela A. H.
A1  - Doll, Julia
A1  - Habibi, Haleh
A1  - Enayati, Samaneh
A1  - Mehrjardi, Mohammad Yahya Vahidi
A1  - Müller, Tobias
A1  - Dittrich, Marcus
A1  - Haaf, Thomas
A1  - Vona, Barbara
T1  - Exome-wide copy number variation analysis identifies a COL9A1 in frame deletion that is associated with hearing loss
JF  - European Journal of Medical Genetics
N2  - Pathogenic variants in COL9A1 are primarily associated with autosomal recessive Stickler syndrome. Patients with COL9A1-associated Stickler syndrome (STL) present hearing loss (HL), ophthalmic manifestations and skeletal abnormalities. However, the clinical spectrum of patients with COL9A1 variants can also include multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, as well as non-syndromic HL that was observed in one previously reported proband. Exome sequencing was performed on the genomic DNA of an Iranian patient and his affected brother who both report non-syndromic HL. A 44.6 kb homozygous in-frame deletion spanning exons 6 to 33 of COL9A1 was detected via exome-based copy number variation analysis. The deleted exons were confirmed by PCR in the patient and his affected brother, who both have non-syndromic HL. Segregation analysis via qPCR confirmed the parents as heterozygous deletion carriers. Breakpoint analysis mapped the homozygous deletion spanning introns 5 to 33 (g.70,948,188_70,997,277del, NM_001851.4(COL9A1):c.697–3754_2112+769del, p.(Phe233_Ser704del), with an additional 67 bp of inserted intronic sequence that may have originated due to a fork stalling and template switching/microhomology-mediated break-induced replication (FoSTeS/MMBIR) mechanism. This mechanism has not been previously implicated in HL or STL. This is also the first reported copy number variation in COL9A1 that was identified through an exome data set in an Iranian family with apparent non-syndromic HL. The present study emphasizes the importance of exome-wide copy number variation analysis in molecular diagnosis and provides supporting evidence to associate COL9A1 with autosomal recessive non-syndromic HL.
KW  - COL9A1
KW  - copy number variation
KW  - FoSTeS/MMBIR mechanism
KW  - non-syndromic hearing loss
KW  - Stickler syndrome
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-322008
VL  - 62
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Chen, Wei-Hua
A1  - Lu, Guanting
A1  - Chen, Xiao
A1  - Zhao, Xing-Ming
A1  - Bork, Peer
T1  - OGEE v2: an update of the online gene essentiality database with special focus on differentially essential genes in human cancer cell lines
JF  - Nucleic Acids Research
N2  - OGEE is an Online GEne Essentiality database. To enhance our understanding of the essentiality of genes, in OGEE we collected experimentally tested essential and non-essential genes, as well as associated gene properties known to contribute to gene essentiality. We focus on large-scale experiments, and complement our data with text-mining results. We organized tested genes into data sets according to their sources, and tagged those with variable essentiality statuses across data sets as conditionally essential genes, intending to highlight the complex interplay between gene functions and environments/experimental perturbations. Developments since the last public release include increased number of species and gene essentiality data sets, inclusion of non-coding essential sequences and genes with intermediate essentiality statuses. In addition, we included 16 essentiality data sets from cancer cell lines, corresponding to 9 human cancers; with OGEE, users can easily explore the shared and differentially essential genes within and between cancer types. These genes, especially those derived from cell lines that are similar to tumor samples, could reveal the oncogenic drivers, paralogous gene expression pattern and chromosomal structure of the corresponding cancer types, and can be further screened to identify targets for cancer therapy and/or new drug development. OGEE is freely available at http://ogee.medgenius.info.
KW  - human cancer cell lines
KW  - gene essentiality database
KW  - OGEE v2
Y1  - 2017
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-181334
VL  - 45
IS  - D1
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Link, Jana
A1  - Paouneskou, Dimitra
A1  - Velkova, Maria
A1  - Daryabeigi, Anahita
A1  - Laos, Triin
A1  - Labella, Sara
A1  - Barroso, Consuelo
A1  - Pacheco Piñol, Sarai
A1  - Montoya, Alex
A1  - Kramer, Holger
A1  - Woglar, Alexander
A1  - Baudrimont, Antoine
A1  - Markert, Sebastian Mathias
A1  - Stigloher, Christian
A1  - Martinez-Perez, Enrique
A1  - Dammermann, Alexander
A1  - Alsheimer, Manfred
A1  - Zetka, Monique
A1  - Jantsch, Verena
T1  - Transient and Partial Nuclear Lamina Disruption Promotes Chromosome Movement in Early Meiotic Prophase
JF  - Developmental Cell
N2  - Meiotic chromosome movement is important for the pairwise alignment of homologous chromosomes, which is required for correct chromosome segregation. Movement is driven by cytoplasmic forces, transmitted to chromosome ends by nuclear membrane-spanning proteins. In animal cells, lamins form a prominent scaffold at the nuclear periphery, yet the role lamins play in meiotic chromosome movement is unclear. We show that chromosome movement correlates with reduced lamin association with the nuclear rim, which requires lamin phosphorylation at sites analogous to those that open lamina network crosslinks in mitosis. Failure to remodel the lamina results in delayed meiotic entry, altered chromatin organization, unpaired or interlocked chromosomes, and slowed chromosome movement. The remodeling kinases are delivered to lamins via chromosome ends coupled to the nuclear envelope, potentially enabling crosstalk between the lamina and chromosomal events. Thus, opening the lamina network plays a role in modulating contacts between chromosomes and the nuclear periphery during meiosis.
KW  - meiosis
KW  - C. elegans
KW  - chromosome movement
KW  - chromosome pairing
KW  - nuclear envelope
KW  - lamin
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-236901
VL  - 45
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mooij, Wolf M
A1  - van Wijk, Dianneke
A1  - Beusen, Arthur HW
A1  - Brederveld, Robert J
A1  - Chang, Manqi
A1  - Cobben, Marleen MP
A1  - DeAngelis, Don L
A1  - Downing, Andrea S
A1  - Green, Pamela
A1  - Gsell, Alena S
A1  - Huttunen, Inese
A1  - Janse, Jan H
A1  - Janssen, Annette BG
A1  - Hengeveld, Geerten M
A1  - Kong, Xiangzhen
A1  - Kramer, Lilith
A1  - Kuiper, Jan J
A1  - Langan, Simon J
A1  - Nolet, Bart A
A1  - Nuijten, Rascha JM
A1  - Strokal, Maryna
A1  - Troost, Tineke A
A1  - van Dam, Anne A
A1  - Teurlincx, Sven
T1  - Modeling water quality in the Anthropocene: directions for the next-generation aquatic ecosystem models
JF  - Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
N2  - “Everything changes and nothing stands still” (Heraclitus). Here we review three major improvements to freshwater aquatic ecosystem models — and ecological models in general — as water quality scenario analysis tools towards a sustainable future. To tackle the rapid and deeply connected dynamics characteristic of the Anthropocene, we argue for the inclusion of eco-evolutionary, novel ecosystem and social-ecological dynamics. These dynamics arise from adaptive responses in organisms and ecosystems to global environmental change and act at different integration levels and different time scales. We provide reasons and means to incorporate each improvement into aquatic ecosystem models. Throughout this study we refer to Lake Victoria as a microcosm of the evolving novel social-ecological systems of the Anthropocene. The Lake Victoria case clearly shows how interlinked eco-evolutionary, novel ecosystem and social-ecological dynamics are, and demonstrates the need for transdisciplinary research approaches towards global sustainability.
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224173
VL  - 36
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Becher, Isabelle
A1  - Andrés-Pons, Amparo
A1  - Romanov, Natalie
A1  - Stein, Frank
A1  - Schramm, Maike
A1  - Baudin, Florence
A1  - Helm, Dominic
A1  - Kurzawa, Nils
A1  - Mateus, André
A1  - Mackmull, Marie-Therese
A1  - Typas, Athanasios
A1  - Müller, Christoph W.
A1  - Bork, Peer
A1  - Beck, Martin
A1  - Savitski, Mikhail M.
T1  - Pervasive Protein Thermal Stability Variation during the Cell Cycle
JF  - Cell
N2  - Quantitative mass spectrometry has established proteome-wide regulation of protein abundance and post-translational modifications in various biological processes. Here, we used quantitative mass spectrometry to systematically analyze the thermal stability and solubility of proteins on a proteome-wide scale during the eukaryotic cell cycle. We demonstrate pervasive variation of these biophysical parameters with most changes occurring in mitosis and G1. Various cellular pathways and components vary in thermal stability, such as cell-cycle factors, polymerases, and chromatin remodelers. We demonstrate that protein thermal stability serves as a proxy for enzyme activity, DNA binding, and complex formation in situ. Strikingly, a large cohort of intrinsically disordered and mitotically phosphorylated proteins is stabilized and solubilized in mitosis, suggesting a fundamental remodeling of the biophysical environment of the mitotic cell. Our data represent a rich resource for cell, structural, and systems biologists interested in proteome regulation during biological transitions.
KW  - thermal proteome profiling
KW  - cell cycle
KW  - proteomics
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-221565
VL  - 173
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Too, Chin Chin
A1  - Keller, Alexander
A1  - Sickel, Wiebke
A1  - Lee, Sui Mae
A1  - Yule, Catherine M.
T1  - Microbial Community Structure in a Malaysian Tropical Peat Swamp Forest: The Influence of Tree Species and Depth
JF  - Frontiers in Microbiology
N2  - Tropical peat swamp forests sequester globally significant stores of carbon in deep layers of waterlogged, anoxic, acidic and nutrient-depleted peat. The roles of microbes in supporting these forests through the formation of peat, carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling are virtually unknown. This study investigated physicochemical peat properties and microbial diversity between three dominant tree species: Shorea uliginosa (Dipterocarpaceae), Koompassia malaccensis (legumes associated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria), Eleiodoxa conferta (palm) and depths (surface, 45 and 90 cm) using microbial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Water pH, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, total phenolic contents and C/N ratio differed significantly between depths, but not tree species. Depth also strongly influenced microbial diversity and composition, while both depth and tree species exhibited significant impact on the archaeal communities. Microbial diversity was highest at the surface, where fresh leaf litter accumulates, and nutrient supply is guaranteed. Nitrogen was the core parameter correlating to microbial communities, but the interactive effects from various environmental variables displayed significant correlation to relative abundance of major microbial groups. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum and the most abundant genus, Rhodoplanes, might be involved in nitrogen fixation. The most abundant methanogens and methanotrophs affiliated, respectively, to families Methanomassiliicoccaceae and Methylocystaceae. Our results demonstrated diverse microbial communities and provide valuable insights on microbial ecology in these extreme ecosystems.
KW  - tropical peat swamp forest
KW  - metabarcoding
KW  - microbial diversity and composition
KW  - tree species
KW  - depth
KW  - methanogens
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-229000
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Prusty, Bhupesh K.
A1  - Gulve, Nitish
A1  - Govind, Sheila
A1  - Krueger, Gerhard R. F.
A1  - Feichtinger, Julia
A1  - Larcombe, Lee
A1  - Aspinall, Richard
A1  - Ablashi, Dharam V.
A1  - Toro, Carla T.
T1  - Active HHV-6 Infection of Cerebellar Purkinje Cells in Mood Disorders
JF  - Frontiers in Microbiology
N2  - Early-life infections and associated neuroinflammation is incriminated in the pathogenesis of various mood disorders. Infection with human roseoloviruses, HHV-6A and HHV-6B, allows viral latency in the central nervous system and other tissues, which can later be activated causing cognitive and behavioral disturbances. Hence, this study was designed to evaluate possible association of HHV-6A and HHV-6B activation with three different groups of psychiatric patients. DNA qPCR, immunofluorescence and FISH studies were carried out in post-mortem posterior cerebellum from 50 cases each of bipolar disorder (BPD), schizophrenia, 15 major depressive disorder (MDD) and 50 appropriate control samples obtained from two well-known brain collections (Stanley Medical Research Institute). HHV-6A and HHV-6B late proteins (indicating active infection) and viral DNA were detected more frequently (p < 0.001 for each virus) in human cerebellum in MDD and BPD relative to controls. These roseolovirus proteins and DNA were found less frequently in schizophrenia cases. Active HHV-6A and HHV-6B infection in cerebellar Purkinje cells were detected frequently in BPD and MDD cases. Furthermore, we found a significant association of HHV-6A infection with reduced Purkinje cell size, suggesting virus-mediated abnormal Purkinje cell function in these disorders. Finally, gene expression analysis of cerebellar tissue revealed changes in pathways reflecting an inflammatory response possibly to HHV-6A infection. Our results provide molecular evidence to support a role for active HHV-6A and HHV-6B infection in BPD and MDD.
KW  - HHV-6
KW  - bipolar disorder
KW  - schizophrenia
KW  - major depressive disorder
KW  - Purkinje cells
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-369222
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Milanese, Alessio
A1  - Mende, Daniel R
A1  - Paoli, Lucas
A1  - Salazar, Guillem
A1  - Ruscheweyh, Hans-Joachim
A1  - Cuenca, Miguelangel
A1  - Hingamp, Pascal
A1  - Alves, Renato
A1  - Costea, Paul I
A1  - Coelho, Luis Pedro
A1  - Schmidt, Thomas S. B.
A1  - Almeida, Alexandre
A1  - Mitchell, Alex L
A1  - Finn, Robert D.
A1  - Huerta-Cepas, Jaime
A1  - Bork, Peer
A1  - Zeller, Georg
A1  - Sunagawa, Shinichi
T1  - Microbial abundance, activity and population genomic profiling with mOTUs2
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Metagenomic sequencing has greatly improved our ability to profile the composition of environmental and host-associated microbial communities. However, the dependency of most methods on reference genomes, which are currently unavailable for a substantial fraction of microbial species, introduces estimation biases. We present an updated and functionally extended tool based on universal (i.e., reference-independent), phylogenetic marker gene (MG)-based operational taxonomic units (mOTUs) enabling the profiling of >7700 microbial species. As more than 30% of them could not previously be quantified at this taxonomic resolution, relative abundance estimates based on mOTUs are more accurate compared to other methods. As a new feature, we show that mOTUs, which are based on essential housekeeping genes, are demonstrably well-suited for quantification of basal transcriptional activity of community members. Furthermore, single nucleotide variation profiles estimated using mOTUs reflect those from whole genomes, which allows for comparing microbial strain populations (e.g., across different human body sites).
KW  - microbiome
KW  - software
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224089
VL  - 10
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Krah, Franz-Sebastian
A1  - Büntgen, Ulf
A1  - Schaefer, Hanno
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Andrew, Carrie
A1  - Boddy, Lynne
A1  - Diez, Jeffrey
A1  - Egli, Simon
A1  - Freckleton, Robert
A1  - Gange, Alan C.
A1  - Halvorsen, Rune
A1  - Heegaard, Einar
A1  - Heideroth, Antje
A1  - Heibl, Christoph
A1  - Heilmann-Clausen, Jacob
A1  - Høiland, Klaus
A1  - Kar, Ritwika
A1  - Kauserud, Håvard
A1  - Kirk, Paul M.
A1  - Kuyper, Thomas W.
A1  - Krisai-Greilhuber, Irmgard
A1  - Norden, Jenni
A1  - Papastefanou, Phillip
A1  - Senn-Irlet, Beatrice
A1  - Bässler, Claus
T1  - European mushroom assemblages are darker in cold climates
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Thermal melanism theory states that dark-colored ectotherm organisms are at an advantage at low temperature due to increased warming. This theory is generally supported for ectotherm animals, however, the function of colors in the fungal kingdom is largely unknown. Here, we test whether the color lightness of mushroom assemblages is related to climate using a dataset of 3.2 million observations of 3,054 species across Europe. Consistent with the thermal melanism theory, mushroom assemblages are significantly darker in areas with cold climates. We further show differences in color phenotype between fungal lifestyles and a lifestyle differentiated response to seasonality. These results indicate a more complex ecological role of mushroom colors and suggest functions beyond thermal adaption. Because fungi play a crucial role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycles, understanding the links between the thermal environment, functional coloration and species’ geographical distributions will be critical in predicting ecosystem responses to global warming.
KW  - evolutionary ecology
KW  - fungal ecology
KW  - fungal evolution
KW  - macroecology
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224815
VL  - 10
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Woodcock, B. A.
A1  - Garratt, M. P. D.
A1  - Powney, G. D.
A1  - Shaw, R. F.
A1  - Osborne, J. L.
A1  - Soroka, J.
A1  - Lindström, S. A. M.
A1  - Stanley, D.
A1  - Ouvrard, P.
A1  - Edwards, M. E.
A1  - Jauker, F.
A1  - McCracken, M. E.
A1  - Zou, Y.
A1  - Potts, S. G.
A1  - Rundlöf, M.
A1  - Noriega, J. A.
A1  - Greenop, A.
A1  - Smith, H. G.
A1  - Bommarco, R.
A1  - van der Werf, W.
A1  - Stout, J. C.
A1  - Steffan-Dewenter, I.
A1  - Morandin, L.
A1  - Bullock, J. M.
A1  - Pywell, R. F.
T1  - Meta-analysis reveals that pollinator functional diversity and abundance enhance crop pollination and yield
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - How insects promote crop pollination remains poorly understood in terms of the contribution of functional trait differences between species. We used meta-analyses to test for correlations between community abundance, species richness and functional trait metrics with oilseed rape yield, a globally important crop. While overall abundance is consistently important in predicting yield, functional divergence between species traits also showed a positive correlation. This result supports the complementarity hypothesis that pollination function is maintained by non-overlapping trait distributions. In artificially constructed communities (mesocosms), species richness is positively correlated with yield, although this effect is not seen under field conditions. As traits of the dominant species do not predict yield above that attributed to the effect of abundance alone, we find no evidence in support of the mass ratio hypothesis. Management practices increasing not just pollinator abundance, but also functional divergence, could benefit oilseed rape agriculture.
KW  - agroecology
KW  - agriculture
KW  - ecosystem services
KW  - environmental sciences
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233787
VL  - 10
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Wegert, Jenny
A1  - Vokuhl, Christian
A1  - Collord, Grace
A1  - Del Castillo Velasco-Herrera, Martin
A1  - Farndon, Sarah J.
A1  - Guzzo, Charlotte
A1  - Jorgensen, Mette
A1  - Anderson, John
A1  - Slater, Olga
A1  - Duncan, Catriona
A1  - Bausenwein, Sabrina
A1  - Streitenberger, Heike
A1  - Ziegler, Barbara
A1  - Furtwängler, Rhoikos
A1  - Graf, Norbert
A1  - Stratton, Michael R.
A1  - Campbell, Peter J.
A1  - Jones, David TW
A1  - Koelsche, Christian
A1  - Pfister, Stefan M.
A1  - Mifsud, William
A1  - Sebire, Neil
A1  - Sparber-Sauer, Monika
A1  - Koscielniak, Ewa
A1  - Rosenwald, Andreas
A1  - Gessler, Manfred
A1  - Behjati, Sam
T1  - Recurrent intragenic rearrangements of EGFR and BRAF in soft tissue tumors of infants
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Soft tissue tumors of infancy encompass an overlapping spectrum of diseases that pose unique diagnostic and clinical challenges. We studied genomes and transcriptomes of cryptogenic congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN), and extended our findings to five anatomically or histologically related soft tissue tumors: infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS), nephroblastomatosis, Wilms tumor, malignant rhabdoid tumor, and clear cell sarcoma of the kidney. A key finding is recurrent mutation of EGFR in CMN by internal tandem duplication of the kinase domain, thus delineating CMN from other childhood renal tumors. Furthermore, we identify BRAF intragenic rearrangements in CMN and IFS. Collectively these findings reveal novel diagnostic markers and therapeutic strategies and highlight a prominent role of isolated intragenic rearrangements as drivers of infant tumors.
KW  - cancer
KW  - genetics
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233446
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Vujanić, Gordan M.
A1  - Gessler, Manfred
A1  - Ooms, Ariadne H. A. G.
A1  - Collini, Paola
A1  - Coulomb-l'Hermine, Aurore
A1  - D'Hooghe, Ellen
A1  - de Krijger, Ronald R.
A1  - Perotti, Daniela
A1  - Pritchard-Jones, Kathy
A1  - Vokuhl, Christian
A1  - van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Marry M.
A1  - Graf, Norbert
T1  - The UMBRELLA SIOP–RTSG 2016 Wilms tumour pathology and molecular biology protocol
JF  - Nature Reviews Urology
N2  - On the basis of the results of previous national and international trials and studies, the Renal Tumour Study Group of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP–RTSG) has developed a new study protocol for paediatric renal tumours: the UMBRELLA SIOP–RTSG 2016 protocol (the UMBRELLA protocol). Currently, the overall outcomes of patients with Wilms tumour are excellent, but subgroups with poor prognosis and increased relapse rates still exist. The identification of these subgroups is of utmost importance to improve treatment stratification, which might lead to reduction of the direct and late effects of chemotherapy. The UMBRELLA protocol aims to validate new prognostic factors, such as blastemal tumour volume and molecular markers, to further improve outcome. To achieve this aim, large, international, high-quality databases are needed, which dictate optimization and international harmonization of specimen handling and comprehensive sampling of biological material, refine definitions and improve logistics for expert review. To promote broad implementation of the UMBRELLA protocol, the updated SIOP–RTSG pathology and molecular biology protocol for Wilms tumours has been outlined, which is a consensus from the SIOP–RTSG pathology panel.
KW  - molecular biology
KW  - paediatric cancer
KW  - pathology
KW  - renal cancer
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233265
VL  - 15
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Sommerfeld, Andreas
A1  - Senf, Cornelius
A1  - Buma, Brian
A1  - D'Amato, Anthony W.
A1  - Després, Tiphaine
A1  - Díaz-Hormazábal, Ignacio
A1  - Fraver, Shawn
A1  - Frelich, Lee E.
A1  - Gutiérrez, Álvaro G.
A1  - Hart, Sarah J.
A1  - Harvey, Brian J.
A1  - He, Hong S.
A1  - Hlásny, Tomáš
A1  - Holz, Andrés
A1  - Kitzberger, Thomas
A1  - Kulakowski, Dominik
A1  - Lindenmayer, David
A1  - Mori, Akira S.
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Paritsis, Juan
A1  - Perry, George L. W.
A1  - Stephens, Scott L.
A1  - Svoboda, Miroslav
A1  - Turner, Monica G.
A1  - Veblen, Thomas T.
A1  - Seidl, Rupert
T1  - Patterns and drivers of recent disturbances across the temperate forest biome
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Increasing evidence indicates that forest disturbances are changing in response to global change, yet local variability in disturbance remains high. We quantified this considerable variability and analyzed whether recent disturbance episodes around the globe were consistently driven by climate, and if human influence modulates patterns of forest disturbance. We combined remote sensing data on recent (2001–2014) disturbances with in-depth local information for 50 protected landscapes and their surroundings across the temperate biome. Disturbance patterns are highly variable, and shaped by variation in disturbance agents and traits of prevailing tree species. However, high disturbance activity is consistently linked to warmer and drier than average conditions across the globe. Disturbances in protected areas are smaller and more complex in shape compared to their surroundings affected by human land use. This signal disappears in areas with high recent natural disturbance activity, underlining the potential of climate-mediated disturbance to transform forest landscapes.
KW  - forest ecology
KW  - forestry
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-239157
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Snaebjornsson, Marteinn T
A1  - Schulze, Almut
T1  - Non-canonical functions of enzymes facilitate cross-talk between cell metabolic and regulatory pathways
JF  - Experimental & Molecular Medicine
N2  - The metabolic rewiring that occurs during cell transformation is a hallmark of cancer. It is diverse in different cancers as it reflects different combinations of oncogenic drivers, tumor suppressors, and the microenvironment. Metabolic rewiring is essential to cancer as it enables uncontrolled proliferation and adaptation to the fluctuating availability of nutrients and oxygen caused by poor access to the vasculature due to tumor growth and a foreign microenvironment encountered during metastasis. Increasing evidence now indicates that the metabolic state in cancer cells also plays a causal role in tumor growth and metastasis, for example through the action of oncometabolites, which modulate cell signaling and epigenetic pathways to promote malignancy. In addition to altering the metabolic state in cancer cells, some multifunctional enzymes possess non-metabolic functions that also contribute to cell transformation. Some multifunctional enzymes that are highly expressed in cancer, such as pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), have non-canonical functions that are co-opted by oncogenic signaling to drive proliferation and inhibit apoptosis. Other multifunctional enzymes that are frequently downregulated in cancer, such as fructose-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1), are tumor suppressors, directly opposing mitogenic signaling via their non-canonical functions. In some cases, the enzymatic and non-canonical roles of these enzymes are functionally linked, making the modulation of non-metabolic cellular processes dependent on the metabolic state of the cell.
KW  - cancer metabolism
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-238763
VL  - 50
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Selkrig, Joel
A1  - Mohammad, Farhan
A1  - Ng, Soon Hwee
A1  - Chua, Jia Yi
A1  - Tumkaya, Tayfun
A1  - Ho, Joses
A1  - Chiang, Yin Ning
A1  - Rieger, Dirk
A1  - Pettersson, Sven
A1  - Helfrich-Förster, Charlotte
A1  - Yew, Joanne Y.
A1  - Claridge-Chang, Adam
T1  - The Drosophila microbiome has a limited influence on sleep, activity, and courtship behaviors
JF  - Scientific Reports
N2  - In animals, commensal microbes modulate various physiological functions, including behavior. While microbiota exposure is required for normal behavior in mammals, it is not known how widely this dependency is present in other animal species. We proposed the hypothesis that the microbiome has a major influence on the behavior of the vinegar fly (Drosophila melanogaster), a major invertebrate model organism. Several assays were used to test the contribution of the microbiome on some well-characterized behaviors: defensive behavior, sleep, locomotion, and courtship in microbe-bearing, control flies and two generations of germ-free animals. None of the behaviors were largely influenced by the absence of a microbiome, and the small or moderate effects were not generalizable between replicates and/or generations. These results refute the hypothesis, indicating that the Drosophila microbiome does not have a major influence over several behaviors fundamental to the animal’s survival and reproduction. The impact of commensal microbes on animal behaviour may not be broadly conserved.
KW  - behavioural ecology
KW  - sleep
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235891
VL  - 8
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Nerreter, Thomas
A1  - Letschert, Sebastian
A1  - Götz, Ralph
A1  - Doose, Sören
A1  - Danhof, Sophia
A1  - Einsele, Hermann
A1  - Sauer, Markus
A1  - Hudecek, Michael
T1  - Super-resolution microscopy reveals ultra-low CD19 expression on myeloma cells that triggers elimination by CD19 CAR-T
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T-cells (CAR-T) is under investigation in multiple myeloma. There are reports of myeloma remission after CD19 CAR-T therapy, although CD19 is hardly detectable on myeloma cells by flow cytometry (FC). We apply single molecule-sensitive direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM), and demonstrate CD19 expression on a fraction of myeloma cells (10.3–80%) in 10 out of 14 patients (density: 13–5,000 molecules per cell). In contrast, FC detects CD19 in only 2 of these 10 patients, on a smaller fraction of cells. Treatment with CD19 CAR-T in vitro results in elimination of CD19-positive myeloma cells, including those with <100 CD19 molecules per cell. Similar data are obtained by dSTORM analyses of CD20 expression on myeloma cells and CD20 CAR-T. These data establish a sensitivity threshold for CAR-T and illustrate how super-resolution microscopy can guide patient selection in immunotherapy to exploit ultra-low density antigens.
KW  - cancer imaging
KW  - cancer immunotherapy
KW  - imaging
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232258
VL  - 10
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Müller, Laura S. M.
A1  - Cosentino, Raúl O.
A1  - Förstner, Konrad U.
A1  - Guizetti, Julien
A1  - Wedel, Carolin
A1  - Kaplan, Noam
A1  - Janzen, Christian J.
A1  - Arampatzi, Panagiota
A1  - Vogel, Jörg
A1  - Steinbiss, Sascha
A1  - Otto, Thomas D.
A1  - Saliba, Antoine-Emmanuel
A1  - Sebra, Robert P.
A1  - Siegel, T. Nicolai
T1  - Genome organization and DNA accessibility control antigenic variation in trypanosomes
JF  - Nature
N2  - Many evolutionarily distant pathogenic organisms have evolved similar survival strategies to evade the immune responses of their hosts. These include antigenic variation, through which an infecting organism prevents clearance by periodically altering the identity of proteins that are visible to the immune system of the host1. Antigenic variation requires large reservoirs of immunologically diverse antigen genes, which are often generated through homologous recombination, as well as mechanisms to ensure the expression of one or very few antigens at any given time. Both homologous recombination and gene expression are affected by three-dimensional genome architecture and local DNA accessibility2,3. Factors that link three-dimensional genome architecture, local chromatin conformation and antigenic variation have, to our knowledge, not yet been identified in any organism. One of the major obstacles to studying the role of genome architecture in antigenic variation has been the highly repetitive nature and heterozygosity of antigen-gene arrays, which has precluded complete genome assembly in many pathogens. Here we report the de novo haplotype-specific assembly and scaffolding of the long antigen-gene arrays of the model protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, using long-read sequencing technology and conserved features of chromosome folding4. Genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) reveals a distinct partitioning of the genome, with antigen-encoding subtelomeric regions that are folded into distinct, highly compact compartments. In addition, we performed a range of analyses—Hi-C, fluorescence in situ hybridization, assays for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing—that showed that deletion of the histone variants H3.V and H4.V increases antigen-gene clustering, DNA accessibility across sites of antigen expression and switching of the expressed antigen isoform, via homologous recombination. Our analyses identify histone variants as a molecular link between global genome architecture, local chromatin conformation and antigenic variation.
KW  - histone variants
KW  - genome architecture
KW  - single molecule real time (SMRT)
KW  - brucei genome
KW  - distance-dependent decay
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224265
VL  - 563
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mercier, Rebecca
A1  - Wolmarans, Annemarie
A1  - Schubert, Jonathan
A1  - Neuweiler, Hannes
A1  - Johnson, Jill L.
A1  - LaPointe, Paul
T1  - The conserved NxNNWHW motif in Aha-type co-chaperones modulates the kinetics of Hsp90 ATPase stimulation
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Hsp90 is a dimeric molecular chaperone that is essential for the folding and activation of hundreds of client proteins. Co-chaperone proteins regulate the ATP-driven Hsp90 client activation cycle. Aha-type co-chaperones are the most potent stimulators of the Hsp90 ATPase activity but the relationship between ATPase regulation and in vivo activity is poorly understood. We report here that the most strongly conserved region of Aha-type co-chaperones, the N terminal NxNNWHW motif, modulates the apparent affinity of Hsp90 for nucleotide substrates. The ability of yeast Aha-type co-chaperones to act in vivo is ablated when the N terminal NxNNWHW motif is removed. This work suggests that nucleotide exchange during the Hsp90 functional cycle may be more important than rate of catalysis.
KW  - biophysics
KW  - cell growth
KW  - chaperones
KW  - enzymes
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224007
VL  - 10
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lübcke, Paul M.
A1  - Ebbers, Meinolf N. B.
A1  - Volzke, Johann
A1  - Bull, Jana
A1  - Kneitz, Susanne
A1  - Engelmann, Robby
A1  - Lang, Hermann
A1  - Kreikemeyer, Bernd
A1  - Müller-Hilke, Brigitte
T1  - Periodontal treatment prevents arthritis in mice and methotrexate ameliorates periodontal bone loss
JF  - Scientific Reports
N2  - Recent studies indicate a causal relationship between the periodontal pathogen P. gingivalis and rheumatoid arthritis involving the production of autoantibodies against citrullinated peptides. We therefore postulated that therapeutic eradication P. gingivalis may ameliorate rheumatoid arthritis development and here turned to a mouse model in order to challenge our hypothesis. F1 (DBA/1 x B10.Q) mice were orally inoculated with P. gingivalis before collagen-induced arthritis was provoked. Chlorhexidine or metronidazole were orally administered either before or during the induction phase of arthritis and their effects on arthritis progression and alveolar bone loss were compared to intraperitoneally injected methotrexate. Arthritis incidence and severity were macroscopically scored and alveolar bone loss was evaluated via microcomputed tomography. Serum antibody titres against P. gingivalis were quantified by ELISA and microbial dysbiosis following oral inoculation was monitored in stool samples via microbiome analyses. Both, oral chlorhexidine and metronidazole reduced the incidence and ameliorated the severity of collagen-induced arthritis comparable to methotrexate. Likewise, all three therapies attenuated alveolar bone loss. Relative abundance of Porphyromonadaceae was increased after oral inoculation with P. gingivalis and decreased after treatment. This is the first study to describe beneficial effects of non-surgical periodontal treatment on collagen-induced arthritis in mice and suggests that mouthwash with chlorhexidine or metronidazole may also be beneficial for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and a coexisting periodontitis. Methotrexate ameliorated periodontitis in mice, further raising the possibility that methotrexate may also positively impact on the tooth supporting tissues of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
KW  - rheumatic diseases
KW  - rheumatology
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-237355
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lu, Yuan
A1  - Boswell, Wiliam
A1  - Boswell, Mikki
A1  - Klotz, Barbara
A1  - Kneitz, Susanne
A1  - Regneri, Janine
A1  - Savage, Markita
A1  - Mendoza, Cristina
A1  - Postlethwait, John
A1  - Warren, Wesley C.
A1  - Schartl, Manfred
A1  - Walter, Ronald B.
T1  - Application of the Transcriptional Disease Signature (TDSs) to Screen Melanoma-Effective Compounds in a Small Fish Model
JF  - Scientific Reports
N2  - Cell culture and protein target-based compound screening strategies, though broadly utilized in selecting candidate compounds, often fail to eliminate candidate compounds with non-target effects and/or safety concerns until late in the drug developmental process. Phenotype screening using intact research animals is attractive because it can help identify small molecule candidate compounds that have a high probability of proceeding to clinical use. Most FDA approved, first-in-class small molecules were identified from phenotypic screening. However, phenotypic screening using rodent models is labor intensive, low-throughput, and very expensive. As a novel alternative for small molecule screening, we have been developing gene expression disease profiles, termed the Transcriptional Disease Signature (TDS), as readout of small molecule screens for therapeutic molecules. In this concept, compounds that can reverse, or otherwise affect known disease-associated gene expression patterns in whole animals may be rapidly identified for more detailed downstream direct testing of their efficacy and mode of action. To establish proof of concept for this screening strategy, we employed a transgenic strain of a small aquarium fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), that overexpresses the malignant melanoma driver gene xmrk, a mutant egfr gene, that is driven by a pigment cell-specific mitf promoter. In this model, melanoma develops with 100% penetrance. Using the transgenic medaka malignant melanoma model, we established a screening system that employs the NanoString nCounter platform to quantify gene expression within custom sets of TDS gene targets that we had previously shown to exhibit differential transcription among xmrk-transgenic and wild-type medaka. Compound-modulated gene expression was identified using an internet-accessible custom-built data processing pipeline. The effect of a given drug on the entire TDS profile was estimated by comparing compound-modulated genes in the TDS using an activation Z-score and Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistics. TDS gene probes were designed that target common signaling pathways that include proliferation, development, toxicity, immune function, metabolism and detoxification. These pathways may be utilized to evaluate candidate compounds for potential favorable, or unfavorable, effects on melanoma-associated gene expression. Here we present the logistics of using medaka to screen compounds, as well as, the development of a user-friendly NanoString data analysis pipeline to support feasibility of this novel TDS drug-screening strategy.
KW  - bioinformatics
KW  - phenotypic screening
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-237322
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kraus, Michael
A1  - Grimm, Clemens
A1  - Seibel, Jürgen
T1  - Reversibility of a Point Mutation Induced Domain Shift: Expanding the Conformational Space of a Sucrose Phosphorylase
JF  - Scientific Reports
N2  - Despite their popularity as enzyme engineering targets structural information about Sucrose Phosphorylases remains scarce. We recently clarified that the Q345F variant of Bifidobacterium adolescentis Sucrose Phosphorylase is able to accept large polyphenolic substrates like resveratrol via a domain shift. Here we present a crystal structure of this variant in a conformation suitable for the accommodation of the donor substrate sucrose in excellent agreement with the wild type structure. Remarkably, this conformation does not feature the previously observed domain shift which is therefore reversible and part of a dynamic process rather than a static phenomenon. This crystallographic snapshot completes our understanding of the catalytic cycle of this useful variant and will allow for a more rational design of further generations of Sucrose Phosphorylase variants.
KW  - biocatalysis
KW  - X-ray crystallography
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224845
VL  - 8
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kraus, Amelie J.
A1  - Brink, Benedikt G.
A1  - Siegel, T. Nicolai
T1  - Efficient and specific oligo-based depletion of rRNA
JF  - Scientific Reports
N2  - In most organisms, ribosomal RNA (rRNA) contributes to >85% of total RNA. Thus, to obtain useful information from RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses at reasonable sequencing depth, typically, mature polyadenylated transcripts are enriched or rRNA molecules are depleted. Targeted depletion of rRNA is particularly useful when studying transcripts lacking a poly(A) tail, such as some non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), most bacterial RNAs and partially degraded or immature transcripts. While several commercially available kits allow effective rRNA depletion, their efficiency relies on a high degree of sequence homology between oligonucleotide probes and the target RNA. This restricts the use of such kits to a limited number of organisms with conserved rRNA sequences. In this study we describe the use of biotinylated oligos and streptavidin-coated paramagnetic beads for the efficient and specific depletion of trypanosomal rRNA. Our approach reduces the levels of the most abundant rRNA transcripts to less than 5% with minimal off-target effects. By adjusting the sequence of the oligonucleotide probes, our approach can be used to deplete rRNAs or other abundant transcripts independent of species. Thus, our protocol provides a useful alternative for rRNA removal where enrichment of polyadenylated transcripts is not an option and commercial kits for rRNA are not available.
KW  - parasite biology
KW  - RNA sequencing
KW  - transcriptomics
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224829
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kim, Bo-Mi
A1  - Amores, Angel
A1  - Kang, Seunghyun
A1  - Ahn, Do-Hwan
A1  - Kim, Jin-Hyoung
A1  - Kim, Il-Chan
A1  - Lee, Jun Hyuck
A1  - Lee, Sung Gu
A1  - Lee, Hyoungseok
A1  - Lee, Jungeun
A1  - Kim, Han-Woo
A1  - Desvignes, Thomas
A1  - Batzel, Peter
A1  - Sydes, Jason
A1  - Titus, Tom
A1  - Wilson, Catherine A.
A1  - Catchen, Julian M.
A1  - Warren, Wesley C.
A1  - Schartl, Manfred
A1  - Detrich, H. William III
A1  - Postlethwait, John H.
A1  - Park, Hyun
T1  - Antarctic blackfin icefish genome reveals adaptations to extreme environments
JF  - Nature Ecology & Evolution
N2  - Icefishes (suborder Notothenioidei; family Channichthyidae) are the only vertebrates that lack functional haemoglobin genes and red blood cells. Here, we report a high-quality genome assembly and linkage map for the Antarctic blackfin icefish Chaenocephalus aceratus, highlighting evolved genomic features for its unique physiology. Phylogenomic analysis revealed that Antarctic fish of the teleost suborder Notothenioidei, including icefishes, diverged from the stickleback lineage about 77 million years ago and subsequently evolved cold-adapted phenotypes as the Southern Ocean cooled to sub-zero temperatures. Our results show that genes involved in protection from ice damage, including genes encoding antifreeze glycoprotein and zona pellucida proteins, are highly expanded in the icefish genome. Furthermore, genes that encode enzymes that help to control cellular redox state, including members of the sod3 and nqo1 gene families, are expanded, probably as evolutionary adaptations to the relatively high concentration of oxygen dissolved in cold Antarctic waters. In contrast, some crucial regulators of circadian homeostasis (cry and per genes) are absent from the icefish genome, suggesting compromised control of biological rhythms in the polar light environment. The availability of the icefish genome sequence will accelerate our understanding of adaptation to extreme Antarctic environments.
KW  - animal physiology
KW  - evolutionary genetics
KW  - genomics
KW  - ichthyology
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325811
VL  - 3
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hines, Rochelle M.
A1  - Maric, Hans Michael
A1  - Hines, Dustin J.
A1  - Modgil, Amit
A1  - Panzanelli, Patrizia
A1  - Nakamura, Yasuko
A1  - Nathanson, Anna J.
A1  - Cross, Alan
A1  - Deeb, Tarek
A1  - Brandon, Nicholas J.
A1  - Davies, Paul
A1  - Fritschy, Jean-Marc
A1  - Schindelin, Hermann
A1  - Moss, Stephen J.
T1  - Developmental seizures and mortality result from reducing GABAA receptor α2-subunit interaction with collybistin
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Fast inhibitory synaptic transmission is mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAARs) that are enriched at functionally diverse synapses via mechanisms that remain unclear. Using isothermal titration calorimetry and complementary methods we demonstrate an exclusive low micromolar binding of collybistin to the α2-subunit of GABAARs. To explore the biological relevance of collybistin-α2-subunit selectivity, we generate mice with a mutation in the α2-subunit-collybistin binding region (Gabra2-1). The mutation results in loss of a distinct subset of inhibitory synapses and decreased amplitude of inhibitory synaptic currents. Gabra2–1 mice have a striking phenotype characterized by increased susceptibility to seizures and early mortality. Surviving Gabra2-1 mice show anxiety and elevations in electroencephalogram δ power, which are ameliorated by treatment with the α2/α3-selective positive modulator, AZD7325. Taken together, our results demonstrate an α2-subunit selective binding of collybistin, which plays a key role in patterned brain activity, particularly during development.
KW  - cellular neuroscience
KW  - ion channels in the nervous system
KW  - neurotransmitters
KW  - synaptic development
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320719
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hennrich, Marco L.
A1  - Romanov, Natalie
A1  - Horn, Patrick
A1  - Jaeger, Samira
A1  - Eckstein, Volker
A1  - Steeples, Violetta
A1  - Ye, Fei
A1  - Ding, Ximing
A1  - Poisa-Beiro, Laura
A1  - Mang, Ching Lai
A1  - Lang, Benjamin
A1  - Boultwood, Jacqueline
A1  - Luft, Thomas
A1  - Zaugg, Judith B.
A1  - Pellagatti, Andrea
A1  - Bork, Peer
A1  - Aloy, Patrick
A1  - Gavin, Anne-Claude
A1  - Ho, Anthony D.
T1  - Cell-specific proteome analyses of human bone marrow reveal molecular features of age-dependent functional decline
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Diminishing potential to replace damaged tissues is a hallmark for ageing of somatic stem cells, but the mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we present proteome-wide atlases of age-associated alterations in human haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HPCs) and five other cell populations that constitute the bone marrow niche. For each, the abundance of a large fraction of the ~12,000 proteins identified is assessed in 59 human subjects from different ages. As the HPCs become older, pathways in central carbon metabolism exhibit features reminiscent of the Warburg effect, where glycolytic intermediates are rerouted towards anabolism. Simultaneously, altered abundance of early regulators of HPC differentiation reveals a reduced functionality and a bias towards myeloid differentiation. Ageing causes alterations in the bone marrow niche too, and diminishes the functionality of the pathways involved in HPC homing. The data represent a valuable resource for further analyses, and for validation of knowledge gained from animal models.
KW  - ageing
KW  - haematopoietic stem cells
KW  - mesenchymal stem cells
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319877
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Heil, Hannah S.
A1  - Schreiber, Benjamin
A1  - Götz, Ralph
A1  - Emmerling, Monika
A1  - Dabauvalle, Marie-Christine
A1  - Krohne, Georg
A1  - Höfling, Sven
A1  - Kamp, Martin
A1  - Sauer, Markus
A1  - Heinze, Katrin G.
T1  - Sharpening emitter localization in front of a tuned mirror
JF  - Light: Science & Applications
N2  - Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) aims for maximized precision and a high signal-to-noise ratio1. Both features can be provided by placing the emitter in front of a metal-dielectric nanocoating that acts as a tuned mirror2,3,4. Here, we demonstrate that a higher photon yield at a lower background on biocompatible metal-dielectric nanocoatings substantially improves SMLM performance and increases the localization precision by up to a factor of two. The resolution improvement relies solely on easy-to-fabricate nanocoatings on standard glass coverslips and is spectrally and spatially tunable by the layer design and wavelength, as experimentally demonstrated for dual-color SMLM in cells.
KW  - imaging and sensing
KW  - super-resolution microscopy
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228080
VL  - 7
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gröbner, Susanne N.
A1  - Worst, Barbara C.
A1  - Weischenfeldt, Joachim
A1  - Buchhalter, Ivo
A1  - Kleinheinz, Kortine
A1  - Rudneva, Vasilisa A.
A1  - Johann, Pascal D.
A1  - Balasubramanian, Gnana Prakash
A1  - Segura-Wang, Maia
A1  - Brabetz, Sebastian
A1  - Bender, Sebastian
A1  - Hutter, Barbara
A1  - Sturm, Dominik
A1  - Pfaff, Elke
A1  - Hübschmann, Daniel
A1  - Zipprich, Gideon
A1  - Heinold, Michael
A1  - Eils, Jürgen
A1  - Lawerenz, Christian
A1  - Erkek, Serap
A1  - Lambo, Sander
A1  - Waszak, Sebastian
A1  - Blattmann, Claudia
A1  - Borkhardt, Arndt
A1  - Kuhlen, Michaela
A1  - Eggert, Angelika
A1  - Fulda, Simone
A1  - Gessler, Manfred
A1  - Wegert, Jenny
A1  - Kappler, Roland
A1  - Baumhoer, Daniel
A1  - Stefan, Burdach
A1  - Kirschner-Schwabe, Renate
A1  - Kontny, Udo
A1  - Kulozik, Andreas E.
A1  - Lohmann, Dietmar
A1  - Hettmer, Simone
A1  - Eckert, Cornelia
A1  - Bielack, Stefan
A1  - Nathrath, Michaela
A1  - Niemeyer, Charlotte
A1  - Richter, Günther H.
A1  - Schulte, Johannes
A1  - Siebert, Reiner
A1  - Westermann, Frank
A1  - Molenaar, Jan J.
A1  - Vassal, Gilles
A1  - Witt, Hendrik
A1  - Burkhardt, Birgit
A1  - Kratz, Christian P.
A1  - Witt, Olaf
A1  - van Tilburg, Cornelis M.
A1  - Kramm, Christof M.
A1  - Fleischhack, Gudrun
A1  - Dirksen, Uta
A1  - Rutkowski, Stefan
A1  - Frühwald, Michael
A1  - Hoff, Katja von
A1  - Wolf, Stephan
A1  - Klingebeil, Thomas
A1  - Koscielniak, Ewa
A1  - Landgraf, Pablo
A1  - Koster, Jan
A1  - Resnick, Adam C.
A1  - Zhang, Jinghui
A1  - Liu, Yanling
A1  - Zhou, Xin
A1  - Waanders, Angela J.
A1  - Zwijnenburg, Danny A.
A1  - Raman, Pichai
A1  - Brors, Benedikt
A1  - Weber, Ursula D.
A1  - Northcott, Paul A.
A1  - Pajtler, Kristian W.
A1  - Kool, Marcel
A1  - Piro, Rosario M.
A1  - Korbel, Jan O.
A1  - Schlesner, Matthias
A1  - Eils, Roland
A1  - Jones, David T. W.
A1  - Lichter, Peter
A1  - Chavez, Lukas
A1  - Zapatka, Marc
A1  - Pfister, Stefan M.
T1  - The landscape of genomic alterations across childhood cancers
JF  - Nature
N2  - Pan-cancer analyses that examine commonalities and differences among various cancer types have emerged as a powerful way to obtain novel insights into cancer biology. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of genetic alterations in a pan-cancer cohort including 961 tumours from children, adolescents, and young adults, comprising 24 distinct molecular types of cancer. Using a standardized workflow, we identified marked differences in terms of mutation frequency and significantly mutated genes in comparison to previously analysed adult cancers. Genetic alterations in 149 putative cancer driver genes separate the tumours into two classes: small mutation and structural/copy-number variant (correlating with germline variants). Structural variants, hyperdiploidy, and chromothripsis are linked to TP53 mutation status and mutational signatures. Our data suggest that 7–8% of the children in this cohort carry an unambiguous predisposing germline variant and that nearly 50% of paediatric neoplasms harbour a potentially druggable event, which is highly relevant for the design of future clinical trials.
KW  - cancer genomics
KW  - oncogenesis
KW  - paediatric cancer
KW  - predictive markers
KW  - translational research
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-229579
VL  - 555
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Franchini, Paolo
A1  - Jones, Julia C.
A1  - Xiong, Peiwen
A1  - Kneitz, Susanne
A1  - Gompert, Zachariah
A1  - Warren, Wesley C.
A1  - Walter, Ronald B.
A1  - Meyer, Axel
A1  - Schartl, Manfred
T1  - Long-term experimental hybridisation results in the evolution of a new sex chromosome in swordtail fish
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - The remarkable diversity of sex determination mechanisms known in fish may be fuelled by exceptionally high rates of sex chromosome turnovers or transitions. However, the evolutionary causes and genomic mechanisms underlying this variation and instability are yet to be understood. Here we report on an over 30-year evolutionary experiment in which we tested the genomic consequences of hybridisation and selection between two Xiphophorus fish species with different sex chromosome systems. We find that introgression and imposing selection for pigmentation phenotypes results in the retention of an unexpectedly large maternally derived genomic region. During the hybridisation process, the sex-determining region of the X chromosome from one parental species was translocated to an autosome in the hybrids leading to the evolution of a new sex chromosome. Our results highlight the complexity of factors contributing to patterns observed in hybrid genomes, and we experimentally demonstrate that hybridisation can catalyze rapid evolution of a new sex chromosome.
KW  - evolutionary genetics
KW  - experimental evolution
KW  - genome evolution
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228396
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Letunic, Ivica
A1  - Khedkar, Supriya
A1  - Bork, Peer
T1  - SMART: recent updates, new developments and status in 2020
JF  - Nucleic Acids Research
N2  - SMART (Simple Modular Architecture Research Tool) is a web resource (https://smart.embl.de) for the identification and annotation of protein domains and the analysis of protein domain architectures. SMART version 9 contains manually curatedmodels formore than 1300 protein domains, with a topical set of 68 new models added since our last update article (1). All the new models are for diverse recombinase families and subfamilies and as a set they provide a comprehensive overview of mobile element recombinases namely transposase, integrase, relaxase, resolvase, cas1 casposase and Xer like cellular recombinase. Further updates include the synchronization of the underlying protein databases with UniProt (2), Ensembl (3) and STRING (4), greatly increasing the total number of annotated domains and other protein features available in architecture analysis mode. Furthermore, SMART's vector-based protein display engine has been extended and updated to use the latest web technologies and the domain architecture analysis components have been optimized to handle the increased number of protein features available.
KW  - SMART
KW  - SMART version 9
KW  - protein domains
KW  - protein domain architectures
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-363816
VL  - 49
IS  - D1
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Loos, Jacqueline
A1  - Krauss, Jochen
A1  - Lyons, Ashley
A1  - Föst, Stephanie
A1  - Ohlendorf, Constanze
A1  - Racky, Severin
A1  - Röder, Marina
A1  - Hudel, Lennart
A1  - Herfert, Volker
A1  - Tscharntke, Teja
T1  - Local and landscape responses of biodiversity in calcareous grasslands
JF  - Biodiversity and Conservation
N2  - Across Europe, calcareous grasslands become increasingly fragmented and their quality deteriorates through abandonment and land use intensification, both affecting biodiversity. Here, we investigated local and landscape effects on diversity patterns of several taxonomic groups in a landscape of highly fragmented calcareous grassland remnants. We surveyed 31 grassland fragments near Göttingen, Germany, in spring and summer 2017 for vascular plants, butterflies and birds, with sampling effort adapted to fragment area. Through regression modelling, we tested relationships between species richness and fragment size (from 314 to 51,395 m\(^2\)), successional stage, habitat connectivity and the per cent cover of arable land in the landscape at several radii. We detected 283 plant species, 53 butterfly species and 70 bird species. Of these, 59 plant species, 19 butterfly species and 9 bird species were grassland specialists. Larger fragments supported twice the species richness of plants than small ones, and hosted more species of butterflies, but not of birds. Larger grassland fragments contained more grassland specialist plants, but not butterfly or bird specialists. Increasing amounts of arable land in the landscape from 20 to 90% was related to the loss of a third of species of plants, and less so, of butterflies, but not of birds. Per cent cover of arable land negatively correlated to richness of grassland specialist plants and butterflies, but positively to grassland specialist birds. We found no effect by successional stages and habitat connectivity. Our multi-taxa approach highlights the need for conservation management at the local scale, complemented by measures at the landscape scale.
KW  - abandonment
KW  - birds
KW  - butterflies
KW  - land use intensification
KW  - nature conservation
KW  - vascular plants
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-308595
SN  - 0960-3115
SN  - 1572-9710
VL  - 30
IS  - 8-9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Eckert, Johanna
A1  - Bohn, Manuel
A1  - Spaethe, Johannes
T1  - Does quantity matter to a stingless bee?
JF  - Animal Cognition
N2  - Quantitative information is omnipresent in the world and a wide range of species has been shown to use quantities to optimize their decisions. While most studies have focused on vertebrates, a growing body of research demonstrates that also insects such as honeybees possess basic quantitative abilities that might aid them in finding profitable flower patches. However, it remains unclear if for insects, quantity is a salient feature relative to other stimulus dimensions, or if it is only used as a “last resort” strategy in case other stimulus dimensions are inconclusive. Here, we tested the stingless bee Trigona fuscipennis, a species representative of a vastly understudied group of tropical pollinators, in a quantity discrimination task. In four experiments, we trained wild, free-flying bees on stimuli that depicted either one or four elements. Subsequently, bees were confronted with a choice between stimuli that matched the training stimulus either in terms of quantity or another stimulus dimension. We found that bees were able to discriminate between the two quantities, but performance differed depending on which quantity was rewarded. Furthermore, quantity was more salient than was shape. However, quantity did not measurably influence the bees' decisions when contrasted with color or surface area. Our results demonstrate that just as honeybees, small-brained stingless bees also possess basic quantitative abilities. Moreover, invertebrate pollinators seem to utilize quantity not only as "last resort" but as a salient stimulus dimension. Our study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on quantitative cognition in invertebrate species and adds to our understanding of the evolution of numerical cognition.
KW  - numerical cognition
KW  - insects
KW  - Trigona fuscipennis
KW  - associative learning
KW  - quantity discrimination
KW  - behavioral experiments
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-307696
SN  - 1435-9448
SN  - 1435-9456
VL  - 25
IS  - 3
ER  -