TY - GEN A1 - Schmälzlin, Elmar A1 - Dongen, Joost T. van A1 - Klimant, Ingo A1 - Marmodée, Bettina A1 - Steup, Martin A1 - Fishahn, Joachim A1 - Geigenberger, Peter A1 - Löhmannsröben, Hans-Gerd T1 - An optical multifrequency phase-modulation method using microbeads for measuring intracellular oxygen concentrations in plants N2 - A technique has been developed to measure absolute intracellular oxygen concentrations in green plants. Oxygen-sensitive phosphorescent microbeads were injected into the cells and an optical multifrequency phase-modulation technique was used to discriminate the sensor signal from the strong autofluorescence of the plant tissue. The method was established using photosynthesis-competent cells of the giant algae Chara corallina L., and was validated by application to various cell types of other plant species. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 007 Y1 - 2005 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-12232 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schwarte, Sandra A1 - Brust, Henrike A1 - Steup, Martin A1 - Tiedemann, Ralph T1 - Intraspecific sequence variation and differential expression in starch synthase genes of Arabidopsis thaliana T2 - BMC Research Notes N2 - Background Natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana are a well-known system to measure levels of intraspecific genetic variation. Leaf starch content correlates negatively with biomass. Starch is synthesized by the coordinated action of many (iso)enzymes. Quantitatively dominant is the repetitive transfer of glucosyl residues to the non-reducing ends of α-glucans as mediated by starch synthases. In the genome of A. thaliana, there are five classes of starch synthases, designated as soluble starch synthases (SSI, SSII, SSIII, and SSIV) and granule-bound synthase (GBSS). Each class is represented by a single gene. The five genes are homologous in functional domains due to their common origin, but have evolved individual features as well. Here, we analyze the extent of genetic variation in these fundamental protein classes as well as possible functional implications on transcript and protein levels. Findings Intraspecific sequence variation of the five starch synthases was determined by sequencing the entire loci including promoter regions from 30 worldwide distributed accessions of A. thaliana. In all genes, a considerable number of nucleotide polymorphisms was observed, both in non-coding and coding regions, and several amino acid substitutions were identified in functional domains. Furthermore, promoters possess numerous polymorphisms in potentially regulatory cis-acting regions. By realtime experiments performed with selected accessions, we demonstrate that DNA sequence divergence correlates with significant differences in transcript levels. Conclusions Except for AtSSII, all starch synthase classes clustered into two or three groups of haplotypes, respectively. Significant difference in transcript levels among haplotype clusters in AtSSIV provides evidence for cis-regulation. By contrast, no such correlation was found for AtSSI, AtSSII, AtSSIII, and AtGBSS, suggesting trans-regulation. The expression data presented here point to a regulation by common trans-regulatory transcription factors which ensures a coordinated action of the products of these four genes during starch granule biosynthesis. The apparent cis-regulation of AtSSIV might be related to its role in the initiation of de novo biosynthesis of granules. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 400 KW - Arabidopsis thaliana KW - starch synthases KW - genetic variation KW - transcript level Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-401128 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Sullivan, Mitchell A. A1 - Nitschke, Silvia A1 - Steup, Martin A1 - Minassian, Berge A. A1 - Nitschke, Felix T1 - Pathogenesis of Lafora disease BT - transition of soluble glycogen to insoluble polyglucosan T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Lafora disease (LD, OMIM #254780) is a rare, recessively inherited neurodegenerative disease with adolescent onset, resulting in progressive myoclonus epilepsy which is fatal usually within ten years of symptom onset. The disease is caused by loss-of-function mutations in either of the two genes EPM2A (laforin) or EPM2B (malin). It characteristically involves the accumulation of insoluble glycogen-derived particles, named Lafora bodies (LBs), which are considered neurotoxic and causative of the disease. The pathogenesis of LD is therefore centred on the question of how insoluble LBs emerge from soluble glycogen. Recent data clearly show that an abnormal glycogen chain length distribution, but neither hyperphosphorylation nor impairment of general autophagy, strictly correlates with glycogen accumulation and the presence of LBs. This review summarizes results obtained with patients, mouse models, and cell lines and consolidates apparent paradoxes in the LD literature. Based on the growing body of evidence, it proposes that LD is predominantly caused by an impairment in chain-length regulation affecting only a small proportion of the cellular glycogen. A better grasp of LD pathogenesis will further develop our understanding of glycogen metabolism and structure. It will also facilitate the development of clinical interventions that appropriately target the underlying cause of LD. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1080 KW - lafora disease KW - laforin KW - malin KW - polyglucosan body KW - chain length distribution KW - glycogen phosphorylation Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-474622 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 1080 ER -