@article{WiesnerReinholdBarknowitzFlorianetal.2019, author = {Wiesner-Reinhold, Melanie and Barknowitz, Gitte and Florian, Simone and Mewis, Inga and Schumacher, Fabian and Schreiner, Monika and Glatt, Hansruedi}, title = {1-Methoxy-3-indolylmethyl DNA adducts in six tissues, and blood protein adducts, in mice under pak choi diet: time course and persistence}, series = {Archives of toxicology : official journal of EUROTOX}, volume = {93}, journal = {Archives of toxicology : official journal of EUROTOX}, number = {6}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Heidelberg}, issn = {0340-5761}, doi = {10.1007/s00204-019-02452-3}, pages = {1515 -- 1527}, year = {2019}, abstract = {We previously showed that purified 1-methoxy-3-indolylmethyl (1-MIM) glucosinolate, a secondary plant metabolite in Brassica species, is mutagenic in various in vitro systems and forms DNA and protein adducts in mouse models. In the present study, we administered 1-MIM glucosinolate in a natural matrix to mice, by feeding a diet containing pak choi powder and extract. Groups of animals were killed after 1, 2, 4 and 8 days of pak choi diet, directly or, in the case of the 8-day treatment, after 0, 8 and 16 days of recovery with pak choi-free diet. DNA adducts [N-2-(1-MIM)-dG, N-6-(1-MIM)-dA] in six tissues, as well as protein adducts [tau N-(1-MIM)-His] in serum albumin (SA) and hemoglobin (Hb) were determined using UPLC-MS/MS with isotopically labeled internal standards. None of the samples from the 12 control animals under standard diet contained any 1-MIM adducts. All groups receiving pak choi diet showed DNA adducts in all six tissues (exception: lung of mice treated for a single day) as well as SA and Hb adducts. During the feeding period, all adduct levels continuously increased until day 8 (in the jejunum until day 4). During the 14-day recovery period, N-2-(1-MIM)-dG in liver, kidney, lung, jejunum, cecum and colon decreased to 52, 41, 59, 11, 7 and 2\%, respectively, of the peak level. The time course of N-6-(1-MIM)-dA was similar. Immunohistochemical analyses indicated that cell turnover is a major mechanism of DNA adduct elimination in the intestine. In the same recovery period, protein adducts decreased more rapidly in SA than in Hb, to 0.7 and 37\%, respectively, of the peak level, consistent with the differential turnover of these proteins. In conclusion, the pak choi diet lead to the formation of high levels of adducts in mice. Cell and protein turnover was a major mechanism of adduct elimination, at least in gut and blood.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bendadani2015, author = {Bendadani, Carolin}, title = {1-Methylpyren: Biotransformation und Gentoxizit{\"a}t}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {188}, year = {2015}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Balk2015, author = {Balk, Maria}, title = {3D structured shape-memory hydrogels with enzymatically-induced shape shifting}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {128}, year = {2015}, language = {en} } @misc{BalazadehMuellerRoeber2018, author = {Balazadeh, Salma and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd}, title = {A balance to death}, series = {Nature plants}, volume = {4}, journal = {Nature plants}, number = {11}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2055-026X}, doi = {10.1038/s41477-018-0279-6}, pages = {863 -- 864}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Leaf senescence plays a crucial role in nutrient recovery in late-stage plant development and requires vast transcriptional reprogramming by transcription factors such as ORESARA1 (ORE1). A proteolytic mechanism is now found to control ORE1 degradation, and thus senescence, during nitrogen starvation.}, language = {en} } @article{KlauschiesCoutinhoGaedke2018, author = {Klauschies, Toni and Coutinho, Renato Mendes and Gaedke, Ursula}, title = {A beta distribution-based moment closure enhances the reliability of trait-based aggregate models for natural populations and communities}, series = {Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and engineering and systems ecolog}, volume = {381}, journal = {Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and engineering and systems ecolog}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0304-3800}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.02.001}, pages = {46 -- 77}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Ecological communities are complex adaptive systems that exhibit remarkable feedbacks between their biomass and trait dynamics. Trait-based aggregate models cope with this complexity by focusing on the temporal development of the community's aggregate properties such as its total biomass, mean trait and trait variance. They are based on particular assumptions about the shape of the underlying trait distribution, which is commonly assumed to be normal. However, ecologically important traits are usually restricted to a finite range, and empirical trait distributions are often skewed or multimodal. As a result, normal distribution-based aggregate models may fail to adequately represent the biomass and trait dynamics of natural communities. We resolve this mismatch by developing a new moment closure approach assuming the trait values to be beta-distributed. We show that the beta distribution captures important shape properties of both observed and simulated trait distributions, which cannot be captured by a Gaussian. We further demonstrate that a beta distribution-based moment closure can strongly enhance the reliability of trait-based aggregate models. We compare the biomass, mean trait and variance dynamics of a full trait distribution (FD) model to the ones of beta (BA) and normal (NA) distribution-based aggregate models, under different selection regimes. This way, we demonstrate under which general conditions (stabilizing, fluctuating or disruptive selection) different aggregate models are reliable tools. All three models predicted very similar biomass and trait dynamics under stabilizing selection yielding unimodal trait distributions with small standing trait variation. We also obtained an almost perfect match between the results of the FD and BA models under fluctuating selection, promoting skewed trait distributions and ongoing oscillations in the biomass and trait dynamics. In contrast, the NA model showed unrealistic trait dynamics and exhibited different alternative stable states, and thus a high sensitivity to initial conditions under fluctuating selection. Under disruptive selection, both aggregate models failed to reproduce the results of the FD model with the mean trait values remaining within their ecologically feasible ranges in the BA model but not in the NA model. Overall, a beta distribution-based moment closure strongly improved the realism of trait-based aggregate models.}, language = {en} } @article{OmidbakhshfardNeerakkalGuptaetal.2020, author = {Omidbakhshfard, Mohammad Amin and Neerakkal, Sujeeth and Gupta, Saurabh and Omranian, Nooshin and Guinan, Kieran J. and Brotman, Yariv and Nikoloski, Zoran and Fernie, Alisdair R. and Mueller-Roeber, Bernd and Gechev, Tsanko S.}, title = {A Biostimulant Obtained from the Seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum Protects Arabidopsis thaliana from Severe Oxidative Stress}, series = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, volume = {21}, journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, number = {2}, publisher = {Molecular Diversity Preservation International}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms21020474}, pages = {26}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Abiotic stresses cause oxidative damage in plants. Here, we demonstrate that foliar application of an extract from the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum, SuperFifty (SF), largely prevents paraquat (PQ)-induced oxidative stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. While PQ-stressed plants develop necrotic lesions, plants pre-treated with SF (i.e., primed plants) were unaffected by PQ. Transcriptome analysis revealed induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) marker genes, genes involved in ROS-induced programmed cell death, and autophagy-related genes after PQ treatment. These changes did not occur in PQ-stressed plants primed with SF. In contrast, upregulation of several carbohydrate metabolism genes, growth, and hormone signaling as well as antioxidant-related genes were specific to SF-primed plants. Metabolomic analyses revealed accumulation of the stress-protective metabolite maltose and the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates fumarate and malate in SF-primed plants. Lipidome analysis indicated that those lipids associated with oxidative stress-induced cell death and chloroplast degradation, such as triacylglycerols (TAGs), declined upon SF priming. Our study demonstrated that SF confers tolerance to PQ-induced oxidative stress in A. thaliana, an effect achieved by modulating a range of processes at the transcriptomic, metabolic, and lipid levels.}, language = {en} } @article{ChristakoudiTsilidisMulleretal.2020, author = {Christakoudi, Sofa and Tsilidis, Konstantinos K. and Muller, David C. and Freisling, Heinz and Weiderpass, Elisabete and Overvad, Kim and S{\"o}derberg, Stefan and H{\"a}ggstr{\"o}m, Christel and Pischon, Tobias and Dahm, Christina C. and Zhang, Jie and Tj{\o}nneland, Anne and Schulze, Matthias Bernd}, title = {A Body Shape Index (ABSI) achieves better mortality risk stratification than alternative indices of abdominal obesity: results from a large European cohort}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {10}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {Berlin}, pages = {15}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Abdominal and general adiposity are independently associated with mortality, but there is no consensus on how best to assess abdominal adiposity. We compared the ability of alternative waist indices to complement body mass index (BMI) when assessing all-cause mortality. We used data from 352,985 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) and Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for other risk factors. During a mean follow-up of 16.1 years, 38,178 participants died. Combining in one model BMI and a strongly correlated waist index altered the association patterns with mortality, to a predominantly negative association for BMI and a stronger positive association for the waist index, while combining BMI with the uncorrelated A Body Shape Index (ABSI) preserved the association patterns. Sex-specific cohort-wide quartiles of waist indices correlated with BMI could not separate high-risk from low-risk individuals within underweight (BMI<18.5 kg/m(2)) or obese (BMI30 kg/m(2)) categories, while the highest quartile of ABSI separated 18-39\% of the individuals within each BMI category, which had 22-55\% higher risk of death. In conclusion, only a waist index independent of BMI by design, such as ABSI, complements BMI and enables efficient risk stratification, which could facilitate personalisation of screening, treatment and monitoring.}, language = {en} } @article{HaueisStechKubick2022, author = {Haueis, Lisa and Stech, Marlitt and Kubick, Stefan}, title = {A Cell-free Expression Pipeline for the Generation and Functional Characterization of Nanobodies}, series = {Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology}, volume = {10}, journal = {Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2296-4185}, doi = {10.3389/fbioe.2022.896763}, pages = {11}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Cell-free systems are well-established platforms for the rapid synthesis, screening, engineering and modification of all kinds of recombinant proteins ranging from membrane proteins to soluble proteins, enzymes and even toxins. Also within the antibody field the cell-free technology has gained considerable attention with respect to the clinical research pipeline including antibody discovery and production. Besides the classical full-length monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), so-called "nanobodies" (Nbs) have come into focus. A Nb is the smallest naturally-derived functional antibody fragment known and represents the variable domain (VHH, similar to 15 kDa) of a camelid heavy-chain-only antibody (HCAb). Based on their nanoscale and their special structure, Nbs display striking advantages concerning their production, but also their characteristics as binders, such as high stability, diversity, improved tissue penetration and reaching of cavity-like epitopes. The classical way to produce Nbs depends on the use of living cells as production host. Though cell-based production is well-established, it is still time-consuming, laborious and hardly amenable for high-throughput applications. Here, we present for the first time to our knowledge the synthesis of functional Nbs in a standardized mammalian cell-free system based on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lysates. Cell-free reactions were shown to be time-efficient and easy-to-handle allowing for the "on demand" synthesis of Nbs. Taken together, we complement available methods and demonstrate a promising new system for Nb selection and validation.}, language = {en} } @article{CabukUenlue2022, author = {{\c{C}}abuk, Uğur and {\"U}nl{\"u}, Ercan Sel{\c{c}}uk}, title = {A combined de novo assembly approach increases the quality of prokaryotic draft genomes}, series = {Folia microbiologica : international journal for general, environmental and applied microbiology, and immunology}, volume = {67}, journal = {Folia microbiologica : international journal for general, environmental and applied microbiology, and immunology}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0015-5632}, doi = {10.1007/s12223-022-00980-7}, pages = {801 -- 810}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Next-generation sequencing methods provide comprehensive data for the analysis of structural and functional analysis of the genome. The draft genomes with low contig number and high N50 value can give insight into the structure of the genome as well as provide information on the annotation of the genome. In this study, we designed a pipeline that can be used to assemble prokaryotic draft genomes with low number of contigs and high N50 value. We aimed to use combination of two de novo assembly tools (SPAdes and IDBA-Hybrid) and evaluate the impact of this approach on the quality metrics of the assemblies. The followed pipeline was tested with the raw sequence data with short reads (< 300) for a total of 10 species from four different genera. To obtain the final draft genomes, we firstly assembled the sequences using SPAdes to find closely related organism using the extracted 16 s rRNA from it. IDBA-Hybrid assembler was used to obtain the second assembly data using the closely related organism genome. SPAdes assembler tool was implemented using the second assembly, produced by IDBA-hybrid as a hint. The results were evaluated using QUAST and BUSCO. The pipeline was successful for the reduction of the contig numbers and increasing the N50 statistical values in the draft genome assemblies while preserving the coverage of the draft genomes.}, language = {en} } @article{NoonanTuckerFlemingetal.2018, author = {Noonan, Michael J. and Tucker, Marlee A. and Fleming, Christen H. and Akre, Thomas S. and Alberts, Susan C. and Ali, Abdullahi H. and Altmann, Jeanne and Antunes, Pamela Castro and Belant, Jerrold L. and Beyer, Dean and Blaum, Niels and Boehning-Gaese, Katrin and Cullen Jr, Laury and de Paula, Rogerio Cunha and Dekker, Jasja and Drescher-Lehman, Jonathan and Farwig, Nina and Fichtel, Claudia and Fischer, Christina and Ford, Adam T. and Goheen, Jacob R. and Janssen, Rene and Jeltsch, Florian and Kauffman, Matthew and Kappeler, Peter M. and Koch, Flavia and LaPoint, Scott and Markham, A. Catherine and Medici, Emilia Patricia and Morato, Ronaldo G. and Nathan, Ran and Oliveira-Santos, Luiz Gustavo R. and Olson, Kirk A. and Patterson, Bruce D. and Paviolo, Agustin and Ramalho, Emiliano Estero and Rosner, Sascha and Schabo, Dana G. and Selva, Nuria and Sergiel, Agnieszka and da Silva, Marina Xavier and Spiegel, Orr and Thompson, Peter and Ullmann, Wiebke and Zieba, Filip and Zwijacz-Kozica, Tomasz and Fagan, William F. and Mueller, Thomas and Calabrese, Justin M.}, title = {A comprehensive analysis of autocorrelation and bias in home range estimation}, series = {Ecological monographs : a publication of the Ecological Society of America.}, volume = {89}, journal = {Ecological monographs : a publication of the Ecological Society of America.}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0012-9615}, doi = {10.1002/ecm.1344}, pages = {21}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Home range estimation is routine practice in ecological research. While advances in animal tracking technology have increased our capacity to collect data to support home range analysis, these same advances have also resulted in increasingly autocorrelated data. Consequently, the question of which home range estimator to use on modern, highly autocorrelated tracking data remains open. This question is particularly relevant given that most estimators assume independently sampled data. Here, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of autocorrelation on home range estimation. We base our study on an extensive data set of GPS locations from 369 individuals representing 27 species distributed across five continents. We first assemble a broad array of home range estimators, including Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) with four bandwidth optimizers (Gaussian reference function, autocorrelated-Gaussian reference function [AKDE], Silverman's rule of thumb, and least squares cross-validation), Minimum Convex Polygon, and Local Convex Hull methods. Notably, all of these estimators except AKDE assume independent and identically distributed (IID) data. We then employ half-sample cross-validation to objectively quantify estimator performance, and the recently introduced effective sample size for home range area estimation ( N̂ area ) to quantify the information content of each data set. We found that AKDE 95\% area estimates were larger than conventional IID-based estimates by a mean factor of 2. The median number of cross-validated locations included in the hold-out sets by AKDE 95\% (or 50\%) estimates was 95.3\% (or 50.1\%), confirming the larger AKDE ranges were appropriately selective at the specified quantile. Conversely, conventional estimates exhibited negative bias that increased with decreasing N̂ area. To contextualize our empirical results, we performed a detailed simulation study to tease apart how sampling frequency, sampling duration, and the focal animal's movement conspire to affect range estimates. Paralleling our empirical results, the simulation study demonstrated that AKDE was generally more accurate than conventional methods, particularly for small N̂ area. While 72\% of the 369 empirical data sets had >1,000 total observations, only 4\% had an N̂ area >1,000, where 30\% had an N̂ area <30. In this frequently encountered scenario of small N̂ area, AKDE was the only estimator capable of producing an accurate home range estimate on autocorrelated data.}, language = {en} } @article{PalkopoulouLipsonMallicketal.2018, author = {Palkopoulou, Eleftheria and Lipson, Mark and Mallick, Swapan and Nielsen, Svend and Rohland, Nadin and Baleka, Sina Isabelle and Karpinski, Emil and Ivancevici, Atma M. and Thu-Hien To, and Kortschak, Daniel and Raison, Joy M. and Qu, Zhipeng and Chin, Tat-Jun and Alt, Kurt W. and Claesson, Stefan and Dalen, Love and MacPhee, Ross D. E. and Meller, Harald and Rocar, Alfred L. and Ryder, Oliver A. and Heiman, David and Young, Sarah and Breen, Matthew and Williams, Christina and Aken, Bronwen L. and Ruffier, Magali and Karlsson, Elinor and Johnson, Jeremy and Di Palma, Federica and Alfoldi, Jessica and Adelsoni, David L. and Mailund, Thomas and Munch, Kasper and Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin and Hofreiter, Michael and Poinar, Hendrik and Reich, David}, title = {A comprehensive genomic history of extinct and living elephants}, series = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {115}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, number = {11}, publisher = {National Acad. of Sciences}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0027-8424}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1720554115}, pages = {E2566 -- E2574}, year = {2018}, language = {en} } @article{ChapmanLantOhashietal.2019, author = {Chapman, Eric M. and Lant, Benjamin and Ohashi, Yota and Yu, Bin and Schertzberg, Michael and Go, Christopher and Dogra, Deepika and Koskimaki, Janne and Girard, Romuald and Li, Yan and Fraser, Andrew G. and Awad, Issam A. and Abdelilah-Seyfried, Salim and Gingras, Anne-Claude and Derry, William Brent}, title = {A conserved CCM complex promotes apoptosis non-autonomously by regulating zinc homeostasis}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {10}, journal = {Nature Communications}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-019-09829-z}, pages = {15}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Apoptotic death of cells damaged by genotoxic stress requires regulatory input from surrounding tissues. The C. elegans scaffold protein KRI-1, ortholog of mammalian KRIT1/CCM1, permits DNA damage-induced apoptosis of cells in the germline by an unknown cell non-autonomous mechanism. We reveal that KRI-1 exists in a complex with CCM-2 in the intestine to negatively regulate the ERK-5/MAPK pathway. This allows the KLF-3 transcription factor to facilitate expression of the SLC39 zinc transporter gene zipt-2.3, which functions to sequester zinc in the intestine. Ablation of KRI-1 results in reduced zinc sequestration in the intestine, inhibition of IR-induced MPK-1/ERK1 activation, and apoptosis in the germline. Zinc localization is also perturbed in the vasculature of krit1(-/-) zebrafish, and SLC39 zinc transporters are mis-expressed in Cerebral Cavernous Malformations (CCM) patient tissues. This study provides new insights into the regulation of apoptosis by cross-tissue communication, and suggests a link between zinc localization and CCM disease.}, language = {en} } @article{WolffGastEversetal.2021, author = {Wolff, Martin and Gast, Klaus and Evers, Andreas and Kurz, Michael and Pfeiffer-Marek, Stefania and Sch{\"u}ler, Anja and Seckler, Robert and Thalhammer, Anja}, title = {A Conserved Hydrophobic Moiety and Helix-Helix Interactions Drive the Self-Assembly of the Incretin Analog Exendin-4}, series = {Biomolecules}, volume = {11}, journal = {Biomolecules}, number = {9}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2218-273X}, doi = {10.3390/biom11091305}, pages = {20}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Exendin-4 is a pharmaceutical peptide used in the control of insulin secretion. Structural information on exendin-4 and related peptides especially on the level of quaternary structure is scarce. We present the first published association equilibria of exendin-4 directly measured by static and dynamic light scattering. We show that exendin-4 oligomerization is pH dependent and that these oligomers are of low compactness. We relate our experimental results to a structural hypothesis to describe molecular details of exendin-4 oligomers. Discussion of the validity of this hypothesis is based on NMR, circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, and light scattering data on exendin-4 and a set of exendin-4 derived peptides. The essential forces driving oligomerization of exendin-4 are helix-helix interactions and interactions of a conserved hydrophobic moiety. Our structural hypothesis suggests that key interactions of exendin-4 monomers in the experimentally supported trimer take place between a defined helical segment and a hydrophobic triangle constituted by the Phe22 residues of the three monomeric subunits. Our data rationalize that Val19 might function as an anchor in the N-terminus of the interacting helix-region and that Trp25 is partially shielded in the oligomer by C-terminal amino acids of the same monomer. Our structural hypothesis suggests that the Trp25 residues do not interact with each other, but with C-terminal Pro residues of their own monomers.}, language = {en} } @article{BuyinzaDereseNdakalaetal.2021, author = {Buyinza, Daniel and Derese, Solomon and Ndakala, Albert and Heydenreich, Matthias and Yenesew, Abiy and Koch, Andreas and Oriko, Richard}, title = {A coumestan and a coumaronochromone from Millettia lasiantha}, series = {Biochemical systematics and ecology}, volume = {97}, journal = {Biochemical systematics and ecology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0305-1978}, doi = {10.1016/j.bse.2021.104277}, pages = {5}, year = {2021}, abstract = {The manuscript describes the phytochemical investigation of the roots, leaves and stem bark of Millettia lasiantha resulting in the isolation of twelve compounds including two new isomeric isoflavones lascoumestan and las-coumaronochromone. The structures of the new compounds were determined using different spectroscopic techniques.}, language = {en} } @article{LuetkecosmannFaupelPorstmannetal.2019, author = {Luetkecosmann, Steffi and Faupel, Thomas and Porstmann, Silvia and Porstmann, Tomas and Micheel, Burkhard and Hanack, Katja}, title = {A cross-reactive monoclonal antibody as universal detection antibody in autoantibody diagnostic assays}, series = {Clinica chimica acta}, volume = {499}, journal = {Clinica chimica acta}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0009-8981}, doi = {10.1016/j.cca.2019.09.003}, pages = {87 -- 92}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Diagnostics of Autoimmune Diseases involve screening of patient samples for containing autoantibodies against various antigens. To ensure quality of diagnostic assays a calibrator is needed in each assay system. Different calibrators as recombinant human monoclonal antibodies as well as chimeric antibodies against the autoantigens of interest are described. A less cost-intensive and also more representative possibility covering different targets on the antigens is the utilization of polyclonal sera from other species. Nevertheless, the detection of human autoantibodies as well as the calibration reagent containing antibodies from other species in one assay constitutes a challenge in terms of assay calibration. We therefore developed a cross-reactive monoclonal antibody which binds human as well as rabbit sera with similar affinities in the nanomolar range. We tested our monoclonal antibody S38CD11B12 successfully in the commercial Serazym (R) Anti-Cardiolipin-beta 2-GPI IgG/IgM assay and could thereby prove the eligibility of S38CD11B12 as detection antibody in autoimmune diagnostic assays using rabbit derived sera as reference material.}, language = {en} } @article{DemalHeiseReizetal.2019, author = {Demal, Till Joscha and Heise, Melina and Reiz, Benedikt and Dogra, Deepika and Braenne, Ingrid and Reichenspurner, Hermann and M{\"a}nner, J{\"o}rg and Aherrahrou, Zouhair and Schunkert, Heribert and Erdmann, Jeanette and Abdelilah-Seyfried, Salim}, title = {A familial congenital heart disease with a possible multigenic origin involving a mutation in BMPR1A}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, journal = {Scientific reports}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-019-39648-7}, pages = {12}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The genetics of many congenital heart diseases (CHDs) can only unsatisfactorily be explained by known chromosomal or Mendelian syndromes. Here, we present sequencing data of a family with a potentially multigenic origin of CHD. Twelve of nineteen family members carry a familial mutation [NM_004329.2:c.1328 G > A (p.R443H)] which encodes a predicted deleterious variant of BMPR1A. This mutation co-segregates with a linkage region on chromosome 1 that associates with the emergence of severe CHDs including Ebstein's anomaly, atrioventricular septal defect, and others. We show that the continuous overexpression of the zebrafish homologous mutation bmpr1aap.R438H within endocardium causes a reduced AV valve area, a downregulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signalling at the AV canal, and growth of additional tissue mass in adult zebrafish hearts. This finding opens the possibility of testing genetic interactions between BMPR1A and other candidate genes within linkage region 1 which may provide a first step towards unravelling more complex genetic patterns in cardiovascular disease aetiology.}, language = {en} } @article{XiaoLiuWangetal.2020, author = {Xiao, Shangbin and Liu, Liu and Wang, Wei and Lorke, Andreas and Woodhouse, Jason Nicholas and Grossart, Hans-Peter}, title = {A Fast-Response Automated Gas Equilibrator (FaRAGE) for continuous in situ measurement of CH4 and CO2 dissolved in water}, series = {Hydrology and earth system sciences : HESS}, volume = {24}, journal = {Hydrology and earth system sciences : HESS}, number = {7}, publisher = {European Geosciences Union (EGU) ; Copernicus}, address = {Munich}, issn = {1027-5606}, doi = {10.5194/hess-24-3871-2020}, pages = {3871 -- 3880}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Biogenic greenhouse gas emissions, e.g., of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from inland waters, contribute substantially to global warming. In aquatic systems, dissolved greenhouse gases are highly heterogeneous in both space and time. To better understand the biological and physical processes that affect sources and sinks of both CH4 and CO2, their dissolved concentrations need to be measured with high spatial and temporal resolution. To achieve this goal, we developed the Fast-Response Automated Gas Equilibrator (FaRAGE) for real-time in situ measurement of dissolved CH4 and CO2 concentrations at the water surface and in the water column. FaRAGE can achieve an exceptionally short response time (t(95\%) = 12 s when including the response time of the gas analyzer) while retaining an equilibration ratio of 62.6\% and a measurement accuracy of 0.5\% for CH4. A similar performance was observed for dissolved CO2 (t(95\%) = 10 s, equilibration ratio 67.1 \%). An equilibration ratio as high as 91.8\% can be reached at the cost of a slightly increased response time (16 s). The FaRAGE is capable of continuously measuring dissolved CO2 and CH4 concentrations in the nM-to-submM (10(-9)-10(-3) mol L-1) range with a detection limit of subnM (10(-10) mol L-1), when coupling with a cavity ring-down greenhouse gas analyzer (Picarro GasScouter). FaRAGE allows for the possibility of mapping dissolved concentration in a "quasi" three-dimensional manner in lakes and provides an inexpensive alternative to other commercial gas equilibrators. It is simple to operate and suitable for continuous monitoring with a strong tolerance for suspended particles. While the FaRAGE is developed for inland waters, it can be also applied to ocean waters by tuning the gas-water mixing ratio. The FaRAGE is easily adapted to suit other gas analyzers expanding the range of potential applications, including nitrous oxide and isotopic composition of the gases.}, language = {en} } @article{SharmaRuelensMaggenetal.2017, author = {Sharma, Neha and Ruelens, Philip and Maggen, Thomas and Dochy, Niklas and Torfs, Sanne and Kaufmann, Kerstin and Rohde, Antje and Geuten, Koen}, title = {A Flowering Locus C Homolog Is a Vernalization-Regulated Repressor in Brachypodium and Is Cold Regulated in Wheat}, series = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants}, volume = {173}, journal = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants}, number = {2}, publisher = {American Society of Plant Physiologists}, address = {Rockville}, issn = {0032-0889}, doi = {10.1104/pp.16.01161}, pages = {1301 -- 1315}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Winter cereals require prolonged cold to transition from vegetative to reproductive development. This process, referred to as vernalization, has been extensively studied in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). In Arabidopsis, a key flowering repressor called FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) quantitatively controls the vernalization requirement. By contrast, in cereals, the vernalization response is mainly regulated by the VERNALIZATION genes, VRN1 and VRN2. Here, we characterize ODDSOC2, a recently identified FLC ortholog in monocots, knowing that it belongs to the FLC lineage. By studying its expression in a diverse set of Brachypodium accessions, we find that it is a good predictor of the vernalization requirement. Analyses of transgenics demonstrated that BdODDSOC2 functions as a vernalization-regulated flowering repressor. In most Brachypodium accessions BdODDSOC2 is down-regulated by cold, and in one of the winter accessions in which this down-regulation was evident, BdODDSOC2 responded to cold before BdVRN1. When stably down-regulated, the mechanism is associated with spreading H3K27me3 modifications at the BdODDSOC2 chromatin. Finally, homoeolog-specific gene expression analyses identify TaAGL33 and its splice variant TaAGL22 as the FLC orthologs in wheat (Triticum aestivum) behaving most similar to Brachypodium ODDSOC2. Overall, our study suggests that ODDSOC2 is not only phylogenetically related to FLC in eudicots but also functions as a flowering repressor in the vernalization pathway of Brachypodium and likely other temperate grasses. These insights could prove useful in breeding efforts to refine the vernalization requirement of temperate cereals and adapt varieties to changing climates.}, language = {en} } @article{LahLoeberHsiangetal.2017, author = {Lah, Ljerka and L{\"o}ber, Ulrike and Hsiang, Tom and Hartmann, Stefanie}, title = {A genomic comparison of putative pathogenicity-related gene families in five members of the Ophiostomatales with different lifestyles}, series = {Fungal biology}, volume = {121}, journal = {Fungal biology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {1878-6146}, doi = {10.1016/j.funbio.2016.12.002}, pages = {234 -- 252}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Ophiostomatoid fungi are vectored by their bark-beetle associates and colonize different host tree species. To survive and proliferate in the host, they have evolved mechanisms for detoxification and elimination of host defence compounds, efficient nutrient sequestration, and, in pathogenic species, virulence towards plants. Here, we assembled a draft genome of the spruce pathogen Ophiostoma bicolor. For our comparative and phylogenetic analyses, we mined the genomes of closely related species (Ophiostoma piceae, Ophiostoma ulmi, Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, and Grosmannia clavigera). Our aim was to acquire a genomic and evolutionary perspective of gene families important in host colonization. Genome comparisons showed that both the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes in our assembly were largely complete. Our O. bicolor 25.3 Mbp draft genome had 10 018 predicted genes, 6041 proteins with gene ontology (GO) annotation, 269 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), 559 peptidases and inhibitors, and 1373 genes likely involved in pathogen-host interactions. Phylogenetic analyses of selected protein families revealed core sets of cytochrome P450 genes, ABC transporters and backbone genes involved in secondary metabolite (SM) biosynthesis (polyketide synthases (PKS) and non-ribosomal synthases), and species-specific gene losses and duplications. Phylogenetic analyses of protein families of interest provided insight into evolutionary adaptations to host biochemistry in ophiostomatoid fungi.}, language = {en} } @article{ZhangChenSiemiatkowskaetal.2020, author = {Zhang, Youjun and Chen, Moxian and Siemiatkowska, Beata and Toleco, Mitchell Rey and Jing, Yue and Strotmann, Vivien and Zhang, Jianghua and Stahl, Yvonne and Fernie, Alisdair R.}, title = {A highly efficient agrobacterium-mediated method for transient gene expression and functional studies in multiple plant species}, series = {Plant Communications}, volume = {1}, journal = {Plant Communications}, number = {5}, publisher = {Science Direct}, address = {New York}, issn = {2590-3462}, pages = {12}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Although the use of stable transformation technology has led to great insight into gene function, its application in high-throughput studies remains arduous. Agro-infiltration have been widely used in species such as Nicotiana benthamiana for the rapid detection of gene expression and protein interaction analysis, but this technique does not work efficiently in other plant species, including Arabidopsis thaliana. As an efficient high-throughput transient expression system is currently lacking in the model plant species A. thaliana, we developed a method that is characterized by high efficiency, reproducibility, and suitability for transient expression of a variety of functional proteins in A. thaliana and 7 other plant species, including Brassica oleracea, Capsella rubella, Thellungiella salsuginea, Thellungiella halophila, Solanum tuberosum, Capsicum annuum, and N. benthamiana. Efficiency of this method was independently verified in three independent research facilities, pointing to the robustness of this technique. Furthermore, in addition to demonstrating the utility of this technique in a range of species, we also present a case study employing this method to assess protein-protein interactions in the sucrose biosynthesis pathway in Arabidopsis.}, language = {en} }