@article{RitteHeydenreichMahlowetal.2006, author = {Ritte, Gerhard and Heydenreich, Matthias and Mahlow, Sebastian and Haebel, Sophie and Koetting, Oliver and Steup, Martin}, title = {Phosphorylation of C6- and C3-positions of glucosyl residues in starch is catalysed by distinct dikinases}, series = {FEBS letters : the journal for rapid publication of short reports in molecular biosciences}, volume = {580}, journal = {FEBS letters : the journal for rapid publication of short reports in molecular biosciences}, number = {20}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0014-5793}, doi = {10.1016/j.febslet.2006.07.085}, pages = {4872 -- 4876}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Glucan, water dikinase (GWD) and phosphoglucan, water dikinase (PWD) are required for normal starch metabolism. We analysed starch phosphorylation in Arabidopsis wildtype plants and mutants lacking either GWD or PWD using P-31 NMR. Phosphorylation at both C6- and C3-positions of glucose moieties in starch was drastically decreased in GWD-deficient mutants. In starch from PWD-deficient plants C3-bound phosphate was reduced to levels close to the detection limit. The latter result contrasts with previous reports according to which GWD phosphorylates both C6- and C3-positions. In these studies, phosphorylation had been analysed by HPLC of acid-hydrolysed glucans. We now show that maltose-6-phosphate, a product of incomplete starch hydrolysis, co-eluted with glucose-3-phosphate under the chromatographic conditions applied. Re-examination of the specificity of the dikinases using an improved method demonstrates that C6- and C3-phosphorylation is selectively catalysed by GWD and PWD, respectively.}, language = {en} } @article{AndresenGroetzingerZarseetal.2006, author = {Andresen, Heiko and Gr{\"o}tzinger, Carsten and Zarse, Kim and Birringer, Marc and Hessenius, Carsten and Kreuzer, Oliver Johannes and Ehrentreich-F{\"o}rster, Eva and Bier, Frank Fabian}, title = {Peptide microarrays with site-specifically immobilized synthetic peptides for antibody diagnostics}, issn = {0925-4005}, doi = {10.1016/j.snb.2005.07.033}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Peptide microarrays bear the potential to discover molecular recognition events on protein level, particularly in the field of molecular immunology, in a manner and with an efficiency comparable to the performance of DNA microarrays. We developed a novel peptide microarray platform for the detection of antibodies in liquid samples. The system comprises site-specific solution phase coupling of biotinylated peptides to NeutrAvidin, localized microdispensing of peptide-NeutrAvidin conjugates onto activated glass slides and a fluorescence immuno sandwich assay format for antibody capture and detection. Our work includes synthetic peptides deduced from amino acid sequences of immunodominant linear epitopes, such as the T7 phage capsid protein, Herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D, c-myc protein and three domains of the Human coronavirus 229E polymerase polyprotein. We demonstrate that our method produces peptide arrays with excellent spot morphology which are capable of specific and sensitive detection of monoclonal antibodies from fluid samples.}, language = {en} } @article{Greil2006, author = {Greil, Holle}, title = {Patterns of sexual dimorphism from birth to senescence}, series = {Collegium antropologicum}, volume = {30}, journal = {Collegium antropologicum}, number = {3}, publisher = {Institute for Anthropological Research}, address = {Zagreb}, issn = {0350-6134}, pages = {637 -- 641}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Sexual dimorphism is expressed as median of the female values in percent of the median of the male values, of 4 length measurements, 3 circumferences, and 5 measurements of corpulence respectively fat. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional sample of more than 41.000 German subjects, aged from birth to age 62. The pattern of sexual dimorphism is similar in the length measurements. Girls are shorter at birth, but they increase in length at higher rates than boys and even temporarily overgrow the boys up to age 12. Thereafter, males show an obvious growth advantage leading to some 6 to 9\% more length in adult males. In contrast, female circumferences are always smaller, from birth to senescence. Though, the differences between the sexes are low in circumferences, up to age 13, sexual dimorphism increases to 17\% in the thoracic circumference at adulthood. Sexual dimorphism in weight and BMI is comparably with that in length measurements while subcutaneous fat and total body fat content are always higher in females. The results highlight that sexual dimorphism develops at different pace in the various components of the body and that it associates with a sex specific growth tempo.}, language = {en} } @article{ApioPlathWronski2006, author = {Apio, Ann and Plath, Martin and Wronski, Torsten}, title = {Patterns of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in the bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus from the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda}, series = {Journal of helminthology}, volume = {80}, journal = {Journal of helminthology}, number = {3}, publisher = {Univ. Press}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {0022-149X}, doi = {10.1076/JOH2006343}, pages = {213 -- 218}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Seasonal, host sex and age-related variations in helminth egg and coccidian oocyst counts were investigated in a naturally infected wild bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) population in Queen Elizabeth National Park, western Uganda from April 2000 to February 2002. The prevalence and mean intensity quantified as the number of eggs and oocysts per gram of faeces were taken as a measure of parasite burdens. Host sex and age-related differences in prevalence values were not found but the overall prevalence of Eimeria sp. was significantly higher during the rainy season, and peak counts were recorded either during or soon after a peak rainfall. A similar trend was observed for Moniezia spp., although the results were marginally not significant. There were also no significant differences in mean intensity values, relative to host sex, age or season.}, language = {en} } @article{KrylovAdamzigWalteretal.2006, author = {Krylov, Andrey. V. and Adamzig, H. and Walter, A. D. and Loechel, B. and Kurth, E. and Pulz, O. and Szeponik, Jan and Wegerich, Franziska and Lisdat, Fred}, title = {Parallel generation and detection of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide in a fluidic chip}, series = {Sensors and actuators : B, Chemical}, volume = {119}, journal = {Sensors and actuators : B, Chemical}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {0925-4005}, doi = {10.1016/j.snb.2005.11.062}, pages = {118 -- 126}, year = {2006}, abstract = {A fluidic chip system was developed, which combines a stable generation of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide with their sensorial detection. The generation of both reactive oxygen species was achieved by immobilization of xanthine oxidase on controlled pore glass in a reaction chamber. Antioxidants can be introduced into the fluidic chip system by means of mixing chamber. The detection of both species is based on the amperometric principle using a biosensor chip with two working electrodes. As sensing protein for both electrodes cytochrome c was used. The novel system was designed for the quantification of the antioxidant efficiency of different potential scavengers of the respective reactive species in an aqueous medium. Several model antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or catalase have been tested under flow conditions.}, language = {en} } @article{Herzschuh2006, author = {Herzschuh, Ulrike}, title = {Palaeo-moisture evolution in monsoonal Central Asia during the last 50,000 years}, issn = {0277-3791}, doi = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2005.02.006}, year = {2006}, abstract = {The late-Quaternary climate history of monsoonal Central Asia was inferred from 75 palaeoclimatic records which provide information about moisture conditions in the last 50 ka (or part of this period). Wet conditions occurred during middle and late Marine Isotope Stage 3, while the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was characterized by dry climate conditions in the region. A stepwise climate amelioration is suggested by the climate records following the LGM. Several climate signals of this period, which were reported from high-latitude ice core records, are preserved in archives from monsoonal Central Asia as well. During the early Holocene, high effective moisture was inferred from most records from the area dominated by the Indian Monsoon (e.g. the Tibetan Plateau) suggesting that Holocene optimal climate conditions occurred there during this period. In contrast, areas which are dominated by the South-East Asian monsoon (SE Monsoon) and the Westerlies (in north-western and north-central China, Mongolia) do not uniformly show an early Holocene climate optimum. For this area optimal conditions prevailed during the mid-Holocene. These apparent contradictions can possibly be explained by the regional uplift and descent of air masses in the Holocene. During the early Holocene, strengthened insolation possibly caused an enhanced low-level convergence over the Tibetan Plateau which led to the intensification of the summer monsoon. The strong air uplift caused intensified precipitation and air divergence in the upper troposphere over the Tibetan Plateau. The areas adjacent to the north therefore experienced an intensified descent of air masses and consequently increased aridity. The majority of the palaeoclimatic records suggest reduced effective moisture since the late Holocene in the region.}, language = {en} } @article{Knoesche2006, author = {Kn{\"o}sche, R{\"u}diger}, title = {Organic sediment nutrient concentrations and their relationship with the hydrological connectivity of floodplain waters (River Havel, NE Germany)}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Investigations on large canalised rivers, for example the Danube, have shown that transported particulate matter, which is typically inorganic, is predominantly deposited in waters near the river's main channel. This investigation deals with the lower section of the River Havel (NE Germany), a canalised lowland river with a very flat floodplain. This river is highly polluted by nutrients from urban areas (Berlin) and a long chain of river lakes produces high concentrations of phytoplankton. Due to the high proportion of planktogenic detritus, it was hypothesised that greater quantities of nutrient-rich fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) would be deposited in floodplain waters located further from the main channel than has been reported for large rivers.The total nutrient, P-binding metal (Fe, Al, and Mn), organic and inorganic carbon (TOC, TIC) contents of the upper organic sediment layer (0 - 4 cm) were analysed in samples collected from 48 floodplain water and river sites. The sediment bulk density, calculated on the basis of dry mass content and loss on ignition, was used to characterize the waters according to the impact of the river current. The results showed that the variability of total phosphorus (TP) was best explained by the variability of total iron (TFe, R2 = 0.52). The floodplain water sediments could clearly be separated into two groups on the basis of the sediment particle size composition, and of the element ratios TOC:TP, TN:TP, primarily TFe:TP. The sediments from impounded river sections and from mouth sections of backwaters (approx. 100 - 200 m) were characterized by a high proportion particles from the 0.1 - 0.5 mm size fraction and by homogeneous, low TFe:TP, TOC:TP and TN:TP ratios. Sediments from distal sections of backwaters and of oxbow lakes tended to exhibit high element ratios with much higher variability. These results were interpreted as a spatially limited impact of the river on the floodplain water sediments. Contrary to expectation, the phosphorus bound in river seston was predominantly and very homogeneously deposited in the impounded river and mouth sections of backwaters. This implies that the inundation of the floodplain waters during spring floods seems to have no important material impact on the sediments in waters of low hydrologically connectivity with the River Havel.}, language = {en} } @book{Koechy2006, author = {K{\"o}chy, Martin}, title = {Opposite trends in life stages of annual plants caused by daily rainfall variability - interaction with climate change}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Global Circulation Models of climate predict not only a change of annual precipitation amounts but also a shift in the daily distribution. To improve the understanding of the importance of daily rain pattern for annual plant communities, which represent a large portion of semi-natural vegetation in the Middle East, I used a detailed, spatially explicit model. The model explicitly considers water storage in the soil and has been parameterized and validated with data collected in field experiments in Israel and data from the literature. I manipulated daily rainfall variability by increasing the mean daily rain intensity on rainy days (MDI, rain volume/day) and decreasing intervals between rainy days while keeping the mean annual amount constant. In factorial combination, I also increased mean annual precipitation (MAP). I considered five climatic regions characterized by 100, 300, 450, 600, and 800 mm MAP. Increasing MDI decreased establishment when MAP was >250 mm but increased establishment at more arid sites. The negative effect of increasing MDI was compensated by increasing mortality with increasing MDI in dry and typical Mediterranean regions (c. 360-720 mm MAP). These effects were strongly tied to water availability in upper and lower soil layers and modified by competition among seedlings and adults. Increasing MAP generally increased water availability, establishment, and density. The order of magnitudes of MDI and MAP effects overlapped partially so that their combined effect is important for projections of climate change effects on annual vegetation. The effect size of MAP and MDI followed a sigmoid curve along the MAP gradient indicating that the semi-arid region (?300 mm MAP) is the most sensitive to precipitation change with regard to annual communities.}, language = {en} } @misc{Koechy2006, author = {K{\"o}chy, Martin}, title = {Opposite trends in life stages of annual plants caused by daily rainfall variability}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-14699}, pages = {347 -- 357}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Global Circulation Models of climate predict not only a change of annual precipitation amounts but also a shift in the daily distribution. To improve the understanding of the importance of daily rain pattern for annual plant communities, which represent a large portion of semi-natural vegetation in the Middle East, I used a detailed, spatially explicit model. The model explicitly considers water storage in the soil and has been parameterized and validated with data collected in field experiments in Israel and data from the literature. I manipulated daily rainfall variability by increasing the mean daily rain intensity on rainy days (MDI, rain volume/day) and decreasing intervals between rainy days while keeping the mean annual amount constant. In factorial combination, I also increased mean annual precipitation (MAP). I considered five climatic regions characterized by 100, 300, 450, 600, and 800 mm MAP. Increasing MDI decreased establishment when MAP was >250 mm but increased establishment at more arid sites. The negative effect of increasing MDI was compensated by increasing mortality with increasing MDI in dry and typical Mediterranean regions (c. 360-720 mm MAP). These effects were strongly tied to water availability in upper and lower soil layers and modified by competition among seedlings and adults. Increasing MAP generally increased water availability, establishment, and density. The order of magnitudes of MDI and MAP effects overlapped partially so that their combined effect is important for projections of climate change effects on annual vegetation. The effect size of MAP and MDI followed a sigmoid curve along the MAP gradient indicating that the semi-arid region (≈300 mm MAP) is the most sensitive to precipitation change with regard to annual communitie}, subject = {Klima{\"a}nderung}, language = {en} } @article{SchiffersTielboerger2006, author = {Schiffers, Katja and Tielb{\"o}rger, Katja}, title = {Ontogenetic shifts in interactions among annual plants}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01097.x}, year = {2006}, abstract = {1.Interactions among plants are key processes that strongly influence the structure and dynamics of plant populations and communities. However, most empirical studies of plant-plant inter­actions failed to repeatedly measure the plants? response to neighboring individuals and thereby neglected possible changes in interactions through­out the life history of the plants.2.Here, we tested the hypo­thesis that competition between annual species intensifies from early to late life history stages. To test this hypothesis, we sequentially measured interactions at different levels of water stress. 3.For this purpose, we con­ducted neighbor-removal experiments in three study sites located along a climatic gradient in Israel. The two annual species Biscutella didyma and Hymenocarpos circinnatus were used as target plants. They grew with and without neighbors in their natural habitats. Five response variables, according to the consecutive life-history stages, (seedling survival, juvenile biomass, adult survival, number of seeds and final biomass) were recorded through­out the whole growing season. 4.The results suggest that direction and inten­sity of inter­actions varied consider­ably between environ­ments and life stages. On average, growth-related response variables indicated higher competition intensity at the productive end of the climatic gradient, while survival indicated either facilitation at the dry end or no trend along the gradient. 5.Considering the temporal aspect, moderate facili­tation short after germi­nation shifted to strong compe­tition at the end of the growing season. 6.Our results highlight that the outcome of experi­mental studies on plant-plant inter­actions may not only depend on the environ­mental productivity but even more on the life stage at which a target plant is found.}, language = {en} }