@article{EberhardtHaasGirschicketal.2015, author = {Eberhardt, Christiane S. and Haas, Johannes-Peter and Girschick, Hermann and Schwarz, Tobias and Morbach, Henner and R{\"o}sen-Wolff, Angela and Foell, Dirk and Dannecker, Guenther and Schepp, Carsten and Ganser, Gerd and Honke, Nora and Eggermann, Thomas and M{\"u}ller-Berghaus, Jan and Wagner, Norbert and Ohl, Kim and Tenbrock, Klaus}, title = {No association of IL-12p40 pro1.1 polymorphism with juvenile idiopathic arthritis}, series = {Pediatric Rheumatology}, volume = {13}, journal = {Pediatric Rheumatology}, number = {61}, doi = {10.1186/s12969-015-0059-z}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-136281}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Background: IL-12p40 plays an important role in the activation of the T-cell lines like Th17 and Th1-cells. Theses cells are crucial in the pathogenesis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. A polymorphism in its promoter region and the genotype IL12p40 pro1.1 leads to a higher production of IL-12p40. We studied whether there is a difference in the distribution of the genotype in patients with JIA and the healthy population. Methods: In 883 patients and 321 healthy controls the IL-12p40 promoter genotype was identified by ARMS-PCR. Results: There is no association of IL-12p40 pro polymorphism neither in patients with JIA compared to controls nor in subtypes of JIA compared to oligoarthritis. We found a non-significant tendency of a higher prevalence of the genotype pro1.1 in systemic arthritis (32.4 \%) and in rheumatoid factor negative polyarthritis (30.5 \%) and a lower pro1.1 genotype in persistent oligoarthritis (20.7 \%) and in enthesitis-related arthritis (17 \%). Likelihood of the occurrence of genotype IL12-p40 pro1.1 in patients with systemic arthritis (OR 1.722, CI 95 \% 1.344-2.615, p 0.0129) and RF-negative polyarthritis (OR 1.576, CI 95 \% 1.046-2.376, p 0.0367) compared to persistent oligoarthritis was significantly higher. This was also true for comparison of their homozygous genotypes IL-12p40 pro 1.1 and 2.2 in systemic arthritis (OR 1.779, CI 95 \% 1.045-3.029, p 0.0338). However, in Bonferroni correction for multiple hypothesis this was not significant. Conclusion: A tendency of a higher prevalence of the genotype IL-12p40 pro1.1 in systemic arthritis and in rheumatoid factor negative polyarthritis was observed but not significant. Further investigations should be done to clarify the role IL-12p40 in the different subtypes of JIA.}, language = {en} } @article{KruegerFriedrichFoersteretal.2012, author = {Krueger, Beate and Friedrich, Torben and F{\"o}rster, Frank and Bernhardt, J{\"o}rg and Gross, Roy and Dandekar, Thomas}, title = {Different evolutionary modifications as a guide to rewire two-component systems}, series = {Bioinformatics and Biology Insights}, volume = {6}, journal = {Bioinformatics and Biology Insights}, doi = {10.4137/BBI.S9356}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123647}, pages = {97-128}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Two-component systems (TCS) are short signalling pathways generally occurring in prokaryotes. They frequently regulate prokaryotic stimulus responses and thus are also of interest for engineering in biotechnology and synthetic biology. The aim of this study is to better understand and describe rewiring of TCS while investigating different evolutionary scenarios. Based on large-scale screens of TCS in different organisms, this study gives detailed data, concrete alignments, and structure analysis on three general modification scenarios, where TCS were rewired for new responses and functions: (i) exchanges in the sequence within single TCS domains, (ii) exchange of whole TCS domains; (iii) addition of new components modulating TCS function. As a result, the replacement of stimulus and promotor cassettes to rewire TCS is well defined exploiting the alignments given here. The diverged TCS examples are non-trivial and the design is challenging. Designed connector proteins may also be useful to modify TCS in selected cases.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Luo2004, author = {Luo, Qin}, title = {Essential features of a PrfA-dependent : promoter of Listeria monocytogenes}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-10341}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2004}, abstract = {The gram-positive, facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is the causal agent of listeriosis. Most of well-known virulence genes are controlled by PrfA that belongs to the Crp-Fnr family of transcriptional activators. A PrfA-mediated transcription initiating at a virulence gene promoter, inlC promoter (PinlC) that regulates the expression of the small, secreted internalin C, was in-depth characterized by an in vitro transcription system to unravel the essential features of a PrfA-dependent promoter in this study. The obtained results indicate a dual promoter for inlC that leads to PrfA-dependent and -independent transcription in vitro and in vivo. The PrfA-dependent transcription requires, as expected, the PrfA-box, a conserved 14 bp sequence of dyad symmetry located about 40 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site of each PrfA-regulated gene. Another important structural feature for this PrfA-dependent promoter is the distance between the 3´-end of the PrfA-box and the 5´-end of the SigA-recognized -10 box fixed to 22 or 23 bp, which is observed in the interspace regions of the other known PrfA-dependent promoters, e.g. PactA, PplcA, Phly and Pmpl. The -35 box of PinlC is not necessary for PrfA-dependent transcription. The -10 box of PinlC and also that of the other PrfA-dependent promoters of L. monocytogenes closely resemble SigA-recognized -10 promoter sequences of the well-characterized gram-positive bacterium B. subtilis. Even the extended -10 motif (5´-TRTG-3´) considered to be a basic element for many SigA-recognized promoters in B. subtilis is present in PinlC. Primer extension studies reveal that both the PrfA-dependent and the independent promoter share the same -10 box. The PrfA-independent transcription of inlC depends on a -35 box located directly downstream of the PrfA-box, and the close proximity of the two sites inhibits strongly the transcription activity of the PrfA-independent promoter when the PrfA-RNA polymerase complex binds to the PrfA-box. Deletion of the PrfA-box results in PrfA-independent transcription from PinlC, which is no longer inhibited by PrfA. High concentration of GTP appears to be necessary for PrfA-dependent transcription initiated at the inlC promoter and at other PrfA-dependent promoters. Based on transcriptome analysis, Milohanic and his co-workers identified three groups of genes that were regulated differently by PrfA. Some of these genes containing putative PrfA-boxes in their 5´-upstream regulatory regions were selected for analysis of their transcriptional dependency on PrfA using again the in vitro transcription system. The data show that among these "PrfA-regulated" promoters tested, only the promoter of the hpt gene belonging to group I is clearly activated by PrfA. This promoter is also the only one that exhibited all essential features of a typical PrfA-dependent promoter as described above. In vitro transcription starting at most of the other promoters was neither positively nor negatively affected by PrfA. Transcription initiated at some of the promoters of group III genes (lmo0596 and lmo2067) is rather inefficient with SigA-loaded RNA polymerase, but is highly activated with RNA polymerase loaded with purified SigB. Addition of purified PrfA protein has no effect on the SigB-dependent transcription. These in vitro transcription results indicate that the in vivo observed PrfA effect on the expression of most of the new genes is either indirect or PrfA-mediated transcription of these genes requires - in contrast to the PrfA-dependent transcription of the known virulence genes (including hpt) - additional factors not present in the in vitro transcription assay. In addition to these new genes described by Milohanic, the promoters of two genes (lmo2420 and lmo2840) that contain putative PrfA-boxes with only a single mismatch in their upstream regulatory regions were analyzed in this study. However, transcription of none of these genes is regulated by PrfA, suggesting that these genes are either not truly regulated by PrfA or regulated by other global transcription activators that interact with PrfA by yet unknown mechanisms. By exchanging corresponding sequences between a functionally inactive promoter ParoAP2 and a typical PrfA-dependent promoter PplcA, it is found that PrfA-dependent in vitro transcription can be initiated from the hybrid promoter containing the putative PrfA-box and the SigA-recognized -10 box (TTTAAT) from the putative PrfA-dependent aroAP2 promoter, but it is inhibited strongly by the interspace sequence between these two sites apparently due to an additional RNA polymerase binding site [the -10 box (TAATAT) for the PrfA-independent transcription of ParoAP1)] within this region. Furthermore, a symmetric sequence downstream of the -10 box (TTTAAT) is also shown to be a strongly inhibitory for PrfA-dependent transcription from the putative PrfA-dependent aroAP2 promoter.}, subject = {Listeria monocytogenes}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Syagaylo2002, author = {Syagaylo, Yana}, title = {Strukturelle und funktionelle Untersuchung der Promotorregionen der menschlichen PAX3-, PAX6- und PAX7-Gene: Bedeutung von Polymorphismen f{\"u}r schizophrene Erkrankungen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-5459}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2002}, abstract = {Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war die Kl{\"a}rung der ph{\"a}notypischen Konsequenzen struktureller Variationen in den regulatorischen Regionen einiger f{\"u}r psychische Erkrankungen potentiell relevanter Entwicklungsgene. Die Pax-Gene sind Mitglieder einer Familie der Transkriptionsfaktoren, die sowohl mehrere Schritte in der Embryogenese als auch Aufrechterhaltung des Differenzierungszustandes der Zellen einiger adulten Gewebe kontrollieren. Im Rahmen dieser Fragestellung wurden die Promotorregionen der menschlichen PAX3-, PAX6- und PAX7-Gene charakterisiert. Weiterhin wurden funktionelle Folgen der mit diesen Promotoren assoziierten Repeat-Polymorphismen auf die Expression dieser Gene untersucht. Schliesslich wurde die Relevanz f{\"u}r die psychischen Erkrankungen wie die Schizophrenie getestet.}, subject = {Schizophrenie}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Schenk2001, author = {Schenk, Thomas}, title = {Genetische und funktionale Vereinfachung eines komplexen Retrovirus am Beispiel des Primaten Foamy Virus Typ 1 (PFV-1)}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-3249}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2001}, abstract = {Foamyviren (Spumaviridae) werden neuerdings von den {\"u}brigen Retroviren (Orthoretroviridae) abgegrenzt. Durch verschiedene Besonderheiten in ihrem Replikationszyklus, wie der M{\"o}glichkeit zur intrazellul{\"a}ren Retrotransposition oder der reversen Transkription sp{\"a}t im Vermehrungszyklus, nehmen sie eine funktionale Sonderstellung zwischen Retro-, Hepadnaviren und Retrotransposons ein. Aufgrund des Aufbaus ihres Genoms, das neben dem minimalen Gensatz der einfachen Retroviren Gag, Pro, Pol und Env noch zwei weitere akzessorische Leserahmen aufweist, werden sie zu den komplexen Retroviren gerechnet. Einer dieser zus{\"a}tzlichen Leserahmen kodiert f{\"u}r den transkriptionalen Transaktivator Tas, der f{\"u}r die Replikation essentiell ist. Ein infekti{\"o}ser Klon einer genetisch vereinfachten Variante des Primaten Foamy Virus Typ 1 (PFV-1) wurde konstruiert, der den konstitutiv aktiven immediate early gene (IE) Promotor und Enhancer des Cytomegalievirus (CMV) im Kontext einer hybriden LTR tr{\"a}gt. Dieses Konstrukt, sowie ein weiteres mit funktionaler Deletion des Tas-Gens f{\"u}hrten nach Transfektion in Zellkulturen zur Freisetzung genetisch vereinfachter, infekti{\"o}ser Viren, deren Replikationskompetenz und genetische Stabilit{\"a}t nachgewiesen wurde. Die rekombinanten Viren zeigten dabei um etwa drei lg-Stufen erniedrigte Virustiter im zellfreien Kultur{\"u}berstand und eine reduzierte Replikationskinetik. Versuche zur Steigerung der erreichbaren Virustiter durch thermisches Aufbrechen der Zellen, Inkubation mit dem demethylierenden Agens 5-Azacytidin (AZC) und Induktion mit dem Transkriptions-Stimulator Natriumbutyrat wurden unternommen, resultierten aber nicht in einer Steigerung der Freisetzung infekti{\"o}ser Partikel oder der viralen Genexpression. Die Promotor-Aktivit{\"a}t der hybriden LTR wurde in einem transienten Reportergenassay unter Verwendung des Luciferasegens quantifiziert und war mit der der tas-stimulierten foamyviralen LTR vergleichbar. Eine Mutation des DD35E-Motivs im aktiven Zentrum der Integrase zu DA35E f{\"u}hrte zur Replikationsunf{\"a}higkeit der vereinfachten Viren. Obwohl der Promotor eines nicht integrierenden Virus in die hybride LTR eingef{\"u}hrt wurde, blieb die Integration ein obligates Ereignis f{\"u}r die Replikation der Viren. Die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Arbeit zeigen, dass eine genetische Vereinfachung des PFV-1 und Replikation mit einem heterologen Promotor in einer hybriden LTR m{\"o}glich ist. Damit ist eine Voraussetzung f{\"u}r die Konstruktion PFV-basierter Vektoren zur Gentherapie unter Verwendung gewebespezifischer Promotoren gegeben.}, language = {de} }