@article{LemkeKolbGraaeetal.2015, author = {Lemke, Isgard H. and Kolb, Annette and Graae, Bente J. and De Frenne, Pieter and Acharya, Kamal P. and Blandino, Cristina and Brunet, Jorg and Chabrerie, Olivier and Cousins, Sara A. O. and Decocq, Guillaume and Heinken, Thilo and Hermy, Martin and Liira, Jaan and Schmucki, Reto and Shevtsova, Anna and Verheyen, Kris and Diekmann, Martin}, title = {Patterns of phenotypic trait variation in two temperate forest herbs along a broad climatic gradient}, series = {Plant ecology : an international journal}, volume = {216}, journal = {Plant ecology : an international journal}, number = {11}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {1385-0237}, doi = {10.1007/s11258-015-0534-0}, pages = {1523 -- 1536}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Phenotypic trait variation plays a major role in the response of plants to global environmental change, particularly in species with low migration capabilities and recruitment success. However, little is known about the variation of functional traits within populations and about differences in this variation on larger spatial scales. In a first approach, we therefore related trait expression to climate and local environmental conditions, studying two temperate forest herbs, Milium effusum and Stachys sylvatica, along a similar to 1800-2500 km latitudinal gradient. Within each of 9-10 regions in six European countries, we collected data from six populations of each species and recorded several variables in each region (temperature, precipitation) and population (light availability, soil parameters). For each plant, we measured height, leaf area, specific leaf area, seed mass and the number of seeds and examined environmental effects on within-population trait variation as well as on trait means. Most importantly, trait variation differed both between and within populations. Species, however, differed in their response. Intrapopulation variation in Milium was consistently positively affected by higher mean temperatures and precipitation as well as by more fertile local soil conditions, suggesting that more productive conditions may select for larger phenotypic variation. In Stachys, particularly light availability positively influenced trait variation, whereas local soil conditions had no consistent effects. Generally, our study emphasises that intra-population variation may differ considerably across larger scales-due to phenotypic plasticity and/or underlying genetic diversity-possibly affecting species response to global environmental change.}, language = {en} } @article{JonesGonzalezFortesConnelletal.2015, author = {Jones, Eppie R. and Gonz{\´a}lez-Fortes, Gloria M. and Connell, Sarah and Siska, Veronika and Eriksson, Anders and Martiniano, Rui and McLaughlin, Russell L. and Llorente, Marcos Gallego and Cassidy, Lara M. and Gamba, Cristina and Meshveliani, Tengiz and Bar-Yosef, Ofer and Mueller, Werner and Belfer-Cohen, Anna and Matskevich, Zinovi and Jakeli, Nino and Higham, Thomas F. G. and Currat, Mathias and Lordkipanidze, David and Hofreiter, Michael and Manica, Andrea and Pinhasi, Ron and Bradley, Daniel G.}, title = {Upper Palaeolithic genomes reveal deep roots of modern Eurasians}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {6}, journal = {Nature Communications}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms9912}, pages = {8}, year = {2015}, abstract = {We extend the scope of European palaeogenomics by sequencing the genomes of Late Upper Palaeolithic (13,300 years old, 1.4-fold coverage) and Mesolithic (9,700 years old, 15.4-fold) males from western Georgia in the Caucasus and a Late Upper Palaeolithic (13,700 years old, 9.5-fold) male from Switzerland. While we detect Late Palaeolithic-Mesolithic genomic continuity in both regions, we find that Caucasus hunter-gatherers (CHG) belong to a distinct ancient clade that split from western hunter-gatherers similar to 45 kya, shortly after the expansion of anatomically modern humans into Europe and from the ancestors of Neolithic farmers similar to 25 kya, around the Last Glacial Maximum. CHG genomes significantly contributed to the Yamnaya steppe herders who migrated into Europe similar to 3,000 BC, supporting a formative Caucasus influence on this important Early Bronze age culture. CHG left their imprint on modern populations from the Caucasus and also central and south Asia possibly marking the arrival of Indo-Aryan languages.}, language = {en} } @article{LotkowskaTohgeFernieetal.2015, author = {Lotkowska, Magda E. and Tohge, Takayuki and Fernie, Alisdair and Xue, Gang-Ping and Balazadeh, Salma and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd}, title = {The Arabidopsis Transcription Factor MYB112 Promotes Anthocyanin Formation during Salinity and under High Light Stress}, series = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants}, volume = {169}, journal = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants}, number = {3}, publisher = {American Society of Plant Physiologists}, address = {Rockville}, issn = {0032-0889}, doi = {10.1104/pp.15.00605}, pages = {1862 -- 1880}, year = {2015}, abstract = {MYB transcription factors (TFs) are important regulators of flavonoid biosynthesis in plants. Here, we report MYB112 as a formerly unknown regulator of anthocyanin accumulation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Expression profiling after chemically induced overexpression of MYB112 identified 28 up-and 28 down-regulated genes 5 h after inducer treatment, including MYB7 and MYB32, which are both induced. In addition, upon extended induction, MYB112 also positively affects the expression of PRODUCTION OF ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENT1, a key TF of anthocyanin biosynthesis, but acts negatively toward MYB12 and MYB111, which both control flavonol biosynthesis. MYB112 binds to an 8-bp DNA fragment containing the core sequence (A/T/G)(A/C) CC(A/T)(A/G/T)(A/C)(T/C). By electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we show that MYB112 binds in vitro and in vivo to MYB7 and MYB32 promoters, revealing them as direct downstream target genes. We further show that MYB112 expression is up-regulated by salinity and high light stress, environmental parameters that both require the MYB112 TF for anthocyanin accumulation under these stresses. In contrast to several other MYB TFs affecting anthocyanin biosynthesis, MYB112 expression is not controlled by nitrogen limitation or an excess of carbon. Thus, MYB112 constitutes a regulator that promotes anthocyanin accumulation under abiotic stress conditions.}, language = {en} } @article{SbragagliaLamannaMatetal.2015, author = {Sbragaglia, Valerio and Lamanna, Francesco and Mat, Audrey M. and Rotllant, Guiomar and Joly, Silvia and Ketmaier, Valerio and de la Iglesia, Horacio O. and Aguzzi, Jacopo}, title = {Identification, Characterization, and Diel Pattern of Expression of Canonical Clock Genes in Nephrops norvegicus (Crustacea: Decapoda) Eyestalk}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {11}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0141893}, pages = {17}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, is a burrowing decapod with a rhythmic burrow emergence (24 h) governed by the circadian system. It is an important resource for European fisheries and its behavior deeply affects its availability. The current knowledge of Nephrops circadian biology is phenomenological as it is currently the case for almost all crustaceans. In attempt to elucidate the putative molecular mechanisms underlying circadian gene regulation in Nephrops, we used a transcriptomics approach on cDNA extracted from the eyestalk, a structure playing a crucial role in controlling behavior of decapods. We studied 14 male lobsters under 12-12 light-darkness blue light cycle. We used the Hiseq 2000 Illumina platform to sequence two eyestalk libraries (under light and darkness conditions) obtaining about 90 millions 100-bp paired-end reads. Trinity was used for the de novo reconstruction of transcriptomes; the size at which half of all assembled bases reside in contigs (N50) was equal to 1796 (light) and 2055 (darkness). We found a list of candidate clock genes and focused our attention on canonical ones: timeless, period, clock and bmal1. The cloning of assembled fragments validated Trinity outputs. The putative Nephrops clock genes showed high levels of identity (blastx on NCBI) with known crustacean clock gene homologs such as Eurydice pulchra (period: 47\%, timeless: 59\%, bmal1: 79\%) and Macrobrachium rosenbergii (clock: 100\%). We also found a vertebrate-like cryptochrome 2. RT-qPCR showed that only timeless had a robust diel pattern of expression. Our data are in accordance with the current knowledge of the crustacean circadian clock, reinforcing the idea that the molecular clockwork of this group shows some differences with the established model in Drosophila melanogaster.}, language = {en} } @article{StanislasHuserBarbosaetal.2015, author = {Stanislas, Thomas and Huser, Anke and Barbosa, Ines C. R. and Kiefer, Christian S. and Brackmann, Klaus and Pietra, Stefano and Gustavsson, Anna and Zourelidou, Melina and Schwechheimer, Claus and Grebe, Markus}, title = {Arabidopsis D6PK is a lipid domain-dependent mediator of root epidermal planar polarity}, series = {Nature plants}, volume = {1}, journal = {Nature plants}, number = {11}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2055-026X}, doi = {10.1038/NPLANTS.2015.162}, pages = {9}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Development of diverse multicellular organisms relies on coordination of single-cell polarities within the plane of the tissue layer (planar polarity). Cell polarity often involves plasma membrane heterogeneity generated by accumulation of specific lipids and proteins into membrane subdomains. Coordinated hair positioning along Arabidopsis root epidermal cells provides a planar polarity model in plants, but knowledge about the functions of proteo-lipid domains in planar polarity signalling remains limited. Here we show that Rho-of-plant (ROP) 2 and 6, phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase 3 (PIP5K3), DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN (DRP) 1A and DRP2B accumulate in a sterol-enriched, polar membrane domain during root hair initiation. DRP1A, DRP2B, PIP5K3 and sterols are required for planar polarity and the AGCVIII kinase D6 PROTEIN KINASE (D6PK) is a modulator of this process. D6PK undergoes phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate- and sterol-dependent basal-to-planar polarity switching into the polar, lipid-enriched domain just before hair formation, unravelling lipid-dependent D6PK localization during late planar polarity signalling.}, language = {en} } @article{BordagKlieJuerchottetal.2015, author = {Bordag, Natalie and Klie, Sebastian and J{\"u}rchott, Kathrin and Vierheller, Janine and Schiewe, Hajo and Albrecht, Valerie and Tonn, J{\"o}rg-Christian and Schwartz, Christoph and Schichor, Christian and Selbig, Joachim}, title = {Glucocorticoid (dexamethasone)-induced metabolome changes in healthy males suggest prediction of response and side effects}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {5}, journal = {Scientific reports}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/srep15954}, pages = {12}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Glucocorticoids are indispensable anti-inflammatory and decongestant drugs with high prevalence of use at (similar to)0.9\% of the adult population. Better holistic insights into glucocorticoid-induced changes are crucial for effective use as concurrent medication and management of adverse effects. The profiles of 214 metabolites from plasma of 20 male healthy volunteers were recorded prior to and after ingestion of a single dose of 4 mg dexamethasone (+20 mg pantoprazole). Samples were drawn at three predefined time points per day: seven untreated (day 1 midday - day 3 midday) and four treated (day 3 evening - day 4 evening) per volunteer. Statistical analysis revealed tremendous impact of dexamethasone on the metabolome with 150 of 214 metabolites being significantly deregulated on at least one time point after treatment (ANOVA, Benjamini-Hochberg corrected, q < 0.05). Inter-person variability was high and remained uninfluenced by treatment. The clearly visible circadian rhythm prior to treatment was almost completely suppressed and deregulated by dexamethasone. The results draw a holistic picture of the severe metabolic deregulation induced by single-dose, short-term glucocorticoid application. The observed metabolic changes suggest a potential for early detection of severe side effects, raising hope for personalized early countermeasures increasing quality of life and reducing health care costs.}, language = {en} } @article{NeuschaeferRubeSchraplauScheweetal.2015, author = {Neuschaefer-Rube, Frank and Schraplau, Anne and Schewe, Bettina and Lieske, Stefanie and Kruetzfeldt, Julia-Mignon and Ringel, Sebastian and Henkela, Janin and Birkenfeld, Andreas L. and P{\"u}schel, Gerhard Paul}, title = {Arylhydrocarbon receptor-dependent mIndy (SIc13a5) induction as possible contributor to benzo[a]pyrene-induced lipid accumulation in hepatocytes}, series = {Toxicology}, volume = {337}, journal = {Toxicology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Clare}, issn = {0300-483X}, doi = {10.1016/j.tox.2015.08.007}, pages = {1 -- 9}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a growing problem in industrialized and developing countries. Hepatic lipid accumulation is the result of an imbalance between fatty acid uptake, fatty acid de novo synthesis, beta-oxidation and secretion of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins from the hepatocyte. A central regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism is cytosolic citrate that can either be derived from the mitochondrium or be taken up from the blood via the plasma membrane sodium citrate transporter NaCT, the product of the mammalian INDY gene (SLC13A5). mINDY ablation protects against diet-induced steatosis whereas mINDY expression is increased in patients with hepatic steatosis. Diet-induced hepatic steatosis is also enhanced by activation of the arylhyrocarbon receptor (AhR) both in humans and animal models. Therefore, the hypothesis was tested whether the mINDY gene might be a target of the AhR. In accordance with such a hypothesis, the AhR activator benzo[a]pyrene induced the mINDY expression in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes in an AhR-dependent manner. This induction resulted in an increased citrate uptake and citrate incorporation into lipids which probably was further enhanced by the benzo[a]pyrene-dependent induction of key enzymes of fatty acid synthesis. A potential AhR binding site was identified in the mINDY promoter that appears to be conserved in the human promoter. Elimination or mutation of this site largely abolished the activation of the mINDY promoter by benzo[a]pyrene. This study thus identified the mINDY as an AhR target gene. AhR-dependent induction of the mINDY gene might contribute to the development of hepatic steatosis. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{KopyshevLomadzeFeldmannetal.2015, author = {Kopyshev, Alexey and Lomadze, Nino and Feldmann, David and Genzer, Jan and Santer, Svetlana}, title = {Making polymer brush photosensitive with azobenzene containing surfactants}, series = {Polymer : the international journal for the science and technology of polymers}, volume = {79}, journal = {Polymer : the international journal for the science and technology of polymers}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0032-3861}, doi = {10.1016/j.polymer.2015.09.023}, pages = {65 -- 72}, year = {2015}, abstract = {We report on rendering polyelectrolyte brushes photosensitive by loading them with azobenzene-containing cationic surfactants. Planar poly( methacrylic acid) (PMAA) brushes are synthesized using the "grafting from" free-radical polymerization scheme followed by exposure to a solution of photosensitive surfactants consisting of positively-charged head groups and hydrophobic tails into which azobenzene moieties are inserted. In this study the length of the hydrophobic methylene spacer connecting the azobenzene and the charged head group ranges from 4 to 10 CH2 groups. Under irradiation with UV light, the photo-isomerization of azobenzene integrated into a surfactant results in a change in size, geometry, dipole moment and free volume of the whole molecule. When the brush loaded with photosensitive surfactants is exposed to irradiation with UV interference patterns, the topography of the brush deforms following the distribution of the light intensity, exhibiting surface relief gratings (SRG). Since SRG formation is accompanied by a local rupturing of polymer chains in areas from which the polymer material is receding, most of the polymer material is removed from the surface during treatment with good solvent, leaving behind characteristic patterns of lines or dots. The azobenzene molecules still integrated within the polymer film can be removed by washing the brush with water. The remaining nano-structured brush can then be re-used for further functionalization. Although the opto-mechanically induced rupturing occurs for all surfactants, larger species do not penetrate deep enough into the brush such that after rupturing a leftover layer of polymer material remains on the substrate. This indicates that rupturing occurs predominantly in regions of high surfactant density.}, language = {en} } @article{FrindteAllgaierGrossartetal.2015, author = {Frindte, Katharina and Allgaier, Martin and Grossart, Hans-Peter and Eckert, Werner}, title = {Microbial response to experimentally controlled redox transitions at the sediment water interface}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {11}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0143428}, pages = {17}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The sediment-water interface of freshwater lakes is characterized by sharp chemical gradients, shaped by the interplay between physical, chemical and microbial processes. As dissolved oxygen is depleted in the uppermost sediment, the availability of alternative electron acceptors, e.g. nitrate and sulfate, becomes the limiting factor. We performed a time series experiment in a mesocosm to simulate the transition from aerobic to anaerobic conditions at the sediment-water interface. Our goal was to identify changes in the microbial activity due to redox transitions induced by successive depletion of available electron acceptors. Monitoring critical hydrochemical parameters in the overlying water in conjunction with a new sampling strategy for sediment bacteria enabled us to correlate redox changes in the water to shifts in the active microbial community and the expression of functional genes representing specific redox-dependent microbial processes. Our results show that during several transitions from oxic-heterotrophic condition to sulfate-reducing condition, nitrate-availability and the on-set of sulfate reduction strongly affected the corresponding functional gene expression. There was evidence of anaerobic methane oxidation with NOx. DGGE analysis revealed redox-related changes in microbial activity and expression of functional genes involved in sulfate and nitrite reduction, whereas methanogenesis and methanotrophy showed only minor changes during redox transitions. The combination of high-frequency chemical measurements and molecular methods provide new insights into the temporal dynamics of the interplay between microbial activity and specific redox transitions at the sediment-water interface.}, language = {en} } @misc{HixsonSharmaKainzetal.2015, author = {Hixson, Stefanie M. and Sharma, Bhanu and Kainz, Martin J. and Wacker, Alexander and Arts, Michael T.}, title = {Production, distribution, and abundance of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: a fundamental dichotomy between freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems}, series = {Environmental reviews = Dossiers environnement}, volume = {23}, journal = {Environmental reviews = Dossiers environnement}, number = {4}, publisher = {NRC Research Press}, address = {Ottawa}, issn = {1208-6053}, doi = {10.1139/er-2015-0029}, pages = {414 -- 424}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) are critical for the health of aquatic and terrestrial organisms; therefore, understanding the production, distribution, and abundance of these compounds is imperative. Although the dynamics of LC-PUFA production and distribution in aquatic environments has been well documented, a systematic and comprehensive comparison to LC-PUFA in terrestrial environments has not been rigorously investigated. Here we use a data synthesis approach to compare and contrast fatty acid profiles of 369 aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Habitat and trophic level were interacting factors that determined the proportion of individual omega-3 (n-3) or omega-6 (n-6) PUFA in aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Higher total n-3 content compared with n-6 PUFA and a strong prevalence of the n-3 PUFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) characterized aquatic versus terrestrial organisms. Conversely, terrestrial organisms had higher linoleic acid (LNA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) contents than aquatic organisms; however, the ratio of ALA: LNA was higher in aquatic organisms. The EPA + DHA content was higher in aquatic animals than terrestrial organisms, and increased from algae to invertebrates to vertebrates in the aquatic environment. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that fatty acid composition was highly dependent on the interaction between habitat and trophic level. We conclude that freshwater ecosystems provide an essential service through the production of n-3 LC-PUFA that are required to maintain the health of terrestrial organisms including humans.}, language = {en} } @unpublished{MuellerRoeber2015, author = {M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd}, title = {That "crispert" in Plant Cultivation}, series = {Journal f{\"u}r Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit = Journal of consumer protection and food safety}, volume = {10}, journal = {Journal f{\"u}r Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit = Journal of consumer protection and food safety}, number = {4}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1661-5751}, doi = {10.1007/s00003-015-0985-1}, pages = {305 -- 306}, year = {2015}, language = {de} } @article{ElsnerSchiblerHofreiteretal.2015, author = {Elsner, Julia and Schibler, Joerg and Hofreiter, Michael and Schlumbaum, Angela}, title = {Burial condition is the most important factor for mtDNA PCR amplification success in Palaeolithic equid remains from the Alpine foreland}, series = {Archaeological and anthropological sciences}, volume = {7}, journal = {Archaeological and anthropological sciences}, number = {4}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Heidelberg}, issn = {1866-9557}, doi = {10.1007/s12520-014-0213-4}, pages = {505 -- 515}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Faunal remains from Palaeolithic sites are important genetic sources to study preglacial and postglacial populations and to investigate the effect of climate change and human impact. Post mortem decay, resulting in fragmented and chemically modified DNA, is a key obstacle in ancient DNA analyses. In the absence of reliable methods to determine the presence of endogenous DNA in sub-fossil samples, temporal and spatial surveys of DNA survival on a regional scale may help to estimate the potential of faunal remains from a given time period and region. We therefore investigated PCR amplification success, PCR performance and post mortem damage in c. 47,000 to c. 12,000-year-old horse remains from 14 Palaeolithic sites along the Swiss Jura Mountains in relation to depositional context, tissue type, storage time and age, potentially influencing DNA preservation. The targeted 75 base pair mitochondrial DNA fragment could be amplified solely from equid remains from caves and not from any of the open dry and (temporary) wetland sites. Whether teeth are better than bones cannot be ultimately decided; however, both storage time after excavation and age significantly affect PCR amplification and performance, albeit not in a linear way. This is best explained by the-inevitable-heterogeneity of the data set. The extent of post mortem damage is not related to any of the potential impact factors. The results encourage comprehensive investigations of Palaeolithic cave sites, even from temperate regions.}, language = {en} } @article{PieckHerlemannJuergensetal.2015, author = {Pieck, Angelika and Herlemann, Daniel P. P. and Juergens, Klaus and Grossart, Hans-Peter}, title = {Particle-Associated Differ from Free-Living Bacteria in Surface Waters of the Baltic Sea}, series = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {6}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-302X}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2015.01297}, pages = {13}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Many studies on bacterial community composition (BCC) do not distinguish between particle associated (PA) and free-living (FL) bacteria or neglect the PA fraction by pre-filtration removing most particles. Although temporal and spatial gradients in environmental variables are known to shape BCC, it remains unclear how and to what extent PA and FL bacterial diversity responds to such environmental changes. To elucidate the BCC of both bacterial fractions related to different environmental settings, we studied surface samples of three Baltic Sea stations (marine, mesohaline, and oligohaline) in two different seasons (summer and fall/winter). Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed significant differences in BCC of both bacterial fractions among stations and seasons, with a particularly high number of PA operational taxonomic units (OTUs at genus-level) at the marine station in both seasons. "Shannon and Simpson indices" showed a higher diversity of PA than FL bacteria at the marine station in both seasons and at the oligohaline station in fall/winter. In general, a high fraction of bacterial OTUs was found exclusively in the PA fraction (52\% of total OTUs). These findings indicate that PA bacteria significantly contribute to overall bacterial richness and that they differ from FL bacteria. Therefore, to gain a deeper understanding on diversity and dynamics of aquatic bacteria, PA and FL bacteria should be generally studied independently.}, language = {en} } @unpublished{EnsslinTschoepeBurkartetal.2015, author = {Ensslin, Andreas and Tschoepe, Okka and Burkart, Michael and Joshi, Jasmin Radha}, title = {Fitness decline and adaptation to novel environments in ex situ plant collections: Current knowledge and future perspectives}, series = {: an international journal}, volume = {192}, journal = {: an international journal}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0006-3207}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2015.10.012}, pages = {394 -- 401}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The conservation of rare plant species as living collections in botanic gardens and arboreta has become an established tool in the battle against worldwide species' extinctions. However, the establishment of ex situ collections with a high conservation value requires a sound understanding of the evolutionary processes that may reduce the suitability of these collections for future reintroductions. Particularly, risks such as fitness decline of cultivated plants over time, trait shifts and loss of adaptation to the original habitat due to changes in selection regimes have rarely been addressed so far. Based on a literature review and results of our own project we show that genetic drift can lead to fitness decline in ex situ cultivated plants, but these drift effects strongly depend on the conditions and cultivation history in the ex situ facility. Furthermore, we provide evidence that shifts in traits such as germination and flowering time, and a decrease in stress tolerance to drought and competition can reduce the conservation value of ex situ collections. These threats associated with ex situ conditions require more attention by researchers, curators and conservationists. We need to increase knowledge on traits that are subject to novel selection pressures in ex situ collections, and to define population sizes that prevent genetic drift. Establishing conservation networks with replicated collections across gardens and balancing the seed contribution of mother plants to the next generation within a collection are suggested as first steps to increase the conservation value of ex situ plant collections. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{MarcusBochDurkaetal.2015, author = {Marcus, Tamar and Boch, Steffen and Durka, Walter and Fischer, Markus and Gossner, Martin M. and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Drees, Claudia and Assmann, Thorsten}, title = {Living in Heterogeneous Woodlands - Are Habitat Continuity or Quality Drivers of Genetic Variability in a Flightless Ground Beetle?}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {12}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0144217}, pages = {18}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Although genetic diversity is one of the key components of biodiversity, its drivers are still not fully understood. While it is known that genetic diversity is affected both by environmental parameters as well as habitat history, these factors are not often tested together. Therefore, we analyzed 14 microsatellite loci in Abax parallelepipedus, a flightless, forest dwelling ground beetle, from 88 plots in two study regions in Germany. We modeled the effects of historical and environmental variables on allelic richness, and found for one of the regions, the Schorfheide-Chorin, a significant effect of the depth of the litter layer, which is a main component of habitat quality, and of the sampling effort, which serves as an inverse proxy for local population size. For the other region, the Schwabische Alb, none of the potential drivers showed a significant effect on allelic richness. We conclude that the genetic diversity in our study species is being driven by current local population sizes via environmental variables and not by historical processes in the studied regions. This is also supported by lack of genetic differentiation between local populations sampled from ancient and from recent woodlands. We suggest that the potential effects of former fragmentation and recolonization processes have been mitigated by the large and stable local populations of Abax parallelepipedus in combination with the proximity of the ancient and recent woodlands in the studied landscapes.}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenSchefflerGrothetal.2015, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Groth, Detlef and Aßmann, Christian}, title = {Height and skeletal morphology in relation to modern life style}, series = {Journal of physiological anthropology}, volume = {34}, journal = {Journal of physiological anthropology}, publisher = {BioMed Central}, address = {London}, issn = {1880-6805}, doi = {10.1186/s40101-015-0080-4}, pages = {5}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Height and skeletal morphology strongly relate to life style. Parallel to the decrease in physical activity and locomotion, modern people are slimmer in skeletal proportions. In German children and adolescents, elbow breadth and particularly relative pelvic breadth (50th centile of bicristal distance divided by body height) have significantly decreased in recent years. Even more evident than the changes in pelvic morphology are the rapid changes in body height in most modern countries since the end-19th and particularly since the mid-20th century. Modern Japanese mature earlier; the age at take-off (ATO, the age at which the adolescent growth spurt starts) decreases, and they are taller at all ages. Preece-Baines modelling of six national samples of Japanese children and adolescents, surveyed between 1955 and 2000, shows that this gain in height is largely an adolescent trend, whereas height at take-off (HTO) increased by less than 3 cm since 1955; adolescent growth (height gain between ATO and adult age) increased by 6 cm. The effect of globalization on the modern post-war Japanese society ("community effect in height") on adolescent growth is discussed.}, language = {en} } @article{HahnSolomunWellhausenetal.2015, author = {Hahn, Marc Benjamin and Solomun, Tihomir and Wellhausen, Robert and Hermann, Sabrina and Seitz, Harald and Meyer, Susann and Kunte, Hans-J{\"o}rg and Zeman, Johannes and Uhlig, Frank and Smiatek, Jens and Sturm, Heinz}, title = {Influence of the Compatible Solute Ectoine on the Local Water Structure: Implications for the Binding of the Protein G5P to DNA}, series = {The journal of physical chemistry : B, Condensed matter, materials, surfaces, interfaces \& biophysical chemistry}, volume = {119}, journal = {The journal of physical chemistry : B, Condensed matter, materials, surfaces, interfaces \& biophysical chemistry}, number = {49}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1520-6106}, doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b09506}, pages = {15212 -- 15220}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Microorganisms accumulate molar concentrations of compatible solutes like ectoine to prevent proteins from denaturation. Direct structural or spectroscopic information on the mechanism and about the hydration shell around ectoine are scarce. We combined surface plasmon resonance (SPR), confocal Raman spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the local hydration shell around ectoine and its influence on the binding of a gene-S-protein (G5P) to a single-stranded DNA (dT(25)). Due to the very high hygroscopicity of ectoine, it was possible to analyze the highly stable hydration shell by confocal Raman spectroscopy. Corresponding molecular dynamics simulation results revealed a significant change of the water dielectric constant in the presence of a high molar ectoine concentration as compared to pure water. The SPR data showed that the amount of protein bound to DNA decreases in the presence of ectoine, and hence, the protein-DNA dissociation constant increases in a concentration-dependent manner. Concomitantly, the Raman spectra in terms of the amide I region revealed large changes in the protein secondary structure. Our results indicate that ectoine strongly affects the molecular recognition between the protein and the oligonudeotide, which has important consequences for osmotic regulation mechanisms.}, language = {en} } @misc{McKennaLeimkuehlerHerteretal.2015, author = {McKenna, Shane M. and Leimk{\"u}hler, Silke and Herter, Susanne and Turner, Nicholas J. and Carnell, Andrew J.}, title = {Enzyme cascade reactions}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-102271}, pages = {3271 -- 3275}, year = {2015}, abstract = {A one-pot tandem enzyme reaction using galactose oxidase M3-5 and aldehyde oxidase PaoABC was used to convert hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to the pure bioplastics precursor FDCA in 74\% isolated yield. A range of alcohols was also converted to carboxylic acids in high yield under mild conditions.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kamranfar2015, author = {Kamranfar, Iman}, title = {Functional analysis of gene regulatory networks controlled by stress responsive transcription factors in Arabidopsis thaliana}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {151}, year = {2015}, language = {en} } @misc{MuinodeBruijnPajoroetal.2015, author = {Mui{\~n}o, Jose M. and de Bruijn, Suzanne and Pajoro, Alice and Geuten, Koen and Vingron, Martin and Angenent, Gerco C. and Kaufmann, Kerstin}, title = {Evolution of DNA-Binding Sites of a Floral Master Regulatory Transcription Factor}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-96580}, pages = {1225 -- 1245}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Flower development is controlled by the action of key regulatory transcription factors of the MADS-domain family. The function of these factors appears to be highly conserved among species based on mutant phenotypes. However, the conservation of their downstream processes is much less well understood, mostly because the evolutionary turnover and variation of their DNA-binding sites (BSs) among plant species have not yet been experimentally determined. Here, we performed comparative ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation)-seq experiments of the MADS-domain transcription factor SEPALLATA3 (SEP3) in two closely related Arabidopsis species: Arabidopsis thaliana and A. lyrata which have very similar floral organ morphology. We found that BS conservation is associated with DNA sequence conservation, the presence of the CArG-box BS motif and on the relative position of the BS to its potential target gene. Differences in genome size and structure can explain that SEP3 BSs in A. lyrata can be located more distantly to their potential target genes than their counterparts in A. thaliana. In A. lyrata, we identified transposition as a mechanism to generate novel SEP3 binding locations in the genome. Comparative gene expression analysis shows that the loss/gain of BSs is associated with a change in gene expression. In summary, this study investigates the evolutionary dynamics of DNA BSs of a floral key-regulatory transcription factor and explores factors affecting this phenomenon.}, language = {en} }