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The seed coat is the barrier controlling exchange of solutes between the plant embryo and its environment. This exchange is of importance for example in the uptake of germination inhibitors or in the uptake of agrochemicals applied as seed treatment. A thorough understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying solute permeation across the seed coat would help to improve the effectiveness of seed treatment formulations. In seed treatment formulations, additives can be used to enhance or decrease mobility or uptake of the active ingredient (AI). In the present study the seed coat barrier properties and the seed coat permeation process was examined with the model species Pisum sativum and with a set of model solutes. The lipophilic fraction of the seed coat was analysed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry and it was found that the total lipophilic compartment of the seed coat represents 0.61 % of the weight of a swollen seed coat. The seed is covered by a lipophilic cuticle. The seed coat coverage with cuticular waxes is ten to 18-fold lower than wax coverage of pea leaves, though. In order to examine sorption of solutes in the small lipophilic compartment of the seed coat, seed coat/water partition coefficients were determined. These cover a much smaller range than the corresponding n-octanol/water partition coefficients. The lipophilic sorption compartment as calculated from the seed coat/water partition coefficient data is smaller than the analysed total lipophilic compartment of the seed coat since not all of the lipid components can act as sorption compartment. During seed swelling, the pea seed nearly doubles its weight. The uptake of water is driven by the very low water potential of the dry seed and controlled by the seed coat hydraulic conductivity both of which increase during seed swelling. Depending on the available form of water, water uptake can take place by diffusion from air humidity or by mass flow from liquid water. Water uptake by a seed in moist sand takes place by a combination of both uptake mechanisms. The basic transport mechanism underlying solute permeation of seed coats was analysed by steady-state experiments with a newly devised experimental setup. The permeance P for permeation of the set of model compounds across isolated seed coat halves ranged from 3.34 x 10-8 m s-1 for abamectin to 18.9 x 10-8 m s-1 for caffeine. It was found that solute permeation across the seed coat takes aqueous pathways. This was concluded from the facts that molar volume instead of lipophilicity of the solutes determine permeation and that the temperature effect on permeation is very small. This is in contrast to typical leaf and fruit cuticular uptake where lipophilic pathways dominate. Solute uptake across the seed coat can take place by two different mechanisms both of which take aqueous pathways. Uptake can be by diffusion and in the presence of a bulk flow of water driven by a water potential difference also by solvent drag. The presence of the solvent drag uptake mechanism shows that the aqueous pathways form an aqueous continuum across the seed coat. These findings indicate that the seed coat covering cuticle does not form a continuous barrier enclosing the seed. In order to examine solute uptake across the seed coat under conditions close to a situation taking place in the field, the process of uptake of a seed treatment AI in the field was simulated. In the situation of a treated seed in the field, the seed treatment residue dissolves and then the AI can move either into the surrounding soil or across the seed coat into the seed. Uptake across the seed coat can take place either by diffusion or during seed swelling by the solvent drag mechanism. Since the seed treatment residue depletes over time, non-steady-state uptake takes place. To simulate these processes, laboratory scale seed treatment methods were established to produce treated seeds and isolated treated seed coat halves. Experimental setups for non-steady-state uptake experiments were established with whole treated seeds and with isolated treated seed coat halves as simplified screening tool. By modelling of the AI uptake as a first-order process the rate constant k and the final relative uptake amount Mt→∞ M0-1 were obtained. With k and Mt→∞ M0-1 a quantification and comparison of the uptake curves was possible. Both in the experiments with whole treated seeds and with isolated treated seed coats, uptake of metalaxyl-M was much faster than uptake of sedaxane. In the uptake of a seed treatment AI, not only the solute's molar volume but also its water solubility determine uptake. The solute's water solubility is important for dissolution of the AI from the seed treatment residue and thus determines availability of the AI for uptake. Water solubility also controls the possible concentration in solution and thus the driving force for diffusive uptake. Furthermore, the AI amount taken up by solvent drag is determined by concentration in the inflowing water and thus by water solubility. In the experiments with whole treated seeds the additive effects on uptake were smaller than in the experiments with isolated treated seed coats or not significant. Adigor functions as an emulsifier and can lead to a slight increase of AI mobilisation from the seed treatment residue. NeoCryl A-2099 can cause a slowed down release of the AI from the seed treatment residue. The effects of both additives were smaller than the effect caused by different AI physico-chemical properties. Therefore, the most important factor determining uptake of a seed treatment AI are the AI's physico-chemical properties, especially its water solubility.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) endophenotypes as a link between phenotype and genotype were the focus of the present work. Candidate endophenotypes were investigated via neuropsychological tasks during the simultaneous recording of a 21-channel electroencephalogram. Since endophenotypes are assumed to more closely reflect genetic variation, the influence of ADHD-associated genes Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT), the dopamine transporter (DAT, SLC6A3) and Latrophilin-3 (LPHN3) was analysed. Response inhibition was assessed with a cued Continuous Performance Test, for working memory we used an n-back task, sensory gating was measured via the paired clicks paradigm and response time variability (RTV) was quantified by the standard deviation of reaction times. The sample comprised medicated (N=36) and unmedicated (N=42) ADHD patients and matched control children and adolescents (N=41). The electrophysiological correlate of response inhibition was the centroid location during response execution and inhibition, and the degree of anteriorization (NGA). Sensory gating reflects the attenuation of the P50 response to the second of two auditory stimuli presented in short succession. Working memory was examined during target and non-target trials, reflecting specific information processing stages: early sensory processing (P100 and N100), selection of material (P150), memory retrieval (N300), event categorization (P300) and updating of working memory content (P450). Performance was quantified in terms of omission errors reflecting inattention and false alarms reflecting impulsivity, as well as speed and variability of reactions. Unmedicated ADHD patients had more omission errors and more variable reaction times, pointing to difficulties with attention and state regulation. NGA did not prove an optimal endophenotype candidate, since it was not yet developed in approximately half of the examined children and adolescents. It was independent of diagnosis; however ADHD risk alleles for DAT conferred lower NGA as well as more variable reaction times across groups. DAT genotype interacted with diagnosis on the level of centroid location, however, it did not manifest in performance deficits. In the case of sensory gating, homozygosity for the DAT allele associated with ADHD (10R) conferred impairment. ADHD was only relevant in participants without genetic risk, where patients without medication struggled most with suppression. In the working memory task, DAT modulated the timing of material selection in interaction with cognitive load and diagnosis: under high load unmedicated patients showed delayed responses, while under low load risk carriers on medication had faster responses than controls. Early processing and event-categorization were stronger in unmedicated ADHD with risk genotype, but dampened without risk. An interesting trend emerged for LPHN3, where carrying all risk variants was associated with higher NGA in ADHD patients irrespective of medication. This warrants further study, as the haplotype also exerts a positive influence on sensory gating specifically in patients. At the same time within the genetic risk group, unmedicated patients had the weakest NGA. However, the LPHN3 risk haplotype effected more posterior Go centroids, putatively facilitating response execution, which is supported by a higher number of false alarms. When inhibition was required, the risk variants led to more posterior centroids in unmedicated compared to medicated patients as well as controls, speaking to differences in inhibition-related brain activation. While as expected the risk haplotype led to compromised gating in unmedicated ADHD, this was reversed in healthy controls where the haplotype was acting in a protective manner with enhanced filtering. During working memory operations, the risk haplotype showed stronger N300 responses suggesting investment of more resources. While COMT did not exert an influence on NGA directly, carriers of the risk allele (met) had more posterior centroids both during response execution and inhibition, and displayed more variable responses in addition to being more prone to false alarms. Unmedicated patients produced smaller P300 during successful execution of responses than controls in absence of the risk allele, while with risk they had shorter latencies and presumably tend towards premature reactions. Additionally, it brought out impairments in sensory gating, thus making unmedicated patients less able to filter out irrelevant information, while they were able to compensate with the protective genotype. The influence of COMT on sensory gating seems to be specific for ADHD, as this gene was of no consequence in healthy controls. In the working memory task, met was beneficial for updating as reflected by P450 amplitude. In ADHD irrespective of medication COMT did not change P450 strength, but for controls this effect was observed.
Objective: Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) provide a muscle independent interaction channel making them particularly valuable for individuals with severe motor impairment. Thus, different BCI systems and applications have been proposed as assistive technology (AT) solutions for such patients. The most prominent system for communication utilizes event-related potentials (ERP) obtained from the electroencephalogram (EEG) to allow for communication on a character-by-character basis. Yet in their current state of technology, daily life use cases of such systems are rare. In addition to the high EEG preparation effort, one of the main reasons is the low information throughput compared to other existing AT solutions. Furthermore, when testing BCI systems in patients, a performance drop is usually observed compared to healthy users. Patients often display a low signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded EEG and detection of brain responses may be aggravated due to internally (e.g. spasm) or externally induced artifacts (e.g. from ventilation devices). Consequently, practical BCI systems need to cope with mani-fold inter-individual differences. Whilst these high demands lead to increasing complexity of the technology, daily life use of BCI systems requires straightforward setup including an easy-to-use graphical user interface that nonprofessionals can handle without expert support. Research questions of this thesis: This dissertation project aimed at bringing forward BCI technology toward a possible integration into end-users' daily life. Four basic research questions were addressed: (1) Can we identify performance predictors so that we can provide users with individual BCI solutions without the need of multiple, demanding testing sessions? (2) Can we provide complex BCI technology in an automated, user-friendly and easy-to-use manner, so that BCIs can be used without expert support at end-users' homes? (3) How can we account for and improve the low information transfer rates as compared to other existing assistive technology solutions? (4) How can we prevent the performance drop often seen when bringing BCI technology that was tested in healthy users to those with severe motor impairment? Results and discussion: (1) Heart rate variability (HRV) as an index of inhibitory control (i.e. the ability to allocate attention resources and inhibit distracting stimuli) was significantly related to ERP-BCI performance and accounted for almost 26% of variance. HRV is easy to assess from short heartbeat recordings and may thus serve as a performance predictor for ERP-BCIs. Due to missing software solutions for appropriate processing of artifacts in heartbeat data (electrocardiogram and inter-beat interval data), our own tool was developed that is available free of charge. To date, more than 100 researchers worldwide have requested the tool. Recently, a new version was developed and released together with a website (www.artiifact.de). (2) Furthermore, a study of this thesis demonstrated that BCI technology can be incorporated into easy-to-use software, including auto-calibration and predictive text entry. Naïve, healthy nonprofessionals were able to control the software without expert support and successfully spelled words using the auto-calibrated BCI. They reported that software handling was straightforward and that they would be able to explain the system to others. However, future research is required to study transfer of the results to patient samples. (3) The commonly used ERP-BCI paradigm was significantly improved. Instead of simply highlighting visually displayed characters as is usually done, pictures of famous faces were used as stimulus material. As a result, specific brain potentials involved in face recognition and face processing were elicited. The event-related EEG thus displayed an increased signal-to-noise ratio, which facilitated the detection of ERPs extremely well. Consequently, BCI performance was significantly increased. (4) The good results of this new face-flashing paradigm achieved with healthy participants transferred well to users with neurodegenerative disease. Using a face paradigm boosted information throughput. Importantly, two users who were highly inefficient with the commonly used paradigm displayed high accuracy when exposed to the face paradigm. The increased signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded EEG thus helped them to overcome their BCI inefficiency. Significance: The presented work at hand (1) successfully identified a physiological predictor of ERP-BCI performance, (2) proved the technology ready to be operated by naïve nonprofessionals without expert support, (3) significantly improved the commonly used spelling paradigm and (4) thereby displayed a way to effectively prevent BCI inefficiency in patients with neurodegenerative disease. Additionally, missing software solutions for appropriate handling of artifacts in heartbeat data encouraged development of our own software tool that is available to the research community free of charge. In sum, this thesis significantly improved current BCI technology and enhanced our understanding of physiological correlates of BCI performance.
b-adrenergic receptors (b-ARs) participate strongly in the development of cardiac hypertrophy and human heart failure. Stimulation of b-adrenergic receptors with catecholamines as well as cardiac overexpression of b1-ARs or of Gas-proteins in transgenic mice induces cardiac hypertrophy. However, direct activation of their downstream targets, such as adenylyl cyclase (AC) or protein kinase A do not promote a significant degree of cardiac hypertrophy. These findings suggest that additional events may occur and that these events require Gas-protein activation. A hypertrophic pathway involving Gaq-protein coupled receptors has recently been described. Upon activation of Gaq-coupled receptors Gbg-subunits are released from Gaq and bind directly to the activated Raf/Mek/Erk cascade. Direct interaction between bg-subunits and activated Erk1/2 leads to an additional autophosphorylation of Erk2 at threonine 188, which mediates cardiac hypertrophy. Murine hearts, as well as isolated cardiomyocytes present an increase in Erk2Thr188-phosphorylation upon b-AR activation. Similarly overexpression of phosphorylation deficient Erk2 mutants (Erk2T188S and Erk2T188A) reduces b-AR mediated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Increase in left ventricular wall thickness, fibrosis and up-regulation of natriuretic peptide synthesis, which are physiological features for cardiac hypertrophy, are strongly inhibited in transgenic mice with a cardiac expression of Erk2T188S after two weeks of sustained isoproterenol treatment. It could further be shown in this work that b-AR mediated cardiac hypertrophy requires two distinct pathways initiated by Gs-protein activation: the canonical phosphorylation of Erk1/2 via adenylyl cyclase and the direct interaction of released bg-subunits with activated Erk1/2. Coincidence of both events leads to Erk2Thr188-phosphorylation, which activates then different transcription factors responsible for cardiac hypertrophy. Sequestration of bg-subunits by overexpression of the C-terminus of GRK2 bark-ct and inhibition of adenylyl cyclase efficiently reduced the hypertrophic response to isoproterenol, whereas direct activation of AC by forskolin failed to induce Erk2Thr188-phosphorylation and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. These findings may help to develop new therapeutic strategies for the prevention of cardiac hypertrophy and maladaptive remodeling of the heart.
Nitrogen-regulated pathogenesis describes the expression of virulence attributes as direct response to the quantity and quality of an available nitrogen source. As consequence of nitrogen availability, the opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans changes its morphology and secretes aspartic proteases [SAPs], both well characterized virulence attributes. C. albicans, contrarily to its normally non-pathogenic relative Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is able to utilize proteins, which are considered as abundant and important nitrogen source within the human host. To assimilate complex proteinaceous matter, extracellular proteolysis is followed by uptake of the degradation products through dedicated peptide transporters (di-/tripeptide transporters [PTRs] and oligopeptide transporters [OPTs]). The expression of both traits is transcriptionally controlled by Stp1 - the global regulator of protein utilization - in C. albicans. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the regulation of virulence attributes of the pathogenic fungus C. albicans by nitrogen availability in more detail. Within a genome wide binding profile of Stp1, during growth with proteins, more than 600 Stp1 target genes were identified, thereby confirming its role in the usage of proteins, but also other nitrogenous compounds as nitrogen source. Moreover, the revealed targets suggest an involvement of Stp1 in the general adaption to nutrient availability as well as in the environmental stress response. With the focus on protein utilization and nitrogen-regulated pathogenesis, the regulation of the major secreted aspartic protease Sap2 - additionally one of the prime examples of allelic heterogeneity in C. albicans - was investigated in detail. Thereby, the heterogezygous SAP2 promoter helped to identify an unintended genomic alteration as the true cause of a growth defect of a C. albicans mutant. Additionally, the promoter region, which was responsible for the differential activation of the SAP2 alleles, was delimited. Furthermore, general Sap2 induction was demonstrated to be mediated by distinct cis-acting elements that are required for a high or a low activity of SAP2 expression. For the utilization of proteins as nitrogen source it is also crucial to take up the peptides that are produced by extracellular proteolysis. Therefore, the function and importance of specific peptide transporters was investigated in C. albicans mutants, unable to use peptides as nitrogen source (opt1Δ/Δ opt2Δ/Δ opt3Δ/Δ opt4Δ/Δ opt5Δ/Δ ptr2Δ/Δ ptr22Δ/Δ septuple null mutants). The overexpression of individual transporters in these mutants revealed differential substrate specificities and expanded the specificity of the OPTs to dipeptides, a completely new facet of these transporters. The peptide-uptake deficient mutants were further used to elucidate, whether indeed proteins and peptides are an important in vivo nitrogen source for C. albicans. It was found that during competitive colonization of the mouse intestine these mutants exhibited wild-type fitness, indicating that neither proteins nor peptides are primary nitrogen sources required to efficiently support growth of C. albicans in the mouse gut. Adequate availability of the preferred nitrogen source ammonium represses the utilization of proteins and other alternative nitrogen sources, but also the expression of virulence attributes, like Sap secretion and nitrogen-starvation induced filamentation. In order to discriminate, whether ammonium availability is externally sensed or determined inside the cell by C. albicans, the response to exterior ammonium concentrations of ammonium-uptake deficient mutants (mep1Δ/Δ mep2Δ/Δ null mutants) was investigated. This study showed that presence of an otherwise suppressing ammonium concentration did not inhibit Sap2 proteases secretion and arginine-induced filamentation in these mutants. Conclusively, ammonium availability is primarily determined inside the cell in order to control the expression of virulence traits. In sum, the present work contributes to the current understanding of how C. albicans regulates expression of virulence-associated traits in response to the presence of available nitrogen sources - especially proteins and peptides - in order to adapt its lifestyle within a human host.
Serotonin (5-HT) has been implicated in the regulation of emotions as well as in its pathological states, such as anxiety disorders and depression. Mice with targeted deletion of genes encoding various mediators of central serotonergic neurotransmission therefore provides a powerful tool in understanding contributions of such mediators to homeostatic mechanisms as well as to the development of human emotional disorders. Within this thesis a battery of electrophysiological recordings were conducted in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and the hippocampus of two murine knockout lines with deficient serotonergic systems. Serotonin transporter knockout mice (5-Htt KO), which lack protein responsible for reuptake of 5-HT from the extracellular space and tryptophan hydroxylase 2 knockout (Tph2 KO) mice, which lack the gene encoding the neuronal 5-HT-synthesising enzyme. First, 5-HT1A receptor-mediated autoinhibition of serotonergic neuron firing in the DRN was assessed using the loose-seal cell-attached configuration. Stimulation of 5-HT1A receptors by a selective agonist, R-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (R-8-OH-DPAT), showed a mild sensitisation and a marked desensitisation of these receptors in Tph2 KO and 5-Htt KO mice, respectively. While application of tryptophan, a precursor of 5-HT and a substrate of Tph2, did not cause autoinhibition in Tph2 KO mice due to the lack of endogenously produced 5-HT, data from 5-Htt KO mice as well as heterozygous mice of both KO mice lines demonstrated the presence of autoinhibitory mechanisms as normal as seen in wildtype (WT) controls. When the Tph2-dependent step in the 5-HT synthesis pathway was bypassed by application of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), serotonergic neurons of both Tph2 KO and 5-Htt KO mice showed decrease in firing rates at lower concentrations of 5-HTP than in WT controls. Elevated responsiveness of serotonergic neurons from Tph2 KO mice correspond to mild sensitisation of 5-HT1A receptors, while responses from 5-Htt KO mice suggest that excess levels of extracellular 5-HT, created by the lack of 5-Htt, stimulates 5-HT1A receptors strong enough to overcome desensitisation of these receptors. Second, the whole-cell patch clamp recording data from serotonergic neurons in the DRN showed no differences in basic electrophysiological properties between Tph2 KO and WT mice, except lower membrane resistances of neurons from KO mice. Moreover, the whole-cell patch clamp recording from CA1 pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus of 5-Htt KO mice showed increased conductance both at a steady state and at action potential generation. Lastly, magnitude of long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by the Schaffer collateral/commissural pathway stimulation in the ventral hippocampus showed no differences among Tph2 KO, 5-Htt KO, and WT counterparts. Taken together, lack and excess of extracellular 5-HT caused sensitisation and desensitisation of autoinhibitory 5-HT1A receptors, respectively. However, this may not directly translate to the level of autoinhibitory regulation of serotonergic neuron firing when these receptors are stimulated by endogenously synthesised 5-HT. In general, KO mice studied here showed an astonishing level of resilience to genetic manipulations of the central serotonergic system, maintaining overall electrophysiological properties and normal LTP inducibility. This may further suggest existence of as-yet-unknown compensatory mechanisms buffering potential alterations induced by genetic manipulations.
An essential step in eukaryotic gene expression is splicing, i.e. the excision of non-coding sequences from pre-mRNA and the ligation of coding-sequences. This reaction is carried out by the spliceosome, which is a macromolecular machine composed of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) and a large number of proteins. Spliceosomal snRNPs are composed of one snRNA (or two in case of U4/6 snRNPs), seven common Sm proteins (SmD1, D2, D3, B, E, F, G) and several particle-specific proteins. The seven Sm proteins form a ring shaped structure on the snRNA, termed Sm core domain that forms a structural framework of all spliceosomal snRNPs. In the toroidal Sm core domain, the individual Sm proteins are arranged in the sequence SmE-SmG-SmD3-SmB- SmD1-SmD2-SmF from the first to the seventh nucleotide of the Sm site, respectively. The individual positions of Sm proteins in the Sm core domain are not interchangeable.
snRNPs are formed in vivo in a step-wise process, which starts with the export of newly transcribed snRNA to the cytoplasm. Within this compartment, Sm proteins are synthesized and subsequently transferred onto the snRNA. Upon formation of the Sm core and further modifications of snRNA, the snRNP is imported into the nucleus to join the spliceosome.
Prior to assembly into snRNPs, Sm proteins exist as specific hetero-oligomers in the cytoplasm. The association of these proteins with snRNA occurs spontaneously in vitro but requires the assistance of two major units, PRMT5- and SMN- complexes, in vivo. The early phase of assembly is critically influenced by the assembly chaperone pICln. This protein pre-organizes Sm proteins to functional building blocks and enables their recruitment onto the PRMT5 complex for methylation. Sm proteins are subsequently released from the PRMT5 complex as pICln bound entities and transferred onto the SMN-complex. The SMN complex then liberates the Sm proteins from the pICln-induced kinetic trap and allows their transfer onto the snRNA. Although the principal roles of SMN- and PRMT5 complexes in the assembly of snRNPs have been established, it is still not clear how newly translated Sm proteins are guided into the assembly line.
In this thesis, I have uncovered a new facet of pICln function in the assembly of snRNPs. I have shown that newly synthesized Sm proteins are retained at the ribosome upon termination of translation. Their release is facilitated by pICln, which interacts with the cognate Sm protein hetero-oligomers at their site of synthesis on the ribosome and recruits them into the assembly pathway. Additionally, I have been able to show that the early engagement of pICln with the Sm proteins ensures the flawless oligomerization of Sm proteins and prevents any non-chaperoned release and diffusion of Sm proteins in the cytoplasm.
In a second project, I have studied the mechanism of U7 snRNP assembly. This particle is a major component of the 3’ end processing machinery of replication dependent histone mRNAs. A biochemical hallmark of U7 is its unique Sm core in which the two canonical Sm proteins D1 and D2 are replaced by so-called “like Sm proteins”. The key question I addressed in my thesis was, how this “alternative” Sm core is assembled onto U7 snRNA. I have provided experimental evidence that the assembly route of U7 snRNPs and spliceosomal snRNPs are remarkably similar: The assembly of both particles depends on the same assembly factors and the mechanistic details are similar. It appears that formation of the U7- or spliceosomal- core specific 6S complex is the decisive step in assembly.
Scientific surveys provide sufficient evidence that anxiety disorders are one of the most common psy-chiatric disorders in the world. The lifetime prevalence rate of anxiety disorder is 28.8% (Kessler, et al., 2005). The most widely studied anxiety disorders are as follows panic disorder (PD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), social phobia (or social anxiety disorder), specific phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). (NIMH Article, 2009). Classical conditioning is the stable paradigm used from the last one century to understand the neurobi-ology of fear learning. Neurobiological mechanism of fear learning is well documented with the condi-tioning studies. In the therapy of anxiety disorders, exposure based therapies are known to be the most effective approaches. Flooding is a form of exposure therapy in which a participant is exposed to the fear situation and kept in that situation until their fear dissipates. The exposure therapy is based on the phenomena of extinction; this means that a conditioned response diminishes if the conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented without an unconditioned stimulus (UCS). One problem with extinction as well as with exposure-based therapy is the problem of fear return (for e.g. renewal, spontaneous recov-ery and reinstatement) after successful extinction. Therefore, extinction does not delete the fear memory trace. It has been well documented that memory processes can be modulated or disrupted using several sci-entific paradigms such as behavioral (for e.g. exposure therapy), pharmacological (for e.g. drug manipu-lation), non-invasive stimulation (for e.g. non-invasive stimulation such as electroconvulsive shock (ECS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), etc. However, modulation of memory processes after reactivation or via non-invasive stimulation is still not clear, which is the focus of the current study. In addition, study of genetic variant suggests that genetic differences play a vital role in the psychiatric disorder especially in fear learning. Hence, it is also one of the concerns of the current dissertation to investigate the interaction between gene and reconsolidation of memory. With respect to fear-conditioning, there are three findings in the current dissertation, which are as fol-lows: (i) In the first study we investigated that non-invasive weak electrical stimulation interferes with the consolidation process and disrupts the fear consolidation to attain stable form. This might offer an effective treatment in the pathological memories, for e.g. PTSD, PD, etc. (ii) In the second study we demonstrated whether a brief single presentation of the CS will inhibit the fear recovery. Like earlier studies we also found that reactivation followed by reconsolidation douses fear return. Attenuation of fear recovery was observed in the reminder group compared to the no-reminder group. (iii) Finally, in our third study we found a statistically significant role of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) polymorphism in reconsolidation. Results of the third study affirm the involvement of BDNF variants (Met vs. Val) in the modulation of conditioned fear memory after its reactivation. In summary, we were able to show in the current thesis modulation of associative learning and recon-solidation via transcranial direct current stimulation and genetic polymorphism.
Whereas most currently used antibiotics act by interfering with essential bacterial processes, a smaller group of antibacterials disturbs the integrity of the cell membrane. Since fatty acids are a vital component of membrane phospholipids, the type-II fatty acid biosynthesis pathway (FAS-II) of bacteria constitutes a promising drug target. The front-line anti-tuberculosis prodrug isoniazid blocks the FAS-II pathway in M. tuberculosis thereby leading to morphological changes and finally to cell lysis. When it became evident that the enoyl-ACP reductase in the FAS-II pathway is the target of the activated isoniazid, several programs were initiated to develop novel inhibitors directed against this protein in different pathogens. The S. aureus enoyl-ACP reductase (saFabI) is of particular interest since three promising drug candidates inhibiting this homologue have reached clinical trials. However, despite these prospects, no crystal structures of saFabI were publicly available at the time the present work was initiated. Thus, one major goal of this thesis was the generation of high-resolution atomic models by means of X-ray crystallography. The development of a highly reproducible approach to co-crystallize saFabI in complex with NADP+ and diphenyl ether-based inhibitors led to crystal structures of 17 different ternary complexes. Additional crystallographic experiments permitted the view into two apo-structures and two atomic models of saFabI in complex with NADPH and 2-pyridone inhibitors. Based on the established saFabI structure, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to improve our understanding of the conformational mobility of this protein. Taken together, these investigations of the saFabI structure and its flexibility served as an ideal platform to address important questions surrounding substrate and inhibitor recognition by this enzyme. Intriguingly, our saFabI structures provide several vastly different snapshots along the reaction coordinate of ligand binding and hydride transfer, including the closure of the flexible substrate binding loop (SBL). The extraordinary mobility of saFabI was confirmed by MD simulations suggesting that conformational motions indeed play a pivotal role during substrate delivery and turnover. A water chain linking the active site with a water-basin inside the homo-tetrameric enzyme was found likely to be crucial for the closure and opening of the SBL and, thus, for the catalyzed reaction. Notably, the induced-fit ligand binding process involves a dimer-tetramer transition, which could be related to the observed positive cooperativity of cofactor and substrate binding. Overall, saFabI displays several unique characteristics compared to FabI proteins from other organisms that might be necessary for the synthesis of branched-chain fatty acids, which in turn are required for S. aureus fitness in vivo. This finding may explain why S. aureus is sensitive to FAS-II inhibitors even in the presence of exogenous fatty acids. Accordingly, saFabI remains a valid drug target and our structures can be used as a molecular basis for rational drug design efforts. In fact, binding affinity trends of diphenyl ether inhibitors and, more importantly, the correlated residence times could be rationalized at the molecular level. Furthermore, the structure of saFabI in complex with the 2-pyridone inhibitor CG400549 revealed unique interactions in the wider binding crevice of saFabI compared to other FabI homologues explaining the narrow activity spectrum of this clinical candidate with proven human efficacy. In summary, these studies provide an ideal platform for the development of new, effective saFabI inhibitors as exemplified by the promising 4-pyridone PT166. In the context of this dissertation, crystal structures of the condensing enzyme KasA in complex with several analogs of the naturally occurring inhibitor thiolactomycin have been solved.
Hyperinsulinemia, a condition with excessively high insulin blood levels, is related to an increased cancer incidence. Diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, obesity and polycystic ovarian syndrome are the most common of several diseases accompanied by hyperinsulinemia. Since an elevated cancer risk especially for colon and kidney cancers, was reported for those patients, we investigated for the first time the induction of genomic damage by insulin mainly in HT29 (human colon cells), LLC-PK1 (pig kidney cells), HK2 (human kidney cells) and peripheral lymphocytes, and to confirm the genotoxicity of insulin in other cells from different tissues. To ascertain that the insulin effects were not only limited to permanent cell lines, rat primary colon, kidney, liver and fatty tissue cells were also studied. To connect the study and the findings to in vivo conditions, two in vivo models for hyperinsulinemia were used; Zucker diabetic fatty rats in a lean and diabetic state infused with different insulin concentrations and peripheral lymphocytes from type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. First, the human colon adenocarcinoma cells (HT29) showed significant elevation of DNA damage using comet assay and micronucleus frequency analysis upon treatment with 5 nM insulin in standard protocols. Extension of the treatment to 6 days lowered the concentration needed to reach significance to 0.5-1 nM. Insulin enhanced the cellular ROS production as examined by the oxidation of the dyes 2´,7´-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCF-DA) and dihydroethidium (DHE). The FPG modified comet assay and the reduction of damage by the radical scavenger tempol connected the insulin-mediatedDNA damage to ROS production. To investigate the sources of ROS upon insulin stimulation, apocynin and VAS2870 as NADPH oxidase inhibitors and rotenone as mitochondrial inhibitor were applied in combination with insulin and all of them led to a reduction of the genomic damage. Investigation of the signaling pathway started by evaluation of the binding of insulin to its receptor and to the IGF-1 receptor. The results showed the involvement of both receptors in the signaling mechanism. Following the activation of both receptors, PI3K activation occurs leading to phosphorylation of AKT which in turn activates two pathways for ROS production, the first related to mitochondria and the second through activation of Rac1 , resulting in the activation of Nox1. Both pathways could be activated through AKT or through the mitochondrial ROS which in turn could activates Nox1. Studying another human colon cancer cell line, Caco-2 and rat primary colon cells in vitro confirmed the effect of insulin on cellular chromatin. We conclude that pathophysiological levels of insulin can cause DNA damage in colon cells, which may contribute to the induction or progression of colon cancer. Second, in kidney cells, insulin at a concentration of 5 nM caused a significant increase in DNA damage in vitro. This was associated with the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In the presence of antioxidants, blockers of the insulin and IGF-1 receptors, and a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K) inhibitor, the insulin mediated DNA damage was reduced. Phosphorylation of AKT was increased and p53 accumulated. Inhibition of the mitochondrial and NADPH oxidase related ROS production reduced the insulin mediated damage. In primary rat cells insulin also induced genomic damage. HK2 cells were used to investigate the mechanistic pathway in the kidney The signaling is identical to the one in the colon cells untill the activation of the mitochondrial ROS production, because after the activation of PI3K activation of Nox4 occurs at the same time across talk between mitochondria and Nox4 activation has been suggested and might play a role in the observed effects. In the in vivo model, kidneys from healthy, lean ZDF rats, which were infused with insulin to yield normal or high blood insulin levels, while keeping blood glucose levels constant, the amounts of ROS and p53 were elevated in the high insulin group compared to the control level group. ROS and p53 were also elevated in diabetic obese ZDF rats. The treatment of the diabetic rats with metformin reduced the DNA oxidation measured as 8-oxodG as well as the ROS production in that group. HL60 the human premyelocytic cells and cultured lymphocytes as models for the hemopoietic system cells showed a significant induction for DNA damage upon treatment with insulin. The diabetic patients also exhibited an increase in the micronucleus formation over the healthy individuals. In the present study, we showed for the first time that insulin induced oxidative stress resulting in genomic damage in different tissues, and that the source of the produced ROS differs between the tissues. If the same mechanisms are active in patients, hyperinsulinemia might cause genomic damage through the induction of ROS contributing to the increased cancer risk, against which the use of antioxidants as well as mitochondrial and NADPH oxidase inhibitors might exert protective effects with cancer preventive potential under certain conditions. Normal healthy human plasma insulin concentrations are in the order of 0.04 nM after overnight fasting and increase to less than about 0.2 nM after a meal. Pathophysiological levels can reach 1 nM and can stay above 0.2 nM for the majority of the daytime yielding condictions close to the insulin concentrations determined in the present study. Whether the observed effects also occur in vivo and whether they actually initiate or promote tumor formation remains to be determined. However, if proof of that can be obtained, our experiments with inhibitors indicate chances for pharmacological intervention applying antioxidants or enzyme inhibitors. It will not be the aim to reduce ROS in any case or as much as possible because ROS have now been recognized as important signaling molecules and participatants in immune defense, but a reduction to physiological levels instead of pathophysiological levels in the context of a disease associated with ROS overproduction might be beneficial.