@misc{BellVincent2002, author = {Bell, Elanor M. and Vincent, Amanda C. J.}, title = {Art.: Gasterosteiform}, year = {2002}, language = {en} } @misc{MeyerKuhnertGraef2011, author = {Meyer, Irene and Kuhnert, Oliver and Gr{\"a}f, Ralph}, title = {Functional analyses of lissencephaly-related proteins in Dictyostelium}, series = {Seminars in cell \& developmental biology}, volume = {22}, journal = {Seminars in cell \& developmental biology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {London}, issn = {1084-9521}, doi = {10.1016/j.semcdb.2010.10.007}, pages = {89 -- 96}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Lissencephaly is a severe brain developmental disease in human infants, which is usually caused by mutations in either of two genes, LIS1 and DCX. These genes encode proteins interacting with both the microtubule and the actin systems. Here, we review the implications of data on Dictyostelium LIS1 for the elucidation of LIS1 function in higher cells and emphasize the role of LIS1 and nuclear envelope proteins in nuclear positioning, which is also important for coordinated cell migration during neocortical development. Furthermore, for the first time we characterize Dictyostelium DCX, the only bona fide orthologue of human DCX outside the animal kingdom. We show that DCX functionally interacts with LIS1 and that both proteins have a cytoskeleton-independent function in chemotactic signaling during development. Dictyostelium LIS1 is also required for proper attachment of the centrosome to the nucleus and, thus, nuclear positioning, where the association of these two organelles has turned out to be crucial. It involves not only dynein and dynein-associated proteins such as LIS1 but also SUN proteins of the nuclear envelope. Analyses of Dictyostelium SUN1 mutants have underscored the importance of these proteins for the linkage of centrosomes and nuclei and for the maintenance of chromatin integrity. Taken together, we show that Dictyostelium amoebae, which provide a well-established model to study the basic aspects of chemotaxis, cell migration and development, are well suited for the investigation of the molecular and cell biological basis of developmental diseases such as lissencephaly.}, language = {en} } @misc{VanDonkIanoraVos2011, author = {Van Donk, Ellen and Ianora, Adrianna and Vos, Matthijs}, title = {Induced defences in marine and freshwater phytoplankton a review}, series = {Hydrobiologia : acta hydrobiologica, hydrographica, limnologica et protistologica}, volume = {668}, journal = {Hydrobiologia : acta hydrobiologica, hydrographica, limnologica et protistologica}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0018-8158}, doi = {10.1007/s10750-010-0395-4}, pages = {3 -- 19}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Many organisms have developed defences to avoid predation by species at higher trophic levels. The capability of primary producers to defend themselves against herbivores affects their own survival, can modulate the strength of trophic cascades and changes rates of competitive exclusion in aquatic communities. Algal species are highly flexible in their morphology, growth form, biochemical composition and production of toxic and deterrent compounds. Several of these variable traits in phytoplankton have been interpreted as defence mechanisms against grazing. Zooplankton feed with differing success on various phytoplankton species, depending primarily on size, shape, cell wall structure and the production of toxins and deterrents. Chemical cues associated with (i) mechanical damage, (ii) herbivore presence and (iii) grazing are the main factors triggering induced defences in both marine and freshwater phytoplankton, but most studies have failed to disentangle the exact mechanism(s) governing defence induction in any particular species. Induced defences in phytoplankton include changes in morphology (e.g. the formation of spines, colonies and thicker cell walls), biochemistry (such as production of toxins, repellents) and in life history characteristics (formation of cysts, reduced recruitment rate). Our categorization of inducible defences in terms of the responsible induction mechanism provides guidance for future work, as hardly any of the available studies on marine or freshwater plankton have performed all the treatments that are required to pinpoint the actual cue(s) for induction. We discuss the ecology of inducible defences in marine and freshwater phytoplankton with a special focus on the mechanisms of induction, the types of defences, their costs and benefits, and their consequences at the community level.}, language = {en} } @misc{KehrPicchiDittmannThuenemann2011, author = {Kehr, Jan-Christoph and Picchi, Douglas Gatte and Dittmann-Th{\"u}nemann, Elke}, title = {Natural product biosyntheses in cyanobacteria a treasure trove of unique enzymes}, series = {Beilstein journal of organic chemistry}, volume = {7}, journal = {Beilstein journal of organic chemistry}, number = {2}, publisher = {Beilstein-Institut zur F{\"o}rderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften}, address = {Frankfurt, Main}, issn = {1860-5397}, doi = {10.3762/bjoc.7.191}, pages = {1622 -- 1635}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Cyanobacteria are prolific producers of natural products. Investigations into the biochemistry responsible for the formation of these compounds have revealed fascinating mechanisms that are not, or only rarely, found in other microorganisms. In this article, we survey the biosynthetic pathways of cyanobacteria isolated from freshwater, marine and terrestrial habitats. We especially emphasize modular nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase (PKS) pathways and highlight the unique enzyme mechanisms that were elucidated or can be anticipated for the individual products. We further include ribosomal natural products and UV-absorbing pigments from cyanobacteria. Mechanistic insights obtained from the biochemical studies of cyanobacterial pathways can inspire the development of concepts for the design of bioactive compounds by synthetic-biology approaches in the future.}, language = {en} } @misc{LeimkuehlerWuebbensRajagopalan2011, author = {Leimk{\"u}hler, Silke and Wuebbens, Margot M. and Rajagopalan, K. V.}, title = {The history of the discovery of the molybdenum cofactor and novel aspects of its biosynthesis in bacteria}, series = {Coordination chemistry reviews}, volume = {255}, journal = {Coordination chemistry reviews}, number = {9-10}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {0010-8545}, doi = {10.1016/j.ccr.2010.12.003}, pages = {1129 -- 1144}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The biosynthesis of the molybdenum cofactor in bacteria is described with a detailed analysis of each individual reaction leading to the formation of stable intermediates during the synthesis of molybdopterin from GTP. As a starting point, the discovery of molybdopterin and the elucidation of its structure through the study of stable degradation products are described. Subsequent to molybdopterin synthesis, the molybdenum atom is added to the molybdopterin dithiolene group to form the molybdenum cofactor. This cofactor is either inserted directly into specific molybdoenzymes or is further modified by the addition of nucleotides to molybdopterin phosphate group or the replacement of ligands at the molybdenum center.}, language = {en} } @misc{BlenauThamm2011, author = {Blenau, Wolfgang and Thamm, Markus}, title = {Distribution of serotonin (5-HT) and its receptors in the insect brain with focus on the mushroom bodies lessons from Drosophila melanogaster and Apis mellifera}, series = {Arthropod structure \& development}, volume = {40}, journal = {Arthropod structure \& development}, number = {5}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {1467-8039}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2011.01.004}, pages = {381 -- 394}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The biogenic amine serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) plays a key role in regulating and modulating various physiological and behavioral processes in both protostomes and deuterostomes. The specific functions of serotonin are mediated by its binding to and subsequent activation of membrane receptors. The vast majority of these receptors belong to the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. We report here the in vivo expression pattern of a recently characterized 5-HT(1) receptor of the honeybee Apis mellifera (Am5-HT(1A)) in the mushroom bodies. In addition, we summarize current knowledge on the distribution of serotonin and serotonin receptor subtypes in the brain and specifically in the mushroom bodies of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the honeybee. Functional studies in these two species have shown that serotonergic signaling participates in various behaviors including aggression, sleep, circadian rhythms, responses to visual stimuli, and associative learning. The molecular, pharmacological, and functional properties of identified 5-HT receptor subtypes from A. mellifera and D. melanogaster will also be summarized in this review.}, language = {en} } @misc{ZhangIgnatova2011, author = {Zhang, Gong and Ignatova, Zoya}, title = {Folding at the birth of the nascent chain: coordinating translation with co-translational folding}, series = {Current opinion in structural biology : review of all advances ; evaluation of key references ; comprehensive listing of papers}, volume = {21}, journal = {Current opinion in structural biology : review of all advances ; evaluation of key references ; comprehensive listing of papers}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {London}, issn = {0959-440X}, doi = {10.1016/j.sbi.2010.10.008}, pages = {25 -- 31}, year = {2011}, abstract = {In the living cells, the folding of many proteins is largely believed to begin co-translationally, during their biosynthesis at the ribosomes. In the ribosomal tunnel, the nascent peptide may establish local interactions and stabilize alpha-helical structures. Long-range contacts are more likely outside the ribosomes after release of larger segments of the nascent chain. Examples suggest that domains can attain native-like structure on the ribosome with and without population of folding intermediates. The co-translational folding is limited by the speed of the gradual extrusion of the nascent peptide which imposes conformational restraints on its folding landscape. Recent experimental and in silico modeling studies indicate that translation kinetics fine-tunes co-translational folding by providing a time delay for sequential folding of distinct portions of the nascent chain.}, language = {en} } @misc{MulderBoitBonkowskietal.2011, author = {Mulder, Christian and Boit, Alice and Bonkowski, Michael and De Ruiter, Peter C. and Mancinelli, Giorgio and Van der Heijden, Marcel G. A. and Van Wijnen, Harm J. and Vonk, J. Arie and Rutgers, Michiel}, title = {A belowground perspective on dutch agroecosystems how soil organisms interact to support ecosystem services}, series = {Advances in ecological research}, volume = {44}, journal = {Advances in ecological research}, number = {2}, editor = {Woodward, G}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {San Diego}, isbn = {978-0-12-374794-5}, issn = {0065-2504}, doi = {10.1016/B978-0-12-374794-5.00005-5}, pages = {277 -- 357}, year = {2011}, abstract = {1. New patterns and trends in land use are becoming increasingly evident in Europe's heavily modified landscape and else whereas sustainable agriculture and nature restoration are developed as viable long-term alternatives to intensively farmed arable land. The success of these changes depends on how soil biodiversity and processes respond to changes in management. To improve our understanding of the community structure and ecosystem functioning of the soil biota, we analyzed abiotic variables across 200 sites, and biological variables across 170 sites in The Netherlands, one of the most intensively farmed countries. The data were derived from the Dutch Soil Quality Network (DSQN), a long-term monitoring framework designed to obtain ecological insight into soil types (STs) and ecosystem types (ETs). 2. At the outset we describe STs and biota, and we estimate the contribution of various groups to the provision of ecosystem services. We focused on interactive effects of soil properties on community patterns and ecosystem functioning using food web models. Ecologists analyze soil food webs by means of mechanistic and statistical modelling, linking network structure to energy flow and elemental dynamics commonly based on allometric scaling. 3. We also explored how predatory and metabolic processes are constrained by body size, diet and metabolic type, and how these constraints govern the interactions within and between trophic groups. In particular, we focused on how elemental fluxes determine the strengths of ecological interactions, and the resulting ecosystem services, in terms of sustenance of soil fertility. 4. We discuss data mining, food web visualizations, and an appropriate categorical way to capture subtle interrelationships within the DSQN dataset. Sampled metazoans were used to provide an overview of below-ground processes and influences of land use. Unlike most studies to date we used data from the entire size spectrum, across 15 orders of magnitude, using body size as a continuous trait crucial for understanding ecological services. 5. Multimodality in the frequency distributions of body size represents a performance filter that acts as a buffer to environmental change. Large differences in the body-size distributions across ETs and STs were evident. Most observed trends support the hypothesis that the direct influence of ecological stoichiometry on the soil biota as an independent predictor (e.g. in the form of nutrient to carbon ratios), and consequently on the allometric scaling, is more dominant than either ET or ST. This provides opportunities to develop a mechanistic and physiologically oriented model for the distribution of species' body sizes, where responses of invertebrates can be predicted. 6. Our results highlight the different roles that organisms play in a number of key ecosystem services. Such a trait-based research has unique strengths in its rigorous formulation of fundamental scaling rules, as well as in its verifiability by empirical data. Nonetheless, it still has weaknesses that remain to be addressed, like the consequences of intraspecific size variation, the high degree of omnivory, and a possibly inaccurate assignment to trophic groups. 7. Studying the extent to which nutrient levels influence multitrophic interactions and how different land-use regimes affect soil biodiversity is clearly a fruitful area for future research to develop predictive models for soil ecosystem services under different management regimes. No similar efforts have been attempted previously for soil food webs, and our dataset has the potential to test and further verify its usefulness at an unprecedented space scale.}, language = {en} } @misc{LarhlimiBlachonSelbigetal.2011, author = {Larhlimi, Abdelhalim and Blachon, Sylvain and Selbig, Joachim and Nikoloski, Zoran}, title = {Robustness of metabolic networks a review of existing definitions}, series = {Biosystems : journal of biological and information processing sciences}, volume = {106}, journal = {Biosystems : journal of biological and information processing sciences}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0303-2647}, doi = {10.1016/j.biosystems.2011.06.002}, pages = {1 -- 8}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Describing the determinants of robustness of biological systems has become one of the central questions in systems biology. Despite the increasing research efforts, it has proven difficult to arrive at a unifying definition for this important concept. We argue that this is due to the multifaceted nature of the concept of robustness and the possibility to formally capture it at different levels of systemic formalisms (e.g, topology and dynamic behavior). Here we provide a comprehensive review of the existing definitions of robustness pertaining to metabolic networks. As kinetic approaches have been excellently reviewed elsewhere, we focus on definitions of robustness proposed within graph-theoretic and constraint-based formalisms.}, language = {en} } @misc{ArnoldNikoloski2011, author = {Arnold, Anne and Nikoloski, Zoran}, title = {A quantitative comparison of Calvin-Benson cycle models}, series = {Trends in plant science}, volume = {16}, journal = {Trends in plant science}, number = {12}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {London}, issn = {1360-1385}, doi = {10.1016/j.tplants.2011.09.004}, pages = {676 -- 683}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The Calvin-Benson cycle (CBC) provides the precursors for biomass synthesis necessary for plant growth. The dynamic behavior and yield of the CBC depend on the environmental conditions and regulation of the cellular state. Accurate quantitative models hold the promise of identifying the key determinants of the tightly regulated CBC function and their effects on the responses in future climates. We provide an integrative analysis of the largest compendium of existing models for photosynthetic processes. Based on the proposed ranking, our framework facilitates the discovery of best-performing models with regard to metabolomics data and of candidates for metabolic engineering.}, language = {en} }