TY - JOUR A1 - Liu, Ruiqi A1 - Friedrich, Mike A1 - Hemmen, Katherina A1 - Jansen, Kerstin A1 - Adolfi, Mateus C. A1 - Schartl, Manfred A1 - Heinze, Katrin G. T1 - Dimerization of melanocortin 4 receptor controls puberty onset and body size polymorphism JF - Frontiers in Endocrinology N2 - Xiphophorus fish exhibit a clear phenotypic polymorphism in puberty onset and reproductive strategies of males. In X. nigrensis and X. multilineatus, puberty onset is genetically determined and linked to a melanocortin 4 receptor (Mc4r) polymorphism of wild-type and mutant alleles on the sex chromosomes. We hypothesized that Mc4r mutant alleles act on wild-type alleles by a dominant negative effect through receptor dimerization, leading to differential intracellular signaling and effector gene activation. Depending on signaling strength, the onset of puberty either occurs early or is delayed. Here, we show by Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) that wild-type Xiphophorus Mc4r monomers can form homodimers, but also heterodimers with mutant receptors resulting in compromised signaling which explains the reduced Mc4r signaling in large males. Thus, hetero- vs. homo- dimerization seems to be the key molecular mechanism for the polymorphism in puberty onset and body size in male fish. KW - fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy KW - Förster Resonance Energy Transfer KW - Mc4r KW - puberty KW - Xiphophorus Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-354261 SN - 1664-2392 VL - 14 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kreß, Julia Katharina Charlotte A1 - Jessen, Christina A1 - Hufnagel, Anita A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Da Xavier Silva, Thamara Nishida A1 - Ferreira Dos Santos, Ancély A1 - Mosteo, Laura A1 - Goding, Colin R. A1 - Friedmann Angeli, José Pedro A1 - Meierjohann, Svenja T1 - The integrated stress response effector ATF4 is an obligatory metabolic activator of NRF2 JF - Cell Reports N2 - Highlights • The integrated stress response leads to a general ATF4-dependent activation of NRF2 • ATF4 causes a CHAC1-dependent GSH depletion, resulting in NRF2 stabilization • An elevation of NRF2 transcript levels fosters this effect • NRF2 supports the ISR/ATF4 pathway by improving cystine and antioxidant supply Summary The redox regulator NRF2 becomes activated upon oxidative and electrophilic stress and orchestrates a response program associated with redox regulation, metabolism, tumor therapy resistance, and immune suppression. Here, we describe an unrecognized link between the integrated stress response (ISR) and NRF2 mediated by the ISR effector ATF4. The ISR is commonly activated after starvation or ER stress and plays a central role in tissue homeostasis and cancer plasticity. ATF4 increases NRF2 transcription and induces the glutathione-degrading enzyme CHAC1, which we now show to be critically important for maintaining NRF2 activation. In-depth analyses reveal that NRF2 supports ATF4-induced cells by increasing cystine uptake via the glutamate-cystine antiporter xCT. In addition, NRF2 upregulates genes mediating thioredoxin usage and regeneration, thus balancing the glutathione decrease. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the NRF2 response serves as second layer of the ISR, an observation highly relevant for the understanding of cellular resilience in health and disease. KW - NRF2 KW - ATF4 KW - integrated stress response KW - CHAC1 KW - melanoma KW - SLC7A11 KW - GSH Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350312 VL - 42 IS - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tessmer, Ingrid A1 - Margison, Geoffrey P. T1 - The DNA alkyltransferase family of DNA repair proteins: common mechanisms, diverse functions JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - DNA alkyltransferase and alkyltransferase-like family proteins are responsible for the repair of highly mutagenic and cytotoxic O\(^6\)-alkylguanine and O\(^4\)-alkylthymine bases in DNA. Their mechanism involves binding to the damaged DNA and flipping the base out of the DNA helix into the active site pocket in the protein. Alkyltransferases then directly and irreversibly transfer the alkyl group from the base to the active site cysteine residue. In contrast, alkyltransferase-like proteins recruit nucleotide excision repair components for O\(^6\)-alkylguanine elimination. One or more of these proteins are found in all kingdoms of life, and where this has been determined, their overall DNA repair mechanism is strictly conserved between organisms. Nevertheless, between species, subtle as well as more extensive differences that affect target lesion preferences and/or introduce additional protein functions have evolved. Examining these differences and their functional consequences is intricately entwined with understanding the details of their DNA repair mechanism(s) and their biological roles. In this review, we will present and discuss various aspects of the current status of knowledge on this intriguing protein family. KW - DNA repair KW - O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase KW - alkylation damage Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-355790 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 25 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - van Unen, Jakobus A1 - Stumpf, Anette D. A1 - Schmid, Benedikt A1 - Reinhard, Nathalie R. A1 - Hordijk, Peter L. A1 - Hoffmann, Carsten A1 - Gadella, Theodorus W. J. A1 - Goedhart, Joachim T1 - A New Generation of FRET Sensors for Robust Measurement of Gα\(_{i1}\), Gα\(_{i2}\) and Gα\(_{i3}\) Activation Kinetics in Single Cells JF - PLoS ONE N2 - G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) can activate a heterotrimeric G-protein complex with subsecond kinetics. Genetically encoded biosensors based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) are ideally suited for the study of such fast signaling events in single living cells. Here we report on the construction and characterization of three FRET biosensors for the measurement of Gα\(_{i1}\), Gα\(_{i2}\) and Gα\(_{i3}\) activation. To enable quantitative long-term imaging of FRET biosensors with high dynamic range, fluorescent proteins with enhanced photophysical properties are required. Therefore, we use the currently brightest and most photostable CFP variant, mTurquoise2, as donor fused to Gα\(_{i}\) subunit, and cp173Venus fused to the Gγ\(_{2}\) subunit as acceptor. The Gα\(_{i}\) FRET biosensors constructs are expressed together with Gβ\(_{1}\) from a single plasmid, providing preferred relative expression levels with reduced variation in mammalian cells. The Gα\(_{i}\) FRET sensors showed a robust response to activation of endogenous or over-expressed alpha-2A-adrenergic receptors, which was inhibited by pertussis toxin. Moreover, we observed activation of the Gα\(_{i}\) FRET sensor in single cells upon stimulation of several GPCRs, including the LPA\(_{2}\), M\(_{3}\) and BK\(_{2}\) receptor. Furthermore, we show that the sensors are well suited to extract kinetic parameters from fast measurements in the millisecond time range. This new generation of FRET biosensors for Gα\(_{i1}\), Gα\(_{i2}\) and Gα\(_{i3}\) activation will be valuable for live-cell measurements that probe Gα\(_{i}\) activation. KW - FRET sensors KW - G-protein coupled receptors KW - Förster resonance energy transfer KW - Gα\(_{i1}\), Gα\(_{i2}\) and Gα\(_{i3}\) activation KW - biosensors Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167387 VL - 11 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Li, Cong A1 - Deng, Xiaobing A1 - Xie, Xiaowen A1 - Liu, Ying A1 - Friedmann Angeli, José Pedro A1 - Lai, Luhua T1 - Activation of Glutathione Peroxidase 4 as a Novel Anti-inflammatory Strategy JF - Frontiers in Pharmacology N2 - The anti-oxidative enzyme, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), helps to promote inflammation resolution by eliminating oxidative species produced by the arachidonic acid (AA) metabolic network. Up-regulating its activity has been proposed as a promising strategy for inflammation intervention. In the present study, we aimed to study the effect of GPX4 activator on the AA metabolic network and inflammation related pathways. Using combined computational and experimental screen, we identified a novel compound that can activate the enzyme activity of GPX4 by more than two folds. We further assessed its potential in a series of cellular assays where GPX4 was demonstrated to play a regulatory role. We are able to show that GPX4 activation suppressed inflammatory conditions such as oxidation of AA and NF-κB pathway activation. We further demonstrated that this GPX4 activator can decrease the intracellular ROS level and suppress ferroptosis. Our study suggests that GPX4 activators can be developed as anti-inflammatory or cyto-protective agent in lipid-peroxidation-mediated diseases. KW - arachidonic acid metabolic network KW - GPX4 KW - enzyme activator KW - allosterism KW - drug discovery KW - anti-inflammatory KW - ferroptosis Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-195985 SN - 1663-9812 VL - 9 IS - 1120 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kasaragod, Vikram Babu A1 - Schindelin, Hermann T1 - Structure of Heteropentameric GABAA Receptors and Receptor-Anchoring Properties of Gephyrin JF - Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience N2 - γ-Aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAARs) mediate the majority of fast synaptic inhibition in the central nervous system (CNS). GABAARs belong to the Cys-loop superfamily of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGIC) and are assembled from 19 different subunits. As dysfunctional GABAergic neurotransmission manifests itself in neurodevelopmental disorders including epilepsy and anxiety, GABAARs are key drug targets. The majority of synaptic GABAARs are anchored at the inhibitory postsynaptic membrane by the principal scaffolding protein gephyrin, which acts as the central organizer in maintaining the architecture of the inhibitory postsynaptic density (iPSD). This interaction is mediated by the long intracellular loop located in between transmembrane helices 3 and 4 (M3–M4 loop) of the receptors and a universal receptor-binding pocket residing in the C-terminal domain of gephyrin. In 2014, the crystal structure of the β3-homopentameric GABAAR provided crucial information regarding the architecture of the receptor; however, an understanding of the structure and assembly of heteropentameric receptors at the atomic level was lacking. This review article will highlight recent advances in understanding the structure of heteropentameric synaptic GABAARs and how these structures have provided fundamental insights into the assembly of these multi-subunit receptors as well as their modulation by diverse ligands including the physiological agonist GABA. We will further discuss the role of gephyrin in the anchoring of synaptic GABAARs and glycine receptors (GlyRs), which are crucial for maintaining the architecture of the iPSD. Finally, we will also summarize how anti-malarial artemisinin drugs modulate gephyrin-mediated inhibitory neurotransmission. KW - GABAA KW - gephyrin KW - diazepam KW - GABA KW - PIP2 KW - artemisinin KW - Cryo-EM KW - inhibitory neurotransmission Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189308 SN - 1662-5099 VL - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kasaragod, Vikram Babu A1 - Schindelin, Hermann T1 - Structure of heteropentameric GABA\(_A\) receptors and receptor-anchoring properties of gephyrin JF - Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience N2 - γ-Aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABA\(_A\)Rs) mediate the majority of fast synaptic inhibition in the central nervous system (CNS). GABA\(_A\)Rs belong to the Cys-loop superfamily of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGIC) and are assembled from 19 different subunits. As dysfunctional GABAergic neurotransmission manifests itself in neurodevelopmental disorders including epilepsy and anxiety, GABA\(_A\)Rs are key drug targets. The majority of synaptic GABA\(_A\)Rs are anchored at the inhibitory postsynaptic membrane by the principal scaffolding protein gephyrin, which acts as the central organizer in maintaining the architecture of the inhibitory postsynaptic density (iPSD). This interaction is mediated by the long intracellular loop located in between transmembrane helices 3 and 4 (M3–M4 loop) of the receptors and a universal receptor-binding pocket residing in the C-terminal domain of gephyrin. In 2014, the crystal structure of the β3-homopentameric GABA\(_A\)R provided crucial information regarding the architecture of the receptor; however, an understanding of the structure and assembly of heteropentameric receptors at the atomic level was lacking. This review article will highlight recent advances in understanding the structure of heteropentameric synaptic GABA\(_A\)Rs and how these structures have provided fundamental insights into the assembly of these multi-subunit receptors as well as their modulation by diverse ligands including the physiological agonist GABA. We will further discuss the role of gephyrin in the anchoring of synaptic GABA\(_A\)Rs and glycine receptors (GlyRs), which are crucial for maintaining the architecture of the iPSD. Finally, we will also summarize how anti-malarial artemisinin drugs modulate gephyrin-mediated inhibitory neurotransmission. KW - GABAA receptors KW - gephyrin KW - diazepam KW - GABA KW - PIP2 KW - artemisinin KW - Cryo-EM KW - inhibitory neurotransmission Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201886 VL - 12 IS - 191 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lorenzin, Francesca A1 - Benary, Uwe A1 - Baluapuri, Apoorva A1 - Walz, Susanne A1 - Jung, Lisa Anna A1 - von Eyss, Björn A1 - Kisker, Caroline A1 - Wolf, Jana A1 - Eilers, Martin A1 - Wolf, Elmar T1 - Different promoter affinities account for specificity in MYC-dependent gene regulation JF - eLife N2 - Enhanced expression of the MYC transcription factor is observed in the majority of tumors. Two seemingly conflicting models have been proposed for its function: one proposes that MYC enhances expression of all genes, while the other model suggests gene-specific regulation. Here, we have explored the hypothesis that specific gene expression profiles arise since promoters differ in affinity for MYC and high-affinity promoters are fully occupied by physiological levels of MYC. We determined cellular MYC levels and used RNA- and ChIP-sequencing to correlate promoter occupancy with gene expression at different concentrations of MYC. Mathematical modeling showed that binding affinities for interactions of MYC with DNA and with core promoter-bound factors, such as WDR5, are sufficient to explain promoter occupancies observed in vivo. Importantly, promoter affinity stratifies different biological processes that are regulated by MYC, explaining why tumor-specific MYC levels induce specific gene expression programs and alter defined biological properties of cells. KW - MYC KW - promoter affinity KW - human KW - mathematical modeling KW - mouse KW - ChIP-sequencing KW - MIZ1 KW - cancer biology KW - cell biology KW - WDR5 Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-162913 VL - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bangalore, Disha M. A1 - Heil, Hannah S. A1 - Mehringer, Christian F. A1 - Hirsch, Lisa A1 - Hemmen, Katharina A1 - Heinze, Katrin G. A1 - Tessmer, Ingrid T1 - Automated AFM analysis of DNA bending reveals initial lesion sensing strategies of DNA glycosylases JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Base excision repair is the dominant DNA repair pathway of chemical modifications such as deamination, oxidation, or alkylation of DNA bases, which endanger genome integrity due to their high mutagenic potential. Detection and excision of these base lesions is achieved by DNA glycosylases. To investigate the remarkably high efficiency in target site search and recognition by these enzymes, we applied single molecule atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging to a range of glycosylases with structurally different target lesions. Using a novel, automated, unbiased, high-throughput analysis approach, we were able to resolve subtly different conformational states of these glycosylases during DNA lesion search. Our results lend support to a model of enhanced lesion search efficiency through initial lesion detection based on altered mechanical properties at lesions. Furthermore, its enhanced sensitivity and easy applicability also to other systems recommend our novel analysis tool for investigations of diverse, fundamental biological interactions. KW - atomic-force microscopy KW - base pairs KW - molecular structure KW - crystal structure KW - structural basis KW - repair KW - recognition KW - 8-oxoguanine KW - thymine KW - mismatches Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-231338 VL - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fazeli, Gholamreza A1 - Beer, Katharina B. A1 - Geisenhof, Michaela A1 - Tröger, Sarah A1 - König, Julia A1 - Müller-Reichert, Thomas A1 - Wehman, Ann M. T1 - Loss of the Major Phosphatidylserine or Phosphatidylethanolamine Flippases Differentially Affect Phagocytosis JF - Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology N2 - The lipids phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEth) are normally asymmetrically localized to the cytosolic face of membrane bilayers, but can both be externalized during diverse biological processes, including cell division, cell fusion, and cell death. Externalized lipids in the plasma membrane are recognized by lipid-binding proteins to regulate the clearance of cell corpses and other cell debris. However, it is unclear whether PtdSer and PtdEth contribute in similar or distinct ways to these processes. We discovered that disruption of the lipid flippases that maintain PtdSer or PtdEth asymmetry in the plasma membrane have opposite effects on phagocytosis in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. Constitutive PtdSer externalization caused by disruption of the major PtdSer flippase TAT-1 led to increased phagocytosis of cell debris, sometimes leading to two cells engulfing the same debris. In contrast, PtdEth externalization caused by depletion of the major PtdEth flippase TAT-5 or its activator PAD-1 disrupted phagocytosis. These data suggest that PtdSer and PtdEth externalization have opposite effects on phagocytosis. Furthermore, externalizing PtdEth is associated with increased extracellular vesicle release, and we present evidence that the extent of extracellular vesicle accumulation correlates with the extent of phagocytic defects. Thus, a general loss of lipid asymmetry can have opposing impacts through different lipid subtypes simultaneously exerting disparate effects. KW - phagocytosis KW - lipid asymmetry KW - flippase KW - phosphatidylserine KW - phosphatidylethanolamine KW - extracellular vesicle Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-208771 SN - 2296-634X VL - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schulte, Clemens A1 - Soldà, Alice A1 - Spänig, Sebastian A1 - Adams, Nathan A1 - Bekić, Ivana A1 - Streicher, Werner A1 - Heider, Dominik A1 - Strasser, Ralf A1 - Maric, Hans Michael T1 - Multivalent binding kinetics resolved by fluorescence proximity sensing JF - Communications Biology N2 - Multivalent protein interactors are an attractive modality for probing protein function and exploring novel pharmaceutical strategies. The throughput and precision of state-of-the-art methodologies and workflows for the effective development of multivalent binders is currently limited by surface immobilization, fluorescent labelling and sample consumption. Using the gephyrin protein, the master regulator of the inhibitory synapse, as benchmark, we exemplify the application of Fluorescence proximity sensing (FPS) for the systematic kinetic and thermodynamic optimization of multivalent peptide architectures. High throughput synthesis of +100 peptides with varying combinatorial dimeric, tetrameric, and octameric architectures combined with direct FPS measurements resolved on-rates, off-rates, and dissociation constants with high accuracy and low sample consumption compared to three complementary technologies. The dataset and its machine learning-based analysis deciphered the relationship of specific architectural features and binding kinetics and thereby identified binders with unprecedented protein inhibition capacity; thus, highlighting the value of FPS for the rational engineering of multivalent inhibitors. KW - combinatorial libraries KW - kinetics KW - peptides KW - screening KW - thermodynamics Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-301157 VL - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mielich-Süss, Benjamin A1 - Wagner, Rabea M. A1 - Mietrach, Nicole A1 - Hertlein, Tobias A1 - Marincola, Gabriella A1 - Ohlsen, Knut A1 - Geibel, Sebastian A1 - Lopez, Daniel T1 - Flotillin scaffold activity contributes to type VII secretion system assembly in Staphylococcus aureus JF - PLoS Pathogens N2 - Scaffold proteins are ubiquitous chaperones that promote efficient interactions between partners of multi-enzymatic protein complexes; although they are well studied in eukaryotes, their role in prokaryotic systems is poorly understood. Bacterial membranes have functional membrane microdomains (FMM), a structure homologous to eukaryotic lipid rafts. Similar to their eukaryotic counterparts, bacterial FMM harbor a scaffold protein termed flotillin that is thought to promote interactions between proteins spatially confined to the FMM. Here we used biochemical approaches to define the scaffold activity of the flotillin homolog FloA of the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, using assembly of interacting protein partners of the type VII secretion system (T7SS) as a case study. Staphylococcus aureus cells that lacked FloA showed reduced T7SS function, and thus reduced secretion of T7SS-related effectors, probably due to the supporting scaffold activity of flotillin. We found that the presence of flotillin mediates intermolecular interactions of T7SS proteins. We tested several small molecules that interfere with flotillin scaffold activity, which perturbed T7SS activity in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that flotillin assists in the assembly of S. aureus membrane components that participate in infection and influences the infective potential of this pathogen. KW - flotillin KW - scaffold protein KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - type VII secretion system Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170035 VL - 13 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fischer, Annette A1 - Harrison, Kelly S A1 - Ramirez, Yesid A1 - Auer, Daniela A1 - Chowdhury, Suvagata Roy A1 - Prusty, Bhupesh K A1 - Sauer, Florian A1 - Dimond, Zoe A1 - Kisker, Caroline A1 - Hefty, P Scott A1 - Rudel, Thomas T1 - Chlamydia trachomatis-containing vacuole serves as deubiquitination platform to stabilize Mcl-1 and to interfere with host defense JF - eLife N2 - Obligate intracellular Chlamydia trachomatis replicate in a membrane-bound vacuole called inclusion, which serves as a signaling interface with the host cell. Here, we show that the chlamydial deubiquitinating enzyme (Cdu) 1 localizes in the inclusion membrane and faces the cytosol with the active deubiquitinating enzyme domain. The structure of this domain revealed high similarity to mammalian deubiquitinases with a unique α-helix close to the substrate-binding pocket. We identified the apoptosis regulator Mcl-1 as a target that interacts with Cdu1 and is stabilized by deubiquitination at the chlamydial inclusion. A chlamydial transposon insertion mutant in the Cdu1-encoding gene exhibited increased Mcl-1 and inclusion ubiquitination and reduced Mcl-1 stabilization. Additionally, inactivation of Cdu1 led to increased sensitivity of C. trachomatis for IFNγ and impaired infection in mice. Thus, the chlamydial inclusion serves as an enriched site for a deubiquitinating activity exerting a function in selective stabilization of host proteins and protection from host defense. KW - cell-autonomous defense KW - Chlamydia trachomatis KW - deubiquitinase KW - Mcl-1 Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-171073 VL - 6 IS - e21465 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Godbole, Amod A1 - Lyga, Sandra A1 - Lohse, Martin J. A1 - Calebiro, Davide T1 - Internalized TSH receptors en route to the TGN induce local G\(_{S}\)-protein signaling and gene transcription JF - Nature Communications N2 - A new paradigm of G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling at intracellular sites has recently emerged, but the underlying mechanisms and functional consequences are insufficiently understood. Here, we show that upon internalization in thyroid cells, endogenous TSH receptors traffic retrogradely to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and activate endogenous Gs-proteins in the retromer-coated compartment that brings them to the TGN. Receptor internalization is associated with a late cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) response at the Golgi/TGN. Blocking receptor internalization, inhibiting PKA II/interfering with its Golgi/TGN localization, silencing retromer or disrupting Golgi/TGN organization all impair efficient TSH-dependent cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation. These results suggest that retrograde trafficking to the TGN induces local G\(_{S}\)-protein activation and cAMP/PKA signaling at a critical position near the nucleus, which appears required for efficient CREB phosphorylation and gene transcription. This provides a new mechanism to explain the functional consequences of GPCR signaling at intracellular sites and reveals a critical role for the TGN in GPCR signaling. KW - G protein-coupled receptors KW - fluorescence imaging KW - hormone receptors KW - trans-Golgi network Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170375 VL - 8 IS - 443 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oehler, Beatrice A1 - Mohammadi, Milad A1 - Perpina Viciano, Cristina A1 - Hackel, Dagmar A1 - Hoffmann, Carsten A1 - Brack, Alexander A1 - Rittner, Heike L. T1 - Peripheral interaction of Resolvin D1 and E1 with opioid receptor antagonists for antinociception in inflammatory pain in rats JF - Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience N2 - Antinociceptive pathways are activated in the periphery in inflammatory pain, for instance resolvins and opioid peptides. Resolvins are biosynthesized from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Resolvin D1 (RvD1) and resolvin E1 (RvE1) initiate the resolution of inflammation and control of hypersensitivity via induction of anti-inflammatory signaling cascades. RvD1 binds to lipoxin A4/annexin-A1 receptor/formyl-peptide receptor 2 (ALX/FPR2), RvE1 to chemerin receptor 23 (ChemR23). Antinociception of RvD1 is mediated by interaction with transient receptor potential channels ankyrin 1 (TRPA1). Endogenous opioid peptides are synthesized and released from leukocytes in the tissue and bind to opioid receptors on nociceptor terminals. Here, we further explored peripheral mechanisms of RvD1 and chemerin (Chem), the ligand of ChemR23, in complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced hindpaw inflammation in male Wistar rats. RvD1 and Chem ameliorated CFA-induced hypersensitivity in early and late inflammatory phases. This was prevented by peripheral blockade of the μ-opioid peptide receptor (MOR) using low dose local naloxone or by local injection of anti-β-endorphin and anti-met-enkephalin (anti-ENK) antibodies. Naloxone also hindered antinociception by the TRPA1 inhibitor HC-030031. RvD1 did not stimulate the release of β-endorphin from macrophages and neutrophils, nor did RvD1 itself activate G-proteins coupled MOR or initiate β-arrestin recruitment to the membrane. TRPA1 blockade by HC-030031 in inflammation in vivo as well as inhibition of the TRPA1-mediated calcium influx in dorsal root ganglia neurons in vitro was hampered by naloxone. Peripheral application of naloxone alone in vivo already lowered mechanical nociceptive thresholds. Therefore, either a perturbation of the balance of endogenous pro- and antinociceptive mechanisms in early and late inflammation, or an interaction of TRPA1 and opioid receptors weaken the antinociceptive potency of RvD1 and TRPA1 blockers. KW - transient receptor potential channels KW - pain behavior KW - resolvin KW - opioid receptors KW - opioid peptides KW - inflammation KW - animals Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158642 VL - 10 IS - 242 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Koelmel, Wolfgang A1 - Kuper, Jochen A1 - Kisker, Caroline T1 - Cesium based phasing of macromolecules: a general easy to use approach for solving the phase problem JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Over the last decades the phase problem in macromolecular x-ray crystallography has become more controllable as methods and approaches have diversified and improved. However, solving the phase problem is still one of the biggest obstacles on the way of successfully determining a crystal structure. To overcome this caveat, we have utilized the anomalous scattering properties of the heavy alkali metal cesium. We investigated the introduction of cesium in form of cesium chloride during the three major steps of protein treatment in crystallography: purification, crystallization, and cryo-protection. We derived a step-wise procedure encompassing a "quick-soak"-only approach and a combined approach of CsCl supplement during purification and cryo-protection. This procedure was successfully applied on two different proteins: (i) Lysozyme and (ii) as a proof of principle, a construct consisting of the PH domain of the TFIIH subunit p62 from Chaetomium thermophilum for de novo structure determination. Usage of CsCl thus provides a versatile, general, easy to use, and low cost phasing strategy. KW - structural biology KW - X-ray crystallography Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-261644 VL - 11 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Batsching, Sophie A1 - Wolf, Reinhard A1 - Heisenberg, Martin T1 - Inescapable Stress Changes Walking Behavior in Flies - Learned Helplessness Revisited JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Like other animals flies develop a state of learned helplessness in response to unescapable aversive events. To show this, two flies, one 'master', one 'yoked', are each confined to a dark, small chamber and exposed to the same sequence of mild electric shocks. Both receive these shocks when the master fly stops walking for more than a second. Behavior in the two animals is differently affected by the shocks. Yoked flies are transiently impaired in place learning and take longer than master flies to exit from the chamber towards light. After the treatment they walk more slowly and take fewer and shorter walking bouts. The low activity is attributed to the fly's experience that its escape response, an innate behavior to terminate the electric shocks, does not help anymore. Earlier studies using heat pulses instead of electric shocks had shown similar effects. This parallel supports the interpretation that it is the uncontrollability that induces the state. KW - learning KW - locomotion KW - animal behavior KW - behavioral conditioning KW - walking KW - vibration KW - light pulses KW - conditioned response Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-178640 VL - 11 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maurer, Jana A1 - Hupp, Sabrina A1 - Bischoff, Carolin A1 - Foertsch, Christina A1 - Mitchell, Timothy J. A1 - Chakraborty, Trinad A1 - Iliev, Asparouh I. T1 - Distinct neurotoxicity profile of listeriolysin O from \(Listeria\) \(monocytogenes\) JF - Toxins N2 - Cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) are protein toxins that originate from Gram-positive bacteria and contribute substantially to their pathogenicity. CDCs bind membrane cholesterol and build prepores and lytic pores. Some effects of the toxins are observed in non-lytic concentrations. Two pathogens, \(Streptococcus\) \(pneumoniae\) and \(Listeria\) \(monocytogenes\), cause fatal bacterial meningitis, and both produce toxins of the CDC family—pneumolysin and listeriolysin O, respectively. It has been demonstrated that pneumolysin produces dendritic varicosities (dendrite swellings) and dendritic spine collapse in the mouse neocortex, followed by synaptic loss and astrocyte cell shape remodeling without elevated cell death. We utilized primary glial cultures and acute mouse brain slices to examine the neuropathological effects of listeriolysin O and to compare it to pneumolysin with identical hemolytic activity. In cultures, listeriolysin O permeabilized cells slower than pneumolysin did but still initiated non-lytic astrocytic cell shape changes, just as pneumolysin did. In an acute brain slice culture system, listeriolysin O produced dendritic varicosities in an NMDA-dependent manner but failed to cause dendritic spine collapse and cortical astrocyte reorganization. Thus, listeriolysin O demonstrated slower cell permeabilization and milder glial cell remodeling ability than did pneumolysin and lacked dendritic spine collapse capacity but exhibited equivalent dendritic pathology. KW - medicine KW - listeriolysin O KW - meningitis KW - acute slices KW - variocosities KW - dendritic spines Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172130 VL - 9 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cai, Kai A1 - El-Merahbi, Rabih A1 - Loeffler, Mona A1 - Mayer, Alexander E. A1 - Sumara, Grzegorz T1 - Ndrg1 promotes adipocyte differentiation and sustains their function JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Adipocytes play a central role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis in the body. Differentiation of adipocyte precursor cells requires the transcriptional activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (Pparγ) and CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/Ebps). Transcriptional activity is regulated by signaling modules activated by a plethora of hormones and nutrients. Mechanistic target of rapamacin complexes (mTORC) 1 and 2 are central for the coordination of hormonal and nutritional inputs in cells and are essential for adipogenesis. Serum glucocorticoid kinase 1 (Sgk1)-dependent phosphorylation of N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (Ndrg1) is a hallmark of mTORC2 activation in cells. Moreover, Pparγ activation promotes Ndrg1 expression. However, the impact of Ndrg1 on adipocyte differentiation and function has not yet been defined. Here, we show that Ndrg1 expression and its Sgk1-dependent phosphorylation are induced during adipogenesis. Consistently, we demonstrate that Ndrg1 promotes adipocyte differentiation and function by inducing Pparγ expression. Additionally, our results indicate that Ndrg1 is required for C/Ebpα phosphorylation. Moreover, we found that Ndrg1 phosphorylation by Sgk1 promotes adipocyte formation. Taken together, we show that induction of Ndrg1 expression by Pparγ and its phosphorylation by Sgk1 kinase are required for the acquisition of adipocyte characteristics by precursor cells. KW - differentiation KW - cell signalling KW - adipocytes KW - Ndrg1 Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170565 VL - 7 IS - 7191 ER - TY - THES A1 - Schreiber, Benjamin T1 - Selective and enhanced fluorescence by biocompatible nanocoatings to monitor G-protein-coupled receptor dynamics T1 - Selektive und verstärkte Fluoreszenz durch biokompatible Nanobeschichtungen zur Untersuchung von G-protein-gekoppelten Rezeptoren und ihrer Dynamik N2 - Fluorescence microscopy has become one of the most important techniques for the imaging of biological cells and tissue, since the technique allows for selective labeling with fluorescent molecules and is highly suitable for low-light applications down to the single molecule regime. The methodological requirements are well-defined for studying membrane receptors within a highly localized nanometer-thin membrane. For example, G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are an extensively studied class of membrane receptors that represent one of the most important pharmaceutical targets. Ligand binding and GPCR activation dynamics are suspected to take place at the millisecond scale and may even be far faster. Thus, techniques that are fast, selective, and live-cell compatible are required to monitor GPCR dynamics. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRF-M) are methods of choice to monitor the dynamics of GPCRs selectively within the cell membrane. Despite the remarkable success of these modalities, there are limitations. Most importantly, inhomogeneous illumination can induce imaging artifacts, rendering spectroscopic evaluation difficult. Background signal due to scattering processes or imperfect labeling can hamper the signal-to-noise, thus limiting image contrast and acquisition speed. Careful consideration of the internal physiology is required for FRET sensor design, so that ligand binding and cell compatibility are well-preserved despite the fluorescence labeling procedures. This limitation of labeling positions leads to very low signal changes in FRET-based GPCR analysis. In addition, microscopy of these systems becomes even more challenging in single molecule or low-light applications where the accuracy and temporal resolution may become dramatically low. Fluorescent labels should therefore be brighter, protected from photobleaching, and as small as possible to avoid interference with the binding kinetics. The development of new fluorescent molecules and labeling methods is an ongoing process. However, a complete characterization of new labels and sensors takes time. So far, the perfect dye system for GPCR studies has not been found, even though there is high demand. Thus, this thesis explores and applies a different approach based on improved illumination schemes for TIRF-M as well as metal-coated coverslips to enhance fluorescence and FRET efficiency. First, it is demonstrated that a 360° illumination scheme reduces typical TIRF artifacts and produces a much more homogenously illuminated field of view. Second, membrane imaging and FRET spectroscopy are improved by metal coatings that are used to modulate the fluorescent properties of common fluorescent dyes. Computer simulation methods are used to understand the underlying photophysics and to design the coatings. Third, this thesis explores the operational regime and limitations of plasmonic approaches with high sectioning capabilities. The findings are summarized by three publications that are presented in the results section of this work. In addition, the theory of fluorescence and FRET is explained, with particular attention to its emission modulations in the vicinity of metal-dielectric layers. Details of the instrumentation, computer simulations, and cell culture are described in the method section. The work concludes with a discussion of the findings within the framework of recent technological developments as well as perspectives and suggestions for future approaches complete the presented work. N2 - Die Fluoreszenzmikroskopie ist zu einer der wichtigsten Techniken für die Bildgebung biologischer Zellen und Gewebe geworden, da die Technik eine selektive Markierung mit fluoreszierenden Molekülen ermöglicht und sich hervorragend für Anwendungen bei schwachem Licht bis hin zum Einzelmolekül-Regime eignet. Die methodischen Anforderungen sind gut definiert, um Membranrezeptoren innerhalb einer stark lokalisierten nanometerdünnen Membran zu untersuchen. Zum Beispiel sind G-Protein-gekoppelte Rezeptoren (GPCRs) eine ausführlich untersuchte Klasse von Membranrezeptoren, weil diese wichtige pharmazeutische Ziele darstellen. Es wird vermutet, dass die Ligandenbindungs- und GPCR-Aktivierungsdynamiken im Millisekundenbereich stattfinden und sogar viel schneller sein können. Daher sind Techniken erforderlich, die schnell, selektiv und lebend-Zell kompatibel sind, um die GPCR-Dynamik zu aufzunehmen. Fluoreszenzresonanzenergietransfer (FRET) und internale Totalreflexions-Fluoreszenzmikroskopie (TIRF-M) sind Methoden der Wahl, um die Dynamik von GPCRs selektiv innerhalb der Zellmembran zu untersuchen. Trotz des bemerkenswerten Erfolgs dieser Modalitäten gibt es Einschränkungen. Am wichtigsten ist, dass eine inhomogene Beleuchtung Artefakte erzeugen kann, welche die spektroskopische Auswertung erschweren. Hintergrundsignale aufgrund von Streuprozessen oder unvollständiger Markierung können das Signal-Rausch-Verhältnis beeinträchtigen und somit den Bildkontrast und die Erfassungsgeschwindigkeit begrenzen. Eine sorgfältige Berücksichtigung der internen Physiologie ist für das Design der FRET-Sensoren ist erforderlich, so dass die Ligandenbindung und die Zellkompatibilität trotz der Fluoreszenzmarkierungsverfahren nicht gestört werden. Diese Einschränkung der Markierungspositionen führt zu sehr geringen Signalkontrast in der FRET-basierten GPCR-Analyse. Darüber hinaus wird die Mikroskopie dieser Systeme bei Einzelmolekül- oder Schwachlichtanwendungen, bei denen die Genauigkeit und die zeitliche Auflösung dramatisch niedrig werden können, noch schwieriger. Fluoreszierende Marker sollten daher heller, vor Photobleichung geschützt und so klein wie möglich sein, um Störungen mit der Rezeptorkinetik zu vermeiden. Die Entwicklung neuer fluoreszierender Moleküle und Markierungsmethoden ist ein fortlaufender Prozess. Eine vollständige Charakterisierung neuer Marker und Sensoren benötigt jedoch Zeit. Bis jetzt wurde das perfekte Farbstoffsystem für GPCR-Studien noch nicht gefunden, auch wenn es eine hohe Nachfrage dafür gibt. Daher wird ein anderer Ansatz auf der Grundlage verbesserter Beleuchtungsschemata für TIRF-M sowie metallbeschichtete Deckgläser zur Verbesserung der Fluoreszenz- und FRET-Effizienz untersucht. Zunächst wird gezeigt, dass ein 360 ° Beleuchtung typische TIRF-Artefakte reduziert und ein wesentlich homogeneres Bildausleuchtung erzeugt. Zweitens wurde durch die Modulation der Fluoreszenzeigenschaften gängiger Fluoreszenzfarbstoffe die Membranbildgebung und FRET-Spektroskopie verbessert. Computersimulationsmethoden werden verwendet, um die zugrundeliegende Photophysik zu verstehen und zielgerichtet Beschichtungen zu entwerfen. Drittens wurden das operationelle Regime und die Grenzen von plasmonischen Ansätzen mit noch höheren Signalselektiverung untersucht. Die Ergebnisse sind in drei Publikationen zusammengefasst, die im Ergebnisteil dieser Arbeit vorgestellt werden. Darüber hinaus wird die Theorie der Fluoreszenz und des FRET unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ihrer Emissionsmodulationen in der Nähe von Metall-Dielektrikum-Schichten erläutert. Details der Instrumentierung, Computersimulationen und Zellkultur werden im Abschnitt Methoden beschrieben. Die Arbeit schließt mit einer Diskussion der Ergebnisse im Rahmen der jüngsten technologischen Entwicklungen sowie mit Perspektiven und Vorschlägen für zukünftige Ansätze, die die vorliegende Arbeit abrunden. KW - G-Protein gekoppelte Rezeptoren KW - Fluorescence KW - Microscopy KW - Plasmonic KW - Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer KW - G Protein-Coupled Receptors KW - Fluoreszenzmikroskopie KW - Fluorescence Microscopy Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-173923 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weider, Matthias A1 - Wegener, Amélie A1 - Schmitt, Christian A1 - Küspert, Melanie A1 - Hillgärtner, Simone A1 - Bösl, Michael R. A1 - Hermans-Borgmeyer, Irm A1 - Nait-Oumesmar, Brahim A1 - Wegner, Michael T1 - Elevated in vivo levels of a single transcription factor directly convert satellite glia into oligodendrocyte-like cells JF - PLoS Genetics N2 - Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating glia of the central nervous system and ensure rapid saltatory conduction. Shortage or loss of these cells leads to severe malfunctions as observed in human leukodystrophies and multiple sclerosis, and their replenishment by reprogramming or cell conversion strategies is an important research aim. Using a transgenic approach we increased levels of the transcription factor Sox10 throughout the mouse embryo and thereby prompted Fabp7-positive glial cells in dorsal root ganglia of the peripheral nervous system to convert into cells with oligodendrocyte characteristics including myelin gene expression. These rarely studied and poorly characterized satellite glia did not go through a classic oligodendrocyte precursor cell stage. Instead, Sox10 directly induced key elements of the regulatory network of differentiating oligodendrocytes, including Olig2, Olig1, Nkx2.2 and Myrf. An upstream enhancer mediated the direct induction of the Olig2 gene. Unlike Sox10, Olig2 was not capable of generating oligodendrocyte-like cells in dorsal root ganglia. Our findings provide proof-of-concept that Sox10 can convert conducive cells into oligodendrocyte-like cells in vivo and delineates options for future therapeutic strategies. KW - peripheral nervous system KW - Hirschsprung disease KW - spinal-cord KW - boundary cap KW - differentiation KW - stem cells KW - factor Sox10 KW - mouse model KW - expression KW - Olig2 Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-144123 VL - 11 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buechner, Claudia N. A1 - Maiti, Atanu A1 - Drohat, Alexander C. A1 - Tessmer, Ingrid T1 - Lesion search and recognition by thymine DNA glycosylase revealed by single molecule imaging JF - Nucleic Acids Research N2 - The ability of DNA glycosylases to rapidly and efficiently detect lesions among a vast excess of nondamaged DNA bases is vitally important in base excision repair (BER). Here, we use singlemolecule imaging by atomic force microscopy (AFM) supported by a 2-aminopurine fluorescence base flipping assay to study damage search by human thymine DNA glycosylase (hTDG), which initiates BER of mutagenic and cytotoxic G:T and G:U mispairs in DNA. Our data reveal an equilibrium between two conformational states of hTDG-DNA complexes, assigned as search complex (SC) and interrogation complex (IC), both at target lesions and undamaged DNA sites. Notably, for both hTDG and a second glycosylase, hOGG1, which recognizes structurally different 8-oxoguanine lesions, the conformation of the DNA in the SC mirrors innate structural properties of their respective target sites. In the IC, the DNA is sharply bent, as seen in crystal structures of hTDG lesion recognition complexes, which likely supports the base flipping required for lesion identification. Our results support a potentially general concept of sculpting of glycosylases to their targets, allowing them to exploit the energetic cost of DNA bending for initial lesion sensing, coupled with continuous (extrahelical) base interrogation during lesion search by DNA glycosylases. KW - Escherichia coli AlkA KW - undamaged DNA KW - substrate recognition KW - intrahelical lesion KW - uracil binding KW - structural basis KW - mismatch recognition KW - damaged DNA KW - base excision repair Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148795 VL - 43 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chillo, Omary A1 - Kleinert, Eike Christian A1 - Lautz, Thomas A1 - Lasch, Manuel A1 - Pagel, Judith-Irina A1 - Heun, Yvonn A1 - Troidl, Kerstin A1 - Fischer, Silvia A1 - Caballero-Martinez, Amelia A1 - Mauer, Annika A1 - Kurz, Angela R. M. A1 - Assmann, Gerald A1 - Rehberg, Markus A1 - Kanse, Sandip M. A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Walzog, Barbara A1 - Reichel, Christoph A. A1 - Mannell, Hanna A1 - Preissner, Klaus T. A1 - Deindl, Elisabeth T1 - Perivascular Mast Cells Govern Shear Stress-Induced Arteriogenesis by Orchestrating Leukocyte Function JF - Cell Reports N2 - The body has the capacity to compensate for an occluded artery by creating a natural bypass upon increased fluid shear stress. How this mechanical force is translated into collateral artery growth (arteriogenesis) is unresolved. We show that extravasation of neutrophils mediated by the platelet receptor GPIbα and uPA results in Nox2-derived reactive oxygen radicals, which activate perivascular mast cells. These c-kit+/CXCR-4+ cells stimulate arteriogenesis by recruiting additional neutrophils as well as growth-promoting monocytes and T cells. Additionally, mast cells may directly contribute to vascular remodeling and vascular cell proliferation through increased MMP activity and by supplying growth-promoting factors. Boosting mast cell recruitment and activation effectively promotes arteriogenesis, thereby protecting tissue from severe ischemic damage. We thus find that perivascular mast cells are central regulators of shear stress-induced arteriogenesis by orchestrating leukocyte function and growth factor/cytokine release, thus providing a therapeutic target for treatment of vascular occlusive diseases. KW - Mast cells Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164800 VL - 16 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Koenig, Sebastian A1 - Wolf, Reinhard A1 - Heisenberg, Martin T1 - Visual Attention in Flies-Dopamine in the Mushroom Bodies Mediates the After-Effect of Cueing JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Visual environments may simultaneously comprise stimuli of different significance. Often such stimuli require incompatible responses. Selective visual attention allows an animal to respond exclusively to the stimuli at a certain location in the visual field. In the process of establishing its focus of attention the animal can be influenced by external cues. Here we characterize the behavioral properties and neural mechanism of cueing in the fly Drosophila melanogaster. A cue can be attractive, repulsive or ineffective depending upon (e.g.) its visual properties and location in the visual field. Dopamine signaling in the brain is required to maintain the effect of cueing once the cue has disappeared. Raising or lowering dopamine at the synapse abolishes this after-effect. Specifically, dopamine is necessary and sufficient in the αβ-lobes of the mushroom bodies. Evidence is provided for an involvement of the αβ\(_{posterior}\) Kenyon cells. KW - dopamine transporters KW - Drosophila melanogaster KW - synapses KW - dopaminergics KW - dopamine KW - sensory cues KW - RNA interference KW - vision Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179564 VL - 11 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stritt, Simon A1 - Nurden, Paquita A1 - Favier, Remi A1 - Favier, Marie A1 - Ferioli, Silvia A1 - Gotru, Sanjeev K. A1 - van Eeuwijk, Judith M.M. A1 - Schulze, Harald A1 - Nurden, Alan T. A1 - Lambert, Michele P. A1 - Turro, Ernest A1 - Burger-Stritt, Stephanie A1 - Matsushita, Masayuki A1 - Mittermeier, Lorenz A1 - Ballerini, Paola A1 - Zierler, Susanna A1 - Laffan, Michael A. A1 - Chubanov, Vladimir A1 - Gudermann, Thomas A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Braun, Attila T1 - Defects in TRPM7 channel function deregulate thrombopoiesis through altered cellular Mg\(^{2+}\) homeostasis and cytoskeletal architecture JF - Nature Communications N2 - Mg\(^{2+}\) plays a vital role in platelet function, but despite implications for life-threatening conditions such as stroke or myocardial infarction, the mechanisms controlling [Mg\(^{2+}\)]i in megakaryocytes (MKs) and platelets are largely unknown. Transient receptor potential melastatin-like 7 channel (TRPM7) is a ubiquitous, constitutively active cation channel with a cytosolic α-kinase domain that is critical for embryonic development and cell survival. Here we report that impaired channel function of TRPM7 in MKs causes macrothrombocytopenia in mice (Trpm7\(^{fl/fl-Pf4Cre}\)) and likely in several members of a human pedigree that, in addition, suffer from atrial fibrillation. The defect in platelet biogenesis is mainly caused by cytoskeletal alterations resulting in impaired proplatelet formation by Trpm7\(^{fl/fl-Pf4Cre}\) MKs, which is rescued by Mg\(^{2+}\) supplementation or chemical inhibition of non-muscle myosin IIA heavy chain activity. Collectively, our findings reveal that TRPM7 dysfunction may cause macrothrombocytopenia in humans and mice. KW - Cytoskeleton KW - homeostasisIon channels KW - thrombopoiesis Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-173843 VL - 7 ER - TY - THES A1 - Göb [née Klaus], Vanessa Aline Domenica T1 - Pathomechanisms underlying ischemic stroke T1 - Pathomechanismen des ischämischen Schlaganfalles N2 - Every year, stroke affects over 100 million people worldwide and the number of cases continues to grow. Ischemic stroke is the most prevalent form of stroke and rapid restoration of blood flow is the primary therapeutic aim. However, recanalization might fail or reperfusion itself induces detrimental processes leading to infarct progression. Previous studies identified platelets and immune cells as drivers of this so-called ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, establishing the concept of ischemic stroke as thrombo-inflammatory disease. Reduced cerebral blood flow despite recanalization promoted the hypothesis that thrombus formation within the cerebral microcirculation induces further tissue damage. The results presented in this thesis refute this: using complementary methodologies, it was shown that infarct growth precedes the occurrence of thrombi excluding them as I/R injury-underlying cause. Blood brain barrier disruption is one of the hallmarks of ischemic stroke pathology and was confirmed as early event during reperfusion injury in the second part of this study. Abolished platelet α-granule release protects mice from vascular leakage in the early reperfusion phase resulting in smaller infarcts. Using in vitro assays, platelet α-granule-derived PDGF-AB was identified as one factor contributing to blood-brain barrier disruption. In vivo visualization of platelet activation would provide important insights in the spatio-temporal context of platelet activation in stroke pathology. As platelet signaling results in elevated intracellular Ca2+ levels, this is an ideal readout. To overcome the limitations of chemical calcium indicators, a mouse line expressing an endogenous calcium reporter specifically in platelets and megakaryocytes was generated. Presence of the reporter did not interfere with platelet function, consequently these mice were characterized in in vivo and ex vivo models. Upon ischemic stroke, neutrophils are among the first cells that are recruited to the brain. Since for neutrophils both, beneficial and detrimental effects are described, their role was investigated within this thesis. Neither neutrophil depletion nor absence of NADPH-dependent ROS production (Ncf-/- mice) affected stroke outcome. In contrast, abolished NET-formation in Pad4-/- mice resulted in reduced infarct sizes, revealing detrimental effects of NETosis in the context of ischemic stroke, which might become a potential therapeutic target. Cerebral venous (sinus) thrombosis, CV(S)T is a rare type of stroke with mainly idiopathic onset. Whereas for arterial thrombosis a critical contribution of platelets is known and widely accepted, for venous thrombosis this is less clear but considered more and more. In the last part of this thesis, it was shown that fab-fragments of the anti-CLEC-2 antibody INU1 trigger pathological platelet activation in vivo, resulting in foudroyant CVT accompanied by heavy neurological symptoms. Using this novel animal model for CVT, cooperative signaling of the two platelet receptors CLEC-2 and GPIIb/IIIa was revealed as major trigger of CVT and potential target for treatment. N2 - Jährlich sind weltweit über 100 Millionen Menschen von einem Schlaganfall betroffen, wobei die Zahl der Fälle weiter zunimmt. Der ischämische Schlaganfall ist die häufigste Form des Schlaganfalls, und die sofortige Wiederherstellung des Blutflusses ist das oberste Therapie¬ziel. Allerdings kommt es vor, dass die Rekanalisierung des betroffenen Gefäßes fehlschlägt oder die Reperfusion selbst zu schädlichen Prozessen führt, die das Fortschreiten des Infarkts begünstigen. In vorangegangen Studien wurden Thrombozyten und Immunzellen als treibende Kräfte dieser so genannten Ischämie/Reperfusion (I/R)-Schädigung identifiziert und der ischämische Schlaganfall als thrombo-inflammatorische Erkrankung definiert. Eine verminderte zerebrale Durchblutung trotz Rekanalisation führte zu der Hypothese, dass die Bildung von Thromben in der zerebralen Mikrozirkulation zu weiteren Gewebeschäden führt. Die hier vorgestellten Ergebnisse widerlegen dies: Mit Hilfe komplementärer Methoden konnte gezeigt werden, dass das Infarktwachstum dem Auftreten von Thromben vorausgeht, was diese als Ursache für die I/R-Verletzung ausschließt. Die Störung der Blut-Hirn-Schranke ist eines der charakteristischen Kennzeichen der Pathologie des ischämischen Schlaganfalls und wurde im zweiten Teil dieser Studie als frühes Ereignis während des Reperfusionsschadens bestätigt. Mit Hilfe transgener Mäuse konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Ausschüttung von α-Granula aus Thrombozyten in der frühen Reperfusionsphase an Störungen der Blut-Hirn-Schranke beteiligt ist und somit zum Infarktwachstum beiträgt. In in-vitro-Versuchen konnte gezeigt werden, dass PDGF-AB, ein Bestandteil der α-Granula, an Prozessen, die für die Beeinträchtigung der Blut-Hirn-Schranke verantwortlich sind, beteiligt ist. Die Sichtbarmachung von aktivierten Thrombozyten in vivo, würde wichtige Erkenntnisse über den räumlichen und zeitlichen Kontext der Aktivierung von Thrombozyten im Verlauf des Schlaganfalls liefern. Da alle aktivierenden Signalwege zum Anstieg des intrazellulären Kalziumspiegels führen, ist Kalzium ein idealer Indikator der Thrombozytenaktivierung. Um die Grenzen chemischer Kalziumindikatoren zu überwinden, wurde eine transgene Mauslinie erzeugt, welche einen endogenen Kalziumreporter speziell in Thrombozyten und Megakaryozyten exprimiert. Die Anwesenheit des Reporters hatte keine Auswirkung auf die Funktionalität der Thrombozyten und die Mäuse wurden in vivo sowie ex vivo in verschiedenen Experimenten charakterisiert. In der Folge eines ischämischen Schlaganfalles gehören Neutrophile zu den am frühesten ins Gehirn einwandernden Zellen. Dabei werden Neutrophilen sowohl günstige als auch schädliche Wirkungen auf den Verlauf des ischämischen Schlaganfalls zugeschrieben. Aus diesem Grund wurde ihre Rolle in dieser Arbeit näher untersucht. Weder die Abwesenheit von Neutrophilen noch das Fehlen der NADPH-abhängigen Produktion von reaktiven Sauerstoffspezies (Ncf1-/- Mäuse) beeinflussen den Ausgang eines Schlaganfalls. Im Gegensatz dazu, führte die Verhinderung der NET-Bildung (NET = neutrophil extracellular traps) in Pad4-/- Mäusen zu verringerten Infarktgrößen, was auf eine schädliche Wirkung der NETose im Zusammenhang des Schlaganfalls hinweist und somit ein therapeutisches Angriffsziel darstellen könnte. Sinusvenenthrombosen sind eine seltene Form des Schlaganfalls, die meist ohne bekannte Ursache auftreten. Während für die arterielle Thrombose ein kritischer Beitrag der Thrombozyten bekannt und weithin akzeptiert ist, ist dies für venöse Thrombosen weniger klar, wird aber immer mehr in Betracht gezogen. Im letzten Teil dieser Arbeit wurde gezeigt, dass Fab-Fragmente des anti-CLEC-2-Antikörpers INU1 in vivo eine pathologische Aktivierung von Thrombozyten auslösen, die zu einer fulminanten Sinusvenenthrombose mit schweren neurologischen Symptomen führt. Mit Hilfe dieses neuartigen Tiermodells wurde die zusammenwirkende Signalübertragung der beiden Thrombozytenrezeptoren CLEC-2 und GPIIb/IIIa als Hauptauslöser der Sinusvenenthrombose und damit potenzielles Ziel für eine Behandlung identifiziert. KW - Schlaganfall KW - Thrombozyt KW - Maus KW - Blut-Hirn-Schranke KW - Sinusthrombose KW - thrombo-inflammation KW - ischemic stroke KW - blood brain barrier KW - CVT KW - platelets Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-286727 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwan, Carsten A1 - Lang, Alexander E. A1 - Schlosser, Andreas A1 - Fujita-Becker, Setsuko A1 - AlHaj, Abdulatif A1 - Schröder, Rasmus R. A1 - Faix, Jan A1 - Aktories, Klaus A1 - Mannherz, Hans Georg T1 - Inhibition of Arp2/3 complex after ADP-ribosylation of Arp2 by binary Clostridioides toxins JF - Cells N2 - Clostridioides bacteria are responsible for life threatening infections. Here, we show that in addition to actin, the binary toxins CDT, C2I, and Iota from Clostridioides difficile, botulinum, and perfrigens, respectively, ADP-ribosylate the actin-related protein Arp2 of Arp2/3 complex and its additional components ArpC1, ArpC2, and ArpC4/5. The Arp2/3 complex is composed of seven subunits and stimulates the formation of branched actin filament networks. This activity is inhibited after ADP-ribosylation of Arp2. Translocation of the ADP-ribosyltransferase component of CDT toxin into human colon carcinoma Caco2 cells led to ADP-ribosylation of cellular Arp2 and actin followed by a collapse of the lamellipodial extensions and F-actin network. Exposure of isolated mouse colon pieces to CDT toxin induced the dissolution of the enterocytes leading to luminal aggregation of cellular debris and the collapse of the mucosal organization. Thus, we identify the Arp2/3 complex as hitherto unknown target of clostridial ADP-ribosyltransferases. KW - actin KW - ADP-ribosyltransferases KW - Arp2/3 complex KW - Clostridioides binary toxins Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-297454 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 11 IS - 22 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brünnert, Daniela A1 - Seupel, Raina A1 - Goyal, Pankaj A1 - Bach, Matthias A1 - Schraud, Heike A1 - Kirner, Stefanie A1 - Köster, Eva A1 - Feineis, Doris A1 - Bargou, Ralf C. A1 - Schlosser, Andreas A1 - Bringmann, Gerhard A1 - Chatterjee, Manik T1 - Ancistrocladinium A induces apoptosis in proteasome inhibitor-resistant multiple myeloma cells: a promising therapeutic agent candidate JF - Pharmaceuticals N2 - The N,C-coupled naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid ancistrocladinium A belongs to a novel class of natural products with potent antiprotozoal activity. Its effects on tumor cells, however, have not yet been explored. We demonstrate the antitumor activity of ancistrocladinium A in multiple myeloma (MM), a yet incurable blood cancer that represents a model disease for adaptation to proteotoxic stress. Viability assays showed a potent apoptosis-inducing effect of ancistrocladinium A in MM cell lines, including those with proteasome inhibitor (PI) resistance, and in primary MM cells, but not in non-malignant blood cells. Concomitant treatment with the PI carfilzomib or the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat strongly enhanced the ancistrocladinium A-induced apoptosis. Mass spectrometry with biotinylated ancistrocladinium A revealed significant enrichment of RNA-splicing-associated proteins. Affected RNA-splicing-associated pathways included genes involved in proteotoxic stress response, such as PSMB5-associated genes and the heat shock proteins HSP90 and HSP70. Furthermore, we found strong induction of ATF4 and the ATM/H2AX pathway, both of which are critically involved in the integrated cellular response following proteotoxic and oxidative stress. Taken together, our data indicate that ancistrocladinium A targets cellular stress regulation in MM and improves the therapeutic response to PIs or overcomes PI resistance, and thus may represent a promising potential therapeutic agent. KW - multiple myeloma KW - ancistrocladinium A KW - naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids KW - proteasome inhibitor resistance KW - RNA splicing KW - cellular stress response KW - proteasome subunit beta type-5 (PSMB5) KW - activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) KW - ataxia teleagiectasia mutated (ATM) KW - H2A histone family member X (H2AX) Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-362887 SN - 1424-8247 VL - 16 IS - 8 ER - TY - INPR A1 - Hennig, Thomas A1 - Prusty, Archana B. A1 - Kaufer, Benedikt A1 - Whisnant, Adam W. A1 - Lodha, Manivel A1 - Enders, Antje A1 - Thomas, Julius A1 - Kasimir, Francesca A1 - Grothey, Arnhild A1 - Herb, Stefanie A1 - Jürges, Christopher A1 - Meister, Gunter A1 - Erhard, Florian A1 - Dölken, Lars A1 - Prusty, Bhupesh K. T1 - Selective inhibition of miRNA 1 processing by a herpesvirus encoded miRNA N2 - Herpesviruses have mastered host cell modulation and immune evasion to augment productive infection, life-long latency and reactivation thereof 1,2. A long appreciated, yet elusively defined relationship exists between the lytic-latent switch and viral non-coding RNAs 3,4. Here, we identify miRNA-mediated inhibition of miRNA processing as a thus far unknown cellular mechanism that human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) exploits to disrupt mitochondrial architecture, evade intrinsic host defense and drive the lytic-latent switch. We demonstrate that virus-encoded miR-aU14 selectively inhibits the processing of multiple miR-30 family members by direct interaction with the respective pri-miRNA hairpin loops. Subsequent loss of miR-30 and activation of the miR-30/p53/Drp1 axis triggers a profound disruption of mitochondrial architecture. This impairs induction of type I interferons and is necessary for both productive infection and virus reactivation. Ectopic expression of miR-aU14 triggered virus reactivation from latency, identifying viral miR-aU14 as a readily drugable master regulator of the herpesvirus lytic-latent switch. Our results show that miRNA-mediated inhibition of miRNA processing represents a generalized cellular mechanism that can be exploited to selectively target individual members of miRNA families. We anticipate that targeting miR-aU14 provides exciting therapeutic options for preventing herpesvirus reactivations in HHV-6-associated disorders. KW - Herpesvirus KW - HHV-6A KW - miRNA processing KW - miR-30 KW - mitochondria KW - fusion and fission KW - type I interferon KW - latency KW - virus reactivation Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267862 ET - accepted version ER - TY - JOUR A1 - El-Mesery, Mohamed A1 - Rosenthal, Tina A1 - Rauert-Wunderlich, Hilka A1 - Schreder, Martin A1 - Stühmer, Thorsten A1 - Leich, Ellen A1 - Schlosser, Andreas A1 - Ehrenschwender, Martin A1 - Wajant, Harald A1 - Siegmund, Daniela T1 - The NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor MLN4924 sensitizes a TNFR1+ subgroup of multiple myeloma cells for TNF-induced cell death JF - Cell Death & Disease N2 - The NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor MLN4924 inhibits cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase complexes including the SKP1-cullin-F-box E3 ligase βTrCP. MLN4924 therefore inhibits also the βTrCP-dependent activation of the classical and the alternative NFĸB pathway. In this work, we found that a subgroup of multiple myeloma cell lines (e.g., RPMI-8226, MM.1S, KMS-12BM) and about half of the primary myeloma samples tested are sensitized to TNF-induced cell death by MLN4924. This correlated with MLN4924-mediated inhibition of TNF-induced activation of the classical NFκB pathway and reduced the efficacy of TNF-induced TNFR1 signaling complex formation. Interestingly, binding studies revealed a straightforward correlation between cell surface TNFR1 expression in multiple myeloma cell lines and their sensitivity for MLN4924/TNF-induced cell death. The cell surface expression levels of TNFR1 in the investigated MM cell lines largely correlated with TNFR1 mRNA expression. This suggests that the variable levels of cell surface expression of TNFR1 in myeloma cell lines are decisive for TNF/MLN4924 sensitivity. Indeed, introduction of TNFR1 into TNFR1-negative TNF/MLN4924-resistant KMS-11BM cells, was sufficient to sensitize this cell line for TNF/MLN4924-induced cell death. Thus, MLN4924 might be especially effective in myeloma patients with TNFR1+ myeloma cells and a TNFhigh tumor microenvironment. KW - cancer therapy KW - tumour-necrosis factors Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-226666 VL - 10 ER - TY - THES A1 - Neagoe, Raluca Alexandra Iulia T1 - Development of techniques for studying the platelet glycoprotein receptors GPVI and GPIb localisation and signalling T1 - Entwicklung von Methoden zur Untersuchung zur der Lokalisation und Signaltransduktion der Thrombozytenrezeptoren GPVI und GPIb N2 - Platelets play an important role in haemostasis by mediating blood clotting at sites of blood vessel damage. Platelets, also participate in pathological conditions including thrombosis and inflammation. Upon vessel damage, two glycoprotein receptors, the GPIb-IX-V complex and GPVI, play important roles in platelet capture and activation. GPIb-IX-V binds to von Willebrand factor and GPVI to collagen. This initiates a signalling cascade resulting in platelet shape change and spreading, which is dependent on the actin cytoskeleton. This thesis aimed to develop and implement different super-resolution microscopy techniques to gain a deeper understanding of the conformation and location of these receptors in the platelet plasma membrane, and to provide insights into their signalling pathways. We suggest direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) and structured illumination microscopy (SIM) as the best candidates for imaging single platelets, whereas expansion microscopy (ExM) is ideal for imaging platelets aggregates. Furthermore, we highlighted the role of the actin cytoskeleton, through Rac in GPVI signalling pathway. Inhibition of Rac, with EHT1864 in human platelets induced GPVI and GPV, but not GPIbα shedding. Furthermore, EHT1864 treatment did not change GPVI dimerisation or clustering, however, it decreased phospholipase Cγ2 phosphorylation levels, in human, but not murine platelets, highlighting interspecies differences. In summary, this PhD thesis demonstrates that; 1) Rac alters GPVI signalling pathway in human but not mouse platelets; 2) our newly developed ExM protocol can be used to image platelet aggregates labelled with F(ab’) fragments N2 - Thrombozyten, spielen in der Hämostase eine entscheidende Rolle, indem sie die Blutstillung bei Gefäßverletzung vermitteln. Sie sind jedoch auch an pathologischen Prozessen wie zum Beispiel der Thrombose und Entzündungen beteiligt. Bei einer Gefäßverletzung spielen zwei Glykoproteinrezeptoren eine wichtige Rolle bei der Adhäsion und Aktivierung von Thrombozyten: der GPIb-IX-V-Komplex und GPVI. GPIb-IX-V bindet an den von-Willebrand-Faktor und GPVI an Kollagen. Dies initiiert eine Signalkaskade, die zu einer Änderung der Morphologie der Thrombozyten führt, welche vom Aktin-Zytoskelett abhängig ist. Ziel dieser Doktorarbeit war die Entwicklung und Anwendung verschiedener hochauflösender Mikroskopietechniken, um ein tieferes Verständnis der Konformation und Lokalisation dieser Rezeptoren in der Plasmamembran der Thrombozyten zu erlangen und Einblicke in ihre Signalwege zu gewinnen. Hierbei etablierten wir dSTORM und die structured illumination microscopy (SIM) als die geeignetsten Methoden für die mikroskopische Untersuchung einzelner Thrombozyten, während die Expansionsmikroskopie (ExM) ideal für die Darstellung von Thrombozytenaggregaten ist. Darüber heben unsere Ergebnisse zur Funktion von Rac im GPVI Signalweg die wichtige Rolle des Aktin-Zytoskeletts hervor. Die Hemmung von Rac mit EHT1864 in menschlichen Thrombozyten induzierte das Abscheiden (shedding) von GPVI und GPV, nicht jedoch von GPIbα. Darüber hinaus blieb die GPVI Dimerisierung und GPVI-Clusterbildung durch EHT1864-Behandlung unverändert, jedoch verringerte sich die Phosphorylierung der Phospholipase Cγ2 in humanen, aber nicht in murinen Thrombozyten, was Unterschiede zwischen den Spezies aufzeigt. Zusammenfassend zeigen die Ergebnisse dieser Doktorarbeit, dass; 1) Rac den GPVI Signalweg in humanen aber nicht in murinen Thrombozyten beeinflusst; 2) unser neu entwickeltes ExM-Protokoll zur Darstellung von F(ab’)-Fragment markierten Thrombozytenaggregaten verwendet werden kann. KW - Platelet-Membranglykoprotein p62 KW - Platelets KW - Microscopy KW - GPVI KW - Rac1 Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313064 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Göbel, Kerstin A1 - Pankratz, Susann A1 - Asaridou, Chloi-Magdalini A1 - Herrmann, Alexander M. A1 - Bittner, Stefan A1 - Merker, Monika A1 - Ruck, Tobias A1 - Glumm, Sarah A1 - Langhauser, Friederike A1 - Kraft, Peter A1 - Krug, Thorsten F. A1 - Breuer, Johanna A1 - Herold, Martin A1 - Gross, Catharina C. A1 - Beckmann, Denise A1 - Korb-Pap, Adelheid A1 - Schuhmann, Michael K. A1 - Kuerten, Stefanie A1 - Mitroulis, Ioannis A1 - Ruppert, Clemens A1 - Nolte, Marc W. A1 - Panousis, Con A1 - Klotz, Luisa A1 - Kehrel, Beate A1 - Korn, Thomas A1 - Langer, Harald F. A1 - Pap, Thomas A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Wiendl, Heinz A1 - Chavakis, Triantafyllos A1 - Kleinschnitz, Christoph A1 - Meuth, Sven G. T1 - Blood coagulation factor XII drives adaptive immunity during neuroinflammation via CD87-mediated modulation of dendritic cells JF - Nature Communications N2 - Aberrant immune responses represent the underlying cause of central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Recent evidence implicated the crosstalk between coagulation and immunity in CNS autoimmunity. Here we identify coagulation factor XII (FXII), the initiator of the intrinsic coagulation cascade and the kallikrein–kinin system, as a specific immune cell modulator. High levels of FXII activity are present in the plasma of MS patients during relapse. Deficiency or pharmacologic blockade of FXII renders mice less susceptible to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (a model of MS) and is accompanied by reduced numbers of interleukin-17A-producing T cells. Immune activation by FXII is mediated by dendritic cells in a CD87-dependent manner and involves alterations in intracellular cyclic AMP formation. Our study demonstrates that a member of the plasmatic coagulation cascade is a key mediator of autoimmunity. FXII inhibition may provide a strategy to combat MS and other immune-related disorders. KW - blood coagulation KW - factor XII KW - neuroinflammation KW - dendric cells Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165503 VL - 7 IS - 11626 ER - TY - THES A1 - El Merahbi, Rabih T1 - Adrenergic-induced ERK3 pathway drives lipolysis and suppresses energy dissipation T1 - Der adrenerge induzierte ERK3-Signalweg verstärkt Lipolyse und unterdrückt Energiedissipation N2 - Obesity-induced diabetes affects over 400 million people worldwide. Obesity is a complex metabolic disease and is associated with several co-morbidities, all of which negatively affect the individual’s quality of life. It is commonly considered that obesity is a result of a positive energy misbalance, as increased food intake and lower expenditure eventually lead to the development of this disease. Moreover, the pathology of obesity is attributed to several genetic and epigenetic factors that put an individual at high risk compared to another. Adipose tissue is the main site of the organism’s energy storage. During the time when the nutrients are available in excess, adipocytes acquire triglycerides, which are released during the time of food deprivation in the process of lipolysis (free fatty acids and glycerol released from adipocytes). Uncontrolled lipolysis is the consequent event that contributes to the development of diabetes and paradoxically obesity. To identify the genetic factors aiming for future therapeutic avenues targeting this pathway, we performed a high-throughput screen and identified the Extracellular-regulated kinase 3 (ERK3) as a hit. We demonstrate that β-adrenergic stimulation stabilizes ERK3 leading to the formation of a complex with the co-factor MAP kinase-activated protein kinase 5 (MK5) thereby driving lipolysis. Mechanistically, we identify a downstream target of the ERK3/MK5 pathway, the transcription factor FOXO1, which promotes the expression of the major lipolytic enzyme ATGL. Finally, we provide evidence that targeted deletion of ERK3 in mouse adipocytes inhibits lipolysis, but elevates energy dissipation, promoting lean phenotype and ameliorating diabetes. Moreover, we shed the light on our pharmacological approach in targeting ERK3/MK5 pathways using MK5 specific inhibitor. Already after 1 week of administering the inhibitor, mice showed signs of improvement of their metabolic fitness as showed here by a reduction in induced lipolysis and the elevation in the expression of thermogenic genes. Taken together, our data suggest that targeting the ERK3/MK5 pathway, a previously unrecognized signaling axis in adipose tissue, could be an attractive target for future therapies aiming to combat obesity-induced diabetes. N2 - Adipositas-induzierter Diabetes betrifft weltweit über 400 Millionen Menschen. Adipositas ist eine komplexe Stoffwechselerkrankung und geht mit mehreren Komorbiditäten einher, die sich alle negativ auf die Lebensqualität der Betroffenen auswirken. Es wird generell angenommen, dass Adipositas aus einem positiven Energieungleichgewicht resultiert, da eine erhöhte Nahrungsaufnahme und ein geringerer Verbrauch zu der Ausbildung dieser Krankheit führen. Darüber hinaus ist die Pathologie von Adipositas auf mehrere genetische und epigenetische Faktoren zurückzuführen, wodurch Individuen einem erhöhtem Risiko ausgesetzt sein können. Das Fettgewebe ist der vorwiegende Energiespeicher des Organismus. In Zeiten eines Nährstoffüberschusses speichern Adipozyten Triglyceride, die im Falle eines Nahrungsmangels durch den Prozess der Lipolyse in Form von freien Fettsäuren und Glycerin freigesetzt werden. Unkontrollierte Lipolyse ist ein Folgeereignis, welches zur Entwicklung von Diabetes und paradoxerweise zu Adipositas beiträgt. Um die genetischen Faktoren zu identifizieren, die in Zukunft therapeutische Angriffspunkte darstellen könnten, haben wir ein Hochdurchsatz-Screening durchgeführt und die extrazellulär regulierte Kinase 3 (ERK3) als Treffer identifiziert. Wir zeigen, dass β-adrenerge Stimulation ERK3 stabilisiert, was zur Bildung eines Komplexes mit dem Cofactor MAP-Kinase-aktivierte Proteinkinase 5 (MK5) führt und dadurch die Lipolyse vorantreibt. Mechanistisch identifizieren wir den Transkriptionsfaktor FOXO1, der dem ERK3/MK5-Signalweg nachgeschaltet ist und die Expression des wichtigsten lipolytischen Enzyms ATGL fördert. Darüber hinaus belegen wir, dass die gezielte Deletion von ERK3 in Maus-Adipozyten die Lipolyse hemmt, aber die Energiedissipation erhöht, den mageren Phänotyp fördert und Diabetes lindert. Außerdem nutzen wir einen pharmakologischen Ansatz durch Verwendung eines MK5 spezifischen Inhibitors, um auf den ERK3/MK5-Signalweg abzuzielen. Bereits eine Woche nach Verabreichung des Inhibitors zeigen Mäuse Anzeichen einer verbesserten metabolischen Fitness, die sich durch einer Verringerung der induzierten Lipolyse und eine verstärkte Expression von thermogenen Genen auszeichnet. Zusammenfassend legen unsere Daten nahe, dass der ERK3/MK5-Signalweg, eine zuvor nicht erkannte Signalachse im Fettgewebe, ein attraktiver Ansatzpunkt für zukünftige Therapien zur Bekämpfung von Adipositas-induziertem Diabetes sein könnte. KW - Metabolism KW - Lipolysis KW - Obesity KW - Adrenalin KW - ATGL KW - Foxo1 Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-217510 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Makbul, Cihan A1 - Kraft, Christian A1 - Grießmann, Matthias A1 - Rasmussen, Tim A1 - Katzenberger, Kilian A1 - Lappe, Melina A1 - Pfarr, Paul A1 - Stoffer, Cato A1 - Stöhr, Mara A1 - Wandinger, Anna-Maria A1 - Böttcher, Bettina T1 - Binding of a pocket factor to Hepatitis B virus capsids changes the rotamer conformation of Phenylalanine 97 JF - Viruses N2 - (1) Background: During maturation of the Hepatitis B virus, a viral polymerase inside the capsid transcribes a pre-genomic RNA into a partly double stranded DNA-genome. This is followed by envelopment with surface proteins inserted into a membrane. Envelopment is hypothetically regulated by a structural signal that reports the maturation state of the genome. NMR data suggest that such a signal can be mimicked by the binding of the detergent Triton X 100 to hydrophobic pockets in the capsid spikes. (2) Methods: We have used electron cryo-microscopy and image processing to elucidate the structural changes that are concomitant with the binding of Triton X 100. (3) Results: Our maps show that Triton X 100 binds with its hydrophobic head group inside the pocket. The hydrophilic tail delineates the outside of the spike and is coordinated via Lys-96. The binding of Triton X 100 changes the rotamer conformation of Phe-97 in helix 4, which enables a π-stacking interaction with Trp-62 in helix 3. Similar changes occur in mutants with low secretion phenotypes (P5T and L60V) and in a mutant with a pre-mature secretion phenotype (F97L). (4) Conclusion: Binding of Triton X 100 is unlikely to mimic structural maturation because mutants with different secretion phenotypes show similar structural responses. KW - Hepatitis B Virus KW - pocket factor KW - Triton X 100 KW - envelopment KW - maturation signal KW - single strand blocking KW - electron cryo-microscopy KW - isothermal titration calorimetry Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-248565 SN - 1999-4915 VL - 13 IS - 11 ER - TY - THES A1 - Toepfer, Franziska Helene T1 - Component selectivity and multistability in a \(Drosophila\) orientation paradigm using incoherent motion stimuli T1 - Komponenten-Selektivität und Multistabilität in einem Orientierungsparadigma für \(Drosophila\) unter Verwendung inkohärenter Bewegungsreize N2 - Visual information is essential for Drosophila to navigate its environment. The visual system of the fly has been studied for many decades and has yielded many insights about vision in general. However, visual information can be ambiguous and the system processing it needs to be able to cope with that. In this study, the visual orientation behavior of Drosophila is challenged by panoramic incoherent motion stimuli to which the fly can respond in three different, equally adaptive ways. The study is conducted in a well-established setup, the so-called flight simulator (Heisenberg and Wolf, 1993), where the fly can control its visual surroundings in stationary flight with its yaw torque, which is simultaneously recorded. The fly can either use one of two incoherently moving panorama patterns or the integrated motion of both as its reference for straight flight. It is observed that flies use all three of these behavioral alternatives for orientation. Previous models of fly motion vision do not predict a bimodal tuning to incoherent wide-field motion stimuli (Joesch et al., 2008, Borst et al., 1995), however, a recent study on blowflies could suggests that they show component selectivity to the individual moving gratings in a compound plaid stimulus (Saleem et al., 2012). Here, it can be shown that the same bimodal tuning manifests in Drosophila, although the stimuli used are different and most of the experiments are conducted in closed loop. It is found that the extent to which the Drosophila expresses this component selectivity in its orientation behavior, i.e. how often it stabilizes a single panorama pattern instead of the integrated motion of both, depends on two properties of the panorama stimuli, pattern contrast and horizontal pattern element distance. Single pattern stabilization decreases with increasing contrast and increasing pattern element distance. In the latter case, it increases again when there are very few horizontal pattern elements, although that appears to be the result of a lack of rivalry between the patterns due to the low number of pattern elements. Both increased pattern contrast and pattern element distance increase the salience of the single pattern elements. A single element in a compound visual stimulus, like a dot within a dot pattern, can be interpreted as a standalone figure or a part of a bigger unit. Previous studies on Drosophila vision have concentrated on how the fly discriminates a figure from the background (Heisenberg and Wolf, 1984, Bahl et al., 2013, Aptekar et al., 2012), but have hardly touched the question of what qualifies a figure or a background (i.e. a panorama) stimulus as such. In the present study, it is observed that, when exposed to incoherent panoramic motion stimuli, the flies prefer to orient themselves towards the average of the two motions when the panorama stimuli possess strong figure features and towards the single patterns when they do not and single pattern elements are therefore less salient. The above-mentioned plaid stimuli are a well-known multistable percept in human psychophysics. Multistability is a property of higher visual systems and considered an indicator of endogenous activity in vision. As Drosophila expresses behavioral multistability in the IPMP, it is evaluated in this respect. The results show several parallels to human multistable perception. For one, the frequency and duration with which a behavior occurs, can be influenced, but the occurrence of the behaviors is non-deterministic and not coupled to the stimulus. It can also be shown that the switches between behaviors do not stem from a rivalry of the two visual hemispheres of the fly, although monocularity does also influence the likelihood with which the behaviors occur. Secondly, like in human perceptual rivalry, individual flies exhibit strong idiosyncrasies regarding the overall durations they spend with the different behaviors and the frequencies with which they switch between them. Finally, the distribution of the durations between the behavioral switches can be fit to the same function as the distribution of percept durations in human multistable perception, the gamma function, although it has a different shape and therefore also differing parameters. The Drosophila mutant radish, which has been shown to have attention-like deficits (van Swinderen and Brembs, 2010, Koenig et al., 2016a), does also express an altered behavior in the IPMP compared to wildtype flies. As these behavioral alterations resemble effects on multistable perception found in humans suffering from ADHD (Amador-Campos et al., 2015) and perceptual multistability is generally considered to be closely related to attention (Leopold and Logothetis, 1999), attentional processes are also very likely to play a role in the flies’ behavior in the IPMP. In conclusion, the visual system of Drosophila is capable disentangle incoherent motion stimuli even if they overlap and cover the entire visual field, i.e. it shows component selectivity of wide-field motion. Whether it uses a single wide-field motion component or the average of two as its reference for straight flight depends on pattern contrast and horizontal pattern element density, which indicates an involvement of a figure-background rivalry. This rivalry and the one between the two wide-field motion components elicit a multistability in the orientation behavior of the fly the temporal dynamics of which partially resemble the temporal dynamics of human multistable perception and which also suggests the involvement of attentional processes. N2 - Visuelle Information ist von wesentlicher Bedeutung für Drosophila um sich in ihrer Umgebung zurecht zu finden. Das visuelle System der Fliege wird seit vielen Jahrzehnten untersucht und hat wichtige Erkenntnisse über Sehen im Allgemeinen hervorgebracht. Visuelle Information kann mehrdeutig sein und das System, das sie verarbeitet muss in der Lage sein damit umzugehen. In dieser Arbeit wird das visuelle Orientierungsverhalten von Drosophila durch inkohärente Großfeldbewegungen herausgefordert, auf die die Fliege auf drei verschiedene, gleich plausible Weisen reagieren kann. Die Studie wird in einem etablierten Versuchsaufbau durchgeführt, dem sogenannten Flugsimulator (Heisenberg and Wolf, 1993), in dem die Fliege im stationären Flug ihren visuellen Input mit ihrem Drehmoment kontrollieren kann. Die Fliege kann entweder eines von zwei sich inkohärent bewegenden Panoramamustern oder deren integrierte Gesamtbewegung als Referenz für ihren Geradeausflug nutzen. Es wird beobachtet, dass die Fliegen alle drei dieser Verhaltens-Alternativen zur Orientierung benutzen. Bisherige Modelle des Bewegungssehens der Fliege sagen keine bimodale Reaktion auf inkohärente Bewegungsreize vorher (Borst et al., 1995, Joesch et al., 2008), allerdings konnte kürzlich eine Studie an Calliphora zeigen, dass diese Komponenten-Selektivität bezüglich der einzelnen Bewegungen der Streifenmuster eines daraus zusammengesetzten Karomusters zeigen (Saleem et al., 2012). Hier kann gezeigt werden, dass diese bimodale Reaktion auch in Drosophila der Fall ist, obwohl die visuellen Stimuli unterschiedlich sind und die meisten Experimente im geschlossenen Regelkreis durchgeführt werden. Des weiteren zeigt sich, dass der Umfang in dem Drosophila diese Komponentenselektivität in ihrem Orientierungsverhalten zeigt, d.h. wie häufig sie ein einzelnes Panoramamuster statt der integrierten Bewegung von beiden stabilisiert, von zwei Eigenschaften des Musters, dem Musterkontrast und dem horizontalen Abstand der einzelnen Musterelemente, abhängt. Die Einzelmusterstabilisierung nimmt mit steigendem Kontrast und steigendem Musterelementabstand ab. Bei letzterem steigt sie wieder, wenn die Anzahl der horizontalen Musterelemente sehr gering ist, allerdings scheint dies das Ergebnis von fehlender Konkurrenz zwischen den Mustern aufgrund der niedrigen Anzahl der Musterelemente zu sein. Sowohl gesteigerter Kontrast und Musterelementabstand steigern das Hervorstechen der einzelnen Musterelemente. Ein einzelnes Element in einem zusammengesetzen visuellen Stimulus, wie ein Punkt in einem Punktemuster, kann sowohl als alleinstehendes Objekt als auch als Teil einer größeren Einheit interpretiert werden. Bisherige Studien am visuellen System von Drosophila haben sich darauf konzentriert, wie die Fliege ein Objekt vom Hintergrund unterscheidet (Aptekar et al., 2012, Bahl et al., 2013, Heisenberg and Wolf, 1984), aber kaum behandelt, was ein Objekt oder einen Hintergrund als solchen definiert. In dieser Studie wird beobachtet, dass die Fliege, wenn sie mit zwei sich inkohärent bewegenden Panoramastimuli konfrontiert wird, es bevorzugt sich am Mittelwert der beiden Bewegungen zu orientieren, wenn diese starke Objekteigenschaften aufweisen und an den Einzelmustern, wenn sie dies nicht der Fall ist und die einzelnen Musterelement daher weniger stark hervorstehen. Die erwähnten Karomusterreize sind ein bekanntes Beispiel multistabiler Wahrnehmung der Humanpsychophysik. Multistabilität ist eine Eigenschaft höherer visueller Systeme und ein Indikator von endogener Aktivität. Da Drosophila Multistabilität in ihrem Verhalten im IPMP aufweist, wird es diesbezüglich ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen mehrere Parallelen zur menschlichen multistabilen Wahrnehmung. Zum einen kann die Häufigkeit und die Dauer mit der ein Verhalten auftritt, beeinflusst werden, aber das Auftreten der Verhaltensweisen ist nicht deterministisch und nicht an den Stimulus gekoppelt. Es kann auch gezeigt werden, dass die Wechsel zwischen den Verhaltensweisen nicht von einer Rivalität zwischen den beiden visuellen Hemisphären der Fliege herrühren, obwohl Monokularität die Wahrscheinlichkeit mit der die Verhaltensweisen auftreten, beeinflusst. Zweitens weisen die einzelnen Fliegen, wie auch Menschen in multistabilen Wahrnehmungsparadigmen, starke Idiosynkrasien bezüglich der Gesamtdauer, die sie mit einem Verhalten verbringen und der Häufigkeit mit der sie zwischen diesen hin und her wechseln, auf. Schließlich folgt die Verteilung der Zeitspannen zwischen den Wechseln zwischen den Verhaltensweisen der gleichen Funktion wie die Verteilung der Wahrnehmungsdauern in der menschlichen multistabilen Wahrnehmung, der Gamma-Funktion, obwohl sie eine unterschiedliche Form hat und daher auch andere Parameter. Die Drosophila-Mutante radish, von der gezeigt werden konnte, dass sie aufmerksamkeits-ähnliche Defizite hat (van Swinderen and Brembs, 2010, Koenig et al., 2016a), zeigt im Vergleich mit wildtypischen Fliegen auch im IPMP ein verändertes Verhalten. Da diese Veränderungen Effekten auf multistabile Wahrnehmung ähneln, die bei ADHS-Patienten gefunden wurden (Amador-Campos et al., 2015) und multistabile Wahrnehmung im Allgemeinen als nahe verwandt mit Aufmerksamkeit angesehen wird (Leopold and Logothetis, 1999), spielen Aufmerksamkeitsprozesse sehr wahrscheinlich auch eine Rolle im Verhalten der Fliege im IPMP. Zusammenfassend kann gesagt werden, dass das visuelle System von Drosophila in der Lage ist inkohärente Bewegungsreize sogar dann zu trennen wenn diese vollständig überlappen und das gesamte Sehfeld umfassen, d.h. es weist Komponentenselektivität von Großfeldbewegungen auf. Ob sie eine einzele Großfeldbewegungskomponente oder den Mittelwert von Zweien als Referenz für Geradeausflug nutzt, hängt von Kontrast und Dichte der horizontalen Musterelemente ab, was eine Beteiligung einer Objekt-Hintergrund-Rivalität impliziert. Diese Rivalität und diejenige zwischen den beiden Großfeldbewegungskomponenten lösen eine Multistabilität im Orientierungsverhalten der Fliege aus, deren zeitliche Dynamik teilweise der der menschlichen multistabilen Wahrnehmung entspricht und die die Beteiligung von Aufmerksamkeitsprozessen wahrscheinlich macht. KW - Drosophila KW - Invertebrate vision KW - Transparent motion KW - Component selectivity Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-153346 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Herrmann, Andreas B. A1 - Müller, Martha‐Lena A1 - Orth, Martin F. A1 - Müller, Jörg P. A1 - Zernecke, Alma A1 - Hochhaus, Andreas A1 - Ernst, Thomas A1 - Butt, Elke A1 - Frietsch, Jochen J. T1 - Knockout of LASP1 in CXCR4 expressing CML cells promotes cell persistence, proliferation and TKI resistance JF - Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine N2 - Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative stem cell disorder characterized by the constitutively active BCR‐ABL tyrosine kinase. The LIM and SH3 domain protein 1 (LASP1) has recently been identified as a novel BCR‐ABL substrate and is associated with proliferation, migration, tumorigenesis and chemoresistance in several cancers. Furthermore, LASP1 was shown to bind to the chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), thought to be involved in mechanisms of relapse. In order to identify potential LASP1‐mediated pathways and related factors that may help to further eradicate minimal residual disease (MRD), the effect of LASP1 on processes involved in progression and maintenance of CML was investigated. The present data indicate that not only overexpression of CXCR4, but also knockout of LASP1 contributes to proliferation, reduced apoptosis and migration as well as increased adhesive potential of K562 CML cells. Furthermore, LASP1 depletion in K562 CML cells leads to decreased cytokine release and reduced NK cell‐mediated cytotoxicity towards CML cells. Taken together, these results indicate that in CML, reduced levels of LASP1 alone and in combination with high CXCR4 expression may contribute to TKI resistance. KW - BCR‐ABL KW - CML KW - CXCR4 KW - LASP1 KW - nilotinib KW - precursor cells Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214122 VL - 24 IS - 5 SP - 2942 EP - 2955 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Shaikh, Haroon A1 - Vargas, Juan Gamboa A1 - Mokhtari, Zeinab A1 - Jarick, Katja J. A1 - Ulbrich, Maria A1 - Mosca, Josefina Peña A1 - Viera, Estibaliz Arellano A1 - Graf, Caroline A1 - Le, Duc-Dung A1 - Heinze, Katrin G. A1 - Büttner-Herold, Maike A1 - Rosenwald, Andreas A1 - Pezoldt, Joern A1 - Huehn, Jochen A1 - Beilhack, Andreas T1 - Mesenteric Lymph Node Transplantation in Mice to Study Immune Responses of the Gastrointestinal Tract JF - Frontiers in Immunology N2 - Mesenteric lymph nodes (mLNs) are sentinel sites of enteral immunosurveillance and immune homeostasis. Immune cells from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are constantly recruited to the mLNs in steady-state and under inflammatory conditions resulting in the induction of tolerance and immune cells activation, respectively. Surgical dissection and transplantation of lymph nodes (LN) is a technique that has supported seminal work to study LN function and is useful to investigate resident stromal and endothelial cell biology and their cellular interactions in experimental disease models. Here, we provide a detailed protocol of syngeneic mLN transplantation and report assays to analyze effective mLN engraftment in congenic recipients. Transplanted mLNs allow to study T cell activation and proliferation in preclinical mouse models. Donor mLNs proved viable and functional after surgical transplantation and regenerated blood and lymphatic vessels. Immune cells from the host completely colonized the transplanted mLNs within 7-8 weeks after the surgical intervention. After allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), adoptively transferred allogeneic CD4+ T cells from FVB/N (H-2q) mice homed to the transplanted mLNs in C57BL/6 (H-2b) recipients during the initiation phase of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD). These CD4+ T cells retained full proliferative capacity and upregulated effector and gut homing molecules comparable to those in mLNs from unmanipulated wild-type recipients. Wild type mLNs transplanted into MHCII deficient syngeneic hosts sufficed to activate alloreactive T cells upon allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, even in the absence of MHCII+ CD11c+ myeloid cells. These data support that orthotopically transplanted mLNs maintain physiological functions after transplantation. The technique of LN transplantation can be applied to study migratory and resident cell compartment interactions in mLNs as well as immune reactions from and to the gut under inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions. KW - acute graft-versus host disease KW - alloreactive T cells KW - mesenteric lymph node KW - lymph node transplantation KW - mouse models KW - lymph node stromal cells Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-244869 SN - 1664-3224 VL - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Knapp, Oliver A1 - Benz, Roland T1 - Membrane activity and channel formation of the adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) of Bordetella pertussis in lipid bilayer membranes JF - Toxins N2 - The Gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis is the cause of whooping cough. One of its pathogenicity factors is the adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) secreted by a Type I export system. The 1706 amino acid long CyaA (177 kDa) belongs to the continuously increasing family of repeat in toxin (RTX) toxins because it contains in its C-terminal half a high number of nine-residue tandem repeats. The protein exhibits cytotoxic and hemolytic activities that target primarily myeloid phagocytic cells expressing the αMβ2 integrin receptor (CD11b/CD18). CyaA represents an exception among RTX cytolysins because the first 400 amino acids from its N-terminal end possess a calmodulin-activated adenylate cyclase (AC) activity. The entry of the AC into target cells is not dependent on the receptor-mediated endocytosis pathway and penetrates directly across the cytoplasmic membrane of a variety of epithelial and immune effector cells. The hemolytic activity of CyaA is rather low, which may have to do with its rather low induced permeability change of target cells and its low conductance in lipid bilayer membranes. CyaA forms highly cation-selective channels in lipid bilayers that show a strong dependence on aqueous pH. The pore-forming activity of CyaA but not its single channel conductance is highly dependent on Ca\(^{2+}\) concentration with a half saturation constant of about 2 to 4 mM. KW - pore formation KW - adenylate cyclase toxin KW - CyaA KW - Bordetella pertussis KW - membrane interaction KW - lipid bilayer Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-203362 SN - 2072-6651 VL - 12 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Butt, Elke A1 - Stempfle, Katrin A1 - Lister, Lorenz A1 - Wolf, Felix A1 - Kraft, Marcella A1 - Herrmann, Andreas B. A1 - Viciano, Cristina Perpina A1 - Weber, Christian A1 - Hochhaus, Andreas A1 - Ernst, Thomas A1 - Hoffmann, Carsten A1 - Zernecke, Alma A1 - Frietsch, Jochen J. T1 - Phosphorylation-dependent differences in CXCR4-LASP1-AKT1 interaction between breast cancer and chronic myeloid leukemia JF - Cells N2 - The serine/threonine protein kinase AKT1 is a downstream target of the chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), and both proteins play a central role in the modulation of diverse cellular processes, including proliferation and cell survival. While in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) the CXCR4 is downregulated, thereby promoting the mobilization of progenitor cells into blood, the receptor is highly expressed in breast cancer cells, favoring the migratory capacity of these cells. Recently, the LIM and SH3 domain protein 1 (LASP1) has been described as a novel CXCR4 binding partner and as a promoter of the PI3K/AKT pathway. In this study, we uncovered a direct binding of LASP1, phosphorylated at S146, to both CXCR4 and AKT1, as shown by immunoprecipitation assays, pull-down experiments, and immunohistochemistry data. In contrast, phosphorylation of LASP1 at Y171 abrogated these interactions, suggesting that both LASP1 phospho-forms interact. Finally, findings demonstrating different phosphorylation patterns of LASP1 in breast cancer and chronic myeloid leukemia may have implications for CXCR4 function and tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment. KW - LASP1 KW - CXCR4 KW - AKT1 KW - CML KW - breast cancer Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200638 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 9 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Benz, Roland T1 - RTX-Toxins JF - Toxins N2 - No abstract available. KW - RTX-Toxins Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-205860 SN - 2072-6651 VL - 12 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Segerer, Gabriela A1 - Hadamek, Kerstin A1 - Zundler, Matthias A1 - Fekete, Agnes A1 - Seifried, Annegrit A1 - Mueller, Martin J. A1 - Koentgen, Frank A1 - Gessler, Manfred A1 - Jeanclos, Elisabeth A1 - Gohla, Antje T1 - An essential developmental function for murine phosphoglycolate phosphatase in safeguarding cell proliferation JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Mammalian phosphoglycolate phosphatase (PGP) is thought to target phosphoglycolate, a 2-deoxyribose fragment derived from the repair of oxidative DNA lesions. However, the physiological role of this activity and the biological function of the DNA damage product phosphoglycolate is unknown. We now show that knockin replacement of murine Pgp with its phosphatase-inactive Pgp\(^{D34N}\) mutant is embryonically lethal due to intrauterine growth arrest and developmental delay in midgestation. PGP inactivation attenuated triosephosphate isomerase activity, increased triglyceride levels at the expense of the cellular phosphatidylcholine content, and inhibited cell proliferation. These effects were prevented under hypoxic conditions or by blocking phosphoglycolate release from damaged DNA. Thus, PGP is essential to sustain cell proliferation in the presence of oxygen. Collectively, our findings reveal a previously unknown mechanism coupling a DNA damage repair product to the control of intermediary metabolism and cell proliferation. KW - cell proliferation KW - DNA metabolism KW - lipidomics Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-181094 VL - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Radu, Laura A1 - Schoenwetter, Elisabeth A1 - Braun, Cathy A1 - Marcoux, Julien A1 - Koelmel, Wolfgang A1 - Schmitt, Dominik R. A1 - Kuper, Jochen A1 - Cianférani, Sarah A1 - Egly, Jean M. A1 - Poterszman, Arnaud A1 - Kisker, Caroline T1 - The intricate network between the p34 and p44 subunits is central to the activity of the transcription/DNA repair factor TFIIH JF - Nucleic Acids Research N2 - The general transcription factor IIH (TFIIH) is a multi-protein complex and its 10 subunits are engaged in an intricate protein–protein interaction network critical for the regulation of its transcription and DNA repair activities that are so far little understood on a molecular level. In this study, we focused on the p44 and the p34 subunits, which are central for the structural integrity of core-TFIIH. We solved crystal structures of a complex formed by the p34 N-terminal vWA and p44 C-terminal zinc binding domains from Chaetomium thermophilum and from Homo sapiens. Intriguingly, our functional analyses clearly revealed the presence of a second interface located in the C-terminal zinc binding region of p34, which can rescue a disrupted interaction between the p34 vWA and the p44 RING domain. In addition, we demonstrate that the C-terminal zinc binding domain of p34 assumes a central role with respect to the stability and function of TFIIH. Our data reveal a redundant interaction network within core-TFIIH, which may serve to minimize the susceptibility to mutational impairment. This provides first insights why so far no mutations in the p34 or p44 TFIIH-core subunits have been identified that would lead to the hallmark nucleotide excision repair syndromes xeroderma pigmentosum or trichothiodystrophy. KW - general transcription factor IIH (TFIIH) KW - DNA repair KW - protein–protein interaction KW - p44 KW - p34 Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170173 VL - 45 IS - 18 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mostosi, Philipp A1 - Schindelin, Hermann A1 - Kollmannsberger, Philip A1 - Thorn, Andrea T1 - Haruspex: A Neural Network for the Automatic Identification of Oligonucleotides and Protein Secondary Structure in Cryo‐Electron Microscopy Maps JF - Angewandte Chemie International Edition N2 - In recent years, three‐dimensional density maps reconstructed from single particle images obtained by electron cryo‐microscopy (cryo‐EM) have reached unprecedented resolution. However, map interpretation can be challenging, in particular if the constituting structures require de‐novo model building or are very mobile. Herein, we demonstrate the potential of convolutional neural networks for the annotation of cryo‐EM maps: our network Haruspex has been trained on a carefully curated set of 293 experimentally derived reconstruction maps to automatically annotate RNA/DNA as well as protein secondary structure elements. It can be straightforwardly applied to newly reconstructed maps in order to support domain placement or as a starting point for main‐chain placement. Due to its high recall and precision rates of 95.1 % and 80.3 %, respectively, on an independent test set of 122 maps, it can also be used for validation during model building. The trained network will be available as part of the CCP‐EM suite. KW - DNA structures KW - electron microscopy KW - neural networks KW - protein structures KW - RNA structures Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214763 VL - 59 IS - 35 SP - 14788 EP - 14795 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vogelsang, Anna A1 - Eichler, Susann A1 - Huntemann, Niklas A1 - Masanneck, Lars A1 - Böhnlein, Hannes A1 - Schüngel, Lisa A1 - Willison, Alice A1 - Loser, Karin A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Kehrel, Beate E. A1 - Zarbock, Alexander A1 - Göbel, Kerstin A1 - Meuth, Sven G. T1 - Platelet inhibition by low-dose acetylsalicylic acid reduces neuroinflammation in an animal model of multiple sclerosis JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Aside from the established immune-mediated etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS), compelling evidence implicates platelets as important players in disease pathogenesis. Specifically, numerous studies have highlighted that activated platelets promote the central nervous system (CNS)-directed adaptive immune response early in the disease course. Platelets, therefore, present a novel opportunity for modulating the neuroinflammatory process that characterizes MS. We hypothesized that the well-known antiplatelet agent acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) could inhibit neuroinflammation by affecting platelets if applied at low-dose and investigated its effect during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) as a model to study MS. We found that oral administration of low-dose ASA alleviates symptoms of EAE accompanied by reduced inflammatory infiltrates and less extensive demyelination. Remarkably, the percentage of CNS-infiltrated CD4\(^+\) T cells, the major drivers of neuroinflammation, was decreased to 40.98 ± 3.28% in ASA-treated mice compared to 56.11 ± 1.46% in control animals at the disease maximum as revealed by flow cytometry. More interestingly, plasma levels of thromboxane A\(_2\) were decreased, while concentrations of platelet factor 4 and glycoprotein VI were not affected by low-dose ASA treatment. Overall, we demonstrate that low-dose ASA could ameliorate the platelet-dependent neuroinflammatory response in vivo, thus indicating a potential treatment approach for MS. KW - acetylsalicylic acid KW - experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis KW - platelets KW - multiple sclerosis KW - thromboxane KW - glycoprotein VI KW - platelet factor 4 Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-284535 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 22 IS - 18 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Navarro, Stefano A1 - Stegner, David A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Heemskerk, Johan W. M. A1 - Kuijpers, Marijke J. E. T1 - Temporal roles of platelet and coagulation pathways in collagen- and tissue factor-induced thrombus formation JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - In hemostasis and thrombosis, the complex process of thrombus formation involves different molecular pathways of platelet and coagulation activation. These pathways are considered as operating together at the same time, but this has not been investigated. The objective of our study was to elucidate the time-dependency of key pathways of thrombus and clot formation, initiated by collagen and tissue factor surfaces, where coagulation is triggered via the extrinsic route. Therefore, we adapted a microfluidics whole-blood assay with the Maastricht flow chamber to acutely block molecular pathways by pharmacological intervention at desired time points. Application of the technique revealed crucial roles of glycoprotein VI (GPVI)-induced platelet signaling via Syk kinase as well as factor VIIa-induced thrombin generation, which were confined to the first minutes of thrombus buildup. A novel anti-GPVI Fab EMF-1 was used for this purpose. In addition, platelet activation with the protease-activating receptors 1/4 (PAR1/4) and integrin αIIbβ3 appeared to be prolongedly active and extended to later stages of thrombus and clot formation. This work thereby revealed a more persistent contribution of thrombin receptor-induced platelet activation than of collagen receptor-induced platelet activation to the thrombotic process. KW - coagulation KW - fibrin KW - glycoprotein VI KW - platelet receptors KW - spatiotemporal thrombus KW - thrombin Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-284219 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 23 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kollikowski, Alexander M. A1 - Pham, Mirko A1 - März, Alexander G. A1 - Papp, Lena A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Stoll, Guido A1 - Schuhmann, Michael K. T1 - Platelet Activation and Chemokine Release Are Related to Local Neutrophil-Dominant Inflammation During Hyperacute Human Stroke JF - Translational Stroke Research N2 - Experimental evidence has emerged that local platelet activation contributes to inflammation and infarct formation in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) which awaits confirmation in human studies. We conducted a prospective observational study on 258 consecutive patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT) due to large-vessel-occlusion stroke of the anterior circulation (08/2018-05/2020). Intraprocedural microcatheter aspiration of 1 ml of local (occlusion condition) and systemic arterial blood samples (self-control) was performed according to a prespecified protocol. The samples were analyzed for differential leukocyte counts, platelet counts, and plasma levels of the platelet-derived neutrophil-activating chemokine C-X-C-motif ligand (CXCL) 4 (PF-4), the neutrophil attractant CXCL7 (NAP-2), and myeloperoxidase (MPO). The clinical-biological relevance of these variables was corroborated by specific associations with molecular-cellular, structural-radiological, hemodynamic, and clinical-functional parameters. Seventy consecutive patients fulfilling all predefined criteria entered analysis. Mean local CXCL4 (+ 39%: 571 vs 410 ng/ml, P = .0095) and CXCL7 (+ 9%: 693 vs 636 ng/ml, P = .013) concentrations were higher compared with self-controls. Local platelet counts were lower (- 10%: 347,582 vs 383,284/µl, P = .0052), whereas neutrophil counts were elevated (+ 10%: 6022 vs 5485/µl, P = 0.0027). Correlation analyses revealed associations between local platelet and neutrophil counts (r = 0.27, P = .034), and between CXCL7 and MPO (r = 0.24, P = .048). Local CXCL4 was associated with the angiographic degree of reperfusion following recanalization (r =  - 0.2523, P = .0479). Functional outcome at discharge correlated with local MPO concentrations (r = 0.3832, P = .0014) and platelet counts (r = 0.288, P = .0181). This study provides human evidence of cerebral platelet activation and platelet-neutrophil interactions during AIS and points to the relevance of per-ischemic thrombo-inflammatory mechanisms to impaired reperfusion and worse functional outcome following recanalization. KW - chemokines KW - CXCL4 KW - PF4 KW - CXCL7 KW - NAP-2 KW - ischemic stroke Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270194 SN - 1868-601X VL - 13 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schanbacher, Constanze A1 - Bieber, Michael A1 - Reinders, Yvonne A1 - Cherpokova, Deya A1 - Teichert, Christina A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Sickmann, Albert A1 - Kleinschnitz, Christoph A1 - Langhauser, Friederike A1 - Lorenz, Kristina T1 - ERK1/2 activity is critical for the outcome of ischemic stroke JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Ischemic disorders are the leading cause of death worldwide. The extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) are thought to affect the outcome of ischemic stroke. However, it is under debate whether activation or inhibition of ERK1/2 is beneficial. In this study, we report that the ubiquitous overexpression of wild-type ERK2 in mice (ERK2\(^{wt}\)) is detrimental after transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (tMCAO), as it led to a massive increase in infarct volume and neurological deficits by increasing blood–brain barrier (BBB) leakiness, inflammation, and the number of apoptotic neurons. To compare ERK1/2 activation and inhibition side-by-side, we also used mice with ubiquitous overexpression of the Raf-kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP\(^{wt}\)) and its phosphorylation-deficient mutant RKIP\(^{S153A}\), known inhibitors of the ERK1/2 signaling cascade. RKIP\(^{wt}\) and RKIP\(^{S153A}\) attenuated ischemia-induced damages, in particular via anti-inflammatory signaling. Taken together, our data suggest that stimulation of the Raf/MEK/ERK1/2-cascade is severely detrimental and its inhibition is rather protective. Thus, a tight control of the ERK1/2 signaling is essential for the outcome in response to ischemic stroke. KW - ERK1/2 KW - tMCAO KW - ischemic stroke KW - RKIP Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-283991 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 23 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Marzocco, Stefania A1 - Fazeli, Gholamreza A1 - Di Micco, Lucia A1 - Autore, Giuseppina A1 - Adesso, Simona A1 - Dal Piaz, Fabrizio A1 - Heidland, August A1 - Di Iorio, Biagio T1 - Supplementation of short-chain fatty acid, sodium propionate, in patients on maintenance hemodialysis: beneficial effects on inflammatory parameters and gut-derived uremic toxins, a pilot study (PLAN Study) JF - Journal of Clinical Medicine N2 - Background: In end-stage renal disease (ESRD), gut-derived uremic toxins play a crucial role in the systemic inflammation and oxidative stress promoting the excess morbidity and mortality. The biochemical derangement is in part a consequence of an insufficient generation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) due to the dysbiosis of the gut and an insufficient consumption of the fermentable complex carbohydrates. Aim of the study: The primary end-point was to evaluate the potential efficacy of SCFA (specifically, sodium propionate (SP)) for patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) on systemic inflammation. Secondary end-points included potential attenuation of oxidative stress markers, insulin resistance and production of gut-derived uremic toxins indoxyl sulfate and p-cresol sulfate, as well as health status after SP supplementation. Study design: We performed a single-center non-randomized pilot study in 20 MHD patients. They received the food additive SP with a daily intake of 2 × 500 mg in the form of capsules for 12 weeks. Pre-dialysis blood samples were taken at the beginning, after six weeks and at the end of the administration period, as well as four weeks after withdrawal of the treatment. Results: The subjects revealed a significant decline of inflammatory parameters C-reactive protein (−46%), interleukin IL-2 (−27%) and IL-17 (−15%). The inflammatory parameters IL-6 and IFN-gamma showed a mild non-significant reduction and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 increased significantly (+71%). While the concentration of bacterial endotoxins and TNF-α remained unchanged, the gut-derived uremic toxins, indoxyl sulfate (−30%) and p-cresyl sulfate (−50%), revealed a significant decline. The SP supplementation reduced the parameters of oxidative stress malondialdehyde (−32%) and glutathione peroxidase activity (−28%). The serum insulin levels dropped by 30% and the HOMA-index by 32%. The reduction of inflammatory parameters was associated with a lowering of ferritin and a significant increase in transferrin saturation (TSAT). Four weeks after the end of the treatment phase, all improved parameters deteriorated again. Evaluation of the psycho-physical performance with the short form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire showed an enhancement in the self-reported physical functioning, general health, vitality and mental health. The SP supplementation was well tolerated and without important side effects. No patient had left the study due to intolerance to the medication. The SP supplementation in MHD patients reduced pro-inflammatory parameters and oxidative stress and improved insulin resistance and iron metabolism. Furthermore, SP effectively lowered the important gut-derived uremic toxins indoxyl and p-cresol sulfate. These improvements were associated with a better quality of life. Further controlled studies are required in a larger cohort to evaluate the clinical outcome. KW - propionic acid KW - chronic kidney disease KW - hemodialysis KW - gut microbiome KW - systemic micro-inflammation oxidative stress KW - indoxyl sulfate KW - p-cresyl sulfate Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-197626 SN - 2077-0383 VL - 7 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fusi, Lorenza A1 - Paudel, Rupesh A1 - Meder, Katharina A1 - Schlosser, Andreas A1 - Schrama, David A1 - Goebeler, Matthias A1 - Schmidt, Marc T1 - Interaction of transcription factor FoxO3 with histone acetyltransferase complex subunit TRRAP modulates gene expression and apoptosis JF - Journal of Biological Chemistry N2 - Forkhead box O (FoxO) transcription factors are conserved proteins involved in the regulation of life span and age-related diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. Stress stimuli or growth factor deprivation promotes nuclear localization and activation of FoxO proteins, which—depending on the cellular context—can lead to cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. In endothelial cells (ECs), they further regulate angiogenesis and may promote inflammation and vessel destabilization implicating a role of FoxOs in vascular diseases. In several cancers, FoxOs exert a tumor-suppressive function by regulating proliferation and survival. We and others have previously shown that FoxOs can regulate these processes via two different mechanisms: by direct binding to forkhead-responsive elements at the promoter of target genes or by a poorly understood alternative process that does not require direct DNA binding and regulates key targets in primary human ECs. Here, we performed an interaction study in ECs to identify new nuclear FoxO3 interaction partners that might contribute to FoxO-dependent gene regulation. Mass spectrometry analysis of FoxO3-interacting proteins revealed transformation/transcription domain–associated protein (TRRAP), a member of multiple histone acetyltransferase complexes, as a novel binding partner of FoxO family proteins. We demonstrate that TRRAP is required to support FoxO3 transactivation and FoxO3-dependent G1 arrest and apoptosis in ECs via transcriptional activation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27\(^{kip1}\) and the proapoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 family member, BIM. Moreover, FoxO–TRRAP interaction could explain FoxO-induced alternative gene regulation via TRRAP-dependent recruitment to target promoters lacking forkhead-responsive element sequences. KW - FoxO3 KW - TRRAP KW - transcription factors Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-299820 VL - 298 IS - 3 ER - TY - THES A1 - Slotta, Anja Maria T1 - The Role of Protein Kinase D 1 in the regulation of murine adipose tissue function under physiological and pathophysiological conditions T1 - Die Bedeutung von Protein Kinase D 1 in der Funktion von murinem Fettgewebe unter physiologischen und pathophysiologischen Bedingungen N2 - Adipocytes are specialized cells found in vertebrates to ensure survival in terms of adaption to food deficit and abundance. However, their dysfunction accounts for the pathophysiology of metabolic diseases such as T2DM. Preliminary data generated by Mona Löffler suggested that PKD1 is involved in adipocyte function. Here, I show that PKD1 expression and activity is linked to lipid metabolism of murine adipocytes. PKD1 gene expression and activity was reduced in murine white adipose tissue upon fasting, a physiological condition which induces lipolysis. Isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis in adipose tissue and 3T3-L1 adipocytes reduced PKD1 gene expression. Silencing ATGL in adipocytes inhibited isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis, however, the β-adrenergic stimulation of ATGL-silenced adipocytes lowered PKD1 expression levels as well. Adipose tissue of obese mice exhibited high PKD1 RNA levels but paradoxically lower protein levels of phosphorylated PKD1-Ser916. However, HFD generated a second PKD1 protein product of low molecular weight in mouse adipose tissue. Furthermore, constitutively active PKD1 predominantly displayed nuclear localization in 3T3-L1 adipocytes containing many fat vacuoles. However, adipocytes overexpressing non-functional PKD1 contained fewer lipid droplets and PKD1-KD was distributed in cytoplasm. Most importantly, deficiency of PKD1 in mouse adipose tissue caused expression of genes involved in adaptive thermogenesis such as UCP-1 and thus generated brown-like phenotype adipocytes. Thus, PKD1 is implicated in adipose tissue function and presents an interesting target for therapeutic approaches in the prevention of obesity and associated diseases. N2 - Adipozyten sind spezialisierte Zellen der Wirbeltiere, die das Überleben durch Anpassung an Nahrungsmangel und Nahrungsüberfluss gewährleisten. Eine Dysfunktion von Adipozyten bedingt jedoch die Pathophysiologie von Stoffwechselerkrankungen wie dem T2DM. Vorläufige Ergebnisse von Mona Löfflers Versuchen zeigten, dass PKD1 in der Funktion von Adipozyten involviert ist. Innerhalb dieser Arbeit konnte dargestellt werden, dass die Expression und Aktivität von PKD1 in murinen Adipozyten an den Lipidmetabolismus gekoppelt ist. Beim Hungern von murinem weißen Fettgewebe, einem physiologischen Zustand, der Lipolyse induziert, war die Genexpression von PKD1 reduziert. Isoproterenol-stimulierte Lipolyse führte ebenfalls zu verminderter Expression von PKD1 in murinen weißen Fettgewebe und 3T3-L1 Adipozyten. In ATGL-silenced Adipozyten war die Isoproterenol-stimulierte Lipolyse zwar inhibiert, allerdings wurde die Genexpression von PKD1 durch die β-adrenerge Stimulation ebenfalls vermindert. Fettgewebe von adipösen Mäusen hingegen wiesen hohe PKD1 RNA Level sowie einen niedrigen Proteingehalt der phosphorylierten Form PKD1-Ser916 auf. Fettreiche Ernährung von Mäusen generierte in Fettgewebe jedoch ein weiteres Produkt von PKD1 mit niedrigem Molekulargewicht im Western Blot. Des Weiteren wurde dargestellt, dass konstitutiv aktives PKD1 in 3T3-L1 Adipozyten vorwiegend nuklear lokalisiert war und diese Adipozyten einen hohen Gehalt von Fettvakuolen aufwiesen. Adipozyten, die funktionsloses PKD1 exprimierten, enthielten wenige Lipidtropfen und PKD1-KD war im Cytoplasma verteilt. Vor allem zeigte diese Arbeit, dass die Deletion von PKD1 spezifisch in murinem Fettgewebe die Expression von Genen wie UCP-1 verursachte, die eine Rolle in adaptiver Thermogenese spielen, und dadurch einen brown-like Phänotypen generierte. Zusammenfassend ist PKD1 in die Funktionen von Adipozyten verwickelt und stellt ein attraktives Ziel für therapeutische Ansätze in der Prävention von Übergewicht und damit assoziierten Erkrankungen dar. KW - adipocyte KW - murine KW - pkd KW - Protein Kinase D KW - adipose KW - Protein Kinase D 1 KW - PKD1 Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179112 ER - TY - THES A1 - Mony Nair, Rahul T1 - Elucidating ubiquitin recognition by the HECT-type ubiquitin ligase HUWE1 T1 - Studien zur Ubiquitinerkennung durch die HECT-Typus Ubiquitinligase HUWE1 N2 - The small protein modifier ubiquitin is at the heart of an immensely versatile posttranslational modification system that orchestrates countless physiological and disease-associated cellular processes. Key to this versatility are the manifold modifications that can be assembled from ubiquitin “building blocks” and are associated with specific functional outcomes for the modified substrates. In particular, ubiquitin molecules can form polymeric chains of distinct lengths and linkage types that give rise to distinct chain conformations, thereby providing recognition sites for specific signaling receptors/effectors. The class of E3 enzymes (ubiquitin ligases) provides critical specificity determinants in ubiquitin linkage formation; it is therefore crucial to unravel precisely how E3 enzymes operate in order to understand the structural basis of ubiquitin signaling and exploit these insights for therapeutic benefit. Overexpression and deregulation of the HECT-type ubiquitin ligase HUWE1 is implicated in several different cancer types and neurodegenerative disorders. It is largely unknown which factors control the ubiquitin modifications formed by HUWE1, how the catalytic HECT domain interacts with functionally distinct ubiquitin molecules (donor, acceptor and regulatory ubiquitin molecules) and which conformational transitions enable these interactions during ubiquitin chain formation. One aim of this study was to structurally elucidate the recognition of donor ubiquitin by the HECT domain of HUWE1. To this end I utilized a ubiquitin activity-based probe to reconstitute a proxy for a donor ubiquitin-linked conjugate of the HECT domain of HUWE1 and determined its structure by X-ray crystallography. This structure reveals that the donor ubiquitin binds to the C-lobe of HUWE1 in the same way as NEDD4-type ligases, corroborating the idea that HECT ligases utilize a conserved mode of donor ubiquitin recognition. independent of their linkage and substrate specificities. With the help of biochemical analyses, I also validated specific features of the structure, in particular the positioning of the C-terminal tail of the ligase, which was known to be critical for activity. In the newly determined structure, which reflects an “L-shaped”, active state of the HECT domain, this tail is fully resolved and coordinated at the N-lobe-C-lobe interface. I defined residues that are critical for this coordination and showed that they are also essential for the activity of HUWE1, including auto-ubiquitination, free ubiquitin chain formation, and substrate ubiquitination. Furthermore, I discovered that the N-lobe of HUWE1 harbors a ubiquitin-binding exosite similar to NEDD4-type ligases and E6AP. My in-vitro activity and binding assays show that HUWE1 uses the exosite for isopeptide bond formation, but that it is dispensable for thioester bond formation. The binding assays further show that the donor ubiquitin loaded HECT domain binds an additional ubiquitin molecule at the exosite more tightly than the apo HECT domain, which possibly suggests allosteric communication between the two sites. Finally, I showed that the ubiquitin activity-based probe (ubiquitin-propargylamine) can label the catalytic cysteine of HUWE1 and NEDD4-type with close to quantitative turn- over, while it does not react with the HECT domain of the evolutionarily more divergent E6AP. The determinants underlying these differential reactivities remain to be explored. Taken, together my results significantly enhance our mechanistic understanding of the catalytic domain of HUWE1 and pinpoint linchpins for therapeutic interventions with the activity of this disease-relevant enzyme. N2 - Der kleine Proteinmodifikator Ubiquitin ist das Herzstück eines immens vielseitigen posttranslationalen Modifikationssystems, das unzählige physiologische und krankheitsassoziierte zelluläre Prozesse orchestriert. Der Schlüssel zu dieser Vielseitigkeit sind die vielfältigen Modifikationen, die sich aus Ubiquitin-"Bausteinen" zusammensetzen lassen und mit spezifischen funktionellen Ergebnissen für die modifizierten Substrate verbunden sind. Insbesondere können Ubiquitin-Moleküle Ketten unterschiedlicher Länge und Verknüpfungstypen bilden, die zu unterschiedlichen Kettenkonformationen führen und dadurch Erkennungsstellen für spezifische Signalrezeptoren/-effektoren bieten. Die Klasse der E3-Enzyme (Ubiquitin-Ligasen) liefert kritische Spezifitätsdeterminanten für die Bildung von Ubiquitin-Bindungen; daher ist es entscheidend, die genaue Funktionsweise der E3-Enzyme zu entschlüsseln, um die strukturelle Grundlage der Ubiquitin-Signalisierung zu verstehen und diese Erkenntnisse für therapeutische Anwendungen zu nutzen. Die Überexpression und Deregulierung der Ubiquitin-Ligase HUWE1 aus der Klasse der HECT-E3-Ligasen ist an mehreren verschiedenen Krebsarten und neurodegenerativen Erkrankungen beteiligt. Es ist weitgehend unbekannt, welche Faktoren durch die von HUWE1 gebildeten Ubiquitin-Modifikationen kontrolliert werden, wie die katalytische HECT-Domäne mit funktionell unterschiedlichen Ubiquitin-Molekülen (Donor-, Akzeptor- und regulatorische Ubiquitin-Moleküle) interagiert und welche Konformationsübergänge diese Interaktionen während der Ubiquitin-Kettenbildung ermöglichen. Ein Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Erkennung des Donor-Ubiquitin-Moleküls durch die HECT-Domäne von HUWE1 strukturell aufzuklären. Zu diesem Zweck verwendete ich eine ´ubiquitin activity-based probe´, um ein Konjugat der HUWE1-HECT-Domäne mit einem Donor-Ubiquitin-Molekül zu rekonstitutieren und die Struktur mittels Röntgenkristallographie zu bestimmen. Diese Struktur zeigte, dass das Donor-Ubiquitin-Molekül auf die gleiche Weise an den C-lobe von HUWE1 bindet wie die Klasse der NEDD4-Ligasen, was die Idee bestätigt, dass HECT-Ligasen einen vergleichbaren Mechanismus bei der Donor-Ubiquitin-Erkennung verwenden, unabhängig von ihrer Bindung und Substratspezifität. Mit Hilfe biochemischer Analysen validierte ich auch spezifische Merkmale der Struktur, insbesondere die Positionierung des C-terminal tail der Ligase, der entscheidend für die Aktivität ist. In der neu bestimmten Struktur, die einen "L-förmigen", aktiven Zustand der HECT-Domäne widerspiegelt, ist der C-terminal tail an der Grenzfläche von N-lobe und C-lobe vollständig aufgelöst und koordiniert. Ich konnte Seitenketten festmachen, die für diese Koordination kritisch sind, und habe gezeigt, dass sie auch für die Aktivität von HUWE1 wesentlich sind, einschließlich der Auto-Ubiquitinierung, der freien Ubiquitin-Kettenbildung und der Substrat-Ubiquitinierung. Darüber hinaus entdeckte ich, dass der N-lobe von HUWE1 eine Ubiquitin-bindende exosite aufweist, ähnlich wie für die Klasse der NEDD4-Ligasen und E6AP. Meine in vitro Aktivitäts- und Bindungstests ergaben, dass HUWE1 die exosite für die Bildung von Isopeptidbindungen verwendet, diese aber für die Bildung von Thioesterbindungen entbehrlich ist. Die Bindungstests zeigten ferner, dass die Donor-Ubiquitin-beladene HECT-Domäne ein zusätzliches Ubiquitin-Molekül an der exosite stärker bindet als die Apo-HECT-Domäne, was möglicherweise auf eine allosterische Kommunikation zwischen den beiden Ubiquitin-Bindestellen hindeutet. Schließlich zeigte ich, dass die ´ubiquitin activity-based probe´ (Ubiquitin-Propargylamin) das katalytische Cystein von HUWE1 und NEDD4 mit nahezu quantitativem Umsatz markieren kann, während es nicht mit der HECT-Domäne des evolutionär stärker divergierenden E6AP reagiert. Die Faktoren, die diesen unterschiedlichen Reaktivitäten zugrunde liegen, müssen noch erforscht werden. Zusammengenommen verbessern meine Ergebnisse unser mechanistisches Verständnis der katalytischen Domäne von HUWE1 und geben uns die Dreh- und Angelpunkte für therapeutische Interventionen mit der Aktivität dieses krankheitsrelevanten Enzyms an die Hand. KW - HUWE1 KW - Ubiquitin-PA Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-221030 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Truongvan, Ngoc A1 - Li, Shurong A1 - Misra, Mohit A1 - Kuhn, Monika A1 - Schindelin, Hermann T1 - Structures of UBA6 explain its dual specificity for ubiquitin and FAT10 JF - Nature Communications N2 - The covalent modification of target proteins with ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like modifiers is initiated by E1 activating enzymes, which typically transfer a single modifier onto cognate conjugating enzymes. UBA6 is an unusual E1 since it activates two highly distinct modifiers, ubiquitin and FAT10. Here, we report crystal structures of UBA6 in complex with either ATP or FAT10. In the UBA6-FAT10 complex, the C-terminal domain of FAT10 binds to where ubiquitin resides in the UBA1-ubiquitin complex, however, a switch element ensures the alternate recruitment of either modifier. Simultaneously, the N-terminal domain of FAT10 interacts with the 3-helix bundle of UBA6. Site-directed mutagenesis identifies residues permitting the selective activation of either ubiquitin or FAT10. These results pave the way for studies investigating the activation of either modifier by UBA6 in physiological and pathophysiological settings. KW - enzyme mechanisms KW - post-translational modifications KW - X-ray crystallography Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-301161 VL - 13 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pauls, Dennis A1 - Hamarat, Yasmin A1 - Trufasu, Luisa A1 - Schendzielorz, Tim M. A1 - Gramlich, Gertrud A1 - Kahnt, Jörg A1 - Vanselow, Jens A1 - Schlosser, Andreas A1 - Wegener, Christian T1 - Drosophila carboxypeptidase D (SILVER) is a key enzyme in neuropeptide processing required to maintain locomotor activity levels and survival rate JF - European Journal of Neuroscience N2 - Neuropeptides are processed from larger preproproteins by a dedicated set of enzymes. The molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying preproprotein processing and the functional importance of processing enzymes are well‐characterised in mammals, but little studied outside this group. In contrast to mammals, Drosophila melanogaster lacks a gene for carboxypeptidase E (CPE ), a key enzyme for mammalian peptide processing. By combining peptidomics and neurogenetics, we addressed the role of carboxypeptidase D (dCPD ) in global neuropeptide processing and selected peptide‐regulated behaviours in Drosophila . We found that a deficiency in dCPD results in C‐terminally extended peptides across the peptidome, suggesting that dCPD took over CPE function in the fruit fly. dCPD is widely expressed throughout the nervous system, including peptidergic neurons in the mushroom body and neuroendocrine cells expressing adipokinetic hormone. Conditional hypomorphic mutation in the dCPD ‐encoding gene silver in the larva causes lethality, and leads to deficits in starvation‐induced hyperactivity and appetitive gustatory preference, as well as to reduced viability and activity levels in adults. A phylogenomic analysis suggests that loss of CPE is not common to insects, but only occurred in Hymenoptera and Diptera. Our results show that dCPD is a key enzyme for neuropeptide processing and peptide‐regulated behaviour in Drosophila . dCPD thus appears as a suitable target to genetically shut down total neuropeptide production in peptidergic neurons. The persistent occurrence of CPD in insect genomes may point to important further CPD functions beyond neuropeptide processing which cannot be fulfilled by CPE. KW - direct muss spectrometric profiling KW - friut fly behaviour KW - M14 carboxypeptidasses KW - peptidomoics KW - protein processing Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-204863 VL - 50 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Balakrishnan, Ashwin A1 - Hemmen, Katherina A1 - Choudhury, Susobhan A1 - Krohn, Jan-Hagen A1 - Jansen, Kerstin A1 - Friedrich, Mike A1 - Beliu, Gerti A1 - Sauer, Markus A1 - Lohse, Martin J. A1 - Heinze, Katrin G. T1 - Unraveling the hidden temporal range of fast β2-adrenergic receptor mobility by time-resolved fluorescence JF - Communications Biology N2 - G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are hypothesized to possess molecular mobility over a wide temporal range. Until now the temporal range has not been fully accessible due to the crucially limited temporal range of available methods. This in turn, may lead relevant dynamic constants to remain masked. Here, we expand this dynamic range by combining fluorescent techniques using a spot confocal setup. We decipher mobility constants of β\(_{2}\)-adrenergic receptor over a wide time range (nanosecond to second). Particularly, a translational mobility (10 µm\(^{2}\)/s), one order of magnitude faster than membrane associated lateral mobility that explains membrane protein turnover and suggests a wider picture of the GPCR availability on the plasma membrane. And a so far elusive rotational mobility (1-200 µs) which depicts a previously overlooked dynamic component that, despite all complexity, behaves largely as predicted by the Saffman-Delbrück model. KW - G-protein-coupled receptors KW - molecular mobility KW - temporal range Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-301140 VL - 5 IS - 1 ER - TY - THES A1 - Balakrishnan, Ashwin T1 - Fast molecular mobility of β\(_2\)-adrenergic receptor revealed by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy T1 - Schnelle molekulare Beweglichkeit des β\(_2\)-adrenergen Rezeptors durch zeitaufgelöste Fluoreszenzspektroskopie N2 - G-protein- coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of membrane confined receptors and they transduce ligand binding to downstream effects. Almost 40% of the drugs in the world target GPCRs due to their function, albeit knowing less about their activation. Understanding their dynamic behaviour in basal and activated state could prove key to drug development in the future. GPCRs are known to exhibit complex molecular mobility patterns. A plethora of studies have been and are being conducted to understand the mobility of GPCRs. Due to limitations of imaging and spectroscopic techniques commonly used, the relevant timescales are hard to access. The most commonly used techniques are electron paramagnetic resonance or double electronelectron resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance, time-resolved fluorescence, single particle tracking and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Among these techniques only fluorescence has the potential to probe live cells. In this thesis, I use different time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopic techniques to quantify diffusion dynamics / molecular mobility of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) in live cells. The thesis shows that β2-AR exhibits mobility over an exceptionally broad temporal range (nanosecond to second) that can be linked to its respective physiological scenario. I explain how β2-AR possesses surprisingly fast lateral mobility (~10 μm²/s) associated with vesicular transport in contrast to the prior reports of it originating from fluorophore photophysics and free fluorophores in the cytosol. In addition, β2-AR has rotational mobility (~100 μs) that makes it conform to the Saffman-Delbrück model of membrane diffusion unlike earlier studies. These contrasts are due to the limitations of the methodologies used. The limitations are overcome in this thesis by using different time-resolved fluorescence techniques of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), time-resolved anisotropy (TRA) and polarisation resolved fullFCS (fullFCS). FCS is limited to microsecond to the second range and TRA is limited to the nanosecond range. fullFCS complements the two techniques by covering the blind spot of FCS and TRA in the microsecond range. Finally, I show how ligand stimulation causes a decrease in lateral mobility which could be a hint at cluster formation due to internalisation and how β2-AR possesses a basal oligomerisation that does not change on activation. Thus, through this thesis, I show how different complementary fluorescence techniques are necessary to overcome limitations of each technique and to thereby elucidate functional dynamics of GPCR activation and how it orchestrates downstream signalling. N2 - G¬Protein¬gekoppelte Rezeptoren (GPCRs) sind die größte Familie der Membran¬Rezeptoren und durch Bindung von Liganden leiten sie extrazlluläre Signal in das Innere der Zelle weiter. Fast 40% der Medikamente auf der Welt zielen aufgrund ihrer Funktion auf GPCRs ab, obwohl man relative wenig über ihre Aktivierung weiß. Das Verständnis ihres dynamischen Verhaltens im basalen und aktivierten Zustand könnte sich in Zukunft als Schlüssel zur Medikamentenentwicklung erweisen. GPCRs sind dafür bekannt, dass sie komplexe molekulare Bewegungsmuster aufweisen. Eine Fülle von Studien wurden und werden durchgeführt, um die Beweglichkeit von GPCRs zu verstehen. Aufgrund der Einschränkungen der gängigen bildgebenden und spektroskopischen Techniken sind die relevanten Zeitskalen nur schwer messbar. Die am häufigsten verwendeten Techniken sind die paramagnetische Elektronenresonanz oder die Doppel¬Elektron¬Elektron¬Resonanz, die magnetische Kernresonanz, die zeitaufgelöste Fluoreszenz, die Einzelpartikelverfolgung und die Fluoreszenzwiederherstellung nach Photobleichung. Unter diesen Techniken haben nur die Fluoreszenz¬basierten Techniken das Potential, lebende Zellen zu untersuchen. In dieser Arbeit werden verschiedene zeitaufgelöste fluoreszenzspektroskopische Techniken zur Quantifizierung der Diffusionsdynamik oder molekularen Mobilität des β2¬adrenergen Rezeptors (β2¬AR) in lebenden Zellen verwendet. Diese Arbeit zeigt, dass β2-AR eine Beweglichkeit über einen außergewöhnlich breiten, zeitlichen Bereich (Nanosekunde bis Sekunde) aufweist, der mit dem jeweiligen physiologischen Szenario verknüpft werden kann. Es wird gezeigt, wie β2¬AR eine überraschend schnelle, laterale Bewegung (~10 μm²/s) besitzt, welche mit vesikulärem Transport in Verbindung gebracht werden kann. Im Gegensatz zu früheren Berichten, wonach die beobachtete Komponente von der Photophysik der Fluorophore und freien Fluorophoren im Zytosol abstammt. Zusätzlich weist β2¬AR eine Rotationsbeweglichkeit (~100 μs) auf, welche es ¬ im Gegensatz zu früheren Studien ¬ dem Saffman¬Delbrück¬Modell der Membrandiffusion zuordnen lässt. Dieser Unterschied ist auf die Beschränkungen der verwendeten Techniken zurückzuführen. Die Einschränkungen werden in dieser Arbeit durch die Verwendung verschiedener zeitaufgelöster Fluoreszenztechniken überwunden, z. B. der Fluoreszenzkorrelationsspektroskopie (FCS) im Bereich von mehreren hundert Nanosekunden bis Sekunden, der zeitaufgelösten Anisotropie (TRA) im Nanosekundenbereich und der polarisationsaufgelösten FullFCS (FullFCS), die die zeitlich Lücke zwischen FCS und TRA schließt. Zuletzt wird eine Abnahme der lateralen Beweglichkeit durch Ligandenstimulation gezeigt, was ein Hinweis auf Clusterbildung aufgrund von Internalisierung sein könnte, und dass β2¬AR eine basale Oligomerisierung aufweist, die sich bei Aktivierung nicht ändert. Zusammenfassend kann man sagen, dass verschiedene komplementäre Fluoreszenztechniken notwendig sind, um die Einschränkungen der einzelnen Techniken zu überwinden und dadurch die funktionelle Dynamik der GPCR¬Aktivierung und deren Bedeutung für die nachgeschaltete Signalübertragung aufzuklären. KW - Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy KW - GPCR KW - time-resolved anisotropy KW - adrenergic receptor KW - homoFRET Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-250856 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klenk, Christoph A1 - Hommers, Leif A1 - Lohse, Martin J. T1 - Proteolytic cleavage of the extracellular domain affects signaling of parathyroid hormone 1 receptor JF - Frontiers in Endocrinology N2 - Parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R) is a member of the class B family of G protein-coupled receptors, which are characterized by a large extracellular domain required for ligand binding. We have previously shown that the extracellular domain of PTH1R is subject to metalloproteinase cleavage in vivo that is regulated by ligand-induced receptor trafficking and leads to impaired stability of PTH1R. In this work, we localize the cleavage site in the first loop of the extracellular domain using amino-terminal protein sequencing of purified receptor and by mutagenesis studies. We further show, that a receptor mutant not susceptible to proteolytic cleavage exhibits reduced signaling to G\(_s\) and increased activation of G\(_q\) compared to wild-type PTH1R. These findings indicate that the extracellular domain modulates PTH1R signaling specificity, and that its cleavage affects receptor signaling. KW - GPCRs KW - parathyroid hormone 1 receptor KW - matrix metalloproteinase KW - ectodomain cleavage KW - biased signaling Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262055 SN - 1664-2392 VL - 13 ER - TY - THES A1 - Stetter, Maurice T1 - LC3-associated phagocytosis seals the fate of the second polar body in \(Caenorhabditis\) \(elegans\) T1 - LC3-assoziierte Phagozytose besiegelt das Schicksal des zweiten Polkörpers in \(Caenorhabditis\) \(elegans\) N2 - This work investigates the death and degradation of the second polar body of the nematode C. elegans in order to improve our understanding how pluripotent undifferentiated cells deal with dying cells. With the use of fluorescence microscopy this work demonstrates that both polar bodies loose membrane integrity early. The second polar body has contact to embryonic cells and gets internalized, dependent on the Rac1-ortholog CED-10. The polar body gets degraded via LC3-associated phagocytosis. While lysosome recruitment depends on RAB-7, LC3 does not improve lysosome recruitment but still accelerates polar body degradation. This work establishes the second polar body as a genetic model to study cell death and LC3-associated phagocytosis and has revealed further aspects of phagosome maturation and degradation. N2 - Um besser zu verstehen, wie undifferenzierte pluripotente Zellen mit abgestorbenen Zellen umgehen, wird in dieser Dissertation die Phagozytose und der Abbau des 2. Polkörpers der weiblichen Meiose im Fadenwurm C. elegans untersucht. Mithilfe von fluorenzenzmikroskopischen Aufnahmen wird in dieser Arbeit gezeigt, dass beide Polkörper schon früh ihre Membranintegrität verlieren. Der 2. Polkörper, welcher direkten Kontakt zu embryonischen Zellen hat, wird daraufhin mithilfe des Rac1-Orthologs CED-10 phagozytiert. Es wird gezeigt, dass es sich bei dem Abbauprozess um LC3-assoziierte Phagozytose handelt. Die RAB-7 GTPase ist notwendig für die Rekrutierung von Lysosomen, während LC3 darauf keinen Einfluss hat, aber trotzdem den Abbau des Polkörpers beschleunigt. Mit dieser Arbeit konnte ein genetisches Modell für die Erforschung von Zelltod und der LC3-assoziierten Phagozytose entwickelt werden und weitere Aspekte der Phagosomreifung und des -abbaus aufgedeckt werden. KW - Polkörper KW - Phagozytose KW - Autophagie KW - Zelltod KW - Caenorhabditis elegans KW - LC3-assoziierte Phagozytose KW - phagosome maturation Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-231981 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kaiser, Sebastian A1 - Sauer, Florian A1 - Kisker, Caroline T1 - The structural and functional characterization of human RecQ4 reveals insights into its helicase mechanism JF - Nature Communications N2 - RecQ4 is a member of the RecQ helicase family, an evolutionarily conserved class of enzymes, dedicated to preserving genomic integrity by operating in telomere maintenance, DNA repair and replication. While reduced RecQ4 activity is associated with cancer predisposition and premature aging, RecQ4 upregulation is related to carcinogenesis and metastasis. Within the RecQ family, RecQ4 assumes an exceptional position, lacking several characteristic RecQ domains. Here we present the crystal structure of human RecQ4, encompassing the conserved ATPase core and a novel C-terminal domain that lacks resemblance to the RQC domain observed in other RecQ helicases. The new domain features a zinc-binding site and two distinct types of winged-helix domains, which are not involved in canonical DNA binding or helicase activity. Based on our structural and functional analysis, we propose that RecQ4 exerts a helicase mechanism, which may be more closely related to bacterial RecQ helicases than to its human family members. KW - x-ray crystallography KW - enzymes KW - RecQ4 KW - humans Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170769 VL - 8 IS - 15907 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kronhardt, Angelika A1 - Beitzinger, Christoph A1 - Barth, Holger A1 - Benz, Roland T1 - Chloroquine Analog Interaction with C2-and Iota-Toxin in Vitro and in Living Cells JF - Toxins N2 - C2-toxin from Clostridium botulinum and Iota-toxin from Clostridium perfringens belong both to the binary A-B-type of toxins consisting of two separately secreted components, an enzymatic subunit A and a binding component B that facilitates the entry of the corresponding enzymatic subunit into the target cells. The enzymatic subunits are in both cases actin ADP-ribosyltransferases that modify R177 of globular actin finally leading to cell death. Following their binding to host cells’ receptors and internalization, the two binding components form heptameric channels in endosomal membranes which mediate the translocation of the enzymatic components Iota a and C2I from endosomes into the cytosol of the target cells. The binding components form ion-permeable channels in artificial and biological membranes. Chloroquine and related 4-aminoquinolines were able to block channel formation in vitro and intoxication of living cells. In this study, we extended our previous work to the use of different chloroquine analogs and demonstrate that positively charged aminoquinolinium salts are able to block channels formed in lipid bilayer membranes by the binding components of C2- and Iota-toxin. Similarly, these molecules protect cultured mammalian cells from intoxication with C2- and Iota-toxin. The aminoquinolinium salts did presumably not interfere with actin ADP-ribosylation or receptor binding but blocked the pores formed by C2IIa and Iota b in living cells and in vitro. The blocking efficiency of pores formed by Iota b and C2IIa by the chloroquine analogs showed interesting differences indicating structural variations between the types of protein-conducting nanochannels formed by Iota b and C2IIa. KW - C2-toxin KW - iota-toxin KW - binding components KW - chloroquine KW - black lipid bilayer KW - aminoquinolinium salts Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168286 VL - 8 IS - 8 ER - TY - THES A1 - Beer, Katharina Beate T1 - Identification and characterization of TAT-5 interactors that regulate extracellular vesicle budding T1 - Identifizierung und Charakterisierung von TAT-5 Interaktoren, welche die Ausschüttung von Extrazellulären Vesikeln regulieren N2 - Cells from bacteria to man release extracellular vesicles (EV) such as microvesicles (MV) that carry signaling molecules like morphogens and miRNAs to control intercellular communication during health and disease. MV release also sculpts membranes, e.g. repairing damaged membranes to avoid cell death. HIV viruses also bud from the plasma membrane in a similar fashion. In order to determine the in vivo functions of MVs and regulate their release, we need to understand the mechanisms of MV release by plasma membrane budding (ectocytosis). The conserved phospholipid flippase TAT-5 maintains the asymmetric localization of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the plasma membrane and was the only known inhibitor of ESCRT-mediated ectocytosis in C. elegans. Loss of TAT-5 lipid flipping activity increased the externalization of PE and accumulation of MVs. However, it was unclear how cells control TAT-5 activity to release the right amount of MVs at the right time, since no upstream regulators of TAT-5 were known. To identify conserved TAT-5 regulators we looked for new proteins that inhibit MV release. To do so, we first developed a degradation-based technique to specifically label MVs. We tagged a plasma membrane reporter with the endogenous ZF1 degradation tag (degron) and expressed it in C. elegans embryos. This reporter is protected from degradation inside MVs, but is degraded inside the cell. Thus, the fluorescence is selectively maintained inside MVs, creating the first MV-specific reporter. We identified four MV release inhibitors associated with retrograde recycling, including the class III PI3Kinase VPS-34, Beclin1 homolog BEC-1, DnaJ protein RME-8, and the uncharacterized Dopey homolog PAD-1. We found that VPS-34, BEC-1, RME-8, and redundant sorting nexins are required for the plasma membrane localization of TAT-5, which is important to maintain PE asymmetry and inhibit MV release. Although we confirmed that PAD-1 and the GEF-like protein MON-2 are required for endosomal recycling, they only traffic TAT-5 in the absence of sorting nexin-mediated recycling. Instead, PAD-1 is specifically required for the lipid flipping activity of TAT-5 that inhibits MV release. Thus, our work pinpoints TAT-5 and PE as key regulators of plasma membrane budding, further supporting the model that PE externalization drives ectocytosis. In addition, we uncovered redundant intracellular trafficking pathways, which affect organelle size and revealed new regulators of TAT-5 flippase activity. These newly identified ectocytosis inhibitors provide a toolkit to test the in vivo roles of MVs. In the long term, our work will help to identify the mechanisms that govern MV budding, furthering our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate disease-mediated EV release, membrane sculpting and viral budding. N2 - Zellen von Bakterien bis zum Menschen produzieren Extrazelluläre Vesikel (EV) wie zum Beispiel Mikrovesikel (MV). MV können Signal Moleküle wie Morphogene und miRNA transportieren, welche die normale oder krankheitsbedingte interzelluläre Kommunikation kontrollieren. Bei der Produktion von MVs werden Membranen verformt, wie auch für die Reparatur von beschädigten Membranen um den Zelltod zu verhindern. Außerdem knospen HIV-Virus Partikel von der Plasma Membrane durch eine ähnliche Art und Weise. Um zu verstehen welche in vivo Funktion MV haben, müssen wir die Mechanismen der MV Knospung von der Plasma Membran (Ektozytose) verstehen. Die konservierte Phospholipid Flippase TAT-5 hält die asymmetrische Verteilung von Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in der Plasma Membrane aufrecht und war der einzig bekannte Inhibitor der von ESCRT Proteinen durchgeführten Ektozytose in C. elegans. Wenn die Lipid-flippende Funktion von TAT-5 verloren geht, wird PE externalisiert und MV sammeln sich außerhalb der Zelle an. Allerdings ist es unklar mit welchen Mechanismen die Aktivität von TAT-5 reguliert wird um die richtige Menge an MV zur richtigen Zeit zu produzieren, da die vorgeschalteten Regulatoren unbekannt sind. Um konservierte TAT-5 Regulatoren zu identifizieren suchten wir nach neuen Proteinen, die die Produktion von MV inhibieren. Dazu entwickelten wir eine Degradations-Technik um MV spezifisch zu kennzeichnen. Wir markierten einen fluoreszierenden Plasma Membran Marker mit dem endogenen ZF1 Degradations-Kennzeichen (Degron) und exprimierten es im C. elegans Embryo. Der Marker wird vor der Degradation geschützt, wenn er in einem MV von der Zelle ausgesondert wurde. Dadurch bleibt die Fluoreszenz speziell in MV erhalten, während sie innerhalb der Zelle abgebaut wird. Dadurch wurde die Sichtbarkeit von ausgeschütteten MV erhöht. Wir fanden vier Proteine, welche mit Protein Recycling in Verbindung gebracht werden, die die Ausschüttung von MV verhindern: Class III PI3Kiase VPS-34, Beclin1 Homolog BEC-1, DnaJ Protein RME-8 und das nicht näher charakterisierte Dopey Homolog PAD-1. Wir benutzten dieses Set an Proteinen, um zu testen ob und wie diese TAT-5 regulieren können. Wir fanden, dass Class III PI3Kinase, RME-8 und redundante Sorting Nexins für die Plasma Membran Lokalisierung von TAT-5 verantwortlich sind, was wichtig ist um die PE Asymmetrie aufrecht zu erhalten und die MV Produktion zu verhindern. Wenn auch PAD-1 und das GEF-ähnliche MON-2 für endosomales Recycling verantwortlich sind, regulieren sie die Lokalisation von TAT-5 nur in Abwesenheit von Sorting Nexins-reguliertem Transport. Zudem scheint PAD-1 direkt für die Lipid Translokations-Aktivität von TAT-5 verantwortlich zu sein. Demnach konnten wir zeigen, dass TAT-5 und PE Schlüsselregulatoren für MV Produktion sind, was weiterhin die Ansicht unterstützt, dass PE Externalisierung für die Ektozytose verantwortlich ist. Außerdem fanden wir, dass redundante intrazelluläre Transportwege für die Größe von Organellen verantwortlich sind und deckten neue TAT-5 Aktivitäts-Regulatoren auf. Diese neu aufgedeckten Ektozytose Inhibitoren könnten Werkzeuge sein um die in vivo Funktionen von MV zu testen. Längerfristig kann unsere Forschung dazu beitragen die Mechanismen der MV Produktion zu identifizieren und die Regulation während der krankheitsbedingten EV Produktion, der Membrane Reparatur und der Virus Knospung besser zu verstehen. KW - C. elegans KW - Extracellular Vesicles KW - Microvesicle KW - Flippase KW - P4-ATPase KW - Caenorhabditis elegans KW - Vesikelbildung Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-206724 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grabarczyk, Daniel B. A1 - Berks, Ben C. T1 - Intermediates in the Sox sulfur oxidation pathway are bound to a sulfane conjugate of the carrier protein SoxYZ JF - PLoS ONE N2 - The Sox pathway found in many sulfur bacteria oxidizes thiosulfate to sulfate. Pathway intermediates are covalently bound to a cysteine residue in the carrier protein SoxYZ. We have used biochemical complementation by SoxYZ-conjugates to probe the identity of the intermediates in the Sox pathway. We find that unconjugated SoxYZ and SoxYZ-S-sulfonate are unlikely to be intermediates during normal turnover in disagreement with current models. By contrast, conjugates with multiple sulfane atoms are readily metabolised by the Sox pathway. The most parsimonious interpretation of these data is that the true carrier species in the Sox pathway is a SoxYZ-S-sulfane adduct. KW - thiosulfates KW - oxidation KW - sulfur KW - cysteine KW - sulfides KW - thermodynamics KW - sulfates KW - sulfites Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-171147 VL - 12 IS - 3 ER - TY - THES A1 - Imam, Nasir T1 - Molecular basis of collybistin conformational activation T1 - Molekulare Prinzipien der konformellen Aktivierung von Collybistin N2 - The nervous system relies on an orchestrated assembly of complex cellular entities called neurons, which are specifically committed to information management and transmission. Inter-neuronal communication takes place via synapses, membrane-membrane junctions which ensure efficient signal transfer. Synaptic neurotransmission involves release of presynaptic neurotransmitters and their reception by cognate receptors at postsynaptic terminals. Inhibitory neurotransmission is primarily mediated by the release of neurotransmitters GABA (γ-Aminobutyric acid) and glycine, which are precisely sensed by GABA type-A receptors (GABAARs) and glycine receptors (GlyRs), respectively. GABAAR assembly and maintenance is coordinated by various postsynaptic neuronal factors including the scaffolding protein gephyrin, the neuronal adaptor collybistin (CB) and cell adhesion proteins of the neuroligin (NL) family, specifically NL2 and NL4. At inhibitory postsynaptic specializations, gephyrin has been hypothesized to form extended structures underneath the plasma membrane, where its interaction with the receptors leads to their stabilization and impedes their lateral movement. Gephyrin mutations have been associated with various brain disorders, including autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and epilepsy. Furthermore, gephyrin loss is lethal and causes mice to die within the first post-natal day. Gephyrin recruitment from intracellular deposits to postsynaptic membranes primarily relies on the adaptor protein CB. As a moonlighting protein, CB, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), also catalyzes a nucleotide exchange reaction, thereby regenerating the GTP-bound state of the small GTPase Cdc42 from its GDP-bound form. The CB gene undergoes alternative splicing with the majority of CB splice variants featuring an N-terminal SH3 domain followed by tandem Dbl-homology (DH) and pleckstrin-homology (PH) domains. Previous studies demonstrated that the most widely expressed, SH3-domain containing splice variant (CB2SH3+) preferentially adopts a closed conformation, in which the N-terminally located SH3 domain forms intra-molecular interaction with the DH-PH domain tandem. Previous cell-based studies indicated that SH3 domain-encoding CB variants remain untargeted and colocalize with intracellular gephyrin deposits and hence require additional factors which interact with the SH3 domain, thus inducing an open or active conformation. The SH3 domain-deficient CB isoform (CB2SH3-), on the contrary, adopts an open conformation, which possess enhanced postsynaptic gephyrin-clustering and also effectively replenishes the GTP-bound small GTPase-Cdc42 from its GDP-bound state. Despite the fundamental role of CB as a neuronal adaptor protein maintaining the proper function of inhibitory GABAergic synapses, its interactions with the neuronal scaffolding protein gephyrin and other post synaptic neuronal factors remain poorly understood. Moreover, CB interaction studies with the small GTPase Cdc42 and TC10, a closely related member of Cdc42 subfamily, remains poorly characterized. Most importantly, the roles of the neuronal factors and small GTPases in CB conformational activation have not been elucidated. This PhD dissertation primarily focuses on delineating the molecular basis of the interactions between CB and postsynaptic neuronal factors. During the course of my PhD dissertation, I engineered a series of CB FRET (Förster Resonance Energy Transfer) sensors to characterize the CB interaction with its binding partners along with outlining their role in CB conformational activation. Through the aid of these CB FRET sensors, I analyzed the gephyrin-CB interaction, which, due to technical limitations remained unaddressed for more than two decades (refer Chapter 2 for more details). Subsequently, I also unraveled the molecular basis of the interactions between CB and the neuronal cell adhesion factor neuroligin 2 (refer chapter 2) and the small GTPases Cdc42 and TC10 (refer chapter 3) and describe how these binding partners induce a conformational activation of CB. In summary, this PhD dissertation provides strong evidence of a closely knit CB communication network with gephyrin, neuroligin and the small GTPase TC10, wherein CB activation from closed/inactive to open/active states is effectively triggered by these ligands. N2 - Das Nervensystem ist eine komplexe Ansammlung zellulärer Einheiten, darunter sind die Neuronen, die speziell für die Verarbeitung und Übertragung von Informationen zuständig sind. Die Kommunikation zwischen Neuronen erfolgt über Synapsen, spezialisierte Membran-Membran-Kontakte, die eine effiziente Signalübertragung gewährleisten. Die synaptische Neurotransmission umfasst die präsynaptische Freisetzung von Neurotransmitters und deren Empfang durch entsprechende Rezeptoren in den Postsynapsen. Die inhibitorische Neurotransmission wird in erster Linie durch die Freisetzung der Neurotransmitter GABA (γ-Aminobuttersäure-Typ) und Glycin vermittelt, die von GABA-Typ-A-Rezeptor (GABAAR) bzw. Glycinrezeptoren (GlyR) präzise wahrgenommen werden. Der Aufbau und die Aufrechterhaltung von GABAAR Clustern wird durch verschiedene postsynaptische neuronale Faktoren koordiniert, darunter das Gerüstprotein Gephyrin, das neuronale Adaptorprotein Collybistin (CB) und Zelladhäsionsproteine der Neuroligin (NL)-Familie, insbesondere NL2 und NL4. Es wird angenommen, dass Gephyrin an hemmenden postsynaptischen Spezialisierungen ausgedehnte Strukturen unterhalb der Plasmamembran bildet, und durch Interaktion mit den Rezeptoren deren laterale Diffusion verhindert. Gephyrin-Mutationen wurden mit verschiedenen Hirnkrankheiten in Verbindung gebracht, darunter Autismus, Schizophrenie, Alzheimer und Epilepsie. Der Verlust von Gephyrin ist tödlich und führt dazu, dass Mäuse innerhalb des ersten postnatalen Tages sterben. Die Rekrutierung von Gephyrin aus intrazellulären Ablagerungen zu postsynaptischen Membranen hängt in erster Linie von CB ab. Als Moonlighting-Protein katalysiert CB, ein Guanin-Nukleotid-Austauschfaktor (GEF), auch den Nukleotidaustausch und somit die Reaktivierung der kleinen GTPase Cdc42 . Das CB-Gen wird durch alternatives Spleißen modifiziert; die meisten CB-Spleißvarianten weisen eine N-terminale SH3-Domäne auf, gefolgt von Tandem aus einer Dbl-Homologie (DH)- und einer Pleckstrin-Homologie (PH)-Domäne. Frühere Studien zeigten, dass die am häufigsten exprimierte Spleißvariante, die eine SH3-Domäne enthält (CB2SH3+), vorzugsweise eine geschlossene Konformation annimmt, bei der die N-terminal gelegene SH3-Domäne eine intra-molekulare Interaktion mit dem DH-PH- Tandem eingeht. Zellbasierte Studien zeigten, dass CB-Varianten, die für die SH3-Domäne kodieren, sich innerhalb der Zelle nicht an spezifischen Orten anreichern und stattdessen mit intrazellulären Gephyrin-Ablagerungen kolokalisieren. Zusätzliche Faktoren werden benötigt, die mit der SH3-Domäne interagieren und so eine offene oder aktive Konformation hervorrufen. Die SH3-Domänen-defiziente CB-Isoform (CB2SH3-) hingegen nimmt eine offene Konformation an, die eine verstärkte postsynaptische Gephyrin-Anhäufung aufweist und die GTP-gebundene kleine GTPase Cdc42 aus ihrem GDP-gebundenen Zustand effektiv wieder regeneriert. Trotz der grundlegenden Rolle von CB als neuronales Adaptorprotein, das die ordnungsgemäße Funktion hemmender GABAerger Synapsen aufrechterhält, ist seine Interaktion mit dem neuronalen Gerüstprotein Gephyrin und anderen post-synaptischen neuronalen Faktoren nach wie vor unzureichend verstanden. Darüber hinaus sind die Interaktionsstudien von CB mit der kleinen GTPase Cdc42 und TC10, einem eng verwandten Mitglied der Cdc42-Unterfamilie, noch immer unzureichend charakterisiert. Somit war die Frage, ob diese neuronalen Faktoren sowie die kleinen GTPasen an der CB-Konformationsaktivierung beteiligt sind. Diese Dissertation konzentriert sich in erster Linie auf die Beschreibung der molekularen Grundlagen der Interaktion von CB mit postsynaptischen neuronalen Faktoren. Im Rahmen meiner Dissertation habe ich eine Reihe von CB-FRET-Sensoren (Förster-Resonanz-Energie-Transfer) entwickelt, um die CB-Interaktion mit seinen Bindungspartnern zu charakterisieren und ihre Rolle bei der CB-Konformationsaktivierung zu beschreiben. Mit Hilfe der CB-FRET-Sensoren entschlüsselte ich das langjährige Rätsel der Gephyrin-CB-Interaktion, das aufgrund technischer Beschränkungen mehr als zwei Jahrzehnte lang ungelöst blieb (siehe Kapitel 2 für weitere Einzelheiten). In der Folge habe ich auch die molekularen Grundlagen der CB-Wechselwirkung und damit ihre konformelle Aktivierung durch den neuronalen Zelladhäsionsfaktor Neuroligin 2 (siehe Kapitel 2) und die kleinen GTPasen Cdc42 und TC10 (siehe Kapitel 3) analysiertt. Zusammengefasst liefert diese Dissertation starke Beweise für ein engmaschiges CB-Kommunikationsnetzwerk mit Gephyrin, Neuroligin und der kleinen GTPase TC10, in dem der CB-Konformationswechsel vom geschlossenen/inaktiven zum offenen/aktiven Zustand effektiv durch die Liganden ausgelöst wird. KW - Guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) KW - Rho GTPasw KW - inhibitory postsynapse KW - Autoinhibition KW - conformational activation KW - collybistin KW - fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) KW - gephyrin KW - neurologin-2 KW - time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-311458 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlemann, Alexander A1 - Beliu, Gerti A1 - Janzen, Dieter A1 - Petrini, Enrica Maria A1 - Taban, Danush A1 - Helmerich, Dominic A. A1 - Doose, Sören A1 - Bruno, Martina A1 - Barberis, Andrea A1 - Villmann, Carmen A1 - Sauer, Markus A1 - Werner, Christian T1 - Genetic Code Expansion and Click-Chemistry Labeling to Visualize GABA-A Receptors by Super-Resolution Microscopy JF - Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience N2 - Fluorescence labeling of difficult to access protein sites, e.g., in confined compartments, requires small fluorescent labels that can be covalently tethered at well-defined positions with high efficiency. Here, we report site-specific labeling of the extracellular domain of γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA-A) receptor subunits by genetic code expansion (GCE) with unnatural amino acids (ncAA) combined with bioorthogonal click-chemistry labeling with tetrazine dyes in HEK-293-T cells and primary cultured neurons. After optimization of GABA-A receptor expression and labeling efficiency, most effective variants were selected for super-resolution microscopy and functionality testing by whole-cell patch clamp. Our results show that GCE with ncAA and bioorthogonal click labeling with small tetrazine dyes represents a versatile method for highly efficient site-specific fluorescence labeling of proteins in a crowded environment, e.g., extracellular protein domains in confined compartments such as the synaptic cleft. KW - super-resolution microscopy (SRM) KW - click-chemistry KW - dSTORM KW - GABA-A receptor KW - genetic code expansion Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-251035 SN - 1663-3563 VL - 13 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jeanclos, Elisabeth A1 - Knobloch, Gunnar A1 - Hoffmann, Axel A1 - Fedorchenko, Oleg A1 - Odersky, Andrea A1 - Lamprecht, Anna‐Karina A1 - Schindelin, Hermann A1 - Gohla, Antje T1 - Ca\(^{2+}\) functions as a molecular switch that controls the mutually exclusive complex formation of pyridoxal phosphatase with CIB1 or calmodulin JF - FEBS Letters N2 - Pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate (PLP) is an essential cofactor for neurotransmitter metabolism. Pyridoxal phosphatase (PDXP) deficiency in mice increases PLP and γ‐aminobutyric acid levels in the brain, yet how PDXP is regulated is unclear. Here, we identify the Ca\(^{2+}\)‐ and integrin‐binding protein 1 (CIB1) as a PDXP interactor by yeast two‐hybrid screening and find a calmodulin (CaM)‐binding motif that overlaps with the PDXP‐CIB1 interaction site. Pulldown and crosslinking assays with purified proteins demonstrate that PDXP directly binds to CIB1 or CaM. CIB1 or CaM does not alter PDXP phosphatase activity. However, elevated Ca\(^{2+}\) concentrations promote CaM binding and, thereby, diminish CIB1 binding to PDXP, as both interactors bind in a mutually exclusive way. Hence, the PDXP‐CIB1 complex may functionally differ from the PDXP‐Ca\(^{2+}\)‐CaM complex. KW - calmodulin KW - chronophin KW - CIB1 KW - haloacid dehalogenase KW - pyridoxal phosphatase KW - vitamin B6 Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-217963 VL - 594 IS - 13 SP - 2099 EP - 2115 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schuhmann, Michael K. A1 - Kraft, Peter A1 - Bieber, Michael A1 - Kollikowski, Alexander M. A1 - Schulze, Harald A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Pham, Mirko A1 - Stegner, David A1 - Stoll, Guido T1 - Targeting platelet GPVI plus rt-PA administration but not α2β1-mediated collagen binding protects against ischemic brain damage in mice JF - International Journal of Molecular Science N2 - Platelet collagen interactions at sites of vascular injuries predominantly involve glycoprotein VI (GPVI) and the integrin α2β1. Both proteins are primarily expressed on platelets and megakaryocytes whereas GPVI expression is also shown on endothelial and integrin α2β1 expression on epithelial cells. We recently showed that depletion of GPVI improves stroke outcome without increasing the risk of cerebral hemorrhage. Genetic variants associated with higher platelet surface integrin α2 (ITGA2) receptor levels have frequently been found to correlate with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in patients. However until now, no preclinical stroke study has addressed whether platelet integrin α2β1 contributes to the pathophysiology of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced in C57BL/6 and Itga2\(^{−/−}\) mice by a 60 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Additionally, wild-type animals were pretreated with anti-GPVI antibody (JAQ1) or Fab fragments of a function blocking antibody against integrin α2β1 (LEN/B). In anti-GPVI treated animals, intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) treatment was applied immediately prior to reperfusion. Stroke outcome, including infarct size and neurological scoring was determined on day 1 after tMCAO. We demonstrate that targeting the integrin α2β1 (pharmacologic; genetic) did neither reduce stroke size nor improve functional outcome on day 1 after tMCAO. In contrast, depletion of platelet GPVI prior to stroke was safe and effective, even when combined with rt-PA treatment. Our results underscore that GPVI, but not ITGA2, is a promising and safe target in the setting of ischemic stroke. KW - ischemic stroke KW - integrin α2 KW - glycoprotein VI KW - recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator KW - intracranial bleeding KW - transient middle cerebral artery occlusion Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201700 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 20 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Makbul, Cihan A1 - Khayenko, Vladimir A1 - Maric, Hans Michael A1 - Böttcher, Bettina T1 - Conformational Plasticity of Hepatitis B Core Protein Spikes Promotes Peptide Binding Independent of the Secretion Phenotype JF - Microorganisms N2 - Hepatitis B virus is a major human pathogen, which forms enveloped virus particles. During viral maturation, membrane-bound hepatitis B surface proteins package hepatitis B core protein capsids. This process is intercepted by certain peptides with an “LLGRMKG” motif that binds to the capsids at the tips of dimeric spikes. With microcalorimetry, electron cryo microscopy and peptide microarray-based screens, we have characterized the structural and thermodynamic properties of peptide binding to hepatitis B core protein capsids with different secretion phenotypes. The peptide “GSLLGRMKGA” binds weakly to hepatitis B core protein capsids and mutant capsids with a premature (F97L) or low-secretion phenotype (L60V and P5T). With electron cryo microscopy, we provide novel structures for L60V and P5T and demonstrate that binding occurs at the tips of the spikes at the dimer interface, splaying the helices apart independent of the secretion phenotype. Peptide array screening identifies “SLLGRM” as the core binding motif. This shortened motif binds only to one of the two spikes in the asymmetric unit of the capsid and induces a much smaller conformational change. Altogether, these comprehensive studies suggest that the tips of the spikes act as an autonomous binding platform that is unaffected by mutations that affect secretion phenotypes. KW - hepatitis B core protein KW - hepatitis B virus KW - peptide inhibitor of envelopment KW - isothermal titration calorimetry KW - electron cryo microscopy KW - low-secretion phenotype mutants KW - peptide microarray Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-236720 SN - 2076-2607 VL - 9 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kitzenmaier, Alexandra A1 - Schaefer, Natascha A1 - Kasaragod, Vikram Babu A1 - Polster, Tilman A1 - Hantschmann, Ralph A1 - Schindelin, Hermann A1 - Villmann, Carmen T1 - The P429L loss of function mutation of the human glycine transporter 2 associated with hyperekplexia JF - European Journal of Neuroscience N2 - Glycine transporter 2 (GlyT2) mutations across the entire sequence have been shown to represent the presynaptic component of the neurological disease hyperekplexia. Dominant, recessive and compound heterozygous mutations have been identified, most of them leading to impaired glycine uptake. Here, we identified a novel loss of function mutation of the GlyT2 resulting from an amino acid exchange of proline 429 to leucine in a family with both parents being heterozygous carriers. A homozygous child suffered from severe neuromotor deficits. We characterised the GlyT2P429L variant at the molecular, cellular and protein level. Functionality was determined by glycine uptake assays. Homology modelling revealed that the mutation localises to α‐helix 5, presumably disrupting the integrity of this α‐helix. GlyT2P429L shows protein trafficking through various intracellular compartments to the cellular surface. However, the protein expression at the whole cell level was significantly reduced. Although present at the cellular surface, GlyT2P429L demonstrated a loss of protein function. Coexpression of the mutant with the wild‐type protein, reflecting the situation in the parents, did not affect transporter function, thus explaining their non‐symptomatic phenotype. Nevertheless, when the mutant was expressed in excess compared with the wild‐type protein, glycine uptake was significantly reduced. Thus, these data demonstrate that the proline residue at position 429 is structurally important for the correct formation of α‐helix 5. The failure in functionality of the mutated GlyT2 is most probably due to structural changes localised in close proximity to the sodium‐binding site of the transporter. KW - glycine transporter 2 KW - glyvine uptake KW - loss of function KW - presynaptic hyperekplexia KW - protein transport KW - structural disruption Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-206158 VL - 50 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kalleda, Natarajaswamy A1 - Amich, Jorge A1 - Arslan, Berkan A1 - Poreddy, Spoorthi A1 - Mattenheimer, Katharina A1 - Mokhtari, Zeinab A1 - Einsele, Hermann A1 - Brock, Matthias A1 - Heinze, Katrin Gertrud A1 - Beilhack, Andreas T1 - Dynamic Immune Cell Recruitment After Murine Pulmonary Aspergillus fumigatus Infection under Different Immunosuppressive Regimens JF - Frontiers in Microbiology N2 - Humans are continuously exposed to airborne spores of the saprophytic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. However, in healthy individuals pulmonary host defense mechanisms efficiently eliminate the fungus. In contrast, A. fumigatus causes devastating infections in immunocompromised patients. Host immune responses against A. fumigatus lung infections in immunocompromised conditions have remained largely elusive. Given the dynamic changes in immune cell subsets within tissues upon immunosuppressive therapy, we dissected the spatiotemporal pulmonary immune response after A. fumigatus infection to reveal basic immunological events that fail to effectively control invasive fungal disease. In different immunocompromised murine models, myeloid, notably neutrophils, and macrophages, but not lymphoid cells were strongly recruited to the lungs upon infection. Other myeloid cells, particularly dendritic cells and monocytes, were only recruited to lungs of corticosteroid treated mice, which developed a strong pulmonary inflammation after infection. Lymphoid cells, particularly CD4\(^+\) or CD8\(^+\) T-cells and NK cells were highly reduced upon immunosuppression and not recruited after A. fumigatus infection. Moreover, adoptive CD11b\(^+\) myeloid cell transfer rescued cyclophosphamide immunosuppressed mice from lethal A. fumigatus infection but not cortisone and cyclophosphamide immunosuppressed mice. Our findings illustrate that CD11b\(^+\) myeloid cells are critical for anti-A. fumigatus defense under cyclophosphamide immunosuppressed conditions. KW - corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide KW - aspergillus fumigatus KW - CD11b+ myeloid cells KW - immune cell recruitment Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165368 VL - 7 IS - 1107 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Koo, Chek Ziu A1 - Matthews, Alexandra L. A1 - Harrison, Neale A1 - Szyroka, Justyna A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Gardiner, Elizabeth E. A1 - Poulter, Natalie S. A1 - Tomlinson, Michael G. T1 - The platelet collagen receptor GPVI is cleaved by Tspan15/ADAM10 and Tspan33/ADAM10 molecular scissors JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - The platelet-activating collagen receptor GPVI represents the focus of clinical trials as an antiplatelet target for arterial thrombosis, and soluble GPVI is a plasma biomarker for several human diseases. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 (ADAM10) acts as a ‘molecular scissor’ that cleaves the extracellular region from GPVI and many other substrates. ADAM10 interacts with six regulatory tetraspanin membrane proteins, Tspan5, Tspan10, Tspan14, Tspan15, Tspan17 and Tspan33, which are collectively termed the TspanC8s. These are emerging as regulators of ADAM10 substrate specificity. Human platelets express Tspan14, Tspan15 and Tspan33, but which of these regulates GPVI cleavage remains unknown. To address this, CRISPR/Cas9 knockout human cell lines were generated to show that Tspan15 and Tspan33 enact compensatory roles in GPVI cleavage, with Tspan15 bearing the more important role. To investigate this mechanism, a series of Tspan15 and GPVI mutant expression constructs were designed. The Tspan15 extracellular region was found to be critical in promoting GPVI cleavage, and appeared to achieve this by enabling ADAM10 to access the cleavage site at a particular distance above the membrane. These findings bear implications for the regulation of cleavage of other ADAM10 substrates, and provide new insights into post-translational regulation of the clinically relevant GPVI protein. KW - ADAM10 KW - GPVI KW - tetraspanin KW - platelet KW - shedding KW - TspanC8 KW - metalloproteinase Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-284468 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 23 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stegner, David A1 - Klaus, Vanessa A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard T1 - Platelets as modulators of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury JF - Frontiers in Immunology N2 - Ischemic stroke is among the leading causes of disability and death worldwide. In acute ischemic stroke, the rapid recanalization of occluded cranial vessels is the primary therapeutic aim. However, experimental data (obtained using mostly the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion model) indicates that progressive stroke can still develop despite successful recanalization, a process termed “reperfusion injury.” Mounting experimental evidence suggests that platelets and T cells contribute to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, and ischemic stroke is increasingly considered a thrombo-inflammatory disease. The interaction of von Willebrand factor and its receptor on the platelet surface, glycoprotein Ib, as well as many activatory platelet receptors and platelet degranulation contribute to secondary infarct growth in this setting. In contrast, interference with GPIIb/IIIa-dependent platelet aggregation and thrombus formation does not improve the outcome of acute brain ischemia but dramatically increases the susceptibility to intracranial hemorrhage. Here, we summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms and the potential translational impact of platelet contributions to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. KW - thrombo-inflammation KW - ischemic stroke KW - platelet KW - glycoprotein Ibα KW - platelet degranulation Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-195748 SN - 1664-3224 VL - 10 IS - 2505 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dütting, Sebastian A1 - Gaits-Iacovoni, Frederique A1 - Stegner, David A1 - Popp, Michael A1 - Antkowiak, Adrien A1 - van Eeuwijk, Judith M.M. A1 - Nurden, Paquita A1 - Stritt, Simon A1 - Heib, Tobias A1 - Aurbach, Katja A1 - Angay, Oguzhan A1 - Cherpokova, Deya A1 - Heinz, Niels A1 - Baig, Ayesha A. A1 - Gorelashvili, Maximilian G. A1 - Gerner, Frank A1 - Heinze, Katrin G. A1 - Ware, Jerry A1 - Krohne, Georg A1 - Ruggeri, Zaverio M. A1 - Nurden, Alan T. A1 - Schulze, Harald A1 - Modlich, Ute A1 - Pleines, Irina A1 - Brakebusch, Cord A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard T1 - A Cdc42/RhoA regulatory circuit downstream of glycoprotein Ib guides transendothelial platelet biogenesis JF - Nature Communications N2 - Blood platelets are produced by large bone marrow (BM) precursor cells, megakaryocytes (MKs), which extend cytoplasmic protrusions (proplatelets) into BM sinusoids. The molecular cues that control MK polarization towards sinusoids and limit transendothelial crossing to proplatelets remain unknown. Here, we show that the small GTPases Cdc42 and RhoA act as a regulatory circuit downstream of the MK-specific mechanoreceptor GPIb to coordinate polarized transendothelial platelet biogenesis. Functional deficiency of either GPIb or Cdc42 impairs transendothelial proplatelet formation. In the absence of RhoA, increased Cdc42 activity and MK hyperpolarization triggers GPIb-dependent transmigration of entire MKs into BM sinusoids. These findings position Cdc42 (go-signal) and RhoA (stop-signal) at the centre of a molecular checkpoint downstream of GPIb that controls transendothelial platelet biogenesis. Our results may open new avenues for the treatment of platelet production disorders and help to explain the thrombocytopenia in patients with Bernard–Soulier syndrome, a bleeding disorder caused by defects in GPIb-IX-V. KW - megakaryocytes KW - blood platelets KW - regulatory circuit downstream KW - glycoprotein Ib Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170797 VL - 8 IS - 15838 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stegner, David A1 - van Eeuwijk, Judith M.M. A1 - Angay, Oğuzhan A1 - Gorelashvili, Maximilian G. A1 - Semeniak, Daniela A1 - Pinnecker, Jürgen A1 - Schmithausen, Patrick A1 - Meyer, Imke A1 - Friedrich, Mike A1 - Dütting, Sebastian A1 - Brede, Christian A1 - Beilhack, Andreas A1 - Schulze, Harald A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Heinze, Katrin G. T1 - Thrombopoiesis is spatially regulated by the bone marrow vasculature JF - Nature Communications N2 - In mammals, megakaryocytes (MKs) in the bone marrow (BM) produce blood platelets, required for hemostasis and thrombosis. MKs originate from hematopoietic stem cells and are thought to migrate from an endosteal niche towards the vascular sinusoids during their maturation. Through imaging of MKs in the intact BM, here we show that MKs can be found within the entire BM, without a bias towards bone-distant regions. By combining in vivo two-photon microscopy and in situ light-sheet fluorescence microscopy with computational simulations, we reveal surprisingly slow MK migration, limited intervascular space, and a vessel-biased MK pool. These data challenge the current thrombopoiesis model of MK migration and support a modified model, where MKs at sinusoids are replenished by sinusoidal precursors rather than cells from a distant periostic niche. As MKs do not need to migrate to reach the vessel, therapies to increase MK numbers might be sufficient to raise platelet counts. KW - bone marrow KW - megakaryocytes KW - thrombopoiesis Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170591 VL - 8 IS - 127 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kollikowski, Alexander M. A1 - Schuhmann, Michael K. A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Müllges, Wolfgang A1 - Stoll, Guido A1 - Pham, Mirko T1 - Local Leukocyte Invasion during Hyperacute Human Ischemic Stroke JF - Annals of Neurology N2 - Objective Bridging the gap between experimental stroke and patients by ischemic blood probing during the hyperacute stage of vascular occlusion is crucial to assess the role of inflammation in human stroke and for the development of adjunct treatments beyond recanalization. Methods We prospectively observed 151 consecutive ischemic stroke patients with embolic large vessel occlusion of the anterior circulation who underwent mechanical thrombectomy. In all these patients, we attempted microcatheter aspiration of 3 different arterial blood samples: (1) within the core of the occluded vascular compartment and controlled by (2) carotid and (3) femoral samples obtained under physiological flow conditions. Subsequent laboratory analyses comprised leukocyte counting and differentiation, platelet counting, and the quantification of 13 proinflammatory human chemokines/cytokines. Results Forty patients meeting all clinical, imaging, interventional, and laboratory inclusion criteria could be analyzed, showing that the total number of leukocytes significantly increased under the occlusion condition. This increase was predominantly driven by neutrophils. Significant increases were also apparent for lymphocytes and monocytes, accompanied by locally elevated plasma levels of the T‐cell chemoattractant CXCL‐11. Finally, we found evidence that short‐term clinical outcome (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale at 72 hours) was negatively associated with neutrophil accumulation. Interpretation We provide the first direct human evidence that neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes, accompanied by specific chemokine upregulation, accumulate in the ischemic vasculature during hyperacute stroke and may affect outcome. These findings strongly support experimental evidence that immune cells contribute to acute ischemic brain damage and indicate that ischemic inflammation initiates already during vascular occlusion. Ann Neurol 2020;87:466–479 KW - neurology Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-212168 VL - 87 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Göb, Vanessa A1 - Voll, Maximilian G. A1 - Zimmermann, Lena A1 - Hemmen, Katharina A1 - Stoll, Guido A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Schuhmann, Michael K. A1 - Heinze, Katrin G. A1 - Stegner, David T1 - Infarct growth precedes cerebral thrombosis following experimental stroke in mice JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Ischemic stroke is among the leading causes of disability and death worldwide. In acute ischemic stroke, successful recanalization of occluded vessels is the primary therapeutic aim, but even if it is achieved, not all patients benefit. Although blockade of platelet aggregation did not prevent infarct progression, cerebral thrombosis as cause of secondary infarct growth has remained a matter of debate. As cerebral thrombi are frequently observed after experimental stroke, a thrombus-induced impairment of the brain microcirculation is considered to contribute to tissue damage. Here, we combine the model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) with light sheet fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry of brain slices to investigate the kinetics of thrombus formation and infarct progression. Our data reveal that tissue damage already peaks after 8 h of reperfusion following 60 min MCAO, while cerebral thrombi are only observed at later time points. Thus, cerebral thrombosis is not causative for secondary infarct growth during ischemic stroke. KW - cerebrovascular disorders KW - thrombosis Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-265791 VL - 11 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beck, Sarah A1 - Stegner, David A1 - Loroch, Stefan A1 - Baig, Ayesha A. A1 - Göb, Vanessa A1 - Schumbutzki, Cornelia A1 - Eilers, Eva A1 - Sickmann, Albert A1 - May, Frauke A1 - Nolte, Marc W. A1 - Panousis, Con A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard T1 - Generation of a humanized FXII knock-in mouse-A powerful model system to test novel anti-thrombotic agents JF - Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis N2 - Background Effective inhibition of thrombosis without generating bleeding risks is a major challenge in medicine. Accumulating evidence suggests that this can be achieved by inhibition of coagulation factor XII (FXII), as either its knock-out or inhibition in animal models efficiently reduced thrombosis without affecting normal hemostasis. Based on these findings, highly specific inhibitors for human FXII(a) are under development. However, currently, in vivo studies on their efficacy and safety are impeded by the lack of an optimized animal model expressing the specific target, that is, human FXII. Objective The primary objective of this study is to develop and functionally characterize a humanized FXII mouse model. Methods A humanized FXII mouse model was generated by replacing the murine with the human F12 gene (genetic knock-in) and tested it in in vitro coagulation assays and in in vivo thrombosis models. Results These hF12\(^{KI}\) mice were indistinguishable from wild-type mice in all tested assays of coagulation and platelet function in vitro and in vivo, except for reduced expression levels of hFXII compared to human plasma. Targeting FXII by the anti-human FXIIa antibody 3F7 increased activated partial thromboplastin time dose-dependently and protected hF12\(^{KI}\) mice in an arterial thrombosis model without affecting bleeding times. Conclusion These data establish the newly generated hF12\(^{KI}\) mouse as a powerful and unique model system for in vivo studies on anti-FXII(a) biologics, supporting the development of efficient and safe human FXII(a) inhibitors. KW - hemostasis, KW - blood coagulation KW - factor XII KW - animal models KW - thrombosis Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-259567 VL - 19 IS - 11 ER - TY - THES A1 - Aigner, Max T1 - Establishing successful protocols and imaging pipelines for Expansion Microscopy in murine blood platelets T1 - Etablierung erfolgreicher Protokolle zur Probenpräparation und Bildgebung für die ‚Expansion Microscopy‘ in murinen Thrombozyten N2 - Platelets play an important role in the body, since they are part of the hemostasis system, preventing and stopping blood loss. Nevertheless, when platelet or coagulation system function are impaired, uncontrolled bleedings but also irreversible vessel occlusion followed by ischemic tissue damage can occur. Therefore, understanding platelet function and activation, mechanisms which are controlled by a variety of platelet membrane receptors and other factors is important to advance out knowledge of hemostasis and platelet malfunction. For a complete picture of platelet function and their modulating behavior it is desired to be able to quantify receptor distributions and interactions of these densely packed molecular ensembles in the membrane. This challenges scientists for several reasons. Most importantly, platelets are microscopically small objects, challenging the spatial resolution of conventional light microscopy. Moreover, platelet receptors are highly abundant on the membrane so even super-resolution microscopy struggles with quantitative receptor imaging on platelets. With Expansion microscopy (ExM), a new super-resolution technique was introduced, allowing resolutions to achieve super-resolution without using a super-resolution microscope, but by combining a conventional confocal microscopy with a highly processed sample that has been expanded physically. In this doctoral thesis, I evaluated the potential of this technique for super-resolution platelet imaging by optimizing the sample preparation process and establishing an imaging and image processing pipeline for dual-color 3D images of different membrane receptors. The analysis of receptor colocalization using ExM demonstrated a clear superiority compared to conventional microscopy. Furthermore, I identified a library of fluorescently labeled antibodies against different platelet receptors compatible with ExM and showed the possibility of staining membrane receptors and parts of the cytoskeleton at the same time. N2 - Thrombozyten spielen eine wichtige Rolle im Körper, denn als Teil des Gerinnungssystems, sind sie daran beteiligt Blutverlust vorzubeugen und zu stoppen. Gleichwohl können sie bei Störungen des Gerinnungssystems zu unkontrollierbaren Blutungen und auch durch Aggregation zu kardiovaskulären Ereignissen, wie Herzinfarkt und Schlaganfällen führen. Für ein besseres Verständnis von Hämostase und Gerinnungsstörungen ist es deshalb nötig die Funktion und Aktivierung von Thrombozyten zu verstehen, welche durch eine Vielzahl von Membranrezeptoren und anderen Faktoren gesteuert wird. Eine Methode, um weitere Einblicke in diese Prozesse zu bekommen ist die mikroskopische Darstellung von Rezeptorverteilungen auf der Zellmembran und deren Interaktionen. Dies zu realisieren ist aus verschiedenen Gründen anspruchsvoll. Der mikroskopisch kleine Durchmesser der Thrombozyten macht es konventioneller Lichtmikroskopie schwer, einzelne Rezeptoren auf der Membran darzustellen. Außerdem befinden sich sehr viele Rezeptoren dicht gepackt auf der Membran, sodass sogar superhochauflösende Mikroskope Schwierigkeiten haben, die Rezeptoren quantitativ zu beurteilen. Mit ‚Expansion microscopy‘ (ExM) wurde eine relativ junge superhochaufösende Technik auf Thrombozyten angewendet. Diese Technik erreicht Auflösungen vergleichbar mit sogenannten ‚super-resolution‘ Mikroskopen, ohne die Benutzung selbiger, sondern durch die Kombination von konfokaler Mikroskopie mit einer physikalisch expandierten Probe. In dieser Arbeit evaluierte ich das Potential dieser Technik für superhochauflösende Bilder von Thrombozytenrezeptoren und optimierte die Probenvorbereitung, sodass zweifarbige 3D Bilder von verschiedenen Membranrezeptoren möglich waren. Die Ergebnisse der Kolokationsanalyse zeigten einen deutlich vergrößerten Dynamikumfang durch ExM. Außerdem katalogisierte ich fluoreszenzmarkierte Antikörper gegen verschiedene Thrombozyten Rezeptoren bezüglich ihrer Tauglichkeit mit ExM und zeigte, dass es möglich ist Membranrezeptoren und Bestandteile des Zytoskeletts gleichzeitig zu färben. KW - Expansion Microscopy KW - platelets KW - Mikroskopie KW - Microscopy Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-309003 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mammadova-Bach, Elmina A1 - Braun, Attila T1 - Zinc homeostasis in platelet-related diseases JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Zn\(^{2+}\) deficiency in the human population is frequent in underdeveloped countries. Worldwide, approximatively 2 billion people consume Zn\(^{2+}\)-deficient diets, accounting for 1–4% of deaths each year, mainly in infants with a compromised immune system. Depending on the severity of Zn\(^{2+}\) deficiency, clinical symptoms are associated with impaired wound healing, alopecia, diarrhea, poor growth, dysfunction of the immune and nervous system with congenital abnormalities and bleeding disorders. Poor nutritional Zn\(^{2+}\) status in patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma or with advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma, was accompanied by cutaneous bleeding and platelet dysfunction. Forcing Zn\(^{2+}\) uptake in the gut using different nutritional supplementation of Zn\(^{2+}\) could ameliorate many of these pathological symptoms in humans. Feeding adult rodents with a low Zn\(^{2+}\) diet caused poor platelet aggregation and increased bleeding tendency, thereby attracting great scientific interest in investigating the role of Zn\(^{2+}\) in hemostasis. Storage protein metallothionein maintains or releases Zn\(^{2+}\) in the cytoplasm, and the dynamic change of this cytoplasmic Zn\(^{2+}\) pool is regulated by the redox status of the cell. An increase of labile Zn\(^{2+}\) pool can be toxic for the cells, and therefore cytoplasmic Zn\(^{2+}\) levels are tightly regulated by several Zn\(^{2+}\) transporters located on the cell surface and also on the intracellular membrane of Zn\(^{2+}\) storage organelles, such as secretory vesicles, endoplasmic reticulum or Golgi apparatus. Although Zn\(^{2+}\) is a critical cofactor for more than 2000 transcription factors and 300 enzymes, regulating cell differentiation, proliferation, and basic metabolic functions of the cells, the molecular mechanisms of Zn\(^{2+}\) transport and the physiological role of Zn\(^{2+}\) store in megakaryocyte and platelet function remain elusive. In this review, we summarize the contribution of extracellular or intracellular Zn\(^{2+}\) to megakaryocyte and platelet function and discuss the consequences of dysregulated Zn\(^{2+}\) homeostasis in platelet-related diseases by focusing on thrombosis, ischemic stroke and storage pool diseases. KW - Zinc KW - platelets KW - hemostasis KW - thrombosis KW - ischemic stroke KW - storage-pool diseases Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-285554 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 20 IS - 21 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ries, Lena K. A1 - Liess, Anna K. L. A1 - Feiler, Christian G. A1 - Spratt, Donald E. A1 - Lowe, Edward D. A1 - Lorenz, Sonja T1 - Crystal structure of the catalytic C‐lobe of the HECT‐type ubiquitin ligase E6AP JF - Protein Science N2 - The HECT‐type ubiquitin ligase E6AP (UBE3A) is critically involved in several neurodevelopmental disorders and human papilloma virus‐induced cervical tumorigenesis; the structural mechanisms underlying the activity of this crucial ligase, however, are incompletely understood. Here, we report a crystal structure of the C‐terminal lobe (“C‐lobe”) of the catalytic domain of E6AP that reveals two molecules in a domain‐swapped, dimeric arrangement. Interestingly, the molecular hinge that enables this structural reorganization with respect to the monomeric fold coincides with the active‐site region. While such dimerization is unlikely to occur in the context of full‐length E6AP, we noticed a similar domain swap in a crystal structure of the isolated C‐lobe of another HECT‐type ubiquitin ligase, HERC6. This may point to conformational strain in the active‐site region of HECT‐type ligases with possible implications for catalysis. Significance Statement The HECT‐type ubiquitin ligase E6AP has key roles in human papilloma virus‐induced cervical tumorigenesis and certain neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we present a crystal structure of the C‐terminal, catalytic lobe of E6AP, providing basic insight into the conformational properties of this functionally critical region of HECT‐type ligases. KW - dimerization KW - domain swapping KW - E3 enzyme KW - UBE3A KW - X‐ray crystallography Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214812 VL - 29 IS - 6 SP - 1550 EP - 1554 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schuhmann, Michael K. A1 - Bieber, Michael A1 - Franke, Maximilian A1 - Kollikowski, Alexander M. A1 - Stegner, David A1 - Heinze, Katrin G. A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Pham, Mirko A1 - Stoll, Guido T1 - Platelets and lymphocytes drive progressive penumbral tissue loss during middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice JF - Journal of Neuroinflammation N2 - Background In acute ischemic stroke, cessation of blood flow causes immediate tissue necrosis within the center of the ischemic brain region accompanied by functional failure in the surrounding brain tissue designated the penumbra. The penumbra can be salvaged by timely thrombolysis/thrombectomy, the only available acute stroke treatment to date, but is progressively destroyed by the expansion of infarction. The underlying mechanisms of progressive infarction are not fully understood. Methods To address mechanisms, mice underwent filament occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) for up to 4 h. Infarct development was compared between mice treated with antigen-binding fragments (Fab) against the platelet surface molecules GPIb (p0p/B Fab) or rat immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fab as control treatment. Moreover, Rag1\(^{−/−}\) mice lacking T-cells underwent the same procedures. Infarct volumes as well as the local inflammatory response were determined during vessel occlusion. Results We show that blocking of the platelet adhesion receptor, glycoprotein (GP) Ibα in mice, delays cerebral infarct progression already during occlusion and thus before recanalization/reperfusion. This therapeutic effect was accompanied by decreased T-cell infiltration, particularly at the infarct border zone, which during occlusion is supplied by collateral blood flow. Accordingly, mice lacking T-cells were likewise protected from infarct progression under occlusion. Conclusions Progressive brain infarction can be delayed by blocking detrimental lymphocyte/platelet responses already during occlusion paving the way for ultra-early treatment strategies in hyper-acute stroke before recanalization. KW - ischemic penumbra KW - glycoprotein receptor Ib KW - T-cells KW - ischemic stroke KW - thrombo-inflammation KW - middle cerebral artery occlusion Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-259172 VL - 18 IS - 1 ER - TY - THES A1 - Mietrach, Nicole Aline T1 - Structural and functional elucidation of the Type VIIb secretion system from Staphylococcus aureus T1 - Strukturelle und funktionelle Analyse des Typ VIIb Sekretionssystems aus Staphylococcus aureus N2 - The Type VII secretion system (T7SS) is linked to virulence and long-term pathogenesis in a broad range of Gram-positive bacteria, including the human commensal and pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. The Type VIIb secretion system (T7SSb) is responsible for the export of small toxic proteins, which induce antibacterial immune responses and mediate bacterial persistence in the host. In addition, it is also involved in bacterial competition. The T7SSb requires several proteins to build up the secretion machinery. This work focuses on the structural and functional investigation of the motor ATPase EssC and the putative pore forming, multi-pass membrane component EsaA. Both proteins are indispensable for substrate secretion. EssC belongs to the FtsK/SpoIIIE ATPase family and is conserved among the T7SSs. It contains three C-terminal, cytosolic ATPase domains, designated as EssC- D1, -D2 and -D3, whereby EssC-D3 is the most distal one. In this thesis, I am presenting the crystal structure of the EssC-D3 at 1.7 Å resolution. As the deletion of EssC-D3 abrogates substrate export, I have demonstrated that this domain comprises a hydrophobic, surface-exposed pocket, which is required for substrate secretion. More specifically, I have identified two amino acids involved in the secretion process. In addition, my results indicate that not only EssC-D3 is important for substrate interaction but also EssC-D2 and/or EssC-D1. Unlike in the related Yuk T7SSb of Bacillus subtilis, the ATPase activity of D3 domain contributes to substrate secretion. Mutation of the modified Walker B motif in EssC-D3 diminishes substrate secretion completely. The membrane protein EsaA encompasses an extracellular segment spanning through the cell wall of S. aureus. I was able to reveal that this part folds into a stable domain, which was crystallized and diffracted up to 4 Å. The first attempts to dissolve the structure failed due to a lack of homologues structures. Therefore, crystals for single-wavelength anomalous dispersion, containing selenomethionyl-substitutes, were produced and the structure solution is still in progress. Preliminary experiments addressing the function of the extracellular domain indicate an important role in substrate secretion and bacterial competition. N2 - Das Typ VII Sekretionssystem (T7SS) ist wichtig für Virulenz und Langzeit- Pathogenität von Gram-positiven Bakterien. Zu diesen gehört auch Staphylococcus aureus, bekannt als Kommensal und Pathogen im Menschen. Das Typ VIIb Sekretionssystem (T7SSb) exportiert kleine, toxische Proteine, die antibakterielle Immunantworten auslösen und für bakterielle Persistenz verantwortlich sind. Außerdem ist es an dem Konkurrenzkampf zwischen Bakterien beteiligt. Das System benötigt verschiedene Komponenten, um eine Sekretion zu ermöglichen. Diese Doktorarbeit konzentriert sich auf zwei dieser Proteine, die ATPase EssC und das Membranprotein EsaA. Beide Komponenten sind unentbehrlich für eine vollständige Funktionalität. EssC gehört zu der Familie der FtsK/SpoIIIE ATPasen und ist evolutionär in allen T7SSs erhalten. EssC besitzt drei C-terminale, zytosolische ATPase Domänen, bezeichnet als EssC-D1, -D2 und D3, wobei EssC-D3 C-terminal gelegen ist. In dieser Arbeit präsentiere ich die Kristallstruktur der ATPase Domäne EssC-D3, aufgelöst bis zu 1.7 Å. Die Domäne ist unabdingbar für die Sekretion. Durch die Strukturauflösung wurde eine hydrophobe, Oberflächen-exponierte Substrat- Bindetasche bestimmt, die eine essenzielle Rolle für den Export der toxischen Substrate einnimmt. Durch dieses Projekt konnten zwei Aminosäuren in dieser Tasche bestimmt werden, die für den Prozess der Substratsekretion wichtig sind. Weiterhin wurde bewiesen, dass nicht nur EssC-D3, sondern auch die ATPase Domäne EssC-D2 und/oder EssC-D1 mit den Substraten interagieren kann. Im Gegensatz zu dem verwandten T7SSb in Bacillus subtilis, verfügt EssC-D3 über ATPase Aktivität und ermöglicht dadurch den Substratexport. Das Membranprotein EsaA besitzt einen extrazellulären Abschnitt, der sich durch die Zellwand von S. aureus erstreckt. Dieser extrazelluläre Part besteht aus einer stabilen Domäne, welche kristallisiert werden konnte und bis zu 4 Å diffraktiert. Aufgrund von fehlenden homologen Strukturen konnte die Struktur der Domäne noch nicht bestimmt werden. Für die Phasenbestimmung, die wichtig für die Strukturauflösung ist, wurden Kristalle mit Selenomethionyl-Substituten hergestellt. Die Strukturauflösung ist noch nicht beendet. Erste Experimente bezüglich der extrazellulären Domäne zeigen, dass diese ebenfalls wichtig für die Substratsekretion und zusätzlich am Konkurrenzkampf zwischen Bakterien beteiligt ist. KW - Secretion KW - Gram-positive bacteria KW - Type VIIb secretion system KW - Staphylococcus aureus Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214824 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Petruseva, Irina A1 - Naumenko, Natalia A1 - Kuper, Jochen A1 - Anarbaev, Rashid A1 - Kappenberger, Jeannette A1 - Kisker, Caroline A1 - Lavrik, Olga T1 - The Interaction Efficiency of XPD-p44 With Bulky DNA Damages Depends on the Structure of the Damage JF - Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology N2 - The successful elimination of bulky DNA damages via the nucleotide excision repair (NER) system is largely determined by the damage recognition step. This step consists of primary recognition and verification of the damage. The TFIIH helicase XPD plays a key role in the verification step during NER. To date, the mechanism of damage verification is not sufficiently understood and requires further detailed research. This study is a systematic investigation of the interaction of ctXPD (Chaetomium thermophilum) as well as ctXPD-ctp44 with model DNAs, which contain structurally different bulky lesions with previously estimated NER repair efficiencies. We have used ATPase and DNA binding studies to assess the interaction of ctXPD with damaged DNA. The result of the analysis of ctXPD-ctp44 binding to DNA containing fluorescent and photoactivatable lesions demonstrates the relationship between the affinity of XPD for DNAs containing bulky damages and the ability of the NER system to eliminate the damage. Photo-cross-linking of ctXPD with DNA probes containing repairable and unrepairable photoactivatable damages reveals differences in the DNA interaction efficiency in the presence and absence of ctp44. In general, the results obtained indicate the ability of ctXPD-ctp44 to interact with a damage and suggest a significant role for ctp44 subunit in the verification process. KW - nucleotide excision repair KW - XPD helicase KW - DNA damage KW - protein-DNA interaction KW - bulky damages recognition KW - photo-cross-linking Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-231806 SN - 2296-634X VL - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peissert, Stefan A1 - Sauer, Florian A1 - Grabarczyk, Daniel B. A1 - Braun, Cathy A1 - Sander, Gudrun A1 - Poterszman, Arnaud A1 - Egly, Jean-Marc A1 - Kuper, Jochen A1 - Kisker, Caroline T1 - In TFIIH the Arch domain of XPD is mechanistically essential for transcription and DNA repair JF - Nature Communications N2 - The XPD helicase is a central component of the general transcription factor TFIIH which plays major roles in transcription and nucleotide excision repair (NER). Here we present the high-resolution crystal structure of the Arch domain of XPD with its interaction partner MAT1, a central component of the CDK activating kinase complex. The analysis of the interface led to the identification of amino acid residues that are crucial for the MAT1-XPD interaction. More importantly, mutagenesis of the Arch domain revealed that these residues are essential for the regulation of (i) NER activity by either impairing XPD helicase activity or the interaction of XPD with XPG; (ii) the phosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II and RNA synthesis. Our results reveal how MAT1 shields these functionally important residues thereby providing insights into how XPD is regulated by MAT1 and defining the Arch domain as a major mechanistic player within the XPD scaffold. KW - nucleotide excision repair KW - nuclear receptors KW - helicase KW - transactivation KW - fluorescence KW - recognition KW - subunit KW - binding KW - sulfur KW - kinease Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-229857 VL - 11 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wagner, Nicole A1 - Mott, Kristina A1 - Upcin, Berin A1 - Stegner, David A1 - Schulze, Harald A1 - Ergün, Süleyman T1 - CXCL12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells direct megakaryocyte protrusions across the bone marrow sinusoid wall JF - Cells N2 - Megakaryocytes (MKs) release platelets into the lumen of bone marrow (BM) sinusoids while remaining to reside within the BM. The morphogenetic events of this complex process are still not fully understood. We combined confocal laser scanning microscopy with transmission and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy followed by 3D-reconstruction on mouse BM tissue sections. These analyses revealed that MKs in close vicinity to BM sinusoid (BMS) wall first induce the lateral retraction of CXCL12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells (CAR), followed by basal lamina (BL) degradation enabling direct MK-sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) interaction. Subsequently, an endothelial engulfment starts that contains a large MK protrusion. Then, MK protrusions penetrate the SEC, transmigrate into the BMS lumen and form proplatelets that are in direct contact to the SEC surface. Furthermore, such processes are induced on several sites, as observed by 3D reconstructions. Our data demonstrate that MKs in interaction with CAR-cells actively induce BMS wall alterations, including CAR-cell retraction, BL degradation, and SEC engulfment containing a large MK protrusion. This results in SEC penetration enabling the migration of MK protrusion into the BMS lumen where proplatelets that are adherent to the luminal SEC surface are formed and contribute to platelet release into the blood circulation. KW - megakaryocytes KW - microvasculature KW - CXCL12-abundant reticular (CAR)-cells Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234180 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 10 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Harnoš, Jakub A1 - Cañizal, Maria Consuelo Alonso A1 - Jurásek, Miroslav A1 - Kumar, Jitender A1 - Holler, Cornelia A1 - Schambony, Alexandra A1 - Hanáková, Kateřina A1 - Bernatík, Ondřej A1 - Zdráhal, Zbynêk A1 - Gömöryová, Kristína A1 - Gybeľ, Tomáš A1 - Radaszkiewicz, Tomasz Witold A1 - Kravec, Marek A1 - Trantírek, Lukáš A1 - Ryneš, Jan A1 - Dave, Zankruti A1 - Fernández-Llamazares, Ana Iris A1 - Vácha, Robert A1 - Tripsianes, Konstantinos A1 - Hoffmann, Carsten A1 - Bryja, Vítězslav T1 - Dishevelled-3 conformation dynamics analyzed by FRET-based biosensors reveals a key role of casein kinase 1 JF - Nature Communications N2 - Dishevelled (DVL) is the key component of the Wnt signaling pathway. Currently, DVL conformational dynamics under native conditions is unknown. To overcome this limitation, we develop the Fluorescein Arsenical Hairpin Binder- (FlAsH-) based FRET in vivo approach to study DVL conformation in living cells. Using this single-cell FRET approach, we demonstrate that (i) Wnt ligands induce open DVL conformation, (ii) DVL variants that are predominantly open, show more even subcellular localization and more efficient membrane recruitment by Frizzled (FZD) and (iii) Casein kinase 1 ɛ (CK1ɛ) has a key regulatory function in DVL conformational dynamics. In silico modeling and in vitro biophysical methods explain how CK1ɛ-specific phosphorylation events control DVL conformations via modulation of the PDZ domain and its interaction with DVL C-terminus. In summary, our study describes an experimental tool for DVL conformational sampling in living cells and elucidates the essential regulatory role of CK1ɛ in DVL conformational dynamics. KW - biological techniques KW - cell signalling KW - phosphorylation Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227837 VL - 10 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 - THES A1 - Weigel [verh. Hoffmann], Mathis Leonard T1 - Thrombozytenfunktionsanalyse als potenzielles Instrument zur Früherkennung von Sepsis T1 - Platelet function analysis as a potential tool for early sepsis diagnosis N2 - Sepsis ist ein häufiges und akut lebensbedrohliches Syndrom, das eine Organfunktionsstörung in Folge einer dysregulierten Immunantwort auf eine Infektion beschreibt. Eine frühzeitige Diagnosestellung und Therapieeinleitung sind von zentraler Bedeutung für das Überleben der Patient:innen. In einer Pilotstudie konnte unsere Forschungsgruppe mittels Durchflusszytometrie eine ausgeprägte Hyporeaktivität der Thrombozyten bei Sepsis nachweisen, die einen potenziell neuen Biomarker zur Sepsis-Früherkennung darstellt. Zur Evaluation des Ausmaßes und Entstehungszeitpunktes der detektierten Thrombozytenfunktionsstörung wurden im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit zusätzlich zu Patient:innen mit Sepsis (SOFA-Score ≥ 2; n=13) auch hospitalisierte Patient:innen mit einer Infektion ohne Sepsis (SOFA-Score < 2; n=12) rekrutiert. Beide Kohorten wurden zu zwei Zeitpunkten (t1: <24h; t2: Tag 5-7) im Krankheitsverlauf mittels Durchflusszytometrie und PFA-200 untersucht und mit einer gesunden Kontrollgruppe (n=28) verglichen. Phänotypische Auffälligkeiten der Thrombozyten bei Sepsis umfassten: (i) eine veränderte Expression verschiedener Untereinheiten des GPIb-IX-V-Rezeptorkomplexes, die auf ein verstärktes Rezeptor-Shedding hindeutet; (ii) ein ausgeprägtes Mepacrin-Beladungsdefizit, das auf eine zunehmend reduzierte Anzahl von δ-Granula entlang des Infektion-Sepsis Kontinuums hinweist; (iii) eine Reduktion endständig gebundener Sialinsäure im Sinne einer verstärkten Desialylierung. Die funktionelle Analyse der Thrombozyten bei Sepsis ergab bei durchflusszytometrischer Messung der Integrin αIIbβ3-Aktivierung (PAC-1-Bindung) eine ausgeprägte generalisierte Hyporeaktivität gegenüber multiplen Agonisten, die abgeschwächt bereits bei Infektion nachweisbar war und gemäß ROC-Analysen gut zwischen Infektion und Sepsis diskriminierte (AUC >0.80 für alle Agonisten). Im Gegensatz dazu zeigten Thrombozyten bei Sepsis und Analyse mittels PFA-200 unter Einfluss physiologischer Scherkräfte eine normale bis gar beschleunigte Aggregation. Die Reaktivitätsmessung von Thrombozyten mittels Durchflusszytometrie stellt weiterhin einen vielversprechenden Biomarker für die Sepsis-Früherkennung dar. Für weitere Schlussfolgerungen ist jedoch eine größere Kohorte erforderlich. In nachfolgenden Untersuchungen sollten zudem mechanistische Ursachen der beschriebenen phänotypischen und funktionellen Auffälligkeiten von Thrombozyten bei Infektion und Sepsis z.B. mittels Koinkubationsexperimenten untersucht werden. N2 - Sepsis is a frequent and life-threatening condition that describes organ dysfunction resulting from a dysregulated host immune response to infection. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to improve patient survival. In a previous pilot study with sepsis patients, our research identified a severe platelet hyporeactivity using flow cytometry which could become a potential new biomarker for early sepsis diagnosis. To evaluate onset and extend of the detected platelet dysfunction in this study, we extended our patient cohort in addition to sepsis (SOFA-score ≥2; n=13) also to hospitalized patients with infection without sepsis (SOFA-score <2; n=12). Both cohorts were assessed at two time points during the disease (t1: <24h; t2: day 5-7) by flow cytometry and PFA-200 and compared with a healthy control group (n=28). Platelet phenotypic abnormalities during sepsis included: (i) altered expression of subunits of the GPIb-IX-V receptor complex, pointing to increased receptor shedding; (ii) a severe mepacrine loading deficit, indicating an increasingly reduced number of δ-granules along the infection-sepsis continuum; (iii) a reduction of terminally bound sialic acid, suggesting increased desialylation. Functional analysis of platelets in sepsis revealed a marked and generalized hyporeactivity toward multiple agonists when integrin αIIbβ3 activation (PAC-1 binding) was measured by flow cytometry, which was already to a lesser extend present in patients with infection and discriminated well between infection and sepsis according to ROC analysis (AUC >0.80 for all agonists). In contrast, platelets from septic patients showed normal to even accelerated aggregation when measured under flow condition and physiological shear forces by PFA-200. Analysis of platelet reactivity by flow cytometry remains a promising biomarker for early sepsis detection, but a larger cohort is needed for further conclusions. In subsequent studies, mechanistic causes of the described alterations in platelet phenotype and function during infection and sepsis should be investigated, e.g. by means of co-incubation experiments. KW - Sepsis KW - Thrombozyt KW - Biomarker KW - Frühdiagnostik KW - Durchflusscytometrie KW - Thrombozytenfunktionsanalyse Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-358193 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gotru, Sanjeev Kiran A1 - van Geffen, Johanna P. A1 - Nagy, Magdolna A1 - Mammadova-Bach, Elmina A1 - Eilenberger, Julia A1 - Volz, Julia A1 - Manukjan, Georgi A1 - Schulze, Harald A1 - Wagner, Leonard A1 - Eber, Stefan A1 - Schambeck, Christian A1 - Deppermann, Carsten A1 - Brouns, Sanne A1 - Nurden, Paquita A1 - Greinacher, Andreas A1 - Sachs, Ulrich A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Hermanns, Heike M. A1 - Heemskerk, Johan W. M. A1 - Braun, Attila T1 - Defective Zn2+ homeostasis in mouse and human platelets with α- and δ-storage pool diseases JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Zinc (Zn2+) can modulate platelet and coagulation activation pathways, including fibrin formation. Here, we studied the (patho)physiological consequences of abnormal platelet Zn2+ storage and release. To visualize Zn2+ storage in human and mouse platelets, the Zn2+ specific fluorescent dye FluoZin3 was used. In resting platelets, the dye transiently accumulated into distinct cytosolic puncta, which were lost upon platelet activation. Platelets isolated from Unc13d−/− mice, characterized by combined defects of α/δ granular release, showed a markedly impaired Zn2+ release upon activation. Platelets from Nbeal2−/− mice mimicking Gray platelet syndrome (GPS), characterized by primarily loss of the α-granule content, had strongly reduced Zn2+ levels, which was also confirmed in primary megakaryocytes. In human platelets isolated from patients with GPS, Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS) and Storage Pool Disease (SPD) altered Zn2+ homeostasis was detected. In turbidity and flow based assays, platelet-dependent fibrin formation was impaired in both Nbeal2−/− and Unc13d−/− mice, and the impairment could be partially restored by extracellular Zn2+. Altogether, we conclude that the release of ionic Zn2+ store from secretory granules upon platelet activation contributes to the procoagulant role of Zn2+ in platelet-dependent fibrin formation. KW - coagulation system KW - metals Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227455 VL - 9 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 - THES A1 - Karwen, Till T1 - Platelets promote insulin secretion of pancreatic β-cells T1 - Thrombozyten fördern die Insulinsekretion von pankreatischen β-Zellen N2 - The pancreas is the key organ for the maintenance of euglycemia. This is regulated in particular by α-cell-derived glucagon and β-cell-derived insulin, which are released in response to nutrient deficiency and elevated glucose levels, respectively. Although glucose is the main regulator of insulin secretion, it is significantly enhanced by various potentiators. Platelets are anucleate cell fragments in the bloodstream that are essential for hemostasis to prevent and stop bleeding events. Besides their classical role, platelets were implemented to be crucial for other physiological and pathophysiological processes, such as cancer progression, immune defense, and angiogenesis. Platelets from diabetic patients often present increased reactivity and basal activation. Interestingly, platelets store and release several substances that have been reported to potentiate insulin secretion by β-cells. For these reasons, the impact of platelets on β-cell functioning was investigated in this thesis. Here it was shown that both glucose and a β-cell-derived substance/s promote platelet activation and binding to collagen. Additionally, platelet adhesion specifically to the microvasculature of pancreatic islets was revealed, supporting the hypothesis of their influence on glucose homeostasis. Genetic or pharmacological ablation of platelet functioning and platelet depletion consistently resulted in reduced insulin secretion and associated glucose intolerance. Further, the platelet-derived lipid fraction was found to enhance glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, with 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) and possibly also lyso-precursor of platelet-activating factor (lysoPAF) being identified as crucial factors. However, the acute platelet-stimulated insulin secretion was found to decline with age, as did the levels of platelet-derived 20-HETE. In addition to their direct stimulatory effect on insulin secretion, specific defects in platelet activation have also been shown to affect glucose homeostasis by potentially influencing islet vascular development. Taking together, the results of this thesis suggest a direct and indirect mechanism of platelets in the regulation of insulin secretion that ensures glucose homeostasis, especially in young individuals. N2 - Der Pankreas ist das Schlüsselorgan für die Aufrechterhaltung der Glukosehomöostase. Diese wird insbesondere durch das von α-Zellen stammende Glukagon und von β-Zellen stammende Insulin reguliert, die als Reaktion auf Nährstoffmangel beziehungsweise erhöhte Glukosespiegel freigesetzt werden. Obwohl Glukose der Hauptregulator der Insulinsekretion ist, wird sie durch verschiedene Potentiatoren erheblich gesteigert. Thrombozyten sind kernlose Zellfragmente im Blutkreislauf, die für die Hämostase unerlässlich sind. Neben ihrer klassischen Funktion sind sie auch an anderen physiologischen und pathophysiologischen Prozessen beteiligt, etwa an der Tumorentwicklung, der Immunabwehr und der Angiogenese. Thrombozyten von Diabetikern weisen häufig eine erhöhte Reaktivität und basale Aktivierung auf. Außerdem speichern und sekretieren sie Substanzen, von denen bekannt ist, dass sie die Insulinsekretion durch β-Zellen verstärken. Aus diesen Gründen wurde in dieser Arbeit der Einfluss von Thrombozyten auf die Funktion von β-Zellen untersucht. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass sowohl Glukose als auch eine aus β-Zellen stammende Substanz/en die Thrombozytenaktivierung und die Bindung an Kollagen fördern. Darüber hinaus wurde eine spezifische Thrombozytenadhäsion an der Mikrovaskulatur der pankreatischen Inseln festgestellt, was die Hypothese ihres Einflusses auf die Glukosehomöostase unterstützt. Eine genetische oder pharmakologische Ablation der Thrombozytenfunktion sowie eine Depletion von Thrombozyten führten zu einer verminderten Insulinsekretion und einer damit verbundenen Glukoseintoleranz. Hierbei erwies sich die Lipidfraktion von Thrombozyten als essentieller Potentiator für die glukosestimulierte Insulinsekretion, wobei 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraensäure (20-HETE) und die Lyso-Vorstufe des Plättchen-Aktivierenden Faktors (LysoPAF) als entscheidende Faktoren identifiziert werden konnten. Weiterhin wurde festgestellt, dass sowohl der direkte stimulierende Effekt von Thrombozyten auf die Insulinsekretion, als auch deren 20-HETE Sekretion mit zunehmendem Alter abnimmt. Thrombozyten beeinflussten außerdem die Inselvaskularisierung, welche mutmaßlich zusätzlich zu Glukoseintoleranz führt. Insgesamt deuten die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit auf einen direkten und indirekten Mechanismus der Thrombozyten bei der Regulierung der Insulinsekretion hin, der die Glukosehomöostase insbesondere bei jungen Menschen gewährleistet. KW - platelet KW - β cell KW - insulin KW - pancreas KW - diabetes KW - Thrombozyt KW - Insulinsekretion Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313933 ER - TY - THES A1 - Nair, Radhika Karal T1 - Structural and biochemical characterization of USP28 inhibition by small molecule inhibitors T1 - Strukturelle und biochemische Charakterisierung der Hemmung von USP28 durch niedermolekulare Inhibitoren N2 - Ubiquitination is an important post-translational modification that maintains cellular homeostasis by regulating various biological processes. Deubiquitinases (DUBs) are enzymes that reverse the ubiquitination process by catalyzing the removal of ubiquitin from a substrate. Abnormal expression or function of DUBs is often associated with the onset and progression of various diseases, including cancer. Ubiquitin specific proteases (USPs), which constitute the largest family of DUBs in humans, have become the center of interest as potential targets in cancer therapy as many of them display increased activity or are overexpressed in a range of malignant tumors or the tumor microenvironment. Two related members of the USP family, USP28 and USP25, share high sequence identities but play diverse biological roles. USP28 regulates cell proliferation, oncogenesis, DNA damage repair and apoptosis, whereas USP25 is involved in the anti-viral response, innate immunity and ER-associated degradation in addition to carcinogenesis. USP28 and USP25 also exhibit different oligomeric states – while USP28 is a constitutively active dimer, USP25 assumes an auto-inhibited tetrameric structure. The catalytic domains of both USP28 and USP25 comprise the canonical, globular USP-domain but contain an additional, extended insertion site called USP25/28 catalytic domain inserted domain (UCID) that mediates oligomerization of the proteins. Disruption of the USP25 tetramer leads to the formation of an activated dimeric protein. However, it is still not clear what triggers its activation. Due to their role in maintaining and stabilizing numerous oncoproteins, USP28 and USP25 have emerged as interesting candidates for anti-cancer therapy. Recent advances in small-molecular inhibitor development have led to the discovery of relatively potent inhibitors of USP28 and USP25. This thesis focuses on the structural elucidation of USP28 and the biochemical characterization of USP28/USP25, both in complex with representatives of three out of the eight compound classes reported as USP28/USP25-specific inhibitors. The crystal structures of USP28 in complex with the AZ compounds, Vismodegib and FT206 reveal that all three inhibitor classes bind into the same allosteric pocket distant from the catalytic center, located between the palm and the thumb subdomains (the S1-site). Intriguingly, this binding pocket is identical to the UCID-tip binding interface in the USP25 tetramer, rendering the protein in a locked, inactive conformation. Formation of the binding pocket in USP28 requires a shift in the helix α5, which induces conformational changes and local distortion of the binding channel that typically accommodates the C-terminal tail of Ubiquitin, thus preventing catalysis and abrogating USP28 activity. The key residues of the USP28-inhibitor binding pocket are highly conserved in USP25. Mutagenesis studies of these residues accompanied by biochemical and biophysical assays confirm the proposed mechanism of inhibition and similar binding to USP25. This work provides valuable insights into the inhibition mechanism of the small molecule compounds specifically for the DUBs USP28 and USP25. The USP28-inhibitor complex structures offer a framework to develop more specific and potent inhibitors. N2 - Ubiquitinierung ist eine wichtige posttranslationale Modifikation, die die zelluläre Homöostase aufrechterhält, indem sie verschiedene biologische Prozesse reguliert. Deubiquitinasen (DUBs) sind Enzyme, die den Ubiquitinierungsprozess umkehren, indem sie die Entfernung von Ubiquitin von einem Substrat katalysieren. Eine abnorme Expression oder Funktion von DUBs wird häufig mit dem Auftreten und Fortschreiten verschiedener Krankheiten, einschließlich Krebs, in Verbindung gebracht. Ubiquitin-spezifische Proteasen (USPs), die im Menschen die größte Familie der DUBs bilden, sind als potenzielle Ziele in der Krebstherapie von besonderem Interesse, da viele von ihnen in bösartigen Tumoren oder deren Mikroumgebung abnormal aktiv oder überexprimiert sind. Die zwei eng verwandten Mitglieder der USP-Familie, USP28 und USP25, weisen eine hohe Sequenzidentität auf, sind aber an unterschiedlichen biologischen Prozessen beteiligt. USP28 reguliert die Zellproliferation, die Onkogenese, die Reparatur von DNA-Schäden und die Apoptose, während USP25 eine Rolle bei der antiviralen Reaktion, der angeborenen Immunität, dem ER-assoziierten Abbau und der Carcinogenese spielt. USP28 und USP25 weisen auch unterschiedliche oligomere Zustände auf. Während USP28 ein konstitutiv aktives Dimer bildet, tritt USP25 als auto-inhibiertes Tetramer auf. Strukturell bestehen die katalytischen Domänen sowohl von USP28 als auch von USP25 aus der kanonischen globulären USP-Domäne enthalten jedoch eine zusätzliche Insertion, die als „USP25/28 catalytic domain inserted domain (UCID)“ bezeichnet wird und die Oligomerisierung der Proteine vermittelt. Die Dissoziation des USP25 Tetramers in Dimere führt zu einem aktivierten USP25-Protein. Es ist jedoch immer noch nicht klar, was seine Aktivierung auslöst. Aufgrund ihrer Rolle bei der Aufrechterhaltung und Stabilisierung zahlreicher Onkoproteine haben sich USP28 und USP25 als interessante Kandidaten für die Entwicklung von Medikamenten in der Krebstherapie erwiesen. Jüngste Fortschritte in der Entwicklung von niedermolekularen Inhibitoren haben zur Entdeckung von relativ potenten Inhibitoren von USP28 und USP25 geführt. Diese Arbeit konzentriert sich auf die Strukturaufklärung von USP28 und die biochemische Charakterisierung von USP28/USP25, beide im Komplex mit Vertretern von drei der acht Verbindungsklassen, die als USP28/USP25-spezifische Inhibitoren bekannt sind. Die Kristallstrukturen von USP28 im Komplex mit den AZ-Verbindungen, Vismodegib und FT206 zeigen, dass alle Inhibitoren in einer ähnlichen Region an USP28 binden - einer allosterischen Tasche, die in der Nähe des katalytischen Zentrums liegt und sich zwischen der Handflächen- und der Daumen-Subdomäne befindet. Diese Bindungstasche ist identisch mit der Position, an der der „UCID-tip“ im USP25-Tetramer bindet und das Protein in eine verschränkte, inaktive Konformation versetzt. Die Bildung der Bindungstasche in USP28 erfordert eine Verschiebung der α5-Helix, die zu Konformationsänderungen und einer lokalen Verzerrung des Bindungskanalsführt, der normalerweise den C-terminus des Ubiquitin-Moleküls bindet und so die Katalyse verhindert und die Aktivität von USP28 hemmt. Die Schlüsselreste der USP28-Inhibitor-Bindungstasche sind in USP25 hoch konserviert. Mutagenese-Studien dieser Aminosäuren, begleitet von biochemischen und biophysikalischen Analysen, bestätigen den vorgeschlagenen Mechanismus der Hemmung und eine ähnliche Bindung der Inhibitoren an USP25. Diese Arbeit liefert wertvolle Einblicke in den Hemmungsmechanismus der Kleinmolekülverbindungen, die spezifisch für die DUBs USP28 und USP25 entwickelt worden sind. Die Strukturen der USP28-Inhibitor-Komplexe bieten eine Grundlage für die zukünftige Entwicklung spezifischerer und wirksamerer Inhibitoren. KW - USP KW - Inhibition KW - enzyme KW - crystallography KW - Unique Selling Proposition KW - Inhibition KW - Enzym KW - Kristallographie Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-281742 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schurr, Yvonne A1 - Spindler, Markus A1 - Kurz, Hendrikje A1 - Bender, Markus T1 - The cytoskeletal crosslinking protein MACF1 is dispensable for thrombus formation and hemostasis JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Coordinated reorganization of cytoskeletal structures is critical for key aspects of platelet physiology. While several studies have addressed the role of microtubules and filamentous actin in platelet production and function, the significance of their crosstalk in these processes has been poorly investigated. The microtubule-actin cross-linking factor 1 (MACF1; synonym: Actin cross-linking factor 7, ACF7) is a member of the spectraplakin family, and one of the few proteins expressed in platelets, which possess actin and microtubule binding domains thereby facilitating actin-microtubule interaction and regulation. We used megakaryocyte- and platelet-specific Macf1 knockout (Macf1fl/fl, Pf4-Cre) mice to study the role of MACF1 in platelet production and function. MACF1 deficient mice displayed comparable platelet counts to control mice. Analysis of the platelet cytoskeletal ultrastructure revealed a normal marginal band and actin network. Platelet spreading on fibrinogen was slightly delayed but platelet activation and clot traction was unaffected. Ex vivo thrombus formation and mouse tail bleeding responses were similar between control and mutant mice. These results suggest that MACF1 is dispensable for thrombopoiesis, platelet activation, thrombus formation and the hemostatic function in mice. KW - actin KW - microtubules Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234966 VL - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lee, Hong-Jen A1 - Li, Chien-Feng A1 - Ruan, Diane A1 - He, Jiabei A1 - Montal, Emily D. A1 - Lorenz, Sonja A1 - Girnun, Geoffrey D. A1 - Chan, Chia-Hsin T1 - Non-proteolytic ubiquitination of Hexokinase 2 by HectH9 controls tumor metabolism and cancer stem cell expansion JF - Nature Communications N2 - Enormous efforts have been made to target metabolic dependencies of cancer cells for developing new therapies. However, the therapeutic efficacy of glycolysis inhibitors is limited due to their inability to elicit cell death. Hexokinase 2 (HK2), via its mitochondrial localization, functions as a central nexus integrating glycolysis activation and apoptosis resilience. Here we identify that K63-linked ubiquitination by HectH9 regulates the mitochondrial localization and function of HK2. Through stable isotope tracer approach and functional metabolic analyses, we show that HectH9 deficiency impedes tumor glucose metabolism and growth by HK2 inhibition. The HectH9/HK2 pathway regulates cancer stem cell (CSC) expansion and CSC-associated chemoresistance. Histological analyses show that HectH9 expression is upregulated and correlated with disease progression in prostate cancer. This work uncovers that HectH9 is a novel regulator of HK2 and cancer metabolism. Targeting HectH9 represents an effective strategy to achieve long-term tumor remission by concomitantly disrupting glycolysis and inducing apoptosis. KW - cancer KW - cancer metabolism KW - molecular biology Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-236445 VL - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jarick, Katja J. A1 - Mokhtari, Zeinab A1 - Scheller, Lukas A1 - Hartweg, Julia A1 - Thusek, Sina A1 - Le, Duc-Dung A1 - Ranecky, Maria A1 - Shaikh, Haroon A1 - Qureischi, Musga A1 - Heinze, Katrin G. A1 - Beilhack, Andreas T1 - Photoconversion of Alloreactive T Cells in Murine Peyer’s Patches During Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Tracking the Homing Route of Highly Proliferative Cells In Vivo JF - Frontiers in Immunology N2 - The regulation of immune cell migration throughout the body is essential to warrant immunosurveillance and to maintain immune homeostasis. Marking and tracking of these cells has proven important to study mechanisms of immune cell trafficking and cell interaction in vivo. Photoconversion is a well-suited technique for intravital application because it enables contactless time- and location-specific marking of cells in the tissue without surgically manipulating the microenvironment of the cells in question. However, in dividing cells the converted fluorescent protein may decline quickly. Here, we provide a detailed description of the photoconversion technique and its applicability to tracking highly proliferating T cells from the priming site of T cell activation to peripheral target organs of effector function in a preclinical model. Dendra2+ T cells were photoconverted in the Peyer’s patches during the initiation phase of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and tracked through the mesenteric lymph nodes and the peripheral blood to the small intestine with flow cytometry and intravital two-photon microscopy. Photoconverted alloreactive T cells preserved the full proliferative capacity, homing, and migration of alloreactive T cells in the intestinal lamina propria. We conclusively proved that photoconversion of highly proliferative alloreactive T cells in the Peyer’s patches is an effective tool to study trafficking of alloreactive T cells under physiologic conditions and to GvHD target tissues. This technique can also be applied to the study of immune cell tracking under inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions. KW - T cell migration KW - acute graft-versus-host disease KW - mouse models KW - photoconversion KW - Dendra2 KW - Peyer's patch KW - in vivo cell tracking KW - lymphocyte homing Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-323309 VL - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Herster, Franziska A1 - Bittner, Zsofia A1 - Codrea, Marius Cosmin A1 - Archer, Nathan K. A1 - Heister, Martin A1 - Löffler, Markus W. A1 - Heumos, Simon A1 - Wegner, Joanna A1 - Businger, Ramona A1 - Schindler, Michael A1 - Stegner, David A1 - Schäkel, Knut A1 - Grabbe, Stephan A1 - Ghoreschi, Kamran A1 - Miller, Lloyd S. A1 - Weber, Alexander N. R. T1 - Platelets Aggregate With Neutrophils and Promote Skin Pathology in Psoriasis JF - Frontiers in Immunology N2 - Psoriasis is a frequent systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized primarily by skin lesions with massive infiltration of leukocytes, but frequently also presents with cardiovascular comorbidities. Especially polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) abundantly infiltrate psoriatic skin but the cues that prompt PMNs to home to the skin are not well-defined. To identify PMN surface receptors that may explain PMN skin homing in psoriasis patients, we screened 332 surface antigens on primary human blood PMNs from healthy donors and psoriasis patients. We identified platelet surface antigens as a defining feature of psoriasis PMNs, due to a significantly increased aggregation of neutrophils and platelets in the blood of psoriasis patients. Similarly, in the imiquimod-induced experimental in vivo mouse model of psoriasis, disease induction promoted PMN-platelet aggregate formation. In psoriasis patients, disease incidence directly correlated with blood platelet counts and platelets were detected in direct contact with PMNs in psoriatic but not healthy skin. Importantly, depletion of circulating platelets in mice in vivo ameliorated disease severity significantly, indicating that both PMNs and platelets may be relevant for psoriasis pathology and disease severity. KW - psoriasis KW - neutrophil KW - platelet KW - platelet-neutrophil complexes (PNCs) KW - imiquimod Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320175 VL - 10 ER -