TY - JOUR A1 - Nagy, Dóra A1 - Cusumano, Paola A1 - Andreatta, Gabriele A1 - Martin Anduaga, Ane A1 - Hermann-Luibl, Christiane A1 - Reinhard, Nils A1 - Gesto, João A1 - Wegener, Christian A1 - Mazzotta, Gabriella A1 - Rosato, Ezio A1 - Kyriacou, Charalambos P. A1 - Helfrich-Förster, Charlotte A1 - Costa, Rodolfo T1 - Peptidergic signaling from clock neurons regulates reproductive dormancy in Drosophila melanogaster JF - PLoS Genetics N2 - With the approach of winter, many insects switch to an alternative protective developmental program called diapause. Drosophila melanogaster females overwinter as adults by inducing a reproductive arrest that is characterized by inhibition of ovarian development at previtellogenic stages. The insulin producing cells (IPCs) are key regulators of this process, since they produce and release insulin-like peptides that act as diapause-antagonizing hormones. Here we show that in D. melanogaster two neuropeptides, Pigment Dispersing Factor (PDF) and short Neuropeptide F (sNPF) inhibit reproductive arrest, likely through modulation of the IPCs. In particular, genetic manipulations of the PDF-expressing neurons, which include the sNPF-producing small ventral Lateral Neurons (s-LNvs), modulated the levels of reproductive dormancy, suggesting the involvement of both neuropeptides. We expressed a genetically encoded cAMP sensor in the IPCs and challenged brain explants with synthetic PDF and sNPF. Bath applications of both neuropeptides increased cAMP levels in the IPCs, even more so when they were applied together, suggesting a synergistic effect. Bath application of sNPF additionally increased Ca2+ levels in the IPCs. Our results indicate that PDF and sNPF inhibit reproductive dormancy by maintaining the IPCs in an active state. Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-231681 VL - 15 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lu, Yuan A1 - Boswell, Mikki A1 - Boswell, William A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Klotz, Barbara A1 - Savage, Markita A1 - Salinas, Raquel A1 - Marks, Rebacca A1 - Regneri, Janine A1 - Postlethwait, John A1 - Warren, Wesley C. A1 - Schartl, Manfred A1 - Walter, Ronald T1 - Gene expression variation and parental allele inheritance in a Xiphophorus interspecies hybridization model JF - PLoS Genetics N2 - Understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying segregation of phenotypic variation through successive generations is important for understanding physiological changes and disease risk. Tracing the etiology of variation in gene expression enables identification of genetic interactions, and may uncover molecular mechanisms leading to the phenotypic expression of a trait, especially when utilizing model organisms that have well-defined genetic lineages. There are a plethora of studies that describe relationships between gene expression and genotype, however, the idea that global variations in gene expression are also controlled by genotype remains novel. Despite the identification of loci that control gene expression variation, the global understanding of how genome constitution affects trait variability is unknown. To study this question, we utilized Xiphophorus fish of different, but tractable genetic backgrounds (inbred, F1 interspecies hybrids, and backcross hybrid progeny), and measured each individual’s gene expression concurrent with the degrees of inter-individual expression variation. We found, (a) F1 interspecies hybrids exhibited less variability than inbred animals, indicting gene expression variation is not affected by the fraction of heterozygous loci within an individual genome, and (b), that mixing genotypes in backcross populations led to higher levels of gene expression variability, supporting the idea that expression variability is caused by heterogeneity of genotypes of cis or trans loci. In conclusion, heterogeneity of genotype, introduced by inheritance of different alleles, accounts for the largest effects on global phenotypical variability. Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-237318 VL - 14 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Breitenbach, Tim A1 - Liang, Chunguang A1 - Beyersdorf, Niklas A1 - Dandekar, Thomas T1 - Analyzing pharmacological intervention points: A method to calculate external stimuli to switch between steady states in regulatory networks JF - PLoS Computational Biology N2 - Once biological systems are modeled by regulatory networks, the next step is to include external stimuli, which model the experimental possibilities to affect the activity level of certain network’s nodes, in a mathematical framework. Then, this framework can be interpreted as a mathematical optimal control framework such that optimization algorithms can be used to determine external stimuli which cause a desired switch from an initial state of the network to another final state. These external stimuli are the intervention points for the corresponding biological experiment to obtain the desired outcome of the considered experiment. In this work, the model of regulatory networks is extended to controlled regulatory networks. For this purpose, external stimuli are considered which can affect the activity of the network’s nodes by activation or inhibition. A method is presented how to calculate a selection of external stimuli which causes a switch between two different steady states of a regulatory network. A software solution based on Jimena and Mathworks Matlab is provided. Furthermore, numerical examples are presented to demonstrate application and scope of the software on networks of 4 nodes, 11 nodes and 36 nodes. Moreover, we analyze the aggregation of platelets and the behavior of a basic T-helper cell protein-protein interaction network and its maturation towards Th0, Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells in accordance with experimental data. Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-220385 VL - 15 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Herpin, Amaury A1 - Schmidt, Cornelia A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Gobé, Clara A1 - Regensburger, Martina A1 - Le Cam, Aurélie A1 - Montfort, Jérome A1 - Adolfi, Mateus C. A1 - Lillesaar, Christina A1 - Wilhelm, Dagmar A1 - Kraeussling, Michael A1 - Mourot, Brigitte A1 - Porcon, Béatrice A1 - Pannetier, Maëlle A1 - Pailhoux, Eric A1 - Ettwiller, Laurence A1 - Dolle, Dirk A1 - Guiguen, Yann A1 - Schartl, Manfred T1 - A novel evolutionary conserved mechanism of RNA stability regulates synexpression of primordial germ cell-specific genes prior to the sex-determination stage in medaka JF - PLoS Biology N2 - Dmrt1 is a highly conserved transcription factor, which is critically involved in regulation of gonad development of vertebrates. In medaka, a duplicate of dmrt1—acting as master sex-determining gene—has a tightly timely and spatially controlled gonadal expression pattern. In addition to transcriptional regulation, a sequence motif in the 3′ UTR (D3U-box) mediates transcript stability of dmrt1 mRNAs from medaka and other vertebrates. We show here that in medaka, two RNA-binding proteins with antagonizing properties target this D3U-box, promoting either RNA stabilization in germ cells or degradation in the soma. The D3U-box is also conserved in other germ-cell transcripts, making them responsive to the same RNA binding proteins. The evolutionary conservation of the D3U-box motif within dmrt1 genes of metazoans—together with preserved expression patterns of the targeting RNA binding proteins in subsets of germ cells—suggest that this new mechanism for controlling RNA stability is not restricted to fishes but might also apply to other vertebrates. Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320011 VL - 17 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Morgenstern, Marcel A1 - Peikert, Christian D. A1 - Lübbert, Philipp A1 - Suppanz, Ida A1 - Klemm, Cinzia A1 - Alka, Oliver A1 - Steiert, Conny A1 - Naumenko, Nataliia A1 - Schendzielorz, Alexander A1 - Melchionda, Laura A1 - Mühlhäuser, Wignand W. D. A1 - Knapp, Bettina A1 - Busch, Jakob D. A1 - Stiller, Sebastian B. A1 - Dannenmaier, Stefan A1 - Lindau, Caroline A1 - Licheva, Mariya A1 - Eickhorst, Christopher A1 - Galbusera, Riccardo A1 - Zerbes, Ralf M. A1 - Ryan, Michael T. A1 - Kraft, Claudine A1 - Kozjak-Pavlovic, Vera A1 - Drepper, Friedel A1 - Dennerlein, Sven A1 - Oeljeklaus, Silke A1 - Pfanner, Nikolaus A1 - Wiedemann, Nils A1 - Warscheid, Bettina T1 - Quantitative high-confidence human mitochondrial proteome and its dynamics in cellular context JF - Cell Metabolism N2 - Mitochondria are key organelles for cellular energetics, metabolism, signaling, and quality control and have been linked to various diseases. Different views exist on the composition of the human mitochondrial proteome. We classified >8,000 proteins in mitochondrial preparations of human cells and defined a mitochondrial high-confidence proteome of >1,100 proteins (MitoCoP). We identified interactors of translocases, respiratory chain, and ATP synthase assembly factors. The abundance of MitoCoP proteins covers six orders of magnitude and amounts to 7% of the cellular proteome with the chaperones HSP60-HSP10 being the most abundant mitochondrial proteins. MitoCoP dynamics spans three orders of magnitudes, with half-lives from hours to months, and suggests a rapid regulation of biosynthesis and assembly processes. 460 MitoCoP genes are linked to human diseases with a strong prevalence for the central nervous system and metabolism. MitoCoP will provide a high-confidence resource for placing dynamics, functions, and dysfunctions of mitochondria into the cellular context. KW - mitochondria KW - human cells KW - high-confidence proteome KW - smORFs KW - copy numbers KW - half-lives KW - disease KW - complexome KW - protein translocation KW - respiratory chain Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-371114 VL - 33 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Moreaux, Céline A1 - Meireles, Desirée A. L. A1 - Sonne, Jesper A1 - Badano, Ernesto I. A1 - Classen, Alice A1 - González-Chaves, Adrian A1 - Hipólito, Juliana A1 - Klein, Alexandra-Maria A1 - Maruyama, Pietro K. A1 - Metzger, Jean Paul A1 - Philpott, Stacy M. A1 - Rahbek, Carsten A1 - Saturni, Fernanda T. A1 - Sritongchuay, Tuanjit A1 - Tscharntke, Teja A1 - Uno, Shinsuke A1 - Vergara, Carlos H. A1 - Viana, Blandina F. A1 - Strange, Niels A1 - Dalsgaard, Bo T1 - The value of biotic pollination and dense forest for fruit set of Arabica coffee: A global assessment JF - Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment N2 - Animal pollinators are globally threatened by anthropogenic land use change and agricultural intensification. The yield of many food crops is therefore negatively impacted because they benefit from biotic pollination. This is especially the case in the tropics. For instance, fruit set of Coffea arabica has been shown to increase by 10–30% in plantations with a high richness of bee species, possibly influenced by the availability of surrounding forest habitat. Here, we performed a global literature review to (1) assess how much animal pollination enhances coffee fruit set, and to (2) examine the importance of the amount of forest cover, distance to nearby forest and forest canopy density for bee species richness and coffee fruit set. Using a systematic literature review, we identified eleven case studies with a total of 182 samples where fruit set of C. arabica was assessed. We subsequently gathered forest data for all study sites from satellite imagery. We modelled the effects of open (all forest with a canopy density of ≥25%), closed (≥50%) and dense (≥75%) forests on pollinator richness and fruit set of coffee. Overall, we found that animal pollination increases coffee fruit set by ~18% on average. In only one of the case studies, regression results indicate a positive effect of dense forest on coffee fruit set, which increased with higher forest cover and shorter distance to the forest. Against expectations, forest cover and distance to open forest were not related to bee species richness and fruit set. In summary, we provide strong empirical support for the notion that animal pollinators increase coffee fruit set. Forest proximity had little overall influence on bee richness and coffee fruit set, except when farms were surrounded by dense tropical forests, potentially because these may provide high-quality habitats for bees pollinating coffee. We, therefore, advocate that more research is done to understand the biodiversity value of dense forest for pollinators, notably assessing the mechanisms underlying the importance of forest for pollinators and their pollination services. KW - bee richness KW - coffee KW - forest KW - pollination KW - remote sensing KW - systematic literature review Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-370982 VL - 323 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ma, Jie A1 - Gulbins, Erich A1 - Edwards, Michael J. A1 - Caldwell, Charles C. A1 - Fraunholz, Martin A1 - Becker, Katrin Anne T1 - Staphylococcus aureus α-toxin induces inflammatory cytokines via lysosomal acid sphingomyelinase and ceramides JF - Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry N2 - Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections are a major clinical problem and range from mild skin and soft-tissue infections to severe and even lethal infections such as pneumonia, endocarditis, sepsis, osteomyelitis, and toxic shock syndrome. Toxins that are released from S. aureus mediate many of these effects. Here, we aimed to identify molecular mechanisms how α-toxin, a major S. aureus toxin, induces inflammation. Methods: Macrophages were isolated from the bone marrow of wildtype and acid sphingomyelinase-deficient mice, stimulated with S. aureus α-toxin and activation of the acid sphingomyelinase was quantified. The subcellular formation of ceramides was determined by confocal microscopy. Release of cathepsins from lysosomes, activation of inflammasome proteins and formation of Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) were analyzed by western blotting, confocal microscopy and ELISA. Results: We demonstrate that S. aureus α-toxin activates the acid sphingomyelinase in ex vivo macrophages and triggers a release of ceramides. Ceramides induced by S. aureus α-toxin localize to lysosomes and mediate a release of cathepsin B and D from lysosomes into the cytoplasm. Cytosolic cathepsin B forms a complex with Nlrc4. Treatment of macrophages with α-toxin induces the formation of IL-1β and TNF-α. These events are reduced or abrogated, respectively, in cells lacking the acid sphingomyelinase and upon treatment of macrophages with amitriptyline, a functional inhibitor of acid sphingomyelinase. Pharmacological inhibition of cathepsin B prevented activation of the inflammasome measured as release of IL-1β, while the formation of TNF-α was independent of cathepsin B. Conclusion: We demonstrate a novel mechanism how bacterial toxins activate the inflammasome and mediate the formation and release of cytokines: S. aureus α-toxin triggers an activation of the acid sphingomyelinase and a release of ceramides resulting in the release of lysosomal cathepsin B and formation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - sphingomyelinase KW - ceramide KW - toxins KW - macrophages KW - cytokines Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-181481 VL - 43 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Szklarczyk, Damian A1 - Morris, John H. A1 - Cook, Helen A1 - Kuhn, Michael A1 - Wyder, Stefan A1 - Simonovic, Milan A1 - Santos, Aalberto A1 - Doncheva, Nadezhda T. A1 - Roth, Alexander A1 - Bork, Peer A1 - Jensen, Lars J. A1 - von Mering, Christian T1 - The STRING database in 2017: quality-controlled protein-protein association networks, made broadly accessible JF - Nucleic Acids Research N2 - A system-wide understanding of cellular function requires knowledge of all functional interactions between the expressed proteins. The STRING database aims to collect and integrate this information, by consolidating known and predicted protein–protein association data for a large number of organisms. The associations in STRING include direct (physical) interactions, as well as indirect (functional) interactions, as long as both are specific and biologically meaningful. Apart from collecting and reassessing available experimental data on protein–protein interactions, and importing known pathways and protein complexes from curated databases, interaction predictions are derived from the following sources: (i) systematic co-expression analysis, (ii) detection of shared selective signals across genomes, (iii) automated text-mining of the scientific literature and (iv) computational transfer of interaction knowledge between organisms based on gene orthology. In the latest version 10.5 of STRING, the biggest changes are concerned with data dissemination: the web frontend has been completely redesigned to reduce dependency on outdated browser technologies, and the database can now also be queried from inside the popular Cytoscape software framework. Further improvements include automated background analysis of user inputs for functional enrichments, and streamlined download options. The STRING resource is available online, at http://string-db.org/. KW - string database KW - quality control KW - proteins KW - cellular function Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-181445 VL - 45 IS - D1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rhee, Jae-Sung A1 - Choi, Beom-Soon A1 - Kim, Jaebum A1 - Kim, Bo-Mi A1 - Lee, Young-Mi A1 - Kim, Il-Chan A1 - Kanamori, Akira A1 - Choi, Ik-Young A1 - Schartl, Manfred A1 - Lee, Jae-Seong T1 - Diversity, distribution, and significance of transposable elements in the genome of the only selfing hermaphroditic vertebrate Kryptolebias marmoratus JF - Scientific Reports N2 - The Kryptolebias marmoratus is unique because it is the only selffertilizing hermaphroditic vertebrate, known to date. It primarily reproduces by internal self-fertilization in a mixed ovary/testis gonad. Here, we report on a high-quality genome assembly for the K. marmoratus South Korea (SK) strain highlighting the diversity and distribution of transposable elements (TEs). We find that K. marmoratus genome maintains number and composition of TEs. This can be an important genomic attribute promoting genome recombination in this selfing fish, while, in addition to a mixed mating strategy, it may also represent a mechanism contributing to the evolutionary adaptation to ecological pressure of the species. Future work should help clarify this point further once genomic information is gathered for other taxa of the family Rivulidae that do not self-fertilize. We provide a valuable genome resource that highlights the potential impact of TEs on the genome evolution of a fish species with an uncommon life cycle. KW - ecological genetics KW - evolutionary genetics KW - ichthyology KW - Kryptolebias marmoratus Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-181329 VL - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mannucci, Ilaria A1 - Dang, Nghi D. P. A1 - Huber, Hannes A1 - Murry, Jaclyn B. A1 - Abramson, Jeff A1 - Althoff, Thorsten A1 - Banka, Siddharth A1 - Baynam, Gareth A1 - Bearden, David A1 - Beleza-Meireles, Ana A1 - Benke, Paul J. A1 - Berland, Siren A1 - Bierhals, Tatjana A1 - Bilan, Frederic A1 - Bindoff, Laurence A. A1 - Braathen, Geir Julius A1 - Busk, Øyvind L. A1 - Chenbhanich, Jirat A1 - Denecke, Jonas A1 - Escobar, Luis F. A1 - Estes, Caroline A1 - Fleischer, Julie A1 - Groepper, Daniel A1 - Haaxma, Charlotte A. A1 - Hempel, Maja A1 - Holler-Managan, Yolanda A1 - Houge, Gunnar A1 - Jackson, Adam A1 - Kellogg, Laura A1 - Keren, Boris A1 - Kiraly-Borri, Catherine A1 - Kraus, Cornelia A1 - Kubisch, Christian A1 - Le Guyader, Gwenael A1 - Ljungblad, Ulf W. A1 - Brenman, Leslie Manace A1 - Martinez-Agosto, Julian A. A1 - Might, Matthew A1 - Miller, David T. A1 - Minks, Kelly Q. A1 - Moghaddam, Billur A1 - Nava, Caroline A1 - Nelson, Stanley F. A1 - Parant, John M. A1 - Prescott, Trine A1 - Rajabi, Farrah A1 - Randrianaivo, Hanitra A1 - Reiter, Simone F. A1 - Schuurs-Hoeijmakers, Janneke A1 - Shieh, Perry B. A1 - Slavotinek, Anne A1 - Smithson, Sarah A1 - Stegmann, Alexander P. A. A1 - Tomczak, Kinga A1 - Tveten, Kristian A1 - Wang, Jun A1 - Whitlock, Jordan H. A1 - Zweier, Christiane A1 - McWalter, Kirsty A1 - Juusola, Jane A1 - Quintero-Rivera, Fabiola A1 - Fischer, Utz A1 - Yeo, Nan Cher A1 - Kreienkamp, Hans-Jürgen A1 - Lessel, Davor T1 - Genotype–phenotype correlations and novel molecular insights into the DHX30-associated neurodevelopmental disorders JF - Genome Medicine N2 - Background We aimed to define the clinical and variant spectrum and to provide novel molecular insights into the DHX30-associated neurodevelopmental disorder. Methods Clinical and genetic data from affected individuals were collected through Facebook-based family support group, GeneMatcher, and our network of collaborators. We investigated the impact of novel missense variants with respect to ATPase and helicase activity, stress granule (SG) formation, global translation, and their effect on embryonic development in zebrafish. SG formation was additionally analyzed in CRISPR/Cas9-mediated DHX30-deficient HEK293T and zebrafish models, along with in vivo behavioral assays. Results We identified 25 previously unreported individuals, ten of whom carry novel variants, two of which are recurrent, and provide evidence of gonadal mosaicism in one family. All 19 individuals harboring heterozygous missense variants within helicase core motifs (HCMs) have global developmental delay, intellectual disability, severe speech impairment, and gait abnormalities. These variants impair the ATPase and helicase activity of DHX30, trigger SG formation, interfere with global translation, and cause developmental defects in a zebrafish model. Notably, 4 individuals harboring heterozygous variants resulting either in haploinsufficiency or truncated proteins presented with a milder clinical course, similar to an individual harboring a de novo mosaic HCM missense variant. Functionally, we established DHX30 as an ATP-dependent RNA helicase and as an evolutionary conserved factor in SG assembly. Based on the clinical course, the variant location, and type we establish two distinct clinical subtypes. DHX30 loss-of-function variants cause a milder phenotype whereas a severe phenotype is caused by HCM missense variants that, in addition to the loss of ATPase and helicase activity, lead to a detrimental gain-of-function with respect to SG formation. Behavioral characterization of dhx30-deficient zebrafish revealed altered sleep-wake activity and social interaction, partially resembling the human phenotype. Conclusions Our study highlights the usefulness of social media to define novel Mendelian disorders and exemplifies how functional analyses accompanied by clinical and genetic findings can define clinically distinct subtypes for ultra-rare disorders. Such approaches require close interdisciplinary collaboration between families/legal representatives of the affected individuals, clinicians, molecular genetics diagnostic laboratories, and research laboratories. Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-306477 VL - 13 ER -