Refine
Has Fulltext
- yes (37)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (37)
Year of publication
- 2002 (37) (remove)
Document Type
- Doctoral Thesis (37) (remove)
Language
- English (37) (remove)
Keywords
- Nahrungserwerb (4)
- Drosophila (3)
- Fortpflanzungsverhalten (3)
- Taufliege (3)
- Bienen <Familie> (2)
- Homogener Raum (2)
- Infrarot-Spektroskopie (2)
- Kohomologie (2)
- Kommunikation (2)
- Pheromon (2)
Institute
- Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften (20)
- Institut für Mathematik (3)
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie (3)
- Julius-von-Sachs-Institut für Biowissenschaften (3)
- Institut für Anorganische Chemie (2)
- Institut für Geologie (1)
- Institut für Humangenetik (1)
- Institut für Informatik (1)
- Institut für Paläontologie (1)
- Institut für Pharmazie und Lebensmittelchemie (1)
In the experiments presented in this work, third-order, time-resolved spectroscopy was applied to the disentanglement of nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom in polyatomic molecules. The motivation for approaching this problem was given by the decisive role that the coupling of nuclear and electronic dynamics plays in the mechanism of photochemical reactions and photobiological processes. In order to approach this complex problem, different strategies within the framework of time-resolved, four-wave mixing spectroscopy were developed that allowed for the dynamic as well as the energetic aspects of vibronic coupling in non-radiative transitions of polyatomic molecules to be addressed. This was achieved by utilizing the influence of optical as well as Raman resonances on four-wave mixing processes. These resonance effects on third-order, optical processes allow for a high selectivity to be attained with respect to the interrogation of specific aspects of molecular dynamics. The development of different strategies within the framework of time-resolved, four-wave mixing spectroscopy for addressing the problem of vibronic coupling began with the experiments on gaseous iodine. This simple, well investigated molecular system was chosen in order to unambiguously characterize the effect of Raman resonances on four-wave mixing processes. A time-resolved degenerative four-wave mixing (DFWM) experiment was carried out on gaseous iodine that allowed for the dynamics of coherent Stokes Raman scattering (CSRS) as well as a coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) to be observed parallel to the dynamics of a DFWM process at different spectral positions of the FWM signal. Here, the state-selectivity of these different FWM processes manifests itself in the vibrational wave packet dynamics on different electronic potentials of iodine. It could be shown that Raman resonances determine the selectivity with which these FWM processes prepare and interrogate nuclear dynamics in different electronic states. With the insight gained into the relevance of Raman resonant processes in FWM spectroscopy, an experimental scheme was devised that utilizes this effect to selectively interrogate the dynamics of a specific vibrational mode within a polyatomic molecule during a radiationless electronic transition. Here, a CARS process was employed to selectively probe specific vibrational modes of a molecular system by variably tuning the energy difference between the lasers involved in the CARS process to be in Raman resonance with the vibrational energy spacing of a particular vibrational mode. Using this aspect of a tunable resonance enhancement within a CARS scheme, this optical process was incorporated in a time-resolved pump-probe experiment as a mode-selective probe mechanism. This type of experimental configuration, that employs four pulsed laser fields, was classified as a pump-CARS scheme. Here, a laser pulse independent of the CARS process initiates the molecular dynamics that are interrogated selectively with respect to the vibrational mode of the system through the simultaneous interaction of the three pulsed fields involved in the CARS process. Time-resolution on a femtosecond timescale is achieved by introducing a time delay between the independent pump laser and the laser pulses of the CARS process. The experimental configuration of a pump-CARS scheme was applied to the study of the nuclear dynamics involved in the radiationless electronic transition between the first excited singlet state (S1) and the electronic ground state (S0) of all-trans-b-carotene. The mode-selective CARS probe allowed for the characteristic timescale with which specific vibrational modes are repopulated in the S0 state to be determined. From the varying repopulation times of specific vibrational modes, a mechanism with which the full set of vibrational states of the S0 potential are repopulated subsequent to the internal conversion process could be postulated. Most importantly, the form of nuclear motion that primarily funnels the population between the two electronic states could be identified as the C=C symmetric symmetric stretch mode in the polyene backbone of b-carotene. With this, the reaction coordinate of this radiationless electronic transition could be identified. The experiment shows, that the CARS probe is capable of determining the nuclear motion coupled to a radiationless electronic transition in complex polyatomic systems. The S1/S0 internal conversion process in b-carotene was further investigated with time-resolved transient gratings. Here, the energetic aspects of a non-adiabatic transition was addressed by determining the influence of the vibrational energy on the rate of this internal conversion. In order to compare the rate of internal conversion taking place out of vibrational ground state modes versus this transition initiating out of vibrationally hot modes, the strategy of shifting the probe mechanism in the transient grating scheme to spectral positions within and out of the red flank of the S1 absorption profile was pursued. The interrogation of different vibrational states was verified by determining the degree of vibrational cooling, taking place parallel to the internal conversion process. With this strategy, it could be shown that vibrationally hot states contribute to the internal conversion with a higher rate than vibrational ground state modes. In summary, different third-order, optical processes in the framework of time-resolved FWM were applied to the study of non-adiabatic dynamics in polyatomic molecules. By utilizing the effect of optical as well as Raman resonances on different FWM processes, it could be shown that third-order, time-resolved spectroscopy is a powerful tool for gaining insight into complex molecular dynamics such as vibronic coupling. The experiments presented in this work showed that the CARS process, as a mode-selective probe in time-resolved experiments, is capable of disentangling nuclear and electronic dynamics.
Different transgenes that can be expressed in neurons to kill or block them were compared. Tetanus neurotoxin blocked chemical synapses very efficiently. Synapses consisting of a chemical and an electrical component were blocked more reliably by expressing a human inwardly rectifying potassium channel. To gain temporal control over neuronal function, three genetic tools have been investigated. None of the systems is without drawbacks, however, the recombination induced tetanus neurotoxin expression is a promising approach. The knowledge gained from the comparative methodological study was used to investigate the role of neurons in sensory systems in processing different sensory informations. Receptor neurons sensitive for chemical or mechanical stimuli were correlated to specific olfactory behaviors or locomotor tasks. The main topic of this thesis is the much discussed question of which neurons are involved in motion processing in the visual system of flies. Neither L2 nor L4 neurons in the first visual neuropil are essential for motion-detection. The results indicate that maybe motion is detected by the network of amacrine cells (a). The vertical motion-sensitive VS cells in the lobula plate are not necessary for behavioral responses to vertical motion. This finding implies that the lack of VS cells in the structural mutant optomotor blind is not causally related to the altered responses to motion stimuli. Other abnormalities in optomotor blind are responsible for this behavioral phenotype. This work shows the potential of the described methods in studying information processing in the Drosophila brain. Groups of neurons were correlated to complex behavioral responses and theories about information processing were tested by behavioral experiments with transgenic flies. The refinement of the genetic tools to interfere with neuronal function will make the Drosophila brain an even better model to study information processing in nervous systems.
The Upper Cretaceous Ajlun Group (Cenomanian-Turonian) of southern/south-eastern Jordan has been analysed in 15 detailed sections with thicknesses between 40 m and 200 m. Taxonomic, palaeoecological, taphonomic, and sedimentological aspects were taken into account. During the early Upper Cretaceous the study area was situated at the south-eastern margin of the Tethys Ocean, between the palaeo-shoreline in the south-east and an offshore carbonate platform in the west. Thus, the measured sections include a complete facies succession from terrestrial-dominated environments via marginal marine siliciclastics to an area of carbonate precipitation. So far, very little is known about the fauna and the depositional environment of the group, especially of the transitional marginal marine part. Also, in depth studies of the Cretaceous fauna of southern Jordan are very rare. Therefore, the benthic fauna of the area is described in an extensive taxonomic chapter. It consists of 117 taxa, 77 of which are bivalves, 22 gastropods, 9 echinoids, and 4 corals. The phyla Porifera, Bryozoa, and Brachiopoda are represented by 1 species each. Additionally, at least two species of decapod crustaceans were found. One bivalve species is new: Anthonya jordanica from Cenomanian claystones of the eastern study area. 41 quantitative samples of the benthic invertebrate fauna were grouped into nine associations and three assemblages by means of a Q-mode cluster analysis. These are described as remnants of former communities and their environments are discussed. Salinity and substrate consistency are assumed to have been the most important environmental parameters controlling the faunal distribution. The overall palaeo-environment is discussed on the basis of sedimentological and palaeoecological results. It was primarily influenced by the morphology of the sea floor, sediment supply, and salinity of the sea water.
Originally renowned for their spectacular epigaeic raids, army ants have captured scientific attention for almost two centuries. They now belong to one of the best studied group of ants. However, most of our knowledge about army ants was derived from the study of the minority of specialized, epigaeicly active species. These species evolved probably rather recently from hypogaeic ancestors. The majority of army ant species still leads a hypogaeic life and is almost completely unknown in its entire sociobiology. It thus remained speculative, whether the assumed 'general' characteristics of army ants represent an adaptation to epigaeic activity or apply also to the majority of hypogaeic species. Based on the recent observation that the hypogaeic Asian army ant Dorylus (Dichthadia) laevigatus recruits predictably to palm oil baits, I developed and tested an oil-baiting method for the study of hypogaeic (army)ants. Prior to my study, nothing was known about the sociobiology of the assumed rare D. laevigatus. Throughout my work, I showed D. laevigatus to be very common and abundant in a wide range of habitats in West-Malaysia and on Borneo. Investigating its foraging behavior, I revealed D. laevigatus to differ from epigaeicly active species in several ways. Never demonstrated for any of the epigaeic species, D. laevigatus established stable trunk trail systems. Such a trail system contradicted the perception of army ant foraging, which was believed to be characterized by raids with constantly alternating trail directions. The trunk trail system further enabled a near omnipresence of D. laevigatus within its foraging area, which was also believed to be atypical for an army ant. Raids differed in structure and composition of participating workers from those of epigaeic species. Also, bulky food sources could be exploited over long periods of time. The foraging system of D. laevigatus resembled in several ways that of e.g. leaf-cutter and harvester ants. Likewise contrary to the assumptions, D. laevigatus had a wide food spectrum and showed only little effect on local arthropod communities, even falling itself prey to other ants. Strong aggressive behavior was observed only towards ant species with similar lifestyles, enabling me to provide the first detailed documentation of interspecific fights between two sympatric Dorylus species. Similar to foraging habits or ecological impact, nothing was known about colony size and composition, nesting habits, or worker polymorphism for D. laevigatus or any other hypogaeic Dorylus species prior to my work. By observing and eventually excavating a colony, I showed D. laevigatus to have a much smaller colony size and to lack the large sized workers of epigaeic Dorylus species. Similar to epigaeic Dorylinae, I showed D. laevigatus to have a non-phasic brood production, to emigrate rarely, and to alter its nest form along with habitat conditions. Detailed morphological and geographical descriptions give an impression of the Asian Dorylus species and are expected to aid other researchers in the difficult species identification. The genetic analysis of a male collected at a light trap demonstrated its relation to D. laevigatus. Confirming the male and queen associations, D. laevigatus is now one of five Dorylus species (out of a total of 61), for which all castes are known. In cooperation with D. Kistner, I provide a morphological and taxonomical description of nine Coleopteran beetles associated with D. laevigatus. Behavioral observations indicated the degree of their integration into the colony. The taxonomic position of the beetles further indicated that D. laevigatus emigrated from Africa to Asia, and was accompanied by the majority of associated beetles. The diversity of D. laevigatus guests, which included a number of unidentified mites, was rather low compared to that of epigaeic species. Overall, I demonstrated the developed baiting containers to effectively enable the study of hypogaeic ants. I showed several other hypogaeic ant species to be undersampled by other methods. Furthermore, the method enabled me to documented a second hypogaeic Dorylus species on Borneo. A detailed description of this species' morphology, ecology, and interactions with D. laevigatus is provided. My study indicated D. laevigatus to be an ecologically important species, able to influence soil structure and organisms of tropical regions in many ways. Relating the observed traits of D. laevigatus to epigaeicly active species, I conclude that our assumption of 'general' army ant behavior is erroneous in several aspects and needs to be changed. The oil-baiting method finally provides a tool enabling the location and study of hypogaeic (army)ant species. This opens a broad field for future studies on this cryptic but nonetheless important group of ants.
The number of males in animal groups is an essential determinant of male and female reproductive strategies. Females may benefit from living with several males, whereas males generally strive to monopolize a group of females. Due to male intrasexual competition, the sex ratio of groups of anthropoid primates is generally female-biased. Gregarious Malagasy lemurs deviate from theoretical expectations derived from sexual selection theory and from patterns found among anthropoids because they live in relatively small groups with an even or male-biased adult sex ratio and lack sexual dimorphism. The aim of this thesis was to investigate sex-specific reproductive strategies relating to the unusual group composition of redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus) by combining behavioral, demographic and endocrinological data. In the first of a set of four studies I investigated the applicability of non-invasive endocrine measurements for monitoring ovarian function in wild redfronted lemur females in order to evaluate the degree of estrus synchrony. Further, I tested the prediction that males living in multi-male groups rely on indirect mechanisms of intrasexual competition, such as physiological suppression of testicular function. Several possible benefits gained from living with many males have been proposed and the hypothesis that additional males improve social thermoregulation was tested in the third study. Finally, I examined the proximate determinants of the unusual sex ratio within groups, the variation in the adult sex ratio as well as possible social benefits of the high number of males for both sexes. The study was conducted in Kirindy Forest, Madagascar, between April 1999 and July 2000. I recorded >3000 hours of focal animal data on social and sexual behavior of all adult members of five groups. Additionally, >2200 fecal samples of males and females were collected for subsequent hormone analysis using enzymeimmunoassay (EIA). Further, I analyzed demographic data from seven Eulemur fulvus rufus groups collected between 1996 and 2002. The analyses of fecal estrogen and progestogen excretion in wild and captive females revealed that monitoring ovarian function is principally possible in redfronted lemurs, as demonstrated by the analysis of samples from captive females. Characterization of ovarian cycles in wild females, however, was not possible, because of a high day-to-day variability in excreted hormones. Nevertheless, the study provided reliable information on gestation and cycle length as well as endocrine changes associated with gestation. Additionally, I established a method for prenatal sex determination using maternal fecal samples collected during late gestation. The excretion pattern of androgens in samples of males revealed no differences between dominant and subordinate males, indicating that dominant males did not suppress the endocrine function of subordinate rivals. High frequencies of matings in combination with large testes size suggest that male reproductive competition relies at least partly on sperm competition. Females did not benefit from the high number of males in their groups in terms of improved thermoregulation because surplus males did not participate frequently in huddling groups with females. Analysis of the demographic data revealed that birth and mortality rates were not sex-biased and that males migrated considerably more frequently than females, providing no proximate explanation for the unusual sex ratio. Females in this study may proximately regulate group composition by synchronizing their fertile periods, which were inferred indirectly from the temporal distribution of births within groups. Both males and females benefit from the high number of co-resident males because reduced male group size seemed to be the main predictor of take-over rate, and thus, infanticide risk. The results of these studies suggest that certain life history traits (fast maturation, short inter-birth intervals) may ultimately determine the high number of males and the lack of single-male groups seen in redfronted lemurs. An accelerated male life history may facilitate joint group transfers and take-overs of male coalitions without a transitional time outside bisexual groups. Because males and females both benefit from a high number of males the conflict of interests between the sexes is considerably defused.
Living apart together
(2002)
Cohesiveness between members of a social unit is a defining characteristic of animal social organization. Dispersed social organizations, where members of a social unit spend the main part of their activity period apart, have only recently been distinguished from cohesive social organizations and are still poorly understood with respect to their ecological basis and reproductive consequences. The general goal of this dissertation was to study the three components of the social system of fork-marked lemurs (Phaner furcifer), a small nocturnal primate from Madagascar living in dispersed pairs. First, I characterise their social organization, focusing on behavioural mechanisms of cohesion between pair partners. Second, through application of van Schaik's ecological model, I investigate predictions about the ecological basis of female intra-sexual avoidance, male-female social relationships and the determinants of differential female reproductive success. Finally, I analyse behavioural and genetic aspects of the mating system to test a recent hypothesis that proposes high extra-pair paternity in dispersed primate pairs resulting from constraints on male mate guarding. The study was conducted in Kirindy Forest in Madagascar between September 1998 and April 2001 during three field seasons for a total of 20 months. During more than 1400 hours of focal animal protocols, I sampled year-round data on space use, feeding ecology, time budgets, and social behaviour of all adults and three subadults of 8 families, complemented by simultaneous focal follows of both pair partners, year-round information on sleeping site use, measures on food abundance in each territory, morphological measurements, and DNA-microsatellite data for seven newly discovered polymorphic loci. Across eight social units and three breeding seasons, pairs were the prevailing grouping pattern (18 of 21 family years). Most pairs were stable for more than three mating seasons and used well defined stable territories. Although both pair partners used the same territory in a fairly similar fashion, average distance between pair partners was 100m, which was far considering that many territories measure only 200m in diameter. Pair partners spent only about 20% of activity time in less than 25m distance of each other and shared a sleeping site on average only every third day. Females were found to be dominant over their partner as well as over neighbouring males in all behavioural contexts. Most important food resources were exudates of a small number of tree species. Major food resources were distributed in small, defendable patches characterized by fast depletion and rapid renewal. In accordance with the ecological model, this led to strong within-group contest and scramble competition and weak between-group contest competition over food, as indicated by a positive dominance effect and a negative group size effect on female physical condition. Female reproductive success was determined mainly by family size. Paternity likelihood and exclusion analyses revealed that four out of seven offspring were most likely sired by an extra-pair male. Behaviour during the mating season implied that females as well as males take an active part in obtaining extra-pair copulations and that males try to guard their mates. Dispersed social organization in itself, i.e. low cohesion between pair partners, cannot explain high extra-pair paternity. I propose instead that several other factors common to most primates living in dispersed pairs constrain mate guarding and lead to high EPP. The ecological settings determine the mode of food competition and have shaped the social system of fork-marked lemurs in several ways. Intense within-group competition for food may have ultimately led to female intra-sexual avoidance and range exclusivity which represents an evolutionary precursor of pair-living. Although it remains elusive why females ultimately associated with single males, patterns of within-group contest competition for food explain why pair partners avoid each other during nocturnal activity. The limited number of food resources that is used in repetitive fashion and incomplete knowledge about the pair partners position explain why pair partners meet relatively often and why most encounters involve agonistic conflict. Rigid feeding itineraries characteristic of exudate feeders are likely to pose high costs to offspring dispersing to unfamiliar areas. Feeding ecology can, therefore, explain why parents tolerate delayed natal dispersal despite a negative effect on actual female reproductive success. In conclusion, the present study successfully applied existing socio-ecological theory to a new area of research, refined a recent evolutionary model and contributed important comparative data to our understanding of dispersed pairs in particular and primate and animal societies in general.
In my Ph.D. thesis "On the geometry and parametrization of almost invariant subspaces and observer theory" I consider the set of almost conditioned invariant subspaces of fixed dimension for a given fixed linear finite-dimensional time-invariant observable control system in state space form. Almost conditioned invariant subspaces were introduced by Willems. They generalize the concept of a conditioned invariant subspace requiring the invariance condition to hold only up to an arbitrarily small deviation in the metric of the state space. One of the goals of the theory of almost conditioned invariant subspaces was to identify the subspaces appearing as limits of sequences of conditioned invariant subspaces. An example due to {\"O}zveren, Verghese and Willsky, however, shows that the set of almost conditioned invariant subspaces is not big enough. I address this question in a joint paper with Helmke and Fuhrmann (Towards a compactification of the set of conditioned invariant subspaces, Systems and Control Letters, 48(2):101-111, 2003). Antoulas derived a description of conditioned invariant subspaces as kernels of permuted and truncated reachability matrices of controllable pairs of the appropriate size. This description was used by Helmke and Fuhrmann to construct a diffeomorphism from the set of similarity classes of certain controllable pairs onto the set of tight conditioned invariant subspaces. In my thesis I generalize this result to almost conditioned invariant subspaces describing them in terms of restricted system equivalence classes of controllable triples. Furthermore, I identify the controllable pairs appearing in the kernel representations of conditioned invariant subspaces as being induced by corestrictions of the original system to the subspace. Conditioned invariant subspaces are known to be closely related to partial observers. In fact, a tracking observer for a linear function of the state of the observed system exists if and only if the kernel of that function is conditioned invariant. In my thesis I show that the system matrices of the observers are in fact the corestrictions of the observed system to the kernels of the observed functions. They in turn are closely related to partial realizations. Exploring this connection further, I prove that the set of tracking observer parameters of fixed size, i.e. tracking observers of fixed order together with the functions they are tracking, is a smooth manifold. Furthermore, I construct a vector bundle structure for the set of conditioned invariant subspaces of fixed dimension together with their friends, i.e. the output injections making the subspaces invariant, over that manifold. Willems and Trentelman generalized the concept of a tracking observer by including derivatives of the output of the observed system in the observer equations (PID-observers). They showed that a PID-observer for a linear function of the state of the observed system exists if and only if the kernel of that function is almost conditioned invariant. In my thesis I replace PID-observers by singular systems, which has the advantage that the system matrices of the observers coincide with the matrices appearing in the kernel representations of the subspaces. In a second approach to the parametrization of conditioned invariant subspaces Hinrichsen, M{\"u}nzner and Pr{\"a}tzel-Wolters, Fuhrmann and Helmke and Ferrer, F. Puerta, X. Puerta and Zaballa derived a description of conditioned invariant subspaces in terms of images of block Toeplitz type matrices. They used this description to construct a stratification of the set of conditioned invariant subspaces of fixed dimension into smooth manifolds. These so called Brunovsky strata consist of all the subspaces with fixed restriction indices. They constructed a cell decomposition of the Brunovsky strata into so called Kronecker cells. In my thesis I show that in the tight case this cell decomposition is induced by a Bruhat decomposition of a generalized flag manifold. I identify the adherence order of the cell decomposition as being induced by the reverse Bruhat order.
Clinical evaluation of novel methods to determine dialysis parameters using conductivity cells
(2002)
Eine die letzten beiden Jahrzehnte anhaltende Diskussion über die erforderliche Dosis Dialyse, die ein Patient benötigt, ergab, daß der Harnstoff-basierte Kt/V-Wert signifikant mit der Morbidität von ‚end stage renal deasease' (ESRD)- Patienten korreliert. Wenn auch nicht vollständig akzeptiert, so scheint es doch zunehmende Übereinkunft zwischen Nephrologen, daß eine angemessene Dialysebehandlung von Patienten ohne Restdiurese im Rahmen eines 3x4 Stunden pro Woche- Schemas mindestens einen Kt/V-Wert von 1.2 bis 1.3 ergeben sollte, um auf lange Sicht die Lebensqualität zu sichern und die Morbidität und Mortalität niedrig zu halten. K ist die vom Dialysesystem erbrachte Clearance, t die Behandlungszeit und V das Harnstoff-Verteilungsvolumen, welches dem Gesamt-Körperwasser nahezu gleicht. Kt/V wird in der Dosiseinheit (ml Medikament pro ml Körperwasser) ausgedrückt und daher auch häufig als Dialyse-‚Dosis' bezeichnet, auch wenn darüber wegen der Zusammenfassung in nur einer Harnstoff-korrelierten Zahl konträr diskutiert wird. Diese Arbeit besitzt eine eher technische Prämisse und möchte sich nicht an dieser Diskussion beteiligen. Sie möchte dem interessierten Nephrologen lediglich eine patientenfreundliche, präzise, kostenneutrale und leicht zu handhabende technische Lösung an die Hand geben, um kontinuierlich die in Kt/V ausgedrückte Dialysedosis zu überwachen. Natürlich ist damit auch die Hoffnung verbunden, daß die Langzeit-Sterblichkeit verringert werden kann, wenn eine flächendeckende, zeitnahe Erfolgskontrolle der Dialyse ermöglicht wird. Die gewählte technische Lösung basiert auf der Äquivalenz der Diffusionskoeffizienten von gelöstem Harnstoff und Natriumchlorid. Es ist das zentrale Anliegen dieser Studie, festzustellen, ob das Diffusionsverhalten von NaCl und Harnstoff beim Durchtritt durch die Membran des Dialysefilters gleich ist. Der entscheidende Vorteil, der das Verfahren so leicht handhabbar macht, besteht darin, daß NaCl-Konzentrationen sehr genau durch die ohnehin in großer Zahl in Dialysegeräten verwendeten Leitfähigkeitsmeßzellen bestimmt werden können. Um die NaCl-Massenbilanz über den Dialysefilter zu bestimmen, benötigt man lediglich eine weitere Meßzelle, die stromab des Filters zu installieren ist. Die Messung von Harnstoff, die indirekt über die enzymatische Zerlegung in Ammonium-Ionen und das anschließende Erzeugen eines hoch zu verstärkenden elektrischen Potentials an einer Membran geschieht, ist komplizierter. Zudem ist eine geschlossene Kühlkette für das Enzym sicher zu stellen. Um eine leitfähigkeitsbasierte technische Lösung abzusichern, wurden zwei klinische Studien durchgeführt. In der ersten Studie wurde die Leitfähigkeit in Form von konstanten Stufenprofilen variiert. Sie wurde ausgehend von der Grundlinie für 7 min erhöht und anschließend für 7 min erniedrigt. Das Prinzip einer solchen Messung wurde erstmals 1982 in einer Patentschrift beschrieben. In einer Sequenz von 494 solchen Messungen in 206 automatisch aufgezeichneten Dialysesitzungen an 22 Patienten wurde gefunden, daß sich die Harnstoff- Clearance elektrolytisch mit einer Genauigkeit von -1.46+/-4.75% (Fehler+/-Standardabweichung) messen ließ. Die Messung von Kt/V gemäß dem Ein-Kompartment-Modell ergab eine ähnliche Genauigkeit von 2.88+/-4.15%. Obgleich diese Ergebnisse in Übereinstimmung mit anderen Studien stehen, wurde ein Effekt bemerkt, der nicht in Einklang mit der zunächst bestehenden Theorie zu bringen war. Dieser Effekt besteht darin, daß die Genauigkeit der elektrolytischen Clearancemessung vom beim Patienten vorhandenen Harnstoff-Verteilungsvolumen abhängig war. Weiter war es nicht bedeutungslos, welchen Teil des dreiteiligen Stufenprofils man zur Auswertung heranzog: Den Grundlinie-Hoch- Übergang, den von der Grundlinie zum Niedrig-Nieveau oder den Hoch-Niedrig- Übergang. Dies deutete auf einen Mangel an theoretischem Verständnis hin. Eine genaue weitere Untersuchung führte zu dem Ergebnis, daß unerwünschter NaCl-Transfer vom und zum Patienten die Ursache für die Abhängigkeit vom Verteilungsvolumen war. Es wurde daraufhin die Theorie dahingehend erweitert, daß dieser Effekt korrekt und plausibel beschrieben werden konnte. Aus dieser Erweiterung ergab sich die neue Forderung, den NaCl-Transfer bei der Messung weitestgehend zu minimieren. Die Benutzung von Stufenprofilen stellte hier jedoch an sich eine Limitierung dar, da in der zum Einnehmen eines stabilen Zustandes erforderlichen Zeit zuviel NaCl über die Membran transferiert wurde. Die Konsequenz war, von den Stufenprofilen auf kurze, dynamische Leitfähigkeitsboli überzugehen, die erlaubten, die NaCl-Gabe auf das Maß zu verringern, welches aufgrund der technischen Auflösung erforderlich war. Hierzu mußten jedoch die notwendigen mathematischen Algorithmen neu zugeschnitten werden. Nach diesem Schritt wurde eine weitere klinische Studie gestartet, die den Zweck verfolgte, das neue Verfahren am Patienten zu verifizieren. In dieser Studie mit 10 Patienten und 93 Dialysesitzungen, 264 Stufenprofil- und 173 Bolus-Dialysancemesssungen wurde gefunden, daß die Bolus-Messungen ihre zugehörigen blutseitigen Referenzmessungen mit außergewöhnlicher Genauigkeit von 0.06+/-4.76% trafen. Student's t-Test für gepaarte Daten ergab, daß sich die Datensätze nicht signifikant unterschieden (p=0.87). Die blutseitige Kt/V-Referenz auf der Basis des equilibrierten Einkompartment-Modells mit variablem Volumen wurde mit 5.32+/-3.9% getroffen, wobei eine Korrelation von 0.98 erzielt wurde. Die verbleibende Differenz von 5.32% wird der Vernachlässigung der Harnstoff-Erzeugung während der Messung zugeschrieben. Auch das Stufenprofil zeigte trotz seiner Abhängigkeit vom Verteilungsvolumen gegenüber dem gleichen Modell einen mittleren Fehler von 0.05+/-5% bei einer Korrelation von 0.96. Jedoch konnte es die Vernachlässigung der Harnstoff-Erzeugung nicht korrekt abbilden. Die kontinuierlich aufgenommenen Daten wurden auch nach dem 2-pool Modell untersucht, welches auch die Harnstoff-Erzeugung enthält sowie eine innere Kompartimentierung des Patienten annimmt und damit die tatsächlichen Verhältnisse besser beschreibt. Danach weicht das Bolus-Meßprinzip -3.04+/-14.3% von der Referenz ab (n.s.,p=0.13). Die relativ hohe Standardabweichung wird mit der Komplexität des Modells erklärt. Weiter ist aus der Theorie zum Na-Transfer eine vereinfachende Methode zur Messung des Na-Verteilungsvolumens abgeleitet worden. Diese Methode wurde in-vitro gegen ein Behältnis mit einer bekannten Menge an Dialysat geprüft. Es wurde ein mittlerer Fehler von -19.9+/-34% gefunden. Die Korrelation war 0.92 (n.s., p=0.916). Die gleiche Prüfung fand in-vivo gegen das Harnstoff-Verteilungsvolumen statt und ergab einen mittleren Fehler von -7.4+/-23.2% (r=0.71, n.s., p=0.39). Es hat den Anschein, als würden sich gemäß der Theorie der Dilution die Verteilungsvolumina für Natrium und für Harnstoff scheinbar nur wenig unterscheiden, obwohl sie sich absolut natürlich deutlich unterscheiden. In Anbetracht der erheblichen Vereinfachungen, die bei der Ableitung dieses Ansatzes gemacht wurden, scheint es ausgesprochen ermutigend, auf diesem Weg möglicherweise ein Verfahren entwickeln zu können, welches auf rein elektrolytischem Wege nun nicht mehr nur K, sondern auch V und damit alle zur Quantifizierung gesuchten Größen analytisch ermitteln kann. Weiter wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit anhand der analytisch ermittelten Volumina verglichen, ob man mit Hilfe anthropometrischer Formeln zur Ermittlung des Harnstoff-Verteilungsvolumens zu einer guten Abschätzung kommen kann. Es wurde gefunden, daß man das Ergebnis der Watson-Formel um ca. 13% vermindern kann und dann zu einem recht guten Wert für das tatsächliche Harnstoff-Verteilungsvolumen gelangt. Dies ist jedoch mit Vorsicht und Erfahrung zu tun, da sich damit Kt/V rechnerisch zum Nachteil des Patienten verändert. Auch ein elektrolytisches Verfahren mit empirischen Komponenten zur Ermittlung des Plasma-Natriums des Patienten wurde erprobt und konnte mit einer Genauigkeit von 4.3+/-1.2% den Laborwert vorhersagen. Zusammenfassend kann gesagt werden, daß sich im Rahmen dieser Arbeit die leitfähigkeitsbasierten Methoden zur Messung von einigen wichtigen Dialyseparametern als sehr nützlich für die klinische Praxis erwiesen haben und zudem mit keinem Zusatzaufwand für die Beteiligten verbunden sind. Das Ergebnis dieser Arbeit ist mittlerweile in größeren Stückzahlen in frei erhältliche Dialysegeräte implementiert worden. Die Erfahrung der ersten Zeit zeigt, daß das verwendete Prinzip von den Klinikern gut angenommen wird.
Density arrested AKR-2B cells die rapidly in response to serum starvation or treatment by Anisomycin. Cell death is associated with typical hallmarks of apoptosis including membrane blebbing and chromatin condensation but lacks energy dissipation in mitochondria and intranucleosomal fragmentation. During apoptosis a considerable DEVDase activity has been detected which seemed to be represented by a single enzyme. This enzyme had typical effector caspase characteristics, like caspase-3, but exhibited an unusual high KM values of ~100 µM and its large subunit exhibited a molecular weight of 19 kDa, instead of expected 17 kDa. In the present study, this enzyme was identified to be caspase-3 with the help of the generation of recombinant mcaspase-3 protein. N-terminal sequencing of the recombinant mcaspase-3 protein revealed that its prodomain cleavage site differs from that in the human homologue (Asp-9 instead of Asp-28). Thus the large subunit of active caspase-3 was found to be 19 kDa. Furthermore the KM value of recombinant mcaspase-3 was ~100 µM in perfect agreement with that found in cell extracts. Affinity labeling in combination with 2D-GE confirmed that indeed caspase-3 is activated as the main executioner in AKR-2B cells during apoptosis. Since the receptor mediated pathway has already been excluded previously [129], a possible involvement of mitochondria mediated pathway in the activation of caspase-3 was examined. Gel filtration experiments revealed that caspase-3 is mainly eluted as free enzyme and in lower levels within the differently sized high molecular weight complexes of ~600 kDa and 250 kDa in response to serum starvation or Anisomycin treatment. Though the apparent molecular weight of the complexes containing caspase-3 are in accordance with recently published data, they were devoid of Apaf-1 and caspase-9. Apparently, mitochondria mediated pathway is also not involved since neither formation of high molecular weight complexes of Apaf-1 nor cleavage of caspase-9 was observed. Thus, the activation of caspase-3 is caused by a noncanonical pathway during apoptosis. In addition a new 450 kDa complex containing activated caspase-6 was found in response to serum starvation which is clearly separated from caspase-3 containing complexes. Generally caspase-3 has been found to be responsible for most of the morphological changes during apoptosis. One of those is intranucleosomal fragmentation. Although caspase-3 was found to be the main executioner caspase in AKR-2B cells the lack of the intranucleosomal fragmentation led to examine its localization. As detected by overexpression of the Caspase-3-GFP fusion construct in AKR-2B, procaspase-3 was localized in the cytoplasm, wheras the active caspase-3 was mainly found in the membrane blebs and partially in the cytoplasm. Clearly no nuclear localization of active caspase-3 was detected. These data gave first hints on the mechanism of degradation of AKR-2B cells demonstrating that cytoplasmic membrane is the primary site of activation of caspase-3. The possible role of caspase-12 and ER stress mediated pathway of apoptosis was also examined in AKR-2B cells. Kinetic studies showed that caspase-12 is activated at the same time together with caspase-3 in response to serum starvation or Anisomycin treatment resulting in two cleavage products of 47 kDa and 35 kDa, respectively. It was therefore examined whether these two caspases were eluted in the same complexes. Gel filtration experiments revealed that caspase-12 is released as free enzyme during apoptosis. To date all the studies have identified that caspase-12 is specifically activated in response to ER stress. After serum starvation or Anisomycin addition there was no increase of the protein expression level of the chaperone protein Grp 78 which is known to be higly elevated in response to ER stress indicating that both treatments did not lead to ER stress. In contrast treatment with ER stressor substances i.e. Thapsigargin, A23187 (ionophore) induced an ER stress in AKR-2B which lead to unspecifically degradation of caspase-12. Thus it is unlikely that caspase-12 is activated in response to ER stress in AKR-2B cells. However, after the in vitro addition of recombinant caspase-3 to cytosolic extracts caspase-12 is cleaved into 47 kDa and 35 kDa fragments similiar to those observed in vivo. In conclusion the present data demostrated that caspase-12 is activated in AKR-2B cells during apoptosis triggered through pathways that do not involve (the) ER stress and provided evidence that caspase-3 might be involved in activation of caspase-12. Thus the present study in AKR-2B cells gives hints for the existence of additional pathways for apoptosis other than the classical ones.
Priority tasks of the present thesis were to generate various enantiopure C-3-substituted pyroglutamates as well as C-3-substituted glutamates, and furthermore to ameliorate the serious drawback of the bad atom-economy in the reaction sequence of previously published silylether-mediated procedures. To meet these requirements, the ortho ester functionality (OBO ester) developed by Corey was introduced. According to the plan of synthesis, the starting material, non-racemic (S)-pyroglutamic acid, was converted to the corresponding oxetane ester via a DCC-mediated esterification. The latter was N-protected to provide N-acceptor substituted pyroglutamic acid oxetane esters (Acceptor=Boc,Cbz,CO2Me). After rearrangement with boron trifluoride, the ortho ester derivatives (Acceptor=Cbz,CO2Me) were at hand and exclusively the N-Cbz derivative was converted to the corresponding alpha,beta-unsaturated lactam via a syn-elimination reaction. The formation of the C-3-substituted ortho ester compounds (R=methyl,ethyl,butyl,allyl,phenyl,4-chlorophenyl,biphenyl,naphthyl) was performed via a copper-mediated conjugate addition to the alpha,beta-enone system of the N-Cbz-alpha,beta-unsaturated lactam. The OBO functionality hence was envisaged to support perfect trans selectivity in this cuprate addition to the Michael system of the N-Cbz-alpha,beta-unsaturated lactam. Spectroscopic NMR-data, on the basis of 1H-, 13C- and DEPT spectra, proved the assumption that the C-3-substituted ortho ester derivatives exclusively are trans-configurated, i.e. the alkyl derivatives (R=methyl,ethyl,butyl,allyl) are (2S,3S)-configurated and the aryl derivatives (R=phenyl,4-chlorophenyl,biphenyl,naphthyl) are (2S,3R)-configurated). The C-3-substituted ortho ester derivatives were completely deprotected to yield the C-3-substituted pyroglutamates (R=ethyl,phenyl,4-chlorophenyl,naphthyl). Finally, ring opening reaction via route A-2 lead to the desired enantiopure C-3-substituted glutamates. Alternatively, latter preferably were reacted via route A-1 to yield the C-3-substituted glutamates (R=methyl,ethyl,butyl,phenyl,4-chlorophenyl,naphthyl). Their (2S,3R)-configuration (R=aryl) and (2S,3S)-configuration (R=alky), respectively, unambiguously was proved on the basis of available spectroscopic NMR-data. To ensure this assumption, diastereomeric (2S,3R)-3-methyl glutamic acid (i.e. cis-configurated) examplarily was synthesized via route A-3 and spectroscopic NMR-data was compared to that of (2S,3S)-3-methyl glutamic acid (i.e. trans-configurated). Conclusively, there can be recorded the fact that the serious drawback of the bad atom-economy in the reaction sequence previously used can be circumvented by the introduction of the OBO functionality, so the concept of an improved atom-economy is achieved. Additionally, in comparison to the silyl-ether-mediated synthesis, the OBO functionality provided crystalline ortho ester derivatives, which facilitated their purification as well as characterization.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in both men and women in the Western world. Earlier observations have pointed out that pre-menopausal women have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease than age-matched men, with an increase in risk after the onset of menopause. This observation has directed the attention to estrogen as a potential protective factor in the heart. So far the focus of research and clinical studies has been the vascular system, leaving the current knowledge on the role of estrogen in the myocardium itself rather scarce. Functional estrogen receptor-alpha as well as -beta have recently been identified in the myocardium, making the myocardium an estrogen target organ. The focus of this thesis was 1) to investigate the role of estrogen and estrogen receptors in modulating myocardial gene expression both in vivo in an animal model for cardiac hypertrophy (spontaneously hypertensive rats; SHR), as well as in vitro in isolated neonatal cardiomyocytes, 2) to investigate the mechanisms of the rapid induction of an estrogen target gene, the early growth response gene-1 (Egr-1) and 3) to initiate the search for novel estrogen target genes in the myocardium. 1) The effects of estrogen on the expression of one of the major myocardial specific contractile proteins, the alpha-myosin heavy chain (alpha-MHC) have been investigated. In ovarectomised animals treated either with 17beta-estradiol alone or in combination with a specific estrogen receptor antagonist, ICI 182780, it was shown that both alpha-MHC mRNA and protein were upregulated by estrogen in an estrogen receptor specific manner. The in vivo results were confirmed in vitro in isolated neonatal cardiomyocytes which showed that estrogen has a direct action on the myocardium potent enough to upregulate the expression of alpha-MHC. Furthermore it was shown that the alpha-MHC promoter is induced by estrogen in an estrogen receptor-dependent manner and first investigations into the mechanisms involved in this upregulation identified Egr-1 as a potential transcription factor which, upon induction by estrogen, drives the expression of the alpha-MHC promoter. 2) Previously it was shown that Egr-1 is rapidly induced by estrogen in an estrogen receptor-dependent manner which was mediated via 5 serum response elements (SREs) in the promoter region and surprisingly not via the estrogen response elements (EREs). In this study it was shown that estrogen-treatment of cardiomyocytes resulted in the recruitment of serum response factor (SRF), or an antigenically related protein, to the SREs in the Egr-1 promoter, which was specifically inhibited by the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182780. Transfection experiments showed that estrogen induced a heterologous promoter consisting only of 5 tandem repeats of the c-fos SRE in an ER-dependent manner, which identified SREs as promoter elements able to confer an estrogen response to target genes. 3) Potentially new target genes regulated by estrogen in vivo were analysed using hearts of ovarectomised animals as well as ovarectomised animals treated with estrogen. Analyses of cDNA microarray filters containing 1250 known genes identified 24 genes that were modified by estrogen in vivo. Among these genes, some might have potentially important functions in the heart and further analyses of these genes will create a more global picture of the role and function of estrogen in the myocardium. Taken together, the results showed that estrogen does have a direct action on the myocardium both by regulating the expression of myocardial specific genes in vivo, as well as exerting rapid non-nuclear effects in cardiac myocytes. It was shown that SREs in the promoter region of genes can confer an estrogen response to genes identifying SREs as important elements in regulation of genes by estrogen. Furthermore, 24 potentially new estrogen targets were identified in the myocardium, contributing to the general understanding of estrogen action in the myocardium.
The hematopoietic-specific Rho-family GTP exchange factor (GEF) Vav-1 is a regulator of lymphocyte antigen receptor signaling and mediates normal maturation and activation of B and T cells. Recent findings suggest that Vav-1 also forms part of signaling pathways required for natural and antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) of human NK cells. In this study, I show that Vav-1 is also expressed in murine NK cells. Vav-1-/- mice had normal numbers of splenic NK cells, and these displayed a similar expression profile of NK cell receptors as cells from wild type mice. Unexpectedly, IL-2-activated Vav-1-/- NK cells retained normal ADCC. Fc-receptor mediated activation of ERK, JNK, and p38 was also normal. In contrast, Vav-1-/- NK cells exhibited reduced natural cytotoxicity against EL4, C4.4.25, RMA and RMA/S. Together, these results demonstrate that Vav-1 is dispensable for mainstream NK cell development, but is required for NK cell natural cytotoxicity. Vav-2, a protein homologous to Vav-1 has also been implicated in NK cell functions. However, NK cells from Vav-2-/- mice have normal cytotoxic activities and NK cells that lack both Vav-1 and Vav-2 exhibit similar defect as Vav-1-/- cells. Thus Vav-2 has no apparent function in the development and the activation of NK cells. Although NK cell development is normal in Vav-1-/- mice, their numbers of NKT cells were dramatically diminished. Furthermore, NKT cells from Vav-1 mutant mice failed to produce IL-4 and IFNg following in vivo CD3 stimulation. A similar loss of NKT cells was observed in Vav-1-/-Vav-2-/- mice, but not in Vav-2-/- mice, suggesting that only Vav-1, and not Vav-2, is an essential regulator of NKT cell development and NK cell cytotoxicity. Similar to Vav-1, Lsc is a Rho GEF that is expressed specifically in the hematopoietic system. It contains a regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) domain which negatively regulates the Ga12 and Ga13 subunits of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). This study shows that NK and NKT cell development are normal in Lsc-/- mice. However, NK cells from mutant mice display enhanced cytotoxic responses towards a panel of tumor cells. These data implicate for the first time a RGS-containing Rho GEF in cytotoxic responses and suggest that Lsc down-modulate NK cell activation.
The Church is mandated by Jesus Christ to continue the mission for which he was sent into the world. The mission of Christ, which consists in “bringing the good news to the poor, proclaiming liberty to captives, restoring sight to the blind, setting the downtrodden free and the proclamation of the Lord’s year of favour” , remains the fundamental basis of the missionary and evangelising vocation of the Church. She has a message to proclaim and that message is the proclamation of making the kingdom of God present in the lives of the people. Through the ages the Church has responded to this command of the Lord to evangelise, using various methods according to different situations and times. Dialogue is a conditio sine qua non in the Church’s evangelisation. By con-voking the Second Vatican Council, Pope John gave special attention to the Church’s self-knowledge, that is the knowledge of her nature and vocation as well as the realisation of the necessity of dialogue in the Church’s pursuit of Church unity and healthy relationships with non-Christian religions and bod-ies. Besides the emphases on the importance of dialogue in the Church’s exe-cution of her mission and apostolate of building up the people of God, evi-dence from the human sciences portray the indispensable and invaluable roles of dialogue and communication in a globalised world.
The presented work shows the analysis of the correlation between the spatial and temporal expression pattern of NtAQP1 and its function in water relation in planta. In situ immunological studies indicated NtAQP1-protein accumulation in the root exodermis and endodermis, in the cortex, close to vascular bundles, in the xylem parenchyma and in cells of the stomatal cavities. The aquaporin was also found to be abundant in longitudinal cell-rows in the petioles. Expression studies with generated transgenic plants (Ntaqp1-promoter::gus or luc) confirmed the Ntaqp1 accumulation in the root, stem and petioles but also revealed further localization in pollen grains, adventitious roots and leaf glandular hairs. Ntaqp1-expression was induced during growth processes, like stem bending after gravistimulation or photostimulation, seed germination and hypocotyl elongation as well as during the comparatively fast circadian leaf movement. The expression was further stimulated by phytohormones, especially gibberellic acid (GA) and osmotic stress. Further analysis displayed a diurnal and even circadian expression of Ntaqp1 in roots and petioles. The functional analysis of the aquaporin was accomplished by reverse genetics and biophysical studies. The antisense technique was used to reduce NtAQP1-expression in tobacco plants. The antisense (AS) plants exhibited a severe reduction of Ntaqp1-mRNA, less reduction of the highly homologous NtPIP1a RNA and no effect on expression of other aquaporin family genes (PIP2, TIP). The function of NtAQP1 at the cellular level was investigated by a newly developed experimental setup to record the osmotically induced increase in protoplast volume. The reduction of NtAQP1 by the antisense expression decreased the overall cellular waterpermeability Pos for more than 50 %. Function of NtAQP1 at the whole plant level was e.g. measured by the “high-pressure flow meter method”. Those measurements revealed that the root hydraulic conductivity per unit root surface area (KRA) of roots from the AS-lines was reduced by more than 50 %. KRA displayed a strong diurnal and circadian variation with a maximum in the middle of the light period, similar to the expression pattern of Ntaqp1 in roots. Gas exchange-, stem (Ystem) and leaf (Yleaf) water potential measurement gave dissimilar values in AS and control plants under well-watered conditions. Under a water-limiting environment the Y of AS-plants remained at more negative water values, even though a further decrease in transpiration of AS-plants was detected. Quantitative analysis displayed a much stronger wilting reaction in the AS than in the control plants. Quantitative studies of the leaf movement in AS compared to control plants exhibited a dramatic reduction in velocity and also in the extent of the process. The following conclusions can be drawn. NtAQP1 was expressed at sites of anticipated high water fluxes from and to the apoplast or symplast. Additionally, the specific distribution pattern and temporal expression of NtAQP1 in petioles and the bending stem strongly indicate a role in transcellular movement of water. The reduction of NtAQP1 by the antisense expression decreased the overall cellular Pos. Conclusively, NtAQP1-function increases membrane water permeability of tobacco root protoplasts. The decrease of the specific root hydraulic conductivity (KRA) was in the same order of magnitude as the mean cellular water permeability reduction, indicating that aquaporin expression is essential in maintaining a natural root hydraulic conductance. Reduction of KRA in AS plants might be the first definitive proof that the pathway of water uptake from the root surface to the xylem involves passage across membranes. The absence of NtAQP1 resulted in a water stress signal, causing a certain stomatal closure. NtAQP1 seems to contribute to water stress avoidance in tobacco. NtAQP1 plays an essential role in fast plant movements and transcellular water shift.
Transforming-Growth-Factor-beta1 (TGF-b1) is a multifunctional cytokine that regulates cell growth and differentiation in many types of cells. TGF-b1 is especially known to exert a variety of regulatory functions in the immune system, such as T cell differentiation and T cell function. Signal transduction of TGF-b1 is mediated by phosphorylation of receptorassociated Smad proteins (R-Smads). R-Smads are phosphorylated by the activated type I receptor, which is itself phosphorylated by the high affinity type II receptor upon ligand binding. The phosphorylated R-Smads then associate with Co-Smads. Heterooligomers of R- and Co-Smads translocate into the nucleus where they regulate transcription of target genes in concert with other transcription factors such as CBP/p300 or AP-1. Recent findings suggest that the pleiotropic effects of TGF-b1 are conferred by crosstalks to other signal transduction pathways such as the MAP-kinases or the STAT-pathway. Here we describe the effect of long-term exposure to TGF-b1 on the effector function of differentially stimulated primary murine splenocytes and purified primary murine CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. Long-term exposure to TGF-b1 results in non-responsiveness to TGF-b1- induced Smad2 phosphorylation. This is seen either by no phosphorylation or sustained phosphorylation of Smad2. Furthermore, we observed a strong correlation between sustained Smad2 phosphorylation and resistance to TGF-b1 mediated growth inhibition. In contrast, splenocyte cultures strongly growth inhibited by TGF-b1 showed no Smad2 phosphorylation. Lytic activity of these cultures, however, was found to be suppressed regardless of proliferation properties and Smad2 phosphorylation pattern. We also describe that a functional MEK-1 pathway is a prerequisite for rendering murine splenocytes unresponsive to TGF-b1 mediated growth inhibition, and that inhibition of the MEK-1 cascade alters the Smad2 phosphorylation pattern. In addition, we show that resistance to TGF-b1 mediated growth inhibition correlates with the activation of the JNK pathway. However, the resistant phenotype was found unable to be reverted upon administration of exogeneous IFNg and/or aCD28 antibody. In human or mouse T cell lines, however, the described correlation between the type of stimulation and TGF-b growth resistance or growth sensitivity is not present. Thus, this correlation is specific for primary T cells. We also cloned a chimeric dominantnegative TGF-b receptor which is coupled to a suicide gene, in order to render T cells resistant to TGF-b mediated effects.These findings shed light on how TGF-b1 mediates its immunosuppressive role, and may help to gain knowledge of averting these TGF-b1 effects in the course of tumor therapy.
Characterization of memories and ignorant (S6KII) mutants in operant conditioning in the heat-box
(2002)
Learning and memory processes of operant conditioning in the heat-box were analysed. Age, sex, and larval desity were not critical parameters influencing memory, while low or high activity levels of flies were negatively correlated with their performance. In a search for conditioning parameters leading to high retention scores, intermittent training was shown to give better results than continuous training. As the memory test is the immediate continuation of the conditioning phase just omitting reinforcement, we obtain a memory which consists of two components: a spatial preference for one side of the chamber and a stay-where-you-are effect in which the side preference is contaminated by the persistence of heat avoidance. Intermittent training strengthens the latter. In the next part, memory retention was investigated. Flies were trained in one chamber and tested in a second one after a brief reminder training. With this direct transfer, memory scores reflect an associative learning process in the first chamber. To investigate memory retention after extended time periods, indirect transfer experiments were performed. The fly was transferred to a different environment between training and test phases. With this procedure an after-effect of the training was still observed two hours later. Surprisingly, exposure to the chamber without conditioning also lead to a memory effect in the indirect transfer experiment. This exposure effect revealed a dispositional change that facilitates operant learning during the reminder training. The various memory effects are independent of the mushroom bodies. The transfer experiments and yoked controls proved that the heat-box records an associative memory. Even two hours after the operant conditioning procedure, the fly remembers that its position in the chamber controls temperature. The cAMP signaling cascade is involved in heat-box learning. Thus, amnesiac, rutabaga, and dunce mutants have an impaired learning / memory. Searching for, yet unknown, genes and signaling cascades involved in operant conditioning, a Drosophila melanogaster mutant screen with 1221 viable X-chromosome P-element lines was performed. 29 lines with consistently reduced heat avoidance/ learning or memory scores were isolated. Among those, three lines have the p[lacW] located in the amnesiac ORF, confirming that with the chosen candidate criteria the heat-box is a useful tool to screen for learning and /or memory mutants. The mutant line ignP1 (8522), which is defective in the gene encoding p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (S6KII), was investigated. The P-insertion of line ignP1 is the first Drosophila mutation in the ignorant (S6KII) gene. It has the transposon inserted in the first exon. Mutant males are characterized by low training performance, while females perform well in the standard experiment. Several deletion mutants of the ignorant gene have been generated. In precise jumpouts the phenotype was reverted. Imprecise jumpouts with a partial loss of the coding region were defective in operant conditioning. Surprisingly, null mutants showed wild-type behavior. This might indicate an indirect effect of the mutated ignorant gene on learning processes. In classical odor avoidance conditioning, ignorant null mutants showed a defect in the 3-min, 30-min, and 3-hr memory, while the precise jumpout of the transposon resulted in a reversion of the behavioral phenotype. Deviating results from operant and classical conditioning indicate different roles for S6KII in the two types of learning.
Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) is a multifunctional cytokine that is engaged in regulating versatile cellular processes that are pivotal for development and homeostasis of most tissues in multicellular organisms. TGF-ß signal transduction is initially propagated by binding of TGF-ß to transmembrane serine/threonine kinase receptors, designated TßRI and TßRII. Upon activation, the receptors phosphorylate Smad proteins which serve as downstream mediators that enter the nucleus and finally trigger transcriptional responses of specific genes. During the past years, it became evident that signaling cascades do not proceed in a linear fashion but rather represent a complex network of numerous pathways that mutually influence each other. Along these lines, members of the TGF-ß superfamily are attributed to synergize with neurotrophins. Together, they mediate neurotrophic effects in different populations of the nervous system, suggesting that an interdependence exists between TGF-ßs on the one hand and neurotrophins on the other. In the present work, the crosstalk of NGF and TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathways is characterized in rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) which are frequently used as a model system for neuronal differentiation. PC12 cells were found to be unresponsive to TGF-ß due to limiting levels of TßRII. However, stimulation with NGF results in initiation of Smad-mediated transcription independent of TGF-ß. Binding of NGF to functional TrkA receptors triggers activation of Smad3. This NGF-dependent Smad activation occurs by a mechanism which is different from being induced by TGF-ß receptors in that it provokes a different phosphorylation pattern of R-Smads. Together with an inferior role of TßRI, Smad3 is proposed to serve as a substrate for cellular kinases other than TßRI. Based on the presented involvement of components of both, the MAPK/Erk and the TAK1/MKK6 cascade, signal mediators of these pathways rank as candidates to mediate direct activation of Smad3. Smad3 is subsequently translocated to the nucleus and activates transcription in a Smad4-dependent manner. Negative regulation is provided by Smad7 which was found to act as a potent inhibitor of Smad signaling not only in TGF-ß- but also in NGF-mediated cascades. The potential of NGF to activate the Smad pathway independent of TGF-ß might be of special importance in regulating expression of genes that are essential for the development and function of neuronal cells or of other NGF-sensitive cells, in particular those which are TGF-ß-resistant.
This theses deals with the syntheses and the coordination behaviour of polyimidosulfur anions like S(NR)32–, S(NR)42–, RS(NR)2– or RS(NR)3–, the nitrogen analogues of the well known oxo-anions SO32–, SO42–, RSO2– and RSO3–. The first aim was the synthesis of a triimidosulfite with three different NR-substituents, a so called asymmetrical triimidosulfite. In all reactions, that have been carried out to obtain a triimidosulfite with three (or two) different residues at nitrogen, the final product was always the dilithium sulfide adduct. The syntheses of chiral alkylenediimidosulfites was successful. Similar to Corey’s S-ylides (R2(O)S+––CR2) and Wittig’s phosphonium ylides (R3P+––CR2) these molecules contain a positively charged sulfur atom next to a carbanionic centre. The structures of the alkylenediimidosulfites are not influenced by the different substituents at nitrogen and carbon, respectively. In each case a doublecubic structure is received. The first members of a completely new class of compounds were synthesised: the aryl-bis-(diimidosulfinates). In this compounds two SN2 units are connected via a heteroaromatic linker, containing a potential donor centre in metal coordination. They represent, like the known alkyldiimidosulfinates, dipodal monoanionic ligands. In the field of sulfur (VI) chemistry the syntheses of aryltriimidosulfonates were successful. Hitherto it was believed, that only spatial less demanding lithium organics could be added to a S=N double bond in S(NtBu)3. This assumption was confirmed by the fact that methyl- and phenylacetylene-triimidosulfonate were the only known alkylsulfonates. Nevertheless, the addition of several lithiumheteroarenes to sulfurtriimide worked without difficulties. If the shape of the nucleophile permits to slot in between the NtBu substituents and to approach the electrophilic sulfur in the sulfurtriimide from the side rather than in an orthogonal angle, the addition reaction works smoothly. Although the steric demand of the tris(tert.-butyl)triimidosulfonate unit is very high, the synthesis of thiophene-bis-(triimidosulfonate) worked. The sulfonate moieties function as dipodal ligands.
Nowadays, robotics plays an important role in increasing fields of application. There exist many environments or situations where mobile robots instead of human beings are used, since the tasks are too hazardous, uncomfortable, repetitive, or costly for humans to perform. The autonomy and the mobility of the robot are often essential for a good solution of these problems. Thus, such a robot should at least be able to answer the question "Where am I?". This thesis investigates the problem of self-localizing a robot in an indoor environment using range measurements. That is, a robot equipped with a range sensor wakes up inside a building and has to determine its position using only its sensor data and a map of its environment. We examine this problem from an idealizing point of view (reducing it into a pure geometric one) and further investigate a method of Guibas, Motwani, and Raghavan from the field of computational geometry to solving it. Here, so-called visibility skeletons, which can be seen as coarsened representations of visibility polygons, play a decisive role. In the major part of this thesis we analyze the structures and the occurring complexities in the framework of this scheme. It turns out that the main source of complication are so-called overlapping embeddings of skeletons into the map polygon, for which we derive some restrictive visibility constraints. Based on these results we are able to improve one of the occurring complexity bounds in the sense that we can formulate it with respect to the number of reflex vertices instead of the total number of map vertices. This also affects the worst-case bound on the preprocessing complexity of the method. The second part of this thesis compares the previous idealizing assumptions with the properties of real-world environments and discusses the occurring problems. In order to circumvent these problems, we use the concept of distance functions, which model the resemblance between the sensor data and the map, and appropriately adapt the above method to the needs of realistic scenarios. In particular, we introduce a distance function, namely the polar coordinate metric, which seems to be well suited to the localization problem. Finally, we present the RoLoPro software where most of the discussed algorithms are implemented (including the polar coordinate metric).
The extracellular matrix within connective tissues represents a structural scaffold as well as a barrier for motile cells, such as invading tumor cells or passenger leukocytes. It remains unclear how different cell types utilize matrix-degrading enzymes for proteolytic migration strategies and, on the other hand, non-proteolytic strategies to overcome 3D fibrillar matrix networks. To monitor cell migration, a 3D collagen model in vitro or the mouse dermis in vivo were used, in combination with time-lapse video-, confocal- or intravital multiphoton-microscopy, and computer-assisted cell tracking. Expression of proteases, including several MMPs, ADAMs, serine proteases and cathepsins, was shown by flow cytometry, Western blot, zymography, and RT-PCR. Protease activity by migrating HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells resulting in collagenolysis in situ and generation of tube-like matrix defects was detected by three newly developed techniques:(i) quantitative FITC-release from FITC-labelled collagen, (ii) structural alteration of the pyhsical matrix structure (macroscopically and microscopically), and (iii) the visualization of focal in situ cleavage of individual collagen fibers. The results show that highly invasive ollagenolytic cells utilized a spindle-shaped "mesenchymal" migration strategy, which involved beta1 integrindependent interaction with fibers, coclustering of beta1 integrins and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) at fiber bundling sites, and the proteolytic generation of a tube-like matrix-defect by MMPs and additional proteases. In contrast to tumor cells, activated T cells migrated through the collagen fiber network by flexible "amoeboid" crawling including a roundish, elliptoid shape and morphological adaptation along collagen fibers, which was independent of collagenase function and fiber degradation. Abrogation of collagenolysis in tumor cells was achieved by a cocktail of broad-spectrum protease inhibitors at non-toxic conditions blocking collagenolysis by up to 95%. While in T cells protease inhibition induced neither morphodynamic changes nor reduced migration rates, in tumor cells a time-dependent conversion was obtained from proteolytic mesenchymal to non-proteolytic amoeboid migration in collagen lattices in vitro as well as the mouse dermis in vivo monitored by intravital microscopy. Tumor cells vigorously squeezed through matrix gaps and formed constriction rings in regions of narrow space, while the matrix structure remained intact. MMPs were excluded from fiber binding sites and beta1 integrin distribution was non-clustered linear. Besides for fibrosarcoma cells, this mesenchymal-toameboid transition (MAT) was confirmed for epithelial MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma cells. In conclusion, cells of different origin exhibit significant diversity as well as plasticity of protease function in migration. In tumor cells, MAT could respresent a functionally important cellular and molecular escape pathway in tumor invasion and migration.