TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kim, Brandon J.
A1  - Shusta, Eric V.
A1  - Doran, Kelly S.
T1  - Past and current perspectives in modeling bacteria and blood–brain barrier interactions
JF  - Frontiers in Microbiology
N2  - The central nervous system (CNS) barriers are highly specialized cellular barriers that promote brain homeostasis while restricting pathogen and toxin entry. The primary cellular constituent regulating pathogen entry in most of these brain barriers is the brain endothelial cell (BEC) that exhibits properties that allow for tight regulation of CNS entry. Bacterial meningoencephalitis is a serious infection of the CNS and occurs when bacteria can cross specialized brain barriers and cause inflammation. Models have been developed to understand the bacterial – BEC interaction that lead to pathogen crossing into the CNS, however, these have been met with challenges due to these highly specialized BEC phenotypes. This perspective provides a brief overview and outlook of the in vivo and in vitro models currently being used to study bacterial brain penetration, and opinion on improved models for the future.
KW  - bacteria
KW  - blood–brain barrier
KW  - meningitis
KW  - stem cells
KW  - brain endothelial cell
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201766
VL  - 10
IS  - 1336
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Streinzer, Martin
A1  - Chakravorty, Jharna
A1  - Neumayer, Johann
A1  - Megu, Karsing
A1  - Narah, Jaya
A1  - Schmitt, Thomas
A1  - Bharti, Himender
A1  - Spaethe, Johannes
A1  - Brockmann, Axel
T1  - Species composition and elevational distribution of bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus Latreille) in the East Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, India
JF  - ZooKeys
N2  - The East Himalaya is one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems. However, very little is known about the abundance and distribution of many plant and animal taxa in this region. Bumble bees are a group of cold-adapted and high elevation insects that fulfil an important ecological and economical function as pollinators of wild and agricultural flowering plants and crops. The Himalayan mountain range provides ample suitable habitats for bumble bees. Systematic study of Himalayan bumble bees began a few decades ago and the main focus has centred on the western region, while the eastern part of the mountain range has received little attention and only a few species have been verified. During a three-year survey, more than 700 bumble bee specimens of 21 species were collected in Arunachal Pradesh, the largest of the north-eastern states of India. The material included a range of species that were previously known from a limited number of collected specimens, which highlights the unique character of the East Himalayan ecosystem. Our results are an important first step towards a future assessment of species distribution, threat, and conservation. Clear elevation patterns of species diversity were observed, which raise important questions about the functional adaptations that allow bumble bees to thrive in this particularly moist region in the East Himalaya.
KW  - Alpine habitats
KW  - Apidae
KW  - conservation
KW  - global change
KW  - insect collection
KW  - pollination
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201937
VL  - 851
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  - Kraus, Amelie J.
A1  - Brink, Benedikt G.
A1  - Siegel, T. Nicolai
T1  - Efficient and specific oligo-based depletion of rRNA
JF  - Scientific Reports
N2  - In most organisms, ribosomal RNA (rRNA) contributes to >85% of total RNA. Thus, to obtain useful information from RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses at reasonable sequencing depth, typically, mature polyadenylated transcripts are enriched or rRNA molecules are depleted. Targeted depletion of rRNA is particularly useful when studying transcripts lacking a poly(A) tail, such as some non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), most bacterial RNAs and partially degraded or immature transcripts. While several commercially available kits allow effective rRNA depletion, their efficiency relies on a high degree of sequence homology between oligonucleotide probes and the target RNA. This restricts the use of such kits to a limited number of organisms with conserved rRNA sequences. In this study we describe the use of biotinylated oligos and streptavidin-coated paramagnetic beads for the efficient and specific depletion of trypanosomal rRNA. Our approach reduces the levels of the most abundant rRNA transcripts to less than 5% with minimal off-target effects. By adjusting the sequence of the oligonucleotide probes, our approach can be used to deplete rRNAs or other abundant transcripts independent of species. Thus, our protocol provides a useful alternative for rRNA removal where enrichment of polyadenylated transcripts is not an option and commercial kits for rRNA are not available.
KW  - parasite biology
KW  - RNA sequencing
KW  - transcriptomics
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224829
VL  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kim, Bo-Mi
A1  - Amores, Angel
A1  - Kang, Seunghyun
A1  - Ahn, Do-Hwan
A1  - Kim, Jin-Hyoung
A1  - Kim, Il-Chan
A1  - Lee, Jun Hyuck
A1  - Lee, Sung Gu
A1  - Lee, Hyoungseok
A1  - Lee, Jungeun
A1  - Kim, Han-Woo
A1  - Desvignes, Thomas
A1  - Batzel, Peter
A1  - Sydes, Jason
A1  - Titus, Tom
A1  - Wilson, Catherine A.
A1  - Catchen, Julian M.
A1  - Warren, Wesley C.
A1  - Schartl, Manfred
A1  - Detrich, H. William III
A1  - Postlethwait, John H.
A1  - Park, Hyun
T1  - Antarctic blackfin icefish genome reveals adaptations to extreme environments
JF  - Nature Ecology & Evolution
N2  - Icefishes (suborder Notothenioidei; family Channichthyidae) are the only vertebrates that lack functional haemoglobin genes and red blood cells. Here, we report a high-quality genome assembly and linkage map for the Antarctic blackfin icefish Chaenocephalus aceratus, highlighting evolved genomic features for its unique physiology. Phylogenomic analysis revealed that Antarctic fish of the teleost suborder Notothenioidei, including icefishes, diverged from the stickleback lineage about 77 million years ago and subsequently evolved cold-adapted phenotypes as the Southern Ocean cooled to sub-zero temperatures. Our results show that genes involved in protection from ice damage, including genes encoding antifreeze glycoprotein and zona pellucida proteins, are highly expanded in the icefish genome. Furthermore, genes that encode enzymes that help to control cellular redox state, including members of the sod3 and nqo1 gene families, are expanded, probably as evolutionary adaptations to the relatively high concentration of oxygen dissolved in cold Antarctic waters. In contrast, some crucial regulators of circadian homeostasis (cry and per genes) are absent from the icefish genome, suggesting compromised control of biological rhythms in the polar light environment. The availability of the icefish genome sequence will accelerate our understanding of adaptation to extreme Antarctic environments.
KW  - animal physiology
KW  - evolutionary genetics
KW  - genomics
KW  - ichthyology
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325811
VL  - 3
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  - Nerreter, Thomas
A1  - Letschert, Sebastian
A1  - Götz, Ralph
A1  - Doose, Sören
A1  - Danhof, Sophia
A1  - Einsele, Hermann
A1  - Sauer, Markus
A1  - Hudecek, Michael
T1  - Super-resolution microscopy reveals ultra-low CD19 expression on myeloma cells that triggers elimination by CD19 CAR-T
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T-cells (CAR-T) is under investigation in multiple myeloma. There are reports of myeloma remission after CD19 CAR-T therapy, although CD19 is hardly detectable on myeloma cells by flow cytometry (FC). We apply single molecule-sensitive direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM), and demonstrate CD19 expression on a fraction of myeloma cells (10.3–80%) in 10 out of 14 patients (density: 13–5,000 molecules per cell). In contrast, FC detects CD19 in only 2 of these 10 patients, on a smaller fraction of cells. Treatment with CD19 CAR-T in vitro results in elimination of CD19-positive myeloma cells, including those with <100 CD19 molecules per cell. Similar data are obtained by dSTORM analyses of CD20 expression on myeloma cells and CD20 CAR-T. These data establish a sensitivity threshold for CAR-T and illustrate how super-resolution microscopy can guide patient selection in immunotherapy to exploit ultra-low density antigens.
KW  - cancer imaging
KW  - cancer immunotherapy
KW  - imaging
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232258
VL  - 10
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  - Steuer Costa, Wagner
A1  - Van der Auwera, Petrus
A1  - Glock, Caspar
A1  - Liewald, Jana F.
A1  - Bach, Maximilian
A1  - Schüler, Christina
A1  - Wabnig, Sebastian
A1  - Oranth, Alexandra
A1  - Masurat, Florentin
A1  - Bringmann, Henrik
A1  - Schoofs, Liliane
A1  - Stelzer, Ernst H. K.
A1  - Fischer, Sabine C.
A1  - Gottschalk, Alexander
T1  - A GABAergic and peptidergic sleep neuron as a locomotion stop neuron with compartmentalized Ca2+ dynamics
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Animals must slow or halt locomotion to integrate sensory inputs or to change direction. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the GABAergic and peptidergic neuron RIS mediates developmentally timed quiescence. Here, we show RIS functions additionally as a locomotion stop neuron. RIS optogenetic stimulation caused acute and persistent inhibition of locomotion and pharyngeal pumping, phenotypes requiring FLP-11 neuropeptides and GABA. RIS photoactivation allows the animal to maintain its body posture by sustaining muscle tone, yet inactivating motor neuron oscillatory activity. During locomotion, RIS axonal Ca2+ signals revealed functional compartmentalization: Activity in the nerve ring process correlated with locomotion stop, while activity in a branch correlated with induced reversals. GABA was required to induce, and FLP-11 neuropeptides were required to sustain locomotion stop. RIS attenuates neuronal activity and inhibits movement, possibly enabling sensory integration and decision making, and exemplifies dual use of one cell across development in a compact nervous system.
KW  - cellular neuroscience
KW  - neural circuits
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-223273
VL  - 10
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Dammert, Marcel A.
A1  - Brägelmann, Johannes
A1  - Olsen, Rachelle R.
A1  - Böhm, Stefanie
A1  - Monhasery, Niloufar
A1  - Whitney, Christopher P.
A1  - Chalishazar, Milind D.
A1  - Tumbrink, Hannah L.
A1  - Guthrie, Matthew R.
A1  - Klein, Sebastian
A1  - Ireland, Abbie S.
A1  - Ryan, Jeremy
A1  - Schmitt, Anna
A1  - Marx, Annika
A1  - Ozretić, Luka
A1  - Castiglione, Roberta
A1  - Lorenz, Carina
A1  - Jachimowicz, Ron D.
A1  - Wolf, Elmar
A1  - Thomas, Roman K.
A1  - Poirier, John T.
A1  - Büttner, Reinhard
A1  - Sen, Triparna
A1  - Byers, Lauren A.
A1  - Reinhardt, H. Christian
A1  - Letai, Anthony
A1  - Oliver, Trudy G.
A1  - Sos, Martin L.
T1  - MYC paralog-dependent apoptotic priming orchestrates a spectrum of vulnerabilities in small cell lung cancer
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - MYC paralogs are frequently activated in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) but represent poor drug targets. Thus, a detailed mapping of MYC-paralog-specific vulnerabilities may help to develop effective therapies for SCLC patients. Using a unique cellular CRISPR activation model, we uncover that, in contrast to MYCN and MYCL, MYC represses BCL2 transcription via interaction with MIZ1 and DNMT3a. The resulting lack of BCL2 expression promotes sensitivity to cell cycle control inhibition and dependency on MCL1. Furthermore, MYC activation leads to heightened apoptotic priming, intrinsic genotoxic stress and susceptibility to DNA damage checkpoint inhibitors. Finally, combined AURK and CHK1 inhibition substantially prolongs the survival of mice bearing MYC-driven SCLC beyond that of combination chemotherapy. These analyses uncover MYC-paralog-specific regulation of the apoptotic machinery with implications for genotype-based selection of targeted therapeutics in SCLC patients.
KW  - genetic engineering
KW  - oncogenes
KW  - small-cell lung cancer
KW  - targeted therapies
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-223569
VL  - 10
ER  -