Refine
Year of publication
- 2014 (105) (remove)
Document Type
- Journal article (75)
- Doctoral Thesis (30)
Language
- English (105) (remove)
Keywords
- gene expression (5)
- antibodies (3)
- ants (3)
- biodiversity (3)
- cancer (3)
- cytoskeleton (3)
- diversity (3)
- ecology (3)
- evolution (3)
- expression (3)
- metabolism (3)
- phosphorylation (3)
- proliferation (3)
- Bestäuber (2)
- Biodiversität (2)
- Bioinformatik (2)
- Echinococcus (2)
- Epigenetik (2)
- Hearing loss (2)
- Hörverlust (2)
- Kilimandscharo (2)
- Kilimanjaro (2)
- MAP-Kinase (2)
- Maus (2)
- Molekularbiologie (2)
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae (2)
- Regulation (2)
- Taufliege (2)
- Trypanosoma brucei (2)
- apis mellifera (2)
- bacteria (2)
- bees (2)
- binding (2)
- culture (2)
- drosophila melanogaster (2)
- foraging (2)
- fungal structure (2)
- fungi (2)
- immunoprecipitation (2)
- meiosis (2)
- membrane proteins (2)
- miRNA (2)
- pollination (2)
- protein (2)
- reveals (2)
- sequence alignment (2)
- telomeres (2)
- "-omics" (1)
- 3D (1)
- 3D microscopy (1)
- ARF tumor-suppressor induced lymphomagenes (1)
- Aberration (1)
- Ackerrandstreifen (1)
- African Trypanosomes (1)
- Alkaline phosphatase (1)
- Ameisen (1)
- Anticoagulants (1)
- Apoptosis (1)
- Argonaute (1)
- Arten-Energy-Theory (1)
- B cell receptors (1)
- BCL-X-L P53 (1)
- BDNF (1)
- Berger-Parker (1)
- Bestäubungsökologie (1)
- Bienen <Überfamilie> (1)
- Bildauflösung (1)
- Bioinformatics (1)
- Biologische Uhr (1)
- Biomarker (1)
- Blattschneiderameisen (1)
- Bombus (1)
- Bombus Spp. Hymenoptera (1)
- Bone regeneration (1)
- Botanischer Garten (1)
- Brain (1)
- Bumblebee (1)
- Butterfly (1)
- C-MYC (1)
- C-MYC PUMA (1)
- CCDC79 (1)
- CK2 (1)
- CLAVATA3 (1)
- Cestoda (1)
- Cestode (1)
- Chirurgie (1)
- Chlamydia (1)
- Chlamydia trachomatis (1)
- Chlamydia-trachomatis-Infektion (1)
- Chromatin (1)
- Chromosomal Passenger Complex (1)
- Circadian Rhythms (1)
- Climate Change (1)
- Coagulation factor IX (1)
- Coexpression (1)
- Cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (1)
- Coumarin (1)
- Cross-species analyses (1)
- Cytoskeleton Chromosomal Passenger Complex Interaction GAR Domain (1)
- DM-domain gene (1)
- DNA-binding domain (1)
- DNA-damage checkpoint (1)
- DNS-Schädigung (1)
- DOT1 methyltransferase (1)
- Demethylierung (1)
- Deregulierung (1)
- Deutschland (1)
- Dimension 3 (1)
- Diversity (1)
- Drosophila (1)
- Drosophila melanogaster (1)
- Drought (1)
- Dysplasie (1)
- ERK (1)
- Echinococcosis (1)
- Ectopic bone formation (1)
- Einfluss (1)
- Einzelmolekülmikroskopie (1)
- Embryonale Stammzelle (1)
- Epigenetic (1)
- Escherichia coli-derived recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (1)
- Evaluation (1)
- Evolution (1)
- Explorative analyses (1)
- FLS2 receptor (1)
- Fbw7 (1)
- Fluoreszenzmikroskopie (1)
- Foldamere (1)
- Foldamers (1)
- Forest management (1)
- French-Canadian patients (1)
- GAS2L3 (1)
- Gen notch (1)
- Gen-Knockout (1)
- Gene regulation (1)
- Gene sets (1)
- Genexpression (1)
- Genregulation (1)
- Germinative cell (1)
- Grasses (1)
- HIV (1)
- HIV-1 protease (1)
- HPA Axis (1)
- HUWE1 (1)
- HeLa cells (1)
- Hematopoietic stem cell ex-vivo expansion (1)
- Herbivory (1)
- Hey Proteine (1)
- Hey proteins (1)
- Hill's powers (1)
- Histon-Methyltransferase (1)
- Histone (1)
- Hochauflösendes Verfahren (1)
- Honeybee (1)
- Host-parasite interaction (1)
- Hydra <Polyp> (1)
- Hypopharyngeal glands (1)
- Hypophysen-Zwischenhirn-System (1)
- Hypothalamisch-hypophysäre Achse (1)
- Hämatopoese (1)
- Höhengradient (1)
- I-tasser (1)
- ITS2 (1)
- Il 4 (1)
- Immunohistochemistry (1)
- Improved survival (1)
- Innere Uhr (1)
- Insects (1)
- Insulin (1)
- KSR1 (1)
- Kenyon cells (1)
- Kidney cancer (1)
- Kinase inhibitor (1)
- Knockout <Molekulargenetik> (1)
- Knockout mouse (1)
- Knorpelzelle (1)
- Konstruktive Didaktik (1)
- Käfer (1)
- LCK (1)
- Labial glands (1)
- Landnutzungsgradient (1)
- Leaves (1)
- Legumes (1)
- Lernort (1)
- MAP Kinase Signaling (1)
- MAPK (1)
- MAPK signaling cascades (1)
- MIZ1 (1)
- MYC (1)
- Makrophage (1)
- Malaria (1)
- Massentrachten (1)
- Mbm (1)
- Meiose (1)
- Mesenchymzelle (1)
- Metabolic Modelling (1)
- Metabolischen Modellierung (1)
- Methylene blue (1)
- Mexican coffee plantations (1)
- Mikroskopie (1)
- Modellierung (1)
- Modifizierung (1)
- Molekulargenetik (1)
- Mucin (1)
- Mushroom bodies (1)
- Mutagenese (1)
- Myc (1)
- N-Myc (1)
- NF-KAPPA-B (1)
- Nanos (1)
- Neoblast (1)
- Nestbau (1)
- Neuroblast (1)
- Neuroblastom (1)
- Neuropeptide (1)
- Northeastern Costa Rica (1)
- Notch Signalweg (1)
- Notch signalling (1)
- Oocytes (1)
- Out-of-school learning settings (1)
- PALM (1)
- PEG chemical modification (1)
- PI3K (1)
- PPD (1)
- PRC2 (1)
- Phosphoproteine (1)
- Plant-herbivore interactions (1)
- Pollination (1)
- Polylactide-co-glycolide (1)
- Profiling (1)
- Prognose (1)
- Prognosis (1)
- Protein p53 (1)
- RAS (1)
- RCC (1)
- RNA extraction (1)
- RNA sequence (1)
- RNA splicing (1)
- RNA-SEQ (1)
- RNA-SEQ data (1)
- RNS-Interferenz (1)
- Raps (1)
- Receptor kinase (1)
- Rectal cancer (1)
- Renal cell carcinoma (1)
- Renin Angiotensin System (1)
- Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosteron-System (1)
- Renin-Angiotensin-System (1)
- Rescorla-Wagner model (1)
- SGNH hydrolase (1)
- SPR-Spektroskopie (1)
- SPRED2 (1)
- SREC-I (1)
- SUN1 (1)
- Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV) (1)
- Saproxylic beetles (1)
- Saproxylophage (1)
- Schwebfliegen (1)
- Signaltransduktion (1)
- Sonnenblumen (1)
- Spectral Data Analysis (1)
- Spred Protein (1)
- Spred-Proteine (1)
- Spumaviren (1)
- Stationenarbeit (1)
- Stem cell (1)
- Stoffwechsel (1)
- Synaptinemal-Komplex (1)
- TERB1 (1)
- TLR4 (1)
- TME (1)
- Tanzania (1)
- Tapeworm (1)
- Teamwork (1)
- Termiten (1)
- Thrombozyt (1)
- Toll-like-Rezeptoren (1)
- Transkriptionsfaktor (1)
- Transposon (1)
- Tumour markers (1)
- VKORC1 (1)
- Virulenzfaktor (1)
- Vitamin K epoxide reductase (1)
- Vorläuferzellen (1)
- Wald (1)
- Warfarin (1)
- Werk (1)
- Y chromosome (1)
- Zellskelett (1)
- Zellteilung (1)
- Zellzyklus (1)
- Zutokin (1)
- aberration (1)
- abundance (1)
- acetyltransferase RTT109 (1)
- acoustic signals (1)
- activity rhythm (1)
- adaptive plasticity (1)
- african trypanosomes (1)
- age polyethism (1)
- agroecosystems (1)
- albinaria (1)
- alpha-helical structure (1)
- ambystoma opacum (1)
- amphibian metamorphosis (1)
- amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis (1)
- analysis of variance (1)
- ant (1)
- antigenetic variation (1)
- antigenic variation (1)
- apoptosis (1)
- arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (1)
- arginine (1)
- arthropods (1)
- aspergillus fumigatus (1)
- auxin (1)
- background odor (1)
- bee pollinators (1)
- behavior (1)
- beta-oxidation (1)
- binding protein (1)
- biodiversity index (1)
- biodiversity measure (1)
- biogenesis (1)
- bioinformatic (1)
- biological locomotion (1)
- biological sciences (1)
- biominarlization proteins (1)
- bird species richness (1)
- birth rates (1)
- botanical gardens (1)
- brain (1)
- breast-cancer cells (1)
- bumblebee nest density (1)
- butterfly euphydryas-aurinia (1)
- camponotus aethiops (1)
- cancer cell (1)
- cancer treatment (1)
- capacitance (1)
- carcinomas (1)
- carriage (1)
- cations (1)
- cell binding (1)
- cell biology (1)
- cell cultures (1)
- cell death (1)
- cell growth (1)
- cell membranes (1)
- cell-cycle arrest cancer therapy (1)
- chemical diversity (1)
- chemische Modifizierung (1)
- chemotherapy resistance (1)
- chi square tests (1)
- chlamydia trachomatis (1)
- chondrocytes (1)
- chromatin assembly factors (1)
- circadian oscillators (1)
- circadian rhythms (1)
- circular-dichroism (1)
- classical conditioning (1)
- clausiliidae (1)
- clumping factor-B (1)
- cohesin SMC1-Beta (1)
- colonies (1)
- colony (1)
- colorectal cancer (1)
- comb (1)
- commercial grades (1)
- communication (1)
- community structures (1)
- complex (1)
- complex-III (1)
- components (1)
- compound eye (1)
- concept maps (1)
- conceptual change (1)
- conifers (1)
- conservation (1)
- constraints (1)
- copy-number alteration (1)
- cotton rats (1)
- crop yield (1)
- crops (1)
- crosstalk (1)
- cul3 ring ligase (1)
- cycle regulation (1)
- cytokinesis (1)
- cytokinin (1)
- cytokinins (1)
- dSTORM (1)
- data sharing (1)
- data-bank (1)
- death rates (1)
- declines (1)
- denritic cells (1)
- density (1)
- dentichasmias busseolae (1)
- deprivation (1)
- determinant (1)
- developing country (1)
- developmental biology (1)
- developmental plasticity (1)
- developmental reprogramming (1)
- diagnosis (1)
- differentiation (1)
- digestive system (1)
- discrimination (1)
- dominant optic atrophy (1)
- drug discovery (1)
- dung beetle coleoptera (1)
- dye stains-all (1)
- dynamics (1)
- economy services (1)
- ecosystem service (1)
- ecosystem services (1)
- ecosystemservices (1)
- elevational gradient (1)
- embryos (1)
- enhance (1)
- envelope (1)
- environmental cues (1)
- enzyme-linked immunoassays (1)
- epithelial cells (1)
- essential genes (1)
- evolutionary mutant model (1)
- expression site attenuation (1)
- extinction risk (1)
- factor acetylhydrolase activity (1)
- fish (1)
- fish model (1)
- fission yeast (1)
- flow cytometry (1)
- flowers (1)
- fluorescence (1)
- fluorescence microscopy (1)
- foraging behavior (1)
- forecasting (1)
- forests (1)
- formica cunicularia (1)
- fragmented landscapes (1)
- fruit set (1)
- fruit-quality (1)
- fungal diseases (1)
- fungal pathogens (1)
- gene regulation (1)
- generalization (1)
- generation (1)
- genes and chromosomes (1)
- genome (1)
- geometric mean (1)
- global change (1)
- grasslands (1)
- growth (1)
- habitat destruction (1)
- habitat patch (1)
- habitat quality (1)
- habitats (1)
- helitron (1)
- herbivores (1)
- hippocampal neurons (1)
- hive (1)
- homologous chromosomes (1)
- homology modeling (1)
- honey (1)
- honey bees (1)
- honeybee (1)
- host cells (1)
- host-cells (1)
- human impact (1)
- human mineralocorticoid receptor (1)
- humidity (1)
- hypotonic (1)
- identification (1)
- idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (1)
- image correlation spectroscopy (1)
- immune receptors (1)
- immune response (1)
- in vitro kinase assay (1)
- in-vitro (1)
- in-vivo (1)
- in-vivo expression (1)
- inducible factor-I (1)
- infections (1)
- inhibitors (1)
- insects (1)
- instensively managed farmland (1)
- interaction networks (1)
- invertebrate herbivory (1)
- isotonic (1)
- katydids orthoptera (1)
- kidneys (1)
- lactate dehydrogenase (1)
- lactic acid bacteria (1)
- lactobacillus (1)
- land use (1)
- land-use (1)
- land-use change (1)
- language (1)
- larval density (1)
- leaf-cutting ant (1)
- learning at workstations (1)
- learning curve (1)
- lepidoptera (1)
- life history (1)
- life stage (1)
- linguistic morphology (1)
- lipid bilayer (1)
- lipogenesis (1)
- living cells (1)
- local enhancement (1)
- localization microscopy (1)
- location behavior (1)
- macrophage (1)
- major histocompatibility complex (1)
- malaria (1)
- mammalian septins (1)
- management (1)
- mass-flowering crops (1)
- mechanics (1)
- mechanisms (1)
- medaka (1)
- media geométrica (1)
- medical and biological imaging (1)
- medida de la biodiversidad (1)
- meiotic chromosome dynamics (1)
- melanoma (1)
- membrane characteristics (1)
- membrane organization (1)
- membrane potential (1)
- membrane structures (1)
- memory (1)
- menschlicher Einfluss (1)
- mesenchymal stem cells (1)
- messenger RNA (1)
- metapopulation (1)
- metastasis (1)
- miR-126 (1)
- miR-21 (1)
- miRNS (1)
- microvilli (1)
- mitofilin (1)
- mobility (1)
- model (1)
- modulating (1)
- mole crickets (1)
- molecular biology (1)
- molecular diversity (1)
- molecular mass (1)
- molecular-dynamics simulations (1)
- monoallelic expression (1)
- morphology (1)
- mosquito (1)
- mutation (1)
- nacreous layer formation (1)
- native pollinators (1)
- natural enemies (1)
- natural variation (1)
- naturnahe Habitate (1)
- nervous system (1)
- nest building (1)
- neurons (1)
- nonhost plant (1)
- nuclear import (1)
- nuclear-pore complexes (1)
- nympahlidae (1)
- oaks (1)
- odor marks (1)
- oilseed rape (1)
- olfaction (1)
- olyelectrolyte domains (1)
- oncogenic transformation (1)
- oncolytic viruses (1)
- organization (1)
- oryzias-latipes (1)
- parasite (1)
- patterns (1)
- perception (1)
- pharmacology (1)
- phenotypic plasticity (1)
- phosphorylation sites (1)
- phylogenetic trees (1)
- physical properties (1)
- pines (1)
- plant community composition (1)
- plant diversity (1)
- plant hormones (1)
- plantago lanceolata (1)
- platelet activation factor (1)
- platyfish (1)
- pollinators (1)
- polyelectrolyte domains (1)
- population (1)
- populations (1)
- post-harvest quality (1)
- predation (1)
- predation risk (1)
- predictive factors (1)
- presynapse (1)
- prey growth rate (1)
- primary biliary-cirrhosis (1)
- proboscis extension response (PER) (1)
- procambarus-clarkii (1)
- product specificity (1)
- profile distances (1)
- prolactin (1)
- protease (1)
- protein domains (1)
- protein-protein interactions (1)
- proteins (1)
- psycholinguistics (1)
- pulmonata (1)
- pupae (1)
- quality (1)
- rana temporaria populations (1)
- reconstruction (1)
- recruitment (1)
- red blood cells (1)
- regression analysis (1)
- regulation (1)
- renal cancer (1)
- renal cell carcinoma (1)
- replicative stress (1)
- resistance (1)
- resource use (1)
- rhythms (1)
- ribosome biogenesis (1)
- riesgo de extinción (1)
- rolling-circle transposons (1)
- saccharomyces cerevisiae (1)
- saccharomyes cerevisiae (1)
- saproxylic Coleoptera (1)
- scanning electron microscopy (1)
- scavender receptor (1)
- scientific computing (1)
- secondary structure (1)
- secreted effector protein (1)
- selection (1)
- self-organization (1)
- semi-natural habitats (1)
- sequence databases (1)
- sequential introduction (1)
- sex chromosomes (1)
- sex determination (1)
- sex-determining region (1)
- shannon index (1)
- shelf life (1)
- signaling (1)
- simpson's index (1)
- single molecule microscopy (1)
- single-trial learning (1)
- socioeconomic (1)
- sound production (1)
- species diversity (1)
- species gastropoda (1)
- species richness (1)
- species-energy-theory (1)
- spermatocytes (1)
- spiders (1)
- spliceosomes (1)
- splicing factors (1)
- squalius alburnoides (1)
- stable-isotope (1)
- stem cell niche (1)
- strawberry (1)
- structure prediction (1)
- sucrose responsiveness (1)
- sucrose sensitivity (1)
- sunflowers (1)
- super-resolution (1)
- super-resolution microscopy (1)
- superresolution (1)
- surface proteins (1)
- surface water (1)
- surgical and invasive medical procedures (1)
- surgical oncology (1)
- symbiotic fungus (1)
- synapse structure (1)
- synapsis (1)
- synaptic localization (1)
- synthetic lethality (1)
- synthetische Letalität (1)
- systematics (1)
- systemic sclerosis (1)
- systems biology (1)
- teichoic acids (1)
- telomere attachment (1)
- temperate forests (1)
- temporal spillover (1)
- termites (1)
- testis (1)
- tettigoniidae (1)
- therapy (1)
- thermoregulation (1)
- three-dimensional microscopy (1)
- tool (1)
- tousled-like kinases (1)
- toxins (1)
- transcription (1)
- transcription factor MIZ-1 (1)
- transfer RNA-synthetases (1)
- transgenic mice (1)
- transplantation (1)
- transposition (1)
- transposon mutagenesis (1)
- tree plantations (1)
- trees (1)
- triglyceride accumulation (1)
- tropical ecology (1)
- tropische Ökologie (1)
- tumor (1)
- two-color microscopy (1)
- tyrosine phosphorylation (1)
- ubiquitination (1)
- unstructured proteins (1)
- urban-rural gradient (1)
- vaccinia virus (1)
- variant detection (1)
- variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) (1)
- vibration (1)
- viral entry (1)
- viral replication (1)
- viral transmission and infection (1)
- virulence (1)
- virulence factors (1)
- visual cues (1)
- visual learning (1)
- vocabulary (1)
- volatiles (1)
- waggle dance (1)
- wild (1)
- wild bees (1)
- xanthurenic acid (1)
- xiphophorus maculatus (1)
- zebrafish (1)
- zeitlicher Spillover (1)
- Ökosystem (1)
- índice de biodiversidad (1)
Institute
- Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften (105) (remove)
Sonstige beteiligte Institutionen
- DNA Analytics Core Facility, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany (1)
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany (1)
- Forschungsstation Fabrikschleichach (1)
- Institut für Tierökologie und Tropenbiologie (1)
- Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Klinische Forschung (ZIKF), Würzburg (1)
- Klinische Mikrobiologie am Universitätsklinikum Erlangen (1)
In recent years, zebrafish, and to a lesser extent medaka, have become widely used small animal models for human diseases. These organisms have convincingly demonstrated the usefulness of fish for improving our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to pathological conditions, and for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Despite the usefulness of zebrafish and medaka in the investigation of a wide spectrum of traits, there is evidence to suggest that other fish species could be better suited for more targeted questions. With the emergence of new, improved sequencing technologies that enable genomic resources to be generated with increasing efficiency and speed, the potential of non-mainstream fish species as disease models can now be explored. A key feature of these fish species is that the pathological condition that they model is often related to specific evolutionary adaptations. By exploring these adaptations, new disease-causing and disease-modifier genes might be identified; thus, diverse fish species could be exploited to better understand the complexity of disease processes. In addition, non-mainstream fish models could allow us to study the impact of environmental factors, as well as genetic variation, on complex disease phenotypes. This Review will discuss the opportunities that such fish models offer for current and future biomedical research.
In the mammalian brain, the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has emerged as a key factor for synaptic refinement, plasticity and learning. Although BDNF-induced signaling cascades are well known, the spatial aspects of the synaptic BDNF localization remained unclear. Recent data provide strong evidence for an exclusive presynaptic location and anterograde secretion of endogenous BDNF at synapses of the hippocampal circuit. In contrast, various studies using BDNF overexpression in cultured hippocampal neurons support the idea that postsynaptic elements and other dendritic structures are the preferential sites of BDNF localization and release. In this study we used rigorously tested anti-BDNF antibodies and achieved a dense labeling of endogenous BDNF close to synapses. Confocal microscopy showed natural BDNF close to many, but not all glutamatergic synapses, while neither GABAergic synapses nor postsynaptic structures carried a typical synaptic BDNF label. To visualize the BDNF distribution within the fine structure of synapses, we implemented super resolution fluorescence imaging by direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM). Two-color dSTORM images of neurites were acquired with a spatial resolution of ~20 nm. At this resolution, the synaptic scaffold proteins Bassoon and Homer exhibit hallmarks of mature synapses and form juxtaposed bars, separated by a synaptic cleft. BDNF imaging signals form granule-like clusters with a mean size of ~60 nm and are preferentially found within the fine structure of the glutamatergic presynapse. Individual glutamatergic presynapses carried up to 90% of the synaptic BDNF immunoreactivity, and only a minor fraction of BDNF molecules was found close to the postsynaptic bars. Our data proof that hippocampal neurons are able to enrich and store high amounts of BDNF in small granules within the mature glutamatergic presynapse, at a principle site of synaptic plasticity.
In recent years three-dimensional (3D) super-resolution fluorescence imaging by single-molecule localization (localization microscopy) has gained considerable interest because of its simple implementation and high optical resolution. Astigmatic and biplane imaging are experimentally simple methods to engineer a 3D-specific point spread function (PSF), but existing evaluation methods have proven problematic in practical application. Here we introduce the use of cubic B-splines to model the relationship of axial position and PSF width in the above mentioned approaches and compare the performance with existing methods. We show that cubic B-splines are the first method that can combine precision, accuracy and simplicity.
We have discovered a new mechanism of monoallelic gene expression that links antigenic variation, cell cycle, and development in the model parasite Trypanosoma brucei. African trypanosomes possess hundreds of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) genes, but only one is expressed from a telomeric expression site (ES) at any given time. We found that the expression of a second VSG alone is sufficient to silence the active VSG gene and directionally attenuate the ES by disruptor of telomeric silencing-1B (DOT1B)-mediated histone methylation. Three conserved expression-site-associated genes (ESAGs) appear to serve as signal for ES attenuation. Their depletion causes G1-phase dormancy and reversible initiation of the slender-to-stumpy differentiation pathway. ES-attenuated slender bloodstream trypanosomes gain full developmental competence for transformation to the tsetse fly stage. This surprising connection between antigenic variation and developmental progression provides an unexpected point of attack against the deadly sleeping sickness.
Eye structure, activity rhythms, and visually-driven behavior are tuned to visual niche in ants
(2014)
Insects have evolved physiological adaptations and behavioral strategies that allow them to cope with a broad spectrum of environmental challenges and contribute to their evolutionary success. Visual performance plays a key role in this success. Correlates between life style and eye organization have been reported in various insect species. Yet, if and how visual ecology translates effectively into different visual discrimination and learning capabilities has been less explored. Here we report results from optical and behavioral analyses performed in two sympatric ant species, Formica cunicularia and Camponotus aethiops. We show that the former are diurnal while the latter are cathemeral. Accordingly, F. cunicularia workers present compound eyes with higher resolution, while C. aethiops workers exhibit eyes with lower resolution but higher sensitivity. The discrimination and learning of visual stimuli differs significantly between these species in controlled dual-choice experiments: discrimination learning of small-field visual stimuli is achieved by F. cunicularia but not by C. aethiops, while both species master the discrimination of large-field visual stimuli. Our work thus provides a paradigmatic example about how timing of foraging activities and visual environment match the organization of compound eyes and visually-driven behavior. This correspondence underlines the relevance of an ecological/evolutionary framework for analyses in behavioral neuroscience.
All organisms have to adapt to acute as well as to regularly occurring changes in the environment. To deal with these major challenges organisms evolved two fundamental mechanisms: the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, a major stress pathway for signaling stressful events, and circadian clocks to prepare for the daily environmental changes. Both systems respond sensitively to light. Recent studies in vertebrates and fungi indicate that p38 is involved in light-signaling to the circadian clock providing an interesting link between stress-induced and regularly rhythmic adaptations of animals to the environment, but the molecular and cellular mechanisms remained largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate by immunocytochemical means that p38 is expressed in Drosophila melanogaster's clock neurons and that it is activated in a clock-dependent manner. Surprisingly, we found that p38 is most active under darkness and, besides its circadian activation, additionally gets inactivated by light. Moreover, locomotor activity recordings revealed that p38 is essential for a wild-type timing of evening activity and for maintaining ∼ 24 h behavioral rhythms under constant darkness: flies with reduced p38 activity in clock neurons, delayed evening activity and lengthened the period of their free-running rhythms. Furthermore, nuclear translocation of the clock protein Period was significantly delayed on the expression of a dominant-negative form of p38b in Drosophila's most important clock neurons. Western Blots revealed that p38 affects the phosphorylation degree of Period, what is likely the reason for its effects on nuclear entry of Period. In vitro kinase assays confirmed our Western Blot results and point to p38 as a potential "clock kinase" phosphorylating Period. Taken together, our findings indicate that the p38 MAP Kinase is an integral component of the core circadian clock of Drosophila in addition to playing a role in stress-input pathways.
Virotherapy on the basis of oncolytic vaccinia virus (VACV) infection is a promising approach for cancer therapy. In this study we describe the establishment of a new preclinical model of feline mammary carcinoma (FMC) using a recently established cancer cell line, DT09/06. In addition, we evaluated a recombinant vaccinia virus strain, GLV-5b451, expressing the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) single-chain antibody (scAb) GLAF-2 as an oncolytic agent against FMC. Cell culture data demonstrate that GLV-5b451 virus efficiently infected, replicated in and destroyed DT09/06 cancer cells. In the selected xenografts of FMC, a single systemic administration of GLV-5b451 led to significant inhibition of tumor growth in comparison to untreated tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, tumor-specific virus infection led to overproduction of functional scAb GLAF-2, which caused drastic reduction of intratumoral VEGF levels and inhibition of angiogenesis.
In summary, here we have shown, for the first time, that the vaccinia virus strains and especially GLV-5b451 have great potential for effective treatment of FMC in animal model.
Bacterial symbionts of insects have received increasing attention due to their prominent role in nutrient acquisition and defense. In social bees, symbiotic bacteria can maintain colony homeostasis and fitness, and the loss or alteration of the bacterial community may be associated with the ongoing bee decline observed worldwide. However, analyses of microbiota associated with bees have been largely confined to the social honeybees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees (Bombus spec.), revealing – among other taxa – host-specific lactic acid bacteria (LAB, genus Lactobacillus) that are not found in solitary bees. Here, we characterized the microbiota of three Australian stingless bee species (Apidae: Meliponini) of two phylogenetically distant genera (Tetragonula and Austroplebeia). Besides common plant bacteria, we find LAB in all three species, showing that LAB are shared by honeybees, bumblebees and stingless bees across geographical regions. However, while LAB of the honeybee-associated Firm4–5 clusters were present in Tetragonula, they were lacking in Austroplebeia. Instead, we found a novel clade of likely host-specific LAB in all three Australian stingless bee species which forms a sister clade to a large cluster of Halictidae-associated lactobacilli. Our findings indicate both a phylogenetic and geographical signal of host-specific LAB in stingless bees and highlight stingless bees as an interesting group to investigate the evolutionary history of the bee-LAB association.
Intricate mechanisms discriminate between friends and foes in plants. Plant organs deploy overlapping and distinct protection strategies. Despite vulnerability to a plethora of pathogens, the growing tips of plants grow bacteria free. The shoot apical meristem (SAM) is among three stem cells niches, a self-renewable reservoir for the future organogenesis of leaf, stem, and flowers. How plants safeguard this high value growth target from infections was not known until now. Recent reports find the stem cell secreted 12-amino acid peptide CLV3p (CLAVATA3 peptide) is perceived by FLS2 (FLAGELLIN SENSING 2) receptor and activates the transcription of immunity and defense marker genes. No infection in the SAM of wild type plants and bacterial infection in clv3 and fls2 mutants illustrate this natural protection against infections. Cytokinins (CKs) are enriched in the SAM and regulate meristem activities by their involvement in stem cell signaling networks. Auxin mediates plant susceptibility to pathogen infections while CKs boost plant immunity. Here, in addition to the stem-cell-triggered immunity we also highlight a potential link between CK signaling and CLV3p mediated immune response in the SAM.
Fbw7, the substrate recognition subunit of SCF(Fbw7) ubiquitin ligase, mediates the turnover of multiple proto-oncoproteins and promotes its own degradation. Fbw7-dependent substrate ubiquitination is antagonized by the Usp28 deubiquitinase. Here, we show that Usp28 preferentially antagonizes autocatalytic ubiquitination and stabilizes Fbw7, resulting in dose-dependent effects in Usp28 knockout mice. Monoallelic deletion of Usp28 maintains stable Fbw7 but drives Fbw7 substrate degradation. In contrast, complete knockout triggers Fbw7 degradation and leads to the accumulation of Fbw7 substrates in several tissues and embryonic fibroblasts. On the other hand, overexpression of Usp28 stabilizes both Fbw7 and its substrates. Consequently, both complete loss and ectopic expression of Usp28 promote Ras-driven oncogenic transformation. We propose that dual regulation of Fbw7 activity by Usp28 is a safeguard mechanism for maintaining physiological levels of proto-oncogenic Fbw7 substrates, which is equivalently disrupted by loss or overexpression of Usp28.