@article{BoboneHilschStormetal.2017, author = {Bobone, Sara and Hilsch, Malte and Storm, Julian and Dunsing, Valentin and Herrmann, Andreas and Chiantia, Salvatore}, title = {Phosphatidylserine Lateral Organization Influences the Interaction of Influenza Virus Matrix Protein 1 with Lipid Membranes}, series = {Journal of virology}, volume = {91}, journal = {Journal of virology}, publisher = {American Society for Microbiology}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0022-538X}, doi = {10.1128/JVI.00267-17}, pages = {15}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Influenza A virus matrix protein 1 (M1) is an essential component involved in the structural stability of the virus and in the budding of new virions from infected cells. A deeper understanding of the molecular basis of virion formation and the budding process is required in order to devise new therapeutic approaches. We performed a detailed investigation of the interaction between M1 and phosphatidylserine (PS) (i.e., its main binding target at the plasma membrane [PM]), as well as the distribution of PS itself, both in model membranes and in living cells. To this end, we used a combination of techniques, including Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET), confocal microscopy imaging, raster image correlation spectroscopy, and number and brightness (N\&B) analysis. Our results show that PS can cluster in segregated regions in the plane of the lipid bilayer, both in model bilayers constituted of PS and phosphatidylcholine and in living cells. The viral protein M1 interacts specifically with PS-enriched domains, and such interaction in turn affects its oligomerization process. Furthermore, M1 can stabilize PS domains, as observed in model membranes. For living cells, the presence of PS clusters is suggested by N\&B experiments monitoring the clustering of the PS sensor lactadherin. Also, colocalization between M1 and a fluorescent PS probe suggest that, in infected cells, the matrix protein can specifically bind to the regions of PM in which PS is clustered. Taken together, our observations provide novel evidence regarding the role of PS-rich domains in tuning M1-lipid and M1-M1 interactions at the PM of infected cells. IMPORTANCE Influenza virus particles assemble at the plasma membranes (PM) of infected cells. This process is orchestrated by the matrix protein M1, which interacts with membrane lipids while binding to the other proteins and genetic material of the virus. Despite its importance, the initial step in virus assembly (i.e., M1-lipid interaction) is still not well understood. In this work, we show that phosphatidylserine can form lipid domains in physical models of the inner leaflet of the PM. Furthermore, the spatial organization of PS in the plane of the bilayer modulates M1-M1 interactions. Finally, we show that PS domains appear to be present in the PM of living cells and that M1 seems to display a high affinity for them.}, language = {en} } @article{BoginSchefflerHermanussen2017, author = {Bogin, Barry and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Global effects of income and income inequality on adult height and sexual dimorphism in height}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {29}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1042-0533}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.22980}, pages = {11}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Objectives: Average adult height of a population is considered a biomarker of the quality of the health environment and economic conditions. The causal relationships between height and income inequality are not well understood. We analyze data from 169 countries for national average heights of men and women and national-level economic factors to test two hypotheses: (1) income inequality has a greater association with average adult height than does absolute income; and (2) neither income nor income inequality has an effect on sexual dimorphism in height. Methods: Average height data come from the NCD-RisC health risk factor collaboration. Economic indicators are derived from the World Bank data archive and include gross domestic product (GDP), Gross National Income per capita adjusted for personal purchasing power (GNI_ PPP), and income equality assessed by the Gini coefficient calculated by the Wagstaff method. Results: Hypothesis 1 is supported. Greater income equality is most predictive of average height for both sexes. GNI_ PPP explains a significant, but smaller, amount of the variation. National GDP has no association with height. Hypothesis 2 is rejected. With greater average adult height there is greater sexual dimorphism. Conclusions: Findings support a growing literature on the pernicious effects of inequality on growth in height and, by extension, on health. Gradients in height reflect gradients in social disadvantage. Inequality should be considered a pollutant that disempowers people from the resources needed for their own healthy growth and development and for the health and good growth of their children.}, language = {en} } @article{BoisKoerzdoerfer2017, author = {Bois, Juliana and Koerzdoerfer, Thomas}, title = {Size-Dependence of Nonempirically Tuned DFT Starting Points for G(0)W(0) Applied to pi-Conjugated Molecular Chains}, series = {Journal of chemical theory and computation}, volume = {13}, journal = {Journal of chemical theory and computation}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1549-9618}, doi = {10.1021/acs.jctc.7b00557}, pages = {4962 -- 4971}, year = {2017}, abstract = {G(0)W(0) calculations for predicting vertical ionization potentials (IPs) and electron affinities of molecules and clusters are known to show a significant dependence on the density functional theory (DFT) starting point. A number of nonempirical procedures to find an optimal starting point have been proposed, typically based on tuning the amount of HF exchange in the underlying hybrid functional specifically for the system at hand. For the case of pi-conjugated molecular chains, these approaches lead to a significantly different amount of HF exchange for different oligomer sizes. In this study, we analyze if and how strongly this size dependence affects the ability of nonempirical tuning approaches to predict accurate IPs for pi-conjugated molecular chains of increasing chain length. To this end, we employ three different nonempirical tuning procedures for the G(0)W(0) starting point to calculate the IP of polyene oligomers up to 22 repeat units and compare the results to highly accurate coupled-cluster calculations. We find that, despite its size dependence, using an IP-tuned hybrid functional as a starting point for G(0)W(0) yields excellent agreement with the reference data for all chain lengths.}, language = {en} } @article{BoliusWiednerWeithoff2017, author = {Bolius, Sarah and Wiedner, Claudia and Weithoff, Guntram}, title = {High local trait variability in a globally invasive cyanobacterium}, series = {Freshwater biology}, volume = {62}, journal = {Freshwater biology}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0046-5070}, doi = {10.1111/fwb.13028}, pages = {1879 -- 1890}, year = {2017}, abstract = {1. During the last couple of decades, invasive species have become a worldwide problem in many freshwater systems. Besides higher plants and animals, microbes, in particular the potentially toxic cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, has attracted increasing attention, due to its spread towards temperate zones of the northern and southern hemisphere. A number of advantageous functional traits and a high intraspecific plasticity have been suggested to explain its invasion success. 2. The aim of this study was to examine intraspecific functional trait variability in 12 different isolates of C.raciborskii originating from different lakes in an invaded region in Northeast Germany. We measured growth rate, C:N:P ratios, chlorophyll-a content and the abundance of heterocysts under nutrient-replete and phosphorus-limited conditions. Moreover, the isolate-specific morphology and grazing losses by an herbivorous rotifer, as a top-down force, were studied. 3. DNA fingerprinting revealed that all isolates were genetically different. C.raciborskii exhibited a large variability in all measured traits among isolates. The C:P, N:P and Chl-a:C ratios differed by a factor of two or more. The trait variability among isolates was higher under nutrient-replete conditions, except for the C:P ratio, which varied most during phosphorus limitation. The susceptibility to grazing, calculated as maximum ingestion rates of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus on C.raciborskii, varied most among isolates, but was not related to any of the measured physiological or morphological traits, i.e. no trade-off was found. 4. Ecological and genetic clustering did not match, indicating that the genetic relationship based on DNA fingerprinting did not cover ecological differences. 5. Our results show a high trait variability within locally occurring and partly co-occurring C.raciborskii isolates. No overall trade-offs between the measured functional traits were found. This demonstrates the ecological relevance of linking multiple traits, e.g. competitive and consumptive. Furthermore, this study emphasises the importance of analysing more than one strain of a species, as different strains show different trait values potentially relevant for their invasibility and the field of general trait-based ecology.}, language = {en} } @article{BraigKriegsVoigtlaenderetal.2017, author = {Braig, Friederike and Kriegs, Malte and Voigtlaender, Minna and Habel, Beate and Grob, Tobias and Biskup, Karina and Blanchard, Veronique and Sack, Markus and Thalhammer, Anja and Ben Batalla, Isabel and Braren, Ingke and Laban, Simon and Danielczyk, Antje and Goletz, Steffen and Jakubowicz, Elzbieta and Maerkl, Bruno and Trepel, Martin and Knecht, Rainald and Riecken, Kristoffer and Fehse, Boris and Loges, Sonja and Bokemeyer, Carsten and Binder, Mascha}, title = {Cetuximab Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer Is Mediated by EGFR-K-521 Polymorphism}, series = {Cancer research}, volume = {77}, journal = {Cancer research}, number = {5}, publisher = {American Association for Cancer Research}, address = {Philadelphia}, issn = {0008-5472}, doi = {10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-0754}, pages = {1188 -- 1199}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) exhibiting resistance to the EGFR-targeting drug cetuximab poses a challenge to their effective clinical management. Here, we report a specific mechanism of resistance in this setting based upon the presence of a single nucleotide polymorphism encoding EGFR-K-521 (K-allele), which is expressed in > 40\% of HNSCC cases. Patients expressing the K-allele showed significantly shorter progressionfree survival upon palliative treatment with cetuximab plus chemotherapy or radiation. In several EGFR-mediated cancer models, cetuximab failed to inhibit downstream signaling or to kill cells harboring a high K-allele frequency. Cetuximab affinity for EGFR-K-521 was reduced slightly, but ligand-mediated EGFR acti-vation was intact. We found a lack of glycan sialyation on EGFR-K-521 that associated with reduced protein stability, suggesting a structural basis for reduced cetuximab efficacy. CetuGEX, an antibody with optimized Fc glycosylation targeting the same epitope as cetuximab, restored HNSCC sensitivity in a manner associated with antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity rather than EGFR pathway inhibition. Overall, our results highlight EGFR-K-521 expression as a key mechanism of cetuximab resistance to evaluate prospectively as a predictive biomarker in HNSCC patients. Further, they offer a preclinical rationale for the use of ADCC-optimized antibodies to treat tumors harboring this EGFR isoform.}, language = {en} } @article{BrechunArndtWoolley2017, author = {Brechun, Katherine E. and Arndt, Katja Maren and Woolley, G. Andrew}, title = {Strategies for the photo-control of endogenous protein activity}, series = {Current opinion in structural biology : review of all advances ; evaluation of key references ; comprehensive listing of papers}, volume = {45}, journal = {Current opinion in structural biology : review of all advances ; evaluation of key references ; comprehensive listing of papers}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {London}, issn = {0959-440X}, doi = {10.1016/j.sbi.2016.11.014}, pages = {53 -- 58}, year = {2017}, language = {en} } @article{BremerKentHaussetal.2017, author = {Bremer, Anne and Kent, Ben and Hauss, Thomas and Thalhammer, Anja and Yepuri, Nageshwar R. and Darwish, Tamim A. and Garvey, Christopher J. and Bryant, Gary and Hincha, Dirk K.}, title = {Intrinsically Disordered Stress Protein COR15A Resides at the Membrane Surface during Dehydration}, series = {Biophysical journal}, volume = {113}, journal = {Biophysical journal}, publisher = {Cell Press}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {0006-3495}, doi = {10.1016/j.bpj.2017.06.027}, pages = {572 -- 579}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Plants from temperate climate zones are able to increase their freezing tolerance during exposure to low, above zero temperatures in a process termed cold acclimation. During this process, several cold-regulated (COR) proteins are accumulated in the cells. One of them is COR15A, a small, intrinsically disordered protein that contributes to leaf freezing tolerance by stabilizing cellular membranes. The isolated protein folds into amphipathic a-helices in response to increased crowding conditions, such as high concentrations of glycerol. Although there is evidence for direct COR15A-membrane interactions, the orientation and depth of protein insertion were unknown. In addition, although folding due to high osmolyte concentrations had been established, the folding response of the protein under conditions of gradual dehydration had not been investigated. Here we show, using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, that COR15A starts to fold into a-helices already under mild dehydration conditions (97\% relative humidity (RH), corresponding to freezing at -3 degrees C) and that folding gradually increases with decreasing RH. Neutron diffraction experiments at 97 and 75\% RH established that the presence of COR15A had no significant influence on the structure of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) membranes. However, using deuterated POPC we. could clearly establish that COR15A interacts with the membranes and penetrates below the headgroup region into the upper part of the fatty acyl chain region. This localization is in agreement with our hypothesis that COR15A-membrane interaction is at least, in part, driven by a hydrophobic interaction between the lipids and the hydrophobic face of the amphipathic protein alpha-helix.}, language = {en} } @article{BremerWolffThalhammeretal.2017, author = {Bremer, Anne and Wolff, Martin and Thalhammer, Anja and Hincha, Dirk K.}, title = {Folding of intrinsically disordered plant LEA proteins is driven by glycerol-induced crowding and the presence of membranes}, series = {The FEBS journal}, volume = {284}, journal = {The FEBS journal}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1742-464X}, doi = {10.1111/febs.14023}, pages = {919 -- 936}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are related to cellular dehydration tolerance. Most LEA proteins are predicted to have no stable secondary structure in solution, i.e., to be intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), but they may acquire alpha-helical structure upon drying. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the LEA proteins COR15A and COR15B are highly induced upon cold treatment and are necessary for the plants to attain full freezing tolerance. Freezing leads to increased intracellular crowding due to dehydration by extracellular ice crystals. In vitro, crowding by high glycerol concentrations induced partial folding of COR15 proteins. Here, we have extended these investigations to two related proteins, LEA11 and LEA25. LEA25 is much longer than LEA11 and COR15A, but shares a conserved central sequence domain with the other two proteins. We have created two truncated versions of LEA25 (2H and 4H) to elucidate the structural and functional significance of this domain. Light scattering and CD spectroscopy showed that all five proteins were largely unstructured and monomeric in dilute solution. They folded in the presence of increasing concentrations of trifluoroethanol and glycerol. Additional folding was observed in the presence of glycerol and membranes. Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy revealed an interaction of the LEA proteins with membranes in the dry state leading to a depression in the gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition temperature. Liposome stability assays revealed a cryoprotective function of the proteins. The C- and N-terminal extensions of LEA25 were important in cryoprotection, as the central domain itself (2H, 4H) only provided a low level of protection.}, language = {en} } @article{BreuerNowakIvakovetal.2017, author = {Breuer, David and Nowak, Jacqueline and Ivakov, Alexander and Somssich, Marc and Persson, Staffan and Nikoloski, Zoran}, title = {System-wide organization of actin cytoskeleton determines organelle transport in hypocotyl plant cells}, series = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {114}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, publisher = {National Acad. of Sciences}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0027-8424}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1706711114}, pages = {E5741 -- E5749}, year = {2017}, abstract = {The actin cytoskeleton is an essential intracellular filamentous structure that underpins cellular transport and cytoplasmic streaming in plant cells. However, the system-level properties of actin-based cellular trafficking remain tenuous, largely due to the inability to quantify key features of the actin cytoskeleton. Here, we developed an automated image-based, network-driven framework to accurately segment and quantify actin cytoskeletal structures and Golgi transport. We show that the actin cytoskeleton in both growing and elongated hypocotyl cells has structural properties facilitating efficient transport. Our findings suggest that the erratic movement of Golgi is a stable cellular phenomenon that might optimize distribution efficiency of cell material. Moreover, we demonstrate that Golgi transport in hypocotyl cells can be accurately predicted from the actin network topology alone. Thus, our framework provides quantitative evidence for system-wide coordination of cellular transport in plant cells and can be readily applied to investigate cytoskeletal organization and transport in other organisms.}, language = {en} } @article{BrietzkeDietzKellingetal.2017, author = {Brietzke, Thomas Martin and Dietz, Thomas and Kelling, Alexandra and Schilde, Uwe and Bois, Juliana and Kelm, Harald and Reh, Manuel and Schmitz, Markus and Koerzdoerfer, Thomas and Leimk{\"u}hler, Silke and Wollenberger, Ulla and Krueger, Hans-Joerg and Holdt, Hans-J{\"u}rgen}, title = {The 1,6,7,12-Tetraazaperylene Bridging Ligand as an Electron Reservoir and Its Disulfonato Derivative as Redox Mediator in an Enzyme-Electrode Process}, series = {Chemistry - a European journal}, volume = {23}, journal = {Chemistry - a European journal}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {0947-6539}, doi = {10.1002/chem.201703639}, pages = {15583 -- 15587}, year = {2017}, abstract = {The homodinuclear ruthenium(II) complex [{Ru(l-N4Me2)}(2)(-tape)](PF6)(4) {[1](PF6)(4)} (l-N4Me2=N,N-dimethyl-2,11-diaza[3.3](2,6)-pyridinophane, tape=1,6,7,12-tetraazaperylene) can store one or two electrons in the energetically low-lying * orbital of the bridging ligand tape. The corresponding singly and doubly reduced complexes [{Ru(l-N4Me2)}(2)(-tape(.-))](PF6)(3) {[2](PF6)(3)} and [{Ru(l-N4Me2)}(2)(-tape(2-))](PF6)(2) {[3](PF6)(2)}, respectively, were electrochemically generated, successfully isolated and fully characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, spectroscopic methods and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The singly reduced complex [2](PF6)(3) contains the -radical tape(.-) and the doubly reduced [3](PF6)(2) the diamagnetic dianion tape(2-) as bridging ligand, respectively. Nucleophilic aromatic substitution at the bridging tape in [1](4+) by two sulfite units gave the complex [{Ru(l-N4Me2)}(2){-tape-(SO3)(2)}](2+) ([4](2+)). Complex dication [4](2+) was exploited as a redox mediator between an anaerobic homogenous reaction solution of an enzyme system (sulfite/sulfite oxidase) and the electrode via participation of the low-energy *-orbital of the disulfonato-substituted bridging ligand tape-(SO3)(2)(2-) (E-red1=-0.1V versus Ag/AgCl/1m KCl in water).}, language = {en} } @article{BuschKlausPenoneetal.2017, author = {Busch, Verena and Klaus, Valentin H. and Penone, Caterina and Sch{\"a}fer, Deborah and Boch, Steffen and Prati, Daniel and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Socher, Stephanie A. and Niinemets, {\"U}lo and Penuelas, Josep and H{\"o}lzel, Norbert and Fischer, Markus and Kleinebecker, Till}, title = {Nutrient stoichiometry and land use rather than species richness determine plant functional diversity}, series = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {8}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, number = {1}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {2045-7758}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.3609}, pages = {601 -- 616}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Plant functional traits reflect individual and community ecological strategies. They allow the detection of directional changes in community dynamics and ecosystemic processes, being an additional tool to assess biodiversity than species richness. Analysis of functional patterns in plant communities provides mechanistic insight into biodiversity alterations due to anthropogenic activity. Although studies have consi-dered of either anthropogenic management or nutrient availability on functional traits in temperate grasslands, studies combining effects of both drivers are scarce. Here, we assessed the impacts of management intensity (fertilization, mowing, grazing), nutrient stoichiometry (C, N, P, K), and vegetation composition on community-weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (Rao's Q) from seven plant traits in 150 grasslands in three regions in Germany, using data of 6 years. Land use and nutrient stoichiometry accounted for larger proportions of model variance of CWM and Rao's Q than species richness and productivity. Grazing affected all analyzed trait groups; fertilization and mowing only impacted generative traits. Grazing was clearly associated with nutrient retention strategies, that is, investing in durable structures and production of fewer, less variable seed. Phenological variability was increased. Fertilization and mowing decreased seed number/mass variability, indicating competition-related effects. Impacts of nutrient stoichiometry on trait syndromes varied. Nutrient limitation (large N:P, C:N ratios) promoted species with conservative strategies, that is, investment in durable plant structures rather than fast growth, fewer seed, and delayed flowering onset. In contrast to seed mass, leaf-economics variability was reduced under P shortage. Species diversity was positively associated with the variability of generative traits. Synthesis. Here, land use, nutrient availability, species richness, and plant functional strategies have been shown to interact complexly, driving community composition, and vegetation responses to management intensity. We suggest that deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping community assembly and biodiversity will require analyzing all these parameters.}, language = {en} } @article{BuehningFriemelLeimkuehler2017, author = {B{\"u}hning, Martin and Friemel, Martin and Leimk{\"u}hler, Silke}, title = {Functional Complementation Studies Reveal Different Interaction Partners of Escherichia coil IscS and Human NFS1}, series = {Biochemistry}, volume = {56}, journal = {Biochemistry}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0006-2960}, doi = {10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00627}, pages = {4592 -- 4605}, year = {2017}, abstract = {The trafficking and delivery of sulfur to cofactors and nucleosides is a highly regulated and conserved process among all organisms. All sulfur transfer pathways generally have an L-cysteine desulfurase as an initial sulfur mobilizing enzyme in common, which serves as a sulfur donor for the biosynthesis of sulfur-containing biomolecules like iron sulfur (Fe-S) clusters, thiamine, biotin, lipoic acid, the molybdenum cofactor (Moco), and thiolated nucleosides in tRNA. The human L-cysteine desulfurase NFS1 and the Escherichia coli homologue IscS share a level of amino acid sequence identity of similar to 60\%. While E. coli IscS has a versatile role in the cell and was shown to have numerous interaction partners, NFS1 is mainly localized in mitochondria with a crucial role in the biosynthesis of Fe-S clusters. Additionally, NFS1 is also located in smaller amounts in the cytosol with a role in Moco biosynthesis and mcm(5)s(2)U34 thio modifications of nucleosides in tRNA. NFS1 and IscS were conclusively shown to have different interaction partners in their respective organisms. Here, we used functional complementation studies of an E. coli iscS deletion strain with human NFS1 to dissect their conserved roles in the transfer of sulfur to a specific target protein. Our results show that human NFS1 and E. coli IscS share conserved binding sites for proteins involved in Fe-S cluster assembly like IscU, but not with proteins for tRNA thio modifications or Moco biosynthesis. In addition, we show that human NFS1 was almost fully able to complement the role of IscS in Moco biosynthesis when its specific interaction partner protein MOCS3 from humans was also present.}, language = {en} } @article{BuehningVallerianiLeimkuehler2017, author = {B{\"u}hning, Martin and Valleriani, Angelo and Leimk{\"u}hler, Silke}, title = {The role of SufS is restricted to Fe-S cluster biosynthesis in escherichia coli}, series = {Biochemistry}, volume = {56}, journal = {Biochemistry}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0006-2960}, doi = {10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00040}, pages = {1987 -- 2000}, year = {2017}, abstract = {In Escherichia coli, two different systems that are important for the coordinate formation of Fe-S clusters have been identified, namely, the ISC and SUF systems. The ISC system is the housekeeping Fe-S machinery, which provides Fe-S clusters for numerous cellular proteins. The IscS protein of this system was additionally revealed to be the primary sulfur donor for several sulfur-containing molecules with important biological functions, among which are the molybdenum cofactor (Moco) and thiolated nucleosides in tRNA. Here, we show that deletion of central components of the ISC system in addition to IscS leads to an overall decrease in Fe-S cluster enzyme and molybdoenzyme activity in addition to a decrease in the number of Fe-S-dependent thiomodifications of tRNA, based on the fact that some proteins involved in Moco biosynthesis and tRNA thiolation are Fe-S-dependent. Complementation of the ISC deficient strains with the suf operon restored the activity of Fe-S-containing proteins, including the MoaA protein, which is involved in the conversion of 5′GTP to cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate in the fist step of Moco biosynthesis. While both systems share a high degree of similarity, we show that the function of their respective l-cysteine desulfurase IscS or SufS is specific for each cellular pathway. It is revealed that SufS cannot play the role of IscS in sulfur transfer for the formation of 2-thiouridine, 4-thiouridine, or the dithiolene group of molybdopterin, being unable to interact with TusA or ThiI. The results demonstrate that the role of the SUF system is exclusively restricted to Fe-S cluster assembly in the cell.}, language = {en} } @article{CaoTianTelfordetal.2017, author = {Cao, Xianyong and Tian, Fang and Telford, Richard J. and Ni, Jian and Xu, Qinghai and Chen, Fahu and Liu, Xingqi and Stebich, Martina and Zhao, Yan and Herzschuh, Ulrike}, title = {Impacts of the spatial extent of pollen-climate calibration-set on the absolute values, range and trends of reconstructed Holocene precipitation}, series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, volume = {178}, journal = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0277-3791}, doi = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.10.030}, pages = {37 -- 53}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Pollen-based quantitative reconstructions of past climate variables is a standard palaeoclimatic approach. Despite knowing that the spatial extent of the calibration-set affects the reconstruction result, guidance is lacking as to how to determine a suitable spatial extent of the pollen-climate calibration-set. In this study, past mean annual precipitation (P-ann) during the Holocene (since 11.5 cal ka BP) is reconstructed repeatedly for pollen records from Qinghai Lake (36.7 degrees N, 100.5 degrees E; north-east Tibetan Plateau), Gonghai Lake (38.9 degrees N, 112.2 degrees E; north China) and Sihailongwan Lake (42.3 degrees N, 126.6 degrees E; north-east China) using calibration-sets of varying spatial extents extracted from the modern pollen dataset of China and Mongolia (2559 sampling sites and 168 pollen taxa in total). Results indicate that the spatial extent of the calibration-set has a strong impact on model performance, analogue quality and reconstruction diagnostics (absolute value, range, trend, optimum). Generally, these effects are stronger with the modern analogue technique (MAT) than with weighted averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS). With respect to fossil spectra from northern China, the spatial extent of calibration-sets should be restricted to radii between ca. 1000 and 1500 km because small-scale calibration-sets (<800 km radius) will likely fail to include enough spatial variation in the modern pollen assemblages to reflect the temporal range shifts during the Holocene, while too broad a scale calibration-set (>1500 km radius) will include taxa with very different pollen-climate relationships. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{CasasMarceMarmesatSorianoetal.2017, author = {Casas-Marce, Mireia and Marmesat, Elena and Soriano, Laura and Martinez-Cruz, Begona and Lucena-Perez, Maria and Nocete, Francisco and Rodriguez-Hidalgo, Antonio and Canals, Antoni and Nadal, Jordi and Detry, Cleia and Bernaldez-Sanchez, Eloisa and Fernandez-Rodriguez, Carlos and Perez-Ripoll, Manuel and Stiller, Mathias and Hofreiter, Michael and Rodriguez, Alejandro and Revilla, Eloy and Delibes, Miguel and Godoy, Jose A.}, title = {Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Genetic Variation in the Iberian Lynx along Its Path to Extinction Reconstructed with Ancient DNA}, series = {Molecular biology and evolution}, volume = {34}, journal = {Molecular biology and evolution}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0737-4038}, doi = {10.1093/molbev/msx222}, pages = {2893 -- 2907}, year = {2017}, abstract = {There is the tendency to assume that endangered species have been both genetically and demographically healthier in the past, so that any genetic erosion observed today was caused by their recent decline. The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) suffered a dramatic and continuous decline during the 20th century, and now shows extremely low genome- and species-wide genetic diversity among other signs of genomic erosion. We analyze ancient (N\&\#8201;=\&\#8201;10), historical (N\&\#8201;=\&\#8201;245), and contemporary (N\&\#8201;=\&\#8201;172) samples with microsatellite and mitogenome data to reconstruct the species' demography and investigate patterns of genetic variation across space and time. Iberian lynx populations transitioned from low but significantly higher genetic diversity than today and shallow geographical differentiation millennia ago, through a structured metapopulation with varying levels of diversity during the last centuries, to two extremely genetically depauperate and differentiated remnant populations by 2002. The historical subpopulations show varying extents of genetic drift in relation to their recent size and time in isolation, but these do not predict whether the populations persisted or went finally extinct. In conclusion, current genetic patterns were mainly shaped by genetic drift, supporting the current admixture of the two genetic pools and calling for a comprehensive genetic management of the ongoing conservation program. This study illustrates how a retrospective analysis of demographic and genetic patterns of endangered species can shed light onto their evolutionary history and this, in turn, can inform conservation actions.}, language = {en} } @article{ChangKnappEnketal.2017, author = {Chang, Dan and Knapp, Michael and Enk, Jacob and Lippold, Sebastian and Kircher, Martin and Lister, Adrian M. and MacPhee, Ross D. E. and Widga, Christopher and Czechowski, Paul and Sommer, Robert and Hodges, Emily and St{\"u}mpel, Nikolaus and Barnes, Ian and Dal{\´e}n, Love and Derevianko, Anatoly and Germonpr{\´e}, Mietje and Hillebrand-Voiculescu, Alexandra and Constantin, Silviu and Kuznetsova, Tatyana and Mol, Dick and Rathgeber, Thomas and Rosendahl, Wilfried and Tikhonov, Alexey N. and Willerslev, Eske and Hannon, Greg and Lalueza i Fox, Carles and Joger, Ulrich and Poinar, Hendrik N. and Hofreiter, Michael and Shapiro, Beth}, title = {The evolutionary and phylogeographic history of woolly mammoths}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {7}, journal = {Scientific reports}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/srep44585}, pages = {10}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Near the end of the Pleistocene epoch, populations of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) were distributed across parts of three continents, from western Europe and northern Asia through Beringia to the Atlantic seaboard of North America. Nonetheless, questions about the connectivity and temporal continuity of mammoth populations and species remain unanswered. We use a combination of targeted enrichment and high-throughput sequencing to assemble and interpret a data set of 143 mammoth mitochondrial genomes, sampled from fossils recovered from across their Holarctic range. Our dataset includes 54 previously unpublished mitochondrial genomes and significantly increases the coverage of the Eurasian range of the species. The resulting global phylogeny confirms that the Late Pleistocene mammoth population comprised three distinct mitochondrial lineages that began to diverge ~1.0-2.0 million years ago (Ma). We also find that mammoth mitochondrial lineages were strongly geographically partitioned throughout the Pleistocene. In combination, our genetic results and the pattern of morphological variation in time and space suggest that male-mediated gene flow, rather than large-scale dispersals, was important in the Pleistocene evolutionary history of mammoths.}, language = {en} } @article{ConnorDanckertHoppeetal.2017, author = {Connor, Daniel Oliver and Danckert, Lena and Hoppe, Sebastian and Bier, Frank Fabian and von Nickisch-Rosenegk, Markus}, title = {Epitope determination of immunogenic proteins of Neisseria gonorrhoeae}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {12}, journal = {PLoS one}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0180962}, pages = {18}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative organism of gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted disease that globally accounts for an estimated 80 to 100 million new infections per year. Increasing resistances to all common antibiotics used for N. gonorrhoeae treatment pose the risk of an untreatable disease. Further knowledge of ways of infection and host immune response are needed to understand the pathogen-host interaction and to discover new treatment alternatives against this disease. Therefore, detailed information about immunogenic proteins and their properties like epitope sites could advance further research in this area. In this work, we investigated immunogenic proteins of N. gonorrhoeae for linear epitopes by microarrays. Dominant linear epitopes were identified for eleven of the nineteen investigated proteins with three polyclonal rabbit antibodies from different immunisations. Identified linear epitopes were further examined for non-specific binding with antibodies to Escherichia coli and the closely related pathogen Neisseria meningitidis. On top of that, amino acids crucial for the antibody epitope binding were detected by microarray based alanine scans.}, language = {en} } @article{CzarnockaVanDerKelenWillemsetal.2017, author = {Czarnocka, Weronika and Van Der Kelen, Katrien and Willems, Patrick and Szechynska-Hebda, Magdalena and Shahnejat-Bushehri, Sara and Balazadeh, Salma and Rusaczonek, Anna and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Van Breusegem, Frank and Karpinski, Stanislaw}, title = {The dual role of LESION SIMULATING DISEASE 1 as a condition-dependent scaffold protein and transcription regulator}, series = {Plant, cell \& environment : cell physiology, whole-plant physiology, community physiology}, volume = {40}, journal = {Plant, cell \& environment : cell physiology, whole-plant physiology, community physiology}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0140-7791}, doi = {10.1111/pce.12994}, pages = {2644 -- 2662}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Since its discovery over two decades ago as an important cell death regulator in Arabidopsis thaliana, the role of LESION SIMULATING DISEASE 1 (LSD1) has been studied intensively within both biotic and abiotic stress responses as well as with respect to plant fitness regulation. However, its molecular mode of action remains enigmatic. Here, we demonstrate that nucleo-cytoplasmic LSD1 interacts with a broad range of other proteins that are engaged in various molecular pathways such as ubiquitination, methylation, cell cycle control, gametogenesis, embryo development and cell wall formation. The interaction of LSD1 with these partners is dependent on redox status, as oxidative stress significantly changes the quantity and types of LSD1-formed complexes. Furthermore, we show that LSD1 regulates the number and size of leaf mesophyll cells and affects plant vegetative growth. Importantly, we also reveal that in addition to its function as a scaffold protein, LSD1 acts as a transcriptional regulator. Taken together, our results demonstrate that LSD1 plays a dual role within the cell by acting as a condition-dependent scaffold protein and as a transcription regulator.}, language = {en} } @article{CzernitzkiPospisilMusaleketal.2017, author = {Czernitzki, Anna-Franziska and Pospisil, Christina and Musalek, Martin and Mumm, Rebekka and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Analysis of longitudinal data of height z-scores in kindergarten children}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {74}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {2}, publisher = {Schweizerbart science publishers}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2017/0708}, pages = {109 -- 112}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Changes in body height throughout extended historic periods are very complex and dynamic processes. Thispilot study aimed to investigate the pattern of longitudinal height z-scores changes in children before and after entering kindergarten. In summer 2016, we measured height and weight of 32 children from 4 groups of two kindergartens aged 3-6 years. All ages were centered according to the age of entry into the kindergarten. For each child we determined mean z-scores for height before and after entering the kindergarten, and assessed the variances for each kindergarten group. Twenty-two children targeted in height z-scores towards average height of their respective kindergarten group, 10 children did not. Due to the small numbers, the convergence in height variance however, remained insignificant (chi-squared independence test, p = 0.127). Additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm this pilot study.}, language = {en} } @article{DalBiancoWischkeZhouetal.2017, author = {Dal Bianco, Andrea and Wischke, Christian and Zhou, Shuo and Lendlein, Andreas}, title = {Controlling surface properties and permeability of polyglycerol network films}, series = {Polymers for advanced technologies}, volume = {28}, journal = {Polymers for advanced technologies}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1042-7147}, doi = {10.1002/pat.3917}, pages = {1263 -- 1268}, year = {2017}, abstract = {While branched polyglycerol (PG)-based molecules are well established as hydrophilic particles, the capacity of utilizing PG in bulk materials and opportunities arising by their further surface functionalization have only recently been considered. Here we investigated how the mold used in PG network synthesis may affect surface composition and how the permeability of substances through PG can be controlled by altering network structure, i.e. introducing 20mol\% oligoethylene glycol (OEG) bifunctional spacer molecules. Overall, PG-based bulk network materials were shown to be tailorable, hydrophilic, low swelling and relatively stiff polyether-based materials, with low impact of salt onto material properties. Based on these features, but also on the principal capacity of free hydroxyl groups to be used for functionalization reactions, these materials may be an interesting platform for medical and technical applications, e.g. as diffusion-rate controlling membrane in aqueous environment. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd.}, language = {en} }