TY - JOUR A1 - Weiße, Sebastian A1 - Heddergott, Niko A1 - Heydt, Matthias A1 - Pflästerer, Daniel A1 - Maier, Timo A1 - Haraszti, Tamas A1 - Grunze, Michael A1 - Engstler, Markus A1 - Rosenhahn, Axel T1 - A Quantitative 3D Motility Analysis of Trypanosoma brucei by Use of Digital In-line Holographic Microscopy JF - PLoS One N2 - We present a quantitative 3D analysis of the motility of the blood parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Digital in-line holographic microscopy has been used to track single cells with high temporal and spatial accuracy to obtain quantitative data on their behavior. Comparing bloodstream form and insect form trypanosomes as well as mutant and wildtype cells under varying external conditions we were able to derive a general two-state-run-and-tumble-model for trypanosome motility. Differences in the motility of distinct strains indicate that adaption of the trypanosomes to their natural environments involves a change in their mode of swimming. KW - african trypanosomes KW - actin cortex KW - flagellum KW - tracking KW - surface KW - models Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130666 VL - 7 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Aistleitner, Karin A1 - Heinz, Christian A1 - Hoermann, Alexandra A1 - Heinz, Eva A1 - Montanaro, Jacqueline A1 - Schulz, Frederik A1 - Maier, Elke A1 - Pichler, Peter A1 - Benz, Roland A1 - Horn, Matthias T1 - Identification and Characterization of a Novel Porin Family Highlights a Major Difference in the Outer Membrane of Chlamydial Symbionts and Pathogens JF - PLoS ONE N2 - The Chlamydiae constitute an evolutionary well separated group of intracellular bacteria comprising important pathogens of humans as well as symbionts of protozoa. The amoeba symbiont Protochlamydia amoebophila lacks a homologue of the most abundant outer membrane protein of the Chlamydiaceae, the major outer membrane protein MOMP, highlighting a major difference between environmental chlamydiae and their pathogenic counterparts. We recently identified a novel family of putative porins encoded in the genome of P. amoebophila by in silico analysis. Two of these Protochlamydia outer membrane proteins, PomS (pc1489) and PomT (pc1077), are highly abundant in outer membrane preparations of this organism. Here we show that all four members of this putative porin family are toxic when expressed in the heterologous host Escherichia coli. Immunofluorescence analysis using antibodies against heterologously expressed PomT and PomS purified directly from elementary bodies, respectively, demonstrated the location of both proteins in the outer membrane of P. amoebophila. The location of the most abundant protein PomS was further confirmed by immuno-transmission electron microscopy. We could show that pomS is transcribed, and the corresponding protein is present in the outer membrane throughout the complete developmental cycle, suggesting an essential role for P. amoebophila. Lipid bilayer measurements demonstrated that PomS functions as a porin with anion-selectivity and a pore size similar to the Chlamydiaceae MOMP. Taken together, our results suggest that PomS, possibly in concert with PomT and other members of this porin family, is the functional equivalent of MOMP in P. amoebophila. This work contributes to our understanding of the adaptations of symbiotic and pathogenic chlamydiae to their different eukaryotic hosts. KW - cell wall KW - protochlamydia amoebophila KW - escherichia coli KW - matrix protein porin KW - gram negative bacteria KW - single channel analysis KW - developmental cycle KW - mycobacterium smegmatis KW - monoclonal antibodies KW - signal peptides Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-131176 VL - 8 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Morris, E. Kathryn A1 - Caruso, Tancredi A1 - Buscot, Francois A1 - Fischer, Markus A1 - Hancock, Christine A1 - Maier, Tanja S. A1 - Meiners, Torsten A1 - Müller, Caroline A1 - Obermaier, Elisabeth A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Sonnemann, Ilja A1 - Wäschke, Nicola A1 - Wubet, Tesfaye A1 - Wurst, Susanne A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. T1 - Choosing and using diversity indices: insights for ecological applications from the German Biodiversity Exploratories JF - Ecology and Evolution N2 - Biodiversity, a multidimensional property of natural systems, is difficult to quantify partly because of the multitude of indices proposed for this purpose. Indices aim to describe general properties of communities that allow us to compare different regions, taxa, and trophic levels. Therefore, they are of fundamental importance for environmental monitoring and conservation, although there is no consensus about which indices are more appropriate and informative. We tested several common diversity indices in a range of simple to complex statistical analyses in order to determine whether some were better suited for certain analyses than others. We used data collected around the focal plant Plantago lanceolata on 60 temperate grassland plots embedded in an agricultural landscape to explore relationships between the common diversity indices of species richness (S), Shannon's diversity (H'), Simpson's diversity (D-1), Simpson's dominance (D-2), Simpson's evenness (E), and Berger-Parker dominance (BP). We calculated each of these indices for herbaceous plants, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, aboveground arthropods, belowground insect larvae, and P.lanceolata molecular and chemical diversity. Including these trait-based measures of diversity allowed us to test whether or not they behaved similarly to the better studied species diversity. We used path analysis to determine whether compound indices detected more relationships between diversities of different organisms and traits than more basic indices. In the path models, more paths were significant when using H', even though all models except that with E were equally reliable. This demonstrates that while common diversity indices may appear interchangeable in simple analyses, when considering complex interactions, the choice of index can profoundly alter the interpretation of results. Data mining in order to identify the index producing the most significant results should be avoided, but simultaneously considering analyses using multiple indices can provide greater insight into the interactions in a system. KW - molecular diversity KW - plant diversity KW - plantago lanceolata KW - shannon index KW - simpson's index KW - arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi KW - Hill's powers KW - chemical diversity KW - Berger-Parker KW - arthropods Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-115462 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 4 IS - 18 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Elias, Johannes A1 - Heuschmann, Peter U. A1 - Schmitt, Corinna A1 - Eckhardt, Frithjof A1 - Boehm, Hartmut A1 - Maier, Sebastian A1 - Kolb-Mäurer, Annette A1 - Riedmiller, Hubertus A1 - Müllges, Wolfgang A1 - Weisser, Christoph A1 - Wunder, Christian A1 - Frosch, Matthias A1 - Vogel, Ulrich T1 - Prevalence dependent calibration of a predictive model for nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus JF - BMC Infectious Diseases N2 - Background Published models predicting nasal colonization with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among hospital admissions predominantly focus on separation of carriers from non-carriers and are frequently evaluated using measures of discrimination. In contrast, accurate estimation of carriage probability, which may inform decisions regarding treatment and infection control, is rarely assessed. Furthermore, no published models adjust for MRSA prevalence. Methods Using logistic regression, a scoring system (values from 0 to 200) predicting nasal carriage of MRSA was created using a derivation cohort of 3091 individuals admitted to a European tertiary referral center between July 2007 and March 2008. The expected positive predictive value of a rapid diagnostic test (GeneOhm, Becton & Dickinson Co.) was modeled using non-linear regression according to score. Models were validated on a second cohort from the same hospital consisting of 2043 patients admitted between August 2008 and January 2012. Our suggested correction score for prevalence was proportional to the log-transformed odds ratio between cohorts. Calibration before and after correction, i.e. accurate classification into arbitrary strata, was assessed with the Hosmer-Lemeshow-Test. Results Treating culture as reference, the rapid diagnostic test had positive predictive values of 64.8% and 54.0% in derivation and internal validation corhorts with prevalences of 2.3% and 1.7%, respectively. In addition to low prevalence, low positive predictive values were due to high proportion (> 66%) of mecA-negative Staphylococcus aureus among false positive results. Age, nursing home residence, admission through the medical emergency department, and ICD-10-GM admission diagnoses starting with “A” or “J” were associated with MRSA carriage and were thus included in the scoring system, which showed good calibration in predicting probability of carriage and the rapid diagnostic test’s expected positive predictive value. Calibration for both probability of carriage and expected positive predictive value in the internal validation cohort was improved by applying the correction score. Conclusions Given a set of patient parameters, the presented models accurately predict a) probability of nasal carriage of MRSA and b) a rapid diagnostic test’s expected positive predictive value. While the former can inform decisions regarding empiric antibiotic treatment and infection control, the latter can influence choice of screening method. KW - Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus KW - Infection control KW - Clinical prediction rule KW - Predictive value of tests KW - False positive reactions KW - Calibration Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-96091 UR - http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/13/111 ER - TY - THES A1 - Maier, Matthias T1 - Inorganic and Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Polymers Containing BN Units in the Main Chain T1 - Anorganische und anorganisch-organische hybrid Polymere mit BN Einheiten in der Hauptkette N2 - π-Conjugated organic polymers have attracted tremendous attention in the last decades, and the interest in these materials is mainly driven by their applicability in next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices (OLEDs, OFETs, photovoltaics). The partial or complete replacement of carbon atoms by main group elements in conjugated polymers can significantly change the characteristics and applications of these macromolecules. In this work, a class of inorganic polymers comprising a backbone of exclusively boron and nitrogen atoms (poly(iminoborane)s, PIBs) and their monodisperse oligomers is described. In addition, novel inorganic–organic hybrid polymers containing BN units in their polymer backbone were synthesized and characterized. In chapter 2.1, the development of catalytic B–N coupling routes for the controlled synthesis of macromolecular materials is described. While the reaction of an N-silyl-B-chloro-aminoborane with the electrophilic reagent trimethylsilyl triflate led to effective B–N coupling, the reaction with a silver(I) salt resulted in an intramolecular Cl/Me exchange between the boron and silicon centers. In chapter 2.2-2.4, the study of oligo- and poly(iminoborane)s is discussed. Monodisperse and cyclolinear oligo(iminoborane)s based on diazaborolidines with up to 7 boron and 8 nitrogen atoms were synthesized by successively extending the B-N main chain. However, the use of benzodiazaborolines only led to limited BN catenation. Furthermore, the redistribution processes resulting from the reaction of longer oligomers with non-stoichiometric amounts of (di)halogenated boranes is reported. In chapter 2.5-2.6, the synthesis of 1,2,5-azadiborolanes as building blocks for the synthesis of poly(iminoborane)s and inorganic-organic hybrid polymers is described. While the attempt to apply an azadiborolane with sterically demanding groups on the boron-bridging ethylene unit for the construction of PIB was unfeasible, it was successfully incorporated in inorganic-organic hybrid polymers. Photophysical studies indicated π-conjugation along the polymer chain. A first attempt to synthesize PIBs based on azadiborolanes with unsubstituted ethylene units showed promising results. In chapter 2.7-2.8, a comprehensive study of poly(arylene iminoborane)s, which are BN analogs of poly(arylene vinylene)s is described, and the properties of four polymers as well as twelve monodisperse oligomers were investigated. Photophysical investigations of the monomers, dimers and polymers showed a systematic bathochromic shift of the absorption maximum with increasing chain length and thiophene content. Based on TD-DFT calculations of the model oligomers, the lowest-energy absorption band could be assigned to HOMO to LUMO transitions with π-π* character. The oligo- and poly(arylene iminoborane)s showed only very weak to no emission in solution but they were emissive in the solid state. For four oligomers the aggregation induced emission (AIE) in a THF/water mixture was investigated and DLS studies confirmed the formation of nanoaggregates. In chapter 2.9, oligo- and polymerizations of sulfur-containing building blocks and subsequent pH-triggered degradation of the products is described. While a sulfilimine-containing oligomer could not be isolated, the sulfone-, sulfoximine-, and sulfoxide-containing molecular oligomers and polymers could be successfully synthesized by B=N or B–O bond formation reactions. The sulfur-containing building blocks were successfully released under acidic or basic conditions, which was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. N2 - π-Konjugierte organische Polymere haben in den letzten Jahrzehnten immer größere Aufmerksamkeit erhalten. Das Interesse an diesen Materialien wird hauptsächlich durch ihre Anwendbarkeit in elektronischen und optoelektronischen Geräten der nächsten Generation (OLEDs, OFETs, Photovoltaik) angetrieben. Der teilweise oder vollständige Ersatz von Kohlenstoffatomen durch andere Hauptgruppenelemente in konjugierten Polymeren kann die Eigenschaften und Anwendungen dieser Makromoleküle erheblich verändern. In dieser Arbeit wird eine Klasse anorganischer Polymere mit einer Hauptkette aus ausschließlich Bor- und Stickstoffatomen (Poly(iminoboran)en, PIBs) und deren monodisperse Oligomere beschrieben. Darüber hinaus wurden neuartige anorganisch-organische Hybridpolymere, die BN-Einheiten in ihrem Polymerrückgrat enthalten, synthetisiert und charakterisiert. In Kapitel 2.1 wird die Entwicklung von katalytischen B-N-Kupplungsmethoden für die kontrollierte Synthese von makromolekularen Materialien beschrieben. Während die Reaktion eines N-Silyl-B-Chlor-Aminoborans mit dem elektrophilen Reagenz Trimethylsilyltriflat zu einer effektiven B-N-Kupplung führte, führte die Reaktion mit einem Silber(I)-Salz zu einem intramolekularen Cl/Me-Austausch zwischen den Bor- und Siliziumzentren. In den Kapiteln 2.2-2.4 wird die Untersuchung von Oligo- und Poly(iminoboran)en behandelt. Durch die sukzessive Verlängerung der BN-Hauptkette wurden monodisperse und zyklolineare Oligo(iminoboran)e, basierend auf Diazaborolidinen, mit bis zu 7 Bor- und 8 Stickstoffatomen synthetisiert. Die Verwendung von Benzodiazaborolinen führte allerdings nur zu einer begrenzten BN-Bindungsknüpfung. Darüber hinaus wurde über Umverteilungsprozesse berichtet, die bei der Umsetzung von längeren Oligomeren mit nicht stöchiometrischen Mengen von (di)halogenierten Boranen resultieren. In den Kapiteln 2.5-2.6 wird die Synthese von 1,2,5-Azadiborolanen als Bausteine für die Synthese von Poly(iminoboran)en und anorganisch-organischen Hybridpolymeren beschrieben. Während der Versuch, ein Azadiborolan mit sterisch anspruchsvollen Gruppen an der borverbrückenden Ethyleneinheit für den Aufbau von PIBs einzusetzen nicht zum Erfolg führte, wurde diese Einheit jedoch erfolgreich in anorganisch-organische Hybridpolymere eingebaut. Photophysikalische Untersuchungen deuteten auf eine π-Konjugation entlang der Polymerkette hin. Ein erster Versuch, PIBs auf der Basis von Azadiborolanen mit unsubstituierten Ethyleneinheiten zu synthetisieren, zeigte vielversprechende Ergebnisse. In den Kapiteln 2.7-2.8 wird die umfassende Studie von Poly(aryleniminoboran)en, die die BN-Analoga von Poly(arylenvinylen)en darstellen, beschrieben und die Eigenschaften von vier Polymeren und zwölf monodispersen Oligomeren untersucht. Photophysikalische Untersuchungen der Monomere, Dimere und Polymere zeigten eine systematische bathochrome Verschiebung des Absorptionsmaximums mit zunehmender Kettenlänge und Thiophengehalt. Auf der Grundlage von TD-DFT-Berechnungen der Modelloligomere konnte die niederenergetischste Absorptionsbande, HOMO-LUMO-Anregungen mit π-π* Charakter zugeordnet werden. Die Oligo- und Poly(aryleniminoboran)e zeigten nur sehr schwache oder keine Emission in Lösung, emittieren aber im festen Zustand. Für vier Oligomere wurde die aggregationsinduzierte Emission (AIE) in einem THF/Wasser-Gemisch untersucht und DLS-Studien bestätigten die Bildung von Nanoaggregaten. In Kapitel 2.9 werden Oligo- und Polymerisationen von schwefelhaltigen Bausteinen und die anschließende pH-gesteuerte Degradierung beschrieben. Während ein Sulfilimin-haltiges Oligomer nicht isoliert werden konnte, konnten die Sulfon-, Sulfoximin- und Sulfoxid-haltigen molekularen Oligomere und Polymere erfolgreich durch B=N oder B O Bindungsbildung synthetisiert werden. Die schwefelhaltigen Bausteine konnten unter sauren oder basischen Bedingungen erfolgreich freigesetzt werden, was durch NMR-Spektroskopie und Massenspektrometrie bestätigt wurde. KW - Anorganische Polymere KW - Konjugierte Polymere KW - Polyarylenvinylene KW - Polyiminoboranes KW - Silicon-Boron Exchange KW - Silizium-Bor Austausch KW - Bor-Stickstoff Bindung KW - boron-nitrogen bond Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-351536 ER -