TY - JOUR A1 - Kerner, Janika M. A1 - Krauss, Jochen A1 - Maihoff, Fabienne A1 - Bofinger, Lukas A1 - Classen, Alice T1 - Alpine butterflies want to fly high: Species and communities shift upwards faster than their host plants JF - Ecology N2 - Despite sometimes strong codependencies of insect herbivores and plants, the responses of individual taxa to accelerating climate change are typically studied in isolation. For this reason, biotic interactions that potentially limit species in tracking their preferred climatic niches are ignored. Here, we chose butterflies as a prominent representative of herbivorous insects to investigate the impacts of temperature changes and their larval host plant distributions along a 1.4‐km elevational gradient in the German Alps. Following a sampling protocol of 2009, we revisited 33 grassland plots in 2019 over an entire growing season. We quantified changes in butterfly abundance and richness by repeated transect walks on each plot and disentangled the direct and indirect effects of locally assessed temperature, site management, and larval and adult food resource availability on these patterns. Additionally, we determined elevational range shifts of butterflies and host plants at both the community and species level. Comparing the two sampled years (2009 and 2019), we found a severe decline in butterfly abundance and a clear upward shift of butterflies along the elevational gradient. We detected shifts in the peak of species richness, community composition, and at the species level, whereby mountainous species shifted particularly strongly. In contrast, host plants showed barely any change, neither in connection with species richness nor individual species shifts. Further, temperature and host plant richness were the main drivers of butterfly richness, with change in temperature best explaining the change in richness over time. We concluded that host plants were not yet hindering butterfly species and communities from shifting upwards. However, the mismatch between butterfly and host plant shifts might become a problem for this very close plant–herbivore relationship, especially toward higher elevations, if butterflies fail to adapt to new host plants. Further, our results support the value of conserving traditional extensive pasture use as a promoter of host plant and, hence, butterfly richness. KW - Alps KW - altitudinal gradient KW - global warming KW - grazing KW - Lepidoptera KW - mountain biodiversity KW - plant–herbivore interactions KW - species range shifts KW - upslope shift Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312015 VL - 104 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fricke, Ute A1 - Redlich, Sarah A1 - Zhang, Jie A1 - Benjamin, Caryl S. A1 - Englmeier, Jana A1 - Ganuza, Cristina A1 - Haensel, Maria A1 - Riebl, Rebekka A1 - Rojas‐Botero, Sandra A1 - Tobisch, Cynthia A1 - Uhler, Johannes A1 - Uphus, Lars A1 - Steffan‐Dewenter, Ingolf T1 - Earlier flowering of winter oilseed rape compensates for higher pest pressure in warmer climates JF - Journal of Applied Ecology N2 - Global warming can increase insect pest pressure by enhancing reproductive rates. Whether this translates into yield losses depends on phenological synchronisation of pests with their host plants and natural enemies. Simultaneously, landscape composition may mitigate climate effects by shaping the resource availability for pests and their antagonists. Here, we study the combined effects of temperature and landscape composition on pest abundances, larval parasitism, crop damage and yield, while also considering crop phenology, to identify strategies for sustainable management of oilseed rape (OSR) pests under warming climates. In all, 29 winter OSR crop fields were investigated in different climates (defined by multi‐annual mean temperature, MAT) and landscape contexts in Bavaria, Germany. We measured abundances of adult pollen beetles and stem weevil larvae, pollen beetle larval parasitism, bud loss, stem damage and seed yield, and calculated the flowering date from growth stage observations. Landscape parameters (proportion of non‐crop and OSR area, change in OSR area relative to the previous year) were calculated at six spatial scales (0.6–5 km). Pollen beetle abundance increased with MAT but to different degrees depending on the landscape context, that is, increased less strongly when OSR proportions were high (1‐km scale), interannually constant (5‐km scale) or both. In contrast, stem weevil abundance and stem damage did not respond to landscape composition nor MAT. Pollen beetle larval parasitism was overall low, but occasionally exceeded 30% under both low and high MAT and with reduced OSR area (0.6‐km scale). Despite high pollen beetle abundance in warm climates, yields were high when OSR flowered early. Thereby, higher temperatures favoured early flowering. Only among late‐flowering OSR crop fields yield was higher in cooler than warmer climates. Bud loss responded analogously. Landscape composition did not substantially affect bud loss and yield. Synthesis and applications: Earlier flowering of winter OSR compensates for higher pollen beetle abundance in warmer climates, while interannual continuity of OSR area prevents high pollen beetle abundance in the first place. Thus, regional coordination of crop rotation and crop management promoting early flowering may contribute to sustainable pest management in OSR under current and future climatic conditions. KW - canola KW - climate‐smart pest management KW - crop rotation KW - global warming KW - oilseed rape KW - pollen beetle KW - seed yield KW - stem weevil Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312562 VL - 60 IS - 2 SP - 365 EP - 375 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Graus, Dorothea A1 - Li, Kunkun A1 - Rathje, Jan M. A1 - Ding, Meiqi A1 - Krischke, Markus A1 - Müller, Martin J. A1 - Cuin, Tracey Ann A1 - Al‐Rasheid, Khaled A. S. A1 - Scherzer, Sönke A1 - Marten, Irene A1 - Konrad, Kai R. A1 - Hedrich, Rainer T1 - Tobacco leaf tissue rapidly detoxifies direct salt loads without activation of calcium and SOS signaling JF - New Phytologist N2 - Salt stress is a major abiotic stress, responsible for declining agricultural productivity. Roots are regarded as hubs for salt detoxification, however, leaf salt concentrations may exceed those of roots. How mature leaves manage acute sodium chloride (NaCl) stress is mostly unknown. To analyze the mechanisms for NaCl redistribution in leaves, salt was infiltrated into intact tobacco leaves. It initiated pronounced osmotically‐driven leaf movements. Leaf downward movement caused by hydro‐passive turgor loss reached a maximum within 2 h. Salt‐driven cellular water release was accompanied by a transient change in membrane depolarization but not an increase in cytosolic calcium ion (Ca\(^{2+}\)) level. Nonetheless, only half an hour later, the leaves had completely regained turgor. This recovery phase was characterized by an increase in mesophyll cell plasma membrane hydrogen ion (H\(^{+}\)) pumping, a salt uptake‐dependent cytosolic alkalization, and a return of the apoplast osmolality to pre‐stress levels. Although, transcript numbers of abscisic acid‐ and Salt Overly Sensitive pathway elements remained unchanged, salt adaptation depended on the vacuolar H\(^{+}\)/Na\(^{+}\)‐exchanger NHX1. Altogether, tobacco leaves can detoxify sodium ions (Na\(^{+}\)) rapidly even under massive salt loads, based on pre‐established posttranslational settings and NHX1 cation/H+ antiport activity. Unlike roots, signaling and processing of salt stress in tobacco leaves does not depend on Ca\(^{2+}\) signaling. KW - calcium signaling KW - cytosolic pH KW - leaf response KW - NaCl transport KW - NHX1 KW - osmotic effects KW - Salt Overly Sensitive pathway KW - salt stress Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312152 VL - 237 IS - 1 SP - 217 EP - 231 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diebold, Mathias A1 - Schönemann, Lars A1 - Eilers, Martin A1 - Sotriffer, Christoph A1 - Schindelin, Hermann T1 - Crystal structure of a covalently linked Aurora-A-MYCN complex JF - Acta Crystallographica N2 - Formation of the Aurora-A–MYCN complex increases levels of the oncogenic transcription factor MYCN in neuroblastoma cells by abrogating its degradation through the ubiquitin proteasome system. While some small-molecule inhibitors of Aurora-A were shown to destabilize MYCN, clinical trials have not been satisfactory to date. MYCN itself is considered to be `undruggable' due to its large intrinsically disordered regions. Targeting the Aurora-A–MYCN complex rather than Aurora-A or MYCN alone will open new possibilities for drug development and screening campaigns. To overcome the challenges that a ternary system composed of Aurora-A, MYCN and a small molecule entails, a covalently cross-linked construct of the Aurora-A–MYCN complex was designed, expressed and characterized, thus enabling screening and design campaigns to identify selective binders. KW - MYCNv KW - neuroblastoma cell KW - proteasome system Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-318855 VL - D79 SP - 1 EP - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kaltdorf, Martin A1 - Breitenbach, Tim A1 - Karl, Stefan A1 - Fuchs, Maximilian A1 - Kessie, David Komla A1 - Psota, Eric A1 - Prelog, Martina A1 - Sarukhanyan, Edita A1 - Ebert, Regina A1 - Jakob, Franz A1 - Dandekar, Gudrun A1 - Naseem, Muhammad A1 - Liang, Chunguang A1 - Dandekar, Thomas T1 - Software JimenaE allows efficient dynamic simulations of Boolean networks, centrality and system state analysis JF - Scientific Reports N2 - The signal modelling framework JimenaE simulates dynamically Boolean networks. In contrast to SQUAD, there is systematic and not just heuristic calculation of all system states. These specific features are not present in CellNetAnalyzer and BoolNet. JimenaE is an expert extension of Jimena, with new optimized code, network conversion into different formats, rapid convergence both for system state calculation as well as for all three network centralities. It allows higher accuracy in determining network states and allows to dissect networks and identification of network control type and amount for each protein with high accuracy. Biological examples demonstrate this: (i) High plasticity of mesenchymal stromal cells for differentiation into chondrocytes, osteoblasts and adipocytes and differentiation-specific network control focusses on wnt-, TGF-beta and PPAR-gamma signaling. JimenaE allows to study individual proteins, removal or adding interactions (or autocrine loops) and accurately quantifies effects as well as number of system states. (ii) Dynamical modelling of cell–cell interactions of plant Arapidopsis thaliana against Pseudomonas syringae DC3000: We analyze for the first time the pathogen perspective and its interaction with the host. We next provide a detailed analysis on how plant hormonal regulation stimulates specific proteins and who and which protein has which type and amount of network control including a detailed heatmap of the A.thaliana response distinguishing between two states of the immune response. (iii) In an immune response network of dendritic cells confronted with Aspergillus fumigatus, JimenaE calculates now accurately the specific values for centralities and protein-specific network control including chemokine and pattern recognition receptors. KW - cellular signalling networks KW - computer modelling Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313303 VL - 13 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Aupperle-Lellbach, Heike A1 - Heidrich, Daniela A1 - Kehl, Alexandra A1 - Conrad, David A1 - Brockmann, Maria A1 - Törner, Katrin A1 - Beitzinger, Christoph A1 - Müller, Tobias T1 - KITLG copy number germline variations in schnauzer breeds and their relevance in digital squamous cell carcinoma in black giant schnauzers JF - Veterinary Sciences N2 - Copy number variations (CNVs) of the KITLG gene seem to be involved in the oncogenesis of digital squamous cell carcinoma (dSCC). The aims of this study were (1) to investigate KITLG CNV in giant (GS), standard (SS), and miniature (MS) schnauzers and (2) to compare KITLG CNV between black GS with and without dSCC. Blood samples from black GS (22 with and 17 without dSCC), black SS (18 with and 4 without dSSC; 5 unknown), and 50 MS (unknown dSSC status and coat colour) were analysed by digital droplet PCR. The results are that (1) most dogs had a copy number (CN) value > 4 (range 2.5–7.6) with no significant differences between GS, SS, and MS, and (2) the CN value in black GS with dSCC was significantly higher than in those without dSCC (p = 0.02). CN values > 5.8 indicate a significantly increased risk for dSCC, while CN values < 4.7 suggest a reduced risk for dSCC (grey area: 4.7–5.8). Diagnostic testing for KITLG CNV may sensitise owners to the individual risk of their black GS for dSCC. Further studies should investigate the relevance of KITLG CNV in SS and the protective effects in MS, who rarely suffer from dSCC. KW - tumour KW - toe KW - miniature schnauzer KW - standard schnauzer KW - CNV KW - ddPCR KW - breed predisposition Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-303913 SN - 2306-7381 VL - 10 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - de Paz, Víctor A1 - Asís, Josep D. A1 - Holzschuh, Andrea A1 - Baños-Picón, Laura T1 - Effects of traditional orchard abandonment and landscape context on the beneficial arthropod community in a Mediterranean agroecosystem JF - Insects N2 - Agricultural abandonment is one of the main land-use changes in Europe, and its consequences on biodiversity are context- and taxa-dependent. While several studies have worked on this topic, few have focused on traditional orchards, especially in different landscapes and under a Mediterranean climate. In this context, we aimed to determine the effects of almond orchard abandonment on the communities of three groups of beneficial arthropods and the role of the landscape context in modulating these effects. Between February and September 2019, four samplings were carried out in twelve almond orchards (three abandoned and three traditional (active orchards under traditional agricultural management) located in simple landscapes as well as three abandoned and three traditional in complex landscapes). Abandoned and traditional almond orchards harbor different arthropod communities and diversity metrics that are strongly conditioned by seasonality. Abandoned orchards can favor pollinators and natural enemies, providing alternative resources in simple landscapes. However, the role that abandoned orchards play in simple landscapes disappears as the percentage of semi-natural habitats in the landscape increases. Our results show that landscape simplification, through the loss of semi-natural habitats, has negative consequences on arthropod biodiversity, even in traditional farming landscapes with small fields and high crop diversity. KW - abandonment KW - traditional almond orchard KW - spider KW - parasitoid KW - bee KW - landscape complexity Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-311190 SN - 2075-4450 VL - 14 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wersebeckmann, Vera A1 - Biegerl, Carolin A1 - Leyer, Ilona A1 - Mody, Karsten T1 - Orthopteran diversity in steep slope vineyards: the role of vineyard type and vegetation management JF - Insects N2 - The abandonment of traditional agricultural practices and subsequent succession are major threats to many open-adapted species and species-rich ecosystems. Viticulture on steep slopes has recently suffered from strong declines due to insufficient profitability, thus increasing the area of fallow land considerably. Changing cultivation systems from vertically oriented to modern vineyard terraces offers an opportunity to maintain management economically viable and thus reduces further abandonment. Hillside parallel terraces favor mechanization, and their embankments offer large undisturbed areas that could provide valuable habitats. We investigated the effects of vineyard abandonment, different vineyard management types (vertically oriented vs. terraced), and local parameters on Orthoptera diversity in 45 study sites along the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany. Our results show that woody structures and vineyard abandonment reduced Orthoptera diversity at the local and landscape scale due to decreased habitat quality, especially for open-adapted species. In contrast, open inter-rows of actively managed vineyard types supported heat-adapted Caelifera species. On terrace embankments, extensive management and taller vegetation benefited Ensifera species, while short and mulched vegetation in vertically oriented vineyards favored the dominance of one single Caelifera species. Our results highlight the significance of maintaining viticultural management on steep slopes for the preservation of both open-adapted Orthoptera species and the cultural landscape. KW - abandonment KW - alternating management KW - biodiversity conservation KW - grasshopper KW - insect conservation KW - succession KW - traditional land use KW - vineyard terrace Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304891 SN - 2075-4450 VL - 14 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dong, Meng A1 - Böpple, Kathrin A1 - Thiel, Julia A1 - Winkler, Bernd A1 - Liang, Chunguang A1 - Schueler, Julia A1 - Davies, Emma J. A1 - Barry, Simon T. A1 - Metsalu, Tauno A1 - Mürdter, Thomas E. A1 - Sauer, Georg A1 - Ott, German A1 - Schwab, Matthias A1 - Aulitzky, Walter E. T1 - Perfusion air culture of precision-cut tumor slices: an ex vivo system to evaluate individual drug response under controlled culture conditions JF - Cells N2 - Precision-cut tumor slices (PCTS) maintain tissue heterogeneity concerning different cell types and preserve the tumor microenvironment (TME). Typically, PCTS are cultured statically on a filter support at an air–liquid interface, which gives rise to intra-slice gradients during culture. To overcome this problem, we developed a perfusion air culture (PAC) system that can provide a continuous and controlled oxygen medium, and drug supply. This makes it an adaptable ex vivo system for evaluating drug responses in a tissue-specific microenvironment. PCTS from mouse xenografts (MCF-7, H1437) and primary human ovarian tumors (primary OV) cultured in the PAC system maintained the morphology, proliferation, and TME for more than 7 days, and no intra-slice gradients were observed. Cultured PCTS were analyzed for DNA damage, apoptosis, and transcriptional biomarkers for the cellular stress response. For the primary OV slices, cisplatin treatment induced a diverse increase in the cleavage of caspase-3 and PD-L1 expression, indicating a heterogeneous response to drug treatment between patients. Immune cells were preserved throughout the culturing period, indicating that immune therapy can be analyzed. The novel PAC system is suitable for assessing individual drug responses and can thus be used as a preclinical model to predict in vivo therapy responses. KW - precision-cut tumor slices KW - perfusion culture KW - tumor microenvironment KW - ovarian tumor KW - individual drug responses KW - mouse xenografts KW - preclinical model KW - personalized medicine Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-311030 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 12 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cerezo-Echevarria, Argiñe A1 - Kehl, Alexandra A1 - Beitzinger, Christoph A1 - Müller, Tobias A1 - Klopfleisch, Robert A1 - Aupperle-Lellbach, Heike T1 - Evaluating the histologic grade of digital squamous cell carcinomas in dogs and copy number variation of KIT Ligand — a correlation study JF - Veterinary Sciences N2 - Dark-haired dogs are predisposed to the development of digital squamous cell carcinoma (DSCC). This may potentially suggest an underlying genetic predisposition not yet completely elucidated. Some authors have suggested a potential correlation between the number of copies KIT Ligand (KITLG) and the predisposition of dogs to DSCC, containing a higher number of copies in those affected by the neoplasm. In this study, the aim was to evaluate a potential correlation between the number of copies of the KITLG and the histological grade of malignancy in dogs with DSCC. For this, 72 paraffin-embedded DSCCs with paired whole blood samples of 70 different dogs were included and grouped according to their haircoat color as follow: Group 0/unknown haircoat color (n = 11); Group 1.a/black non-Schnauzers (n = 15); group 1.b/black Schnauzers (n = 33); group 1.c/black and tan dogs (n = 7); group 2/tan animals (n = 4). The DSCCs were histologically graded. Additionally, KITLG Copy Number Variation (CNV) was determined by ddPCR. A significant correlation was observed between KITLG copy number and the histological grade and score value. This finding may suggest a possible factor for the development of canine DSCC, thus potentially having an impact on personalized veterinary oncological strategies and breeding programs. KW - canine KW - cancer KW - toe KW - grading KW - haircoat KW - color KW - genetics KW - gene Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304824 SN - 2306-7381 VL - 10 IS - 2 ER -