TY - JOUR A1 - Zou, Jie A1 - Wang, Weiwei A1 - Neffe, Axel T. A1 - Xu, Xun A1 - Li, Zhengdong A1 - Deng, Zijun A1 - Sun, Xianlei A1 - Ma, Nan A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Adipogenic differentiation of human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells in 3D architectured gelatin based hydrogels (ArcGel) JF - Clinical hemorheology and microcirculation : blood flow and vessels N2 - Polymeric matrices mimicking multiple functions of the ECM are expected to enable a material induced regeneration of tissues. Here, we investigated the adipogenic differentiation of human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) in a 3D architectured gelatin based hydrogel (ArcGel) prepared from gelatin and L-lysine diisocyanate ethyl ester (LDI) in an one-step process, in which the formation of an open porous morphology and the chemical network formation were integrated. The ArcGel was designed to support adipose tissue regeneration with its 3D porous structure, high cell biocompatibility, and mechanical properties compatible with human subcutaneous adipose tissue. The ArcGel could support initial cell adhesion and survival of hADSCs. Under static culture condition, the cells could migrate into the inner part of the scaffold with a depth of 840 +/- 120 mu m after 4 days, and distributed in the whole scaffold (2mm in thickness) within 14 days. The cells proliferated in the scaffold and the fold increase of cell number after 7 days of culture was 2.55 +/- 0.08. The apoptotic rate of hADSCs in the scaffold was similar to that of cells maintained on tissue culture plates. When cultured in adipogenic induction medium, the hADSCs in the scaffold differentiated into adipocytes with a high efficiency (93 +/- 1%). Conclusively, this gelatin based 3D scaffold presented high cell compatibility for hADSC cultivation and differentiation, which could serve as a potential implant material in clinical applications for adipose tissue reparation and regeneration. KW - Mesenchymal stem cells KW - gelatin based scaffold KW - adipose tissue regeneration KW - adipogenic differentiation Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3233/CH-179210 SN - 1386-0291 SN - 1875-8622 VL - 67 IS - 3-4 SP - 297 EP - 307 PB - IOS Press CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zimmermann, Heike Hildegard A1 - Raschke, Elena A1 - Epp, Laura Saskia A1 - Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen Rosemarie A1 - Schwamborn, Georg A1 - Schirrmeister, Lutz A1 - Overduin, Pier Paul A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike T1 - Sedimentary ancient DNA and pollen reveal the composition of plant organic matter in Late Quaternary permafrost sediments of the Buor Khaya Peninsula (north-eastern Siberia) JF - Biogeosciences N2 - Organic matter deposited in ancient, ice-rich permafrost sediments is vulnerable to climate change and may contribute to the future release of greenhouse gases; it is thus important to get a better characterization of the plant organic matter within such sediments. From a Late Quaternary permafrost sediment core from the Buor Khaya Peninsula, we analysed plant-derived sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) to identify the taxonomic composition of plant organic matter, and undertook palynological analysis to assess the environmental conditions during deposition. Using sedaDNA, we identified 154 taxa and from pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs we identified 83 taxa. In the deposits dated between 54 and 51 kyr BP, sedaDNA records a diverse low-centred polygon plant community including recurring aquatic pond vegetation while from the pollen record we infer terrestrial open-land vegetation with relatively dry environmental conditions at a regional scale. A fluctuating dominance of either terrestrial or swamp and aquatic taxa in both proxies allowed the local hydrological development of the polygon to be traced. In deposits dated between 11.4 and 9.7 kyr BP (13.4-11.1 cal kyr BP), sedaDNA shows a taxonomic turnover to moist shrub tundra and a lower taxonomic richness compared to the older samples. Pollen also records a shrub tundra community, mostly seen as changes in relative proportions of the most dominant taxa, while a decrease in taxonomic richness was less pronounced compared to sedaDNA. Our results show the advantages of using sedaDNA in combination with palynological analyses when macrofossils are rarely preserved. The high resolution of the sedaDNA record provides a detailed picture of the taxonomic composition of plant-derived organic matter throughout the core, and palynological analyses prove valuable by allowing for inferences of regional environmental conditions. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-575-2017 SN - 1726-4170 SN - 1726-4189 VL - 14 IS - 3 SP - 575 EP - 596 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zimmermann, Heike Hildegard A1 - Raschke, Elena A1 - Epp, Laura Saskia A1 - Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen Rosemarie A1 - Schirrmeister, Lutz A1 - Schwamborn, Georg A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike T1 - The history of tree and shrub taxa on Bol'shoy Lyakhovsky Island (New Siberian Archipelago) since the Last Interglacial Uncovered by Sedimentary Ancient DNA and Pollen Data JF - Genes N2 - Ecosystem boundaries, such as the Arctic-Boreal treeline, are strongly coupled with climate and were spatially highly dynamic during past glacial-interglacial cycles. Only a few studies cover vegetation changes since the last interglacial, as most of the former landscapes are inundated and difficult to access. Using pollen analysis and sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) metabarcoding, we reveal vegetation changes on Bol’shoy Lyakhovsky Island since the last interglacial from permafrost sediments. Last interglacial samples depict high levels of floral diversity with the presence of trees (Larix, Picea, Populus) and shrubs (Alnus, Betula, Ribes, Cornus, Saliceae) on the currently treeless island. After the Last Glacial Maximum, Larix re-colonised the island but disappeared along with most shrub taxa. This was probably caused by Holocene sea-level rise, which led to increased oceanic conditions on the island. Additionally, we applied two newly developed larch-specific chloroplast markers to evaluate their potential for tracking past population dynamics from environmental samples. The novel markers were successfully re-sequenced and exhibited two variants of each marker in last interglacial samples. SedaDNA can track vegetation changes as well as genetic changes across geographic space through time and can improve our understanding of past processes that shape modern patterns. KW - sedaDNA KW - metabarcoding KW - trnL KW - single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) KW - treeline KW - MIS 5 to 1 KW - permafrost deposits KW - radiocarbon ages KW - palaeoenvironment KW - Larix Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/genes8100273 SN - 2073-4425 VL - 8 IS - 10 SP - 273 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zibulski, Romy A1 - Wesener, Felix A1 - Wilkes, Heinz A1 - Plessen, Birgit A1 - Pestryakova, Luidmila Agafyevna A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike T1 - C / N ratio, stable isotope (delta C-13, delta N-15), and n-alkane patterns of brown mosses along hydrological gradients of low-centred polygons of the Siberian Arctic JF - Biogeosciences N2 - Mosses are a major component of the arctic vegetation, particularly in wetlands. We present C / N atomic ratio, delta C-13 and delta N-15 data of 400 brown-moss samples belonging to 10 species that were collected along hydrological gradients within polygonal mires located on the southern Taymyr Peninsula and the Lena River delta in northern Siberia. Additionally, n-alkane patterns of six of these species (16 samples) were investigated. The aim of the study is to see whether the inter-and intraspecific differences in C / N, isotopic compositions and n-alkanes are indicative of habitat, particularly with respect to water level. Overall, we find high variability in all investigated parameters for two different moisture-related groups of moss species. The C / N ratios range between 11 and 53 (median: 32) and show large variations at the intraspecific level. However, species preferring a dry habitat (xero-mesophilic mosses) show higher C / N ratios than those preferring a wet habitat (meso-hygrophilic mosses). The delta C-13 values range between 37.0 and 22.5% (median D 27.8 %). The delta N-15 values range between 6.6 and C 1.7%(median D 2.2 %). We find differences in delta C-13 and delta N-15 compositions between both habitat types. For some species of the meso-hygrophilic group, we suggest that a relationship between the individ-ual habitat water level and isotopic composition can be inferred as a function of microbial symbiosis. The n-alkane distribution also shows differences primarily between xeromesophilic and meso-hygrophilic mosses, i. e. having a dominance of n-alkanes with long (n-C29, n-C31 /and intermediate (n-C25 /chain lengths, respectively. Overall, our results reveal that C / N ratios, isotopic signals and n-alkanes of studied brown-moss taxa from polygonal wetlands are characteristic of their habitat. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1617-2017 SN - 1726-4170 SN - 1726-4189 VL - 14 SP - 1617 EP - 1630 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - THES A1 - Zeng, Ting T1 - Nanoparticles promoted biocatalysis BT - Electrochemical investigation of human sulfite oxidase on nanoparticles modified electrodes Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yarman, Aysu T1 - Development of a molecularly imprinted polymer-based electrochemical sensor for tyrosinase JF - Turkish journal of chemistry N2 - For the first time a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based sensor for tyrosinase is described. This sensor is based on the electropolymerization of scopoletin or o-phenylenediamine in the presence of tyrosinase from mushrooms, which has a high homology to the human enzyme. The template was removed either by treatment with proteinase Kor by alkaline treatment. The measuring signal was generated either by measuring the formation of a product by the target enzyme or by evaluation of the permeability of the redox marker ferricyanide. The o-phenylenediamine-based MIP sensor has a linear measuring range up to 50 nM of tyrosinase with a limit of detection of 3.97 nM (R 2 = 0.994) and shows good discrimination towards other proteins, e.g., bovine serum albumin and cytochrome c. KW - Molecularly imprinted polymers KW - biomimetic sensors KW - tyrosinase KW - electropolymerization KW - scopoletin KW - ophenylenediamine Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3906/kim-1708-68 SN - 1300-0527 VL - 42 IS - 2 SP - 346 EP - 354 PB - Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknik Araştırma Kurumu CY - Ankara ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yang, Xiaoping A1 - Darko, Kwame Oteng A1 - Huang, Yanjun A1 - He, Caimei A1 - Yang, Huansheng A1 - He, Shanping A1 - Li, Jianzhong A1 - Li, Jian A1 - Hocher, Berthold A1 - Yin, Yulong T1 - Resistant starch regulates gut microbiota BT - structure, biochemistry and cell signalling JF - Cellular physiology and biochemistry : international journal of experimental cellular physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology N2 - Starch is one of the most popular nutritional sources for both human and animals. Due to the variation of its nutritional traits and biochemical specificities, starch has been classified into rapidly digestible, slowly digestible and resistant starch. Resistant starch has its own unique chemical structure, and various forms of resistant starch are commercially available. It has been found being a multiple-functional regulator for treating metabolic dysfunction. Different functions of resistant starch such as modulation of the gut microbiota, gut peptides, circulating growth factors, circulating inflammatory mediators have been characterized by animal studies and clinical trials. In this mini-review, recent remarkable progress in resistant starch on gut microbiota, particularly the effect of structure, biochemistry and cell signaling on nutrition has been summarized, with highlights on its regulatory effect on gut microbiota. KW - Resistant starch KW - Gut microbiota KW - Nutrition Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1159/000477386 SN - 1015-8987 SN - 1421-9778 VL - 42 IS - 1 SP - 306 EP - 318 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - THES A1 - Yang, Lei T1 - Verification of systemic mRNAs mobility and mobile functions Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wurzbacher, Christian A1 - Fuchs, Andrea A1 - Attermeyer, Katrin A1 - Frindte, Katharina A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - Hupfer, Michael A1 - Casper, Peter A1 - Monaghan, Michael T. T1 - Shifts among Eukaryota, Bacteria, and Archaea define the vertical organization of a lake sediment JF - Microbiome N2 - Background: Lake sediments harbor diverse microbial communities that cycle carbon and nutrients while being constantly colonized and potentially buried by organic matter sinking from the water column. The interaction of activity and burial remained largely unexplored in aquatic sediments. We aimed to relate taxonomic composition to sediment biogeochemical parameters, test whether community turnover with depth resulted from taxonomic replacement or from richness effects, and to provide a basic model for the vertical community structure in sediments. Methods: We analyzed four replicate sediment cores taken from 30-m depth in oligo-mesotrophic Lake Stechlin in northern Germany. Each 30-cm core spanned ca. 170 years of sediment accumulation according to Cs-137 dating and was sectioned into layers 1-4 cm thick. We examined a full suite of biogeochemical parameters and used DNA metabarcoding to examine community composition of microbial Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota. Results: Community beta-diversity indicated nearly complete turnover within the uppermost 30 cm. We observed a pronounced shift from Eukaryota- and Bacteria-dominated upper layers (<5 cm) to Bacteria-dominated intermediate layers (5-14 cm) and to deep layers (>14 cm) dominated by enigmatic Archaea that typically occur in deep-sea sediments. Taxonomic replacement was the prevalent mechanism in structuring the community composition and was linked to parameters indicative of microbial activity (e.g., CO2 and CH4 concentration, bacterial protein production). Richness loss played a lesser role but was linked to conservative parameters (e.g., C, N, P) indicative of past conditions. Conclusions: By including all three domains, we were able to directly link the exponential decay of eukaryotes with the active sediment microbial community. The dominance of Archaea in deeper layers confirms earlier findings from marine systems and establishes freshwater sediments as a potential low-energy environment, similar to deep sea sediments. We propose a general model of sediment structure and function based on microbial characteristics and burial processes. An upper "replacement horizon" is dominated by rapid taxonomic turnover with depth, high microbial activity, and biotic interactions. A lower "depauperate horizon" is characterized by low taxonomic richness, more stable "low-energy" conditions, and a dominance of enigmatic Archaea. KW - Archaea KW - Eukaryota KW - Bacteria KW - Community KW - Freshwater KW - Lake KW - DNA metabarcoding KW - Beta-diversity KW - Sediment KW - Turnover Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-017-0255-9 SN - 2049-2618 VL - 5 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - THES A1 - Wu, Si T1 - Exploring the Arabidopsis metabolic landscape by genetic mapping integrated with network analysis Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wiegmann, Alex A1 - Rutschmann, Ronja A1 - Willemsen, Pascale T1 - Empirically investigating the concept of lying JF - Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research N2 - Lying is an everyday moral phenomenon about which philosophers have written a lot. Not only the moral status of lying has been intensively discussed but also what it means to lie in the first place. Perhaps the most important criterion for an adequate definition of lying is that it fits with people’s understanding and use of this concept. In this light, it comes as a surprise that researchers only recently started to empirically investigate the folk concept of lying. In this paper, we describe three experimental studies which address the following questions: Does a statement need to be objectively false in order to constitute lying? Does lying necessarily include the intention to deceive? Can one lie by omitting relevant facts? KW - Concept of lying KW - Lying KW - Definition of lying KW - Experimental philosophy Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40961-017-0112-z SN - 0970-7794 SN - 2363-9962 VL - 34 SP - 591 EP - 609 PB - Springer CY - New Dehli ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weyhenmeyer, Gesa A. A1 - Mackay, Murray A1 - Stockwell, Jason D. A1 - Thiery, Wim A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - Augusto-Silva, Petala B. A1 - Baulch, Helen M. A1 - de Eyto, Elvira A1 - Hejzlar, Josef A1 - Kangur, Kuelli A1 - Kirillin, Georgiy A1 - Pierson, Don C. A1 - Rusak, James A. A1 - Sadro, Steven A1 - Woolway, R. Iestyn T1 - Citizen science shows systematic changes in the temperature difference between air and inland waters with global warming JF - Scientific reports N2 - Citizen science projects have a long history in ecological studies. The research usefulness of such projects is dependent on applying simple and standardized methods. Here, we conducted a citizen science project that involved more than 3500 Swedish high school students to examine the temperature difference between surface water and the overlying air (T-w-T-a) as a proxy for sensible heat flux (Q(H)). If Q(H) is directed upward, corresponding to positive T-w-T-a, it can enhance CO2 and CH4 emissions from inland waters, thereby contributing to increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The students found mostly negative T-w-T-a across small ponds, lakes, streams/rivers and the sea shore (i.e. downward Q(H)), with T-w-T-a becoming increasingly negative with increasing T-a. Further examination of T-w-T-a using high-frequency temperature data from inland waters across the globe confirmed that T-w-T-a is linearly related to T-a. Using the longest available high-frequency temperature time series from Lake Erken, Sweden, we found a rapid increase in the occasions of negative T-w-T-a with increasing annual mean T-a since 1989. From these results, we can expect that ongoing and projected global warming will result in increasingly negative T-w-T-a, thereby reducing CO2 and CH4 transfer velocities from inland waters into the atmosphere. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep43890 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 7 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Westbury, Michael V. A1 - Dalerumb, Fredrik A1 - Noren, Karin A1 - Hofreiter, Michael T1 - Complete mitochondrial genome of a bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis), along with phylogenetic considerations JF - Mitochondrial DNA. Part B N2 - The bat-eared fox, Otocyon megalotis, is the only member of its genus and is thought to occupy a basal position within the dog family. These factors can lead to challenges in complete mitochondrial reconstructions and accurate phylogenetic positioning. Here, we present the first complete mitochondrial genome of the bat-eared fox recovered using shotgun sequencing and iterative mapping to three distantly related species. Phylogenetic analyses placed the bat-eared fox basal in the Canidae family within the clade including true foxes (Vulpes) and the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes) with high support values. This position is in good agreement with previously published results based on short fragments of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, therefore adding more support to the basal positioning of the bat-eared fox within Canidae. KW - Phylogenetics KW - mitochondria KW - iterative mapping KW - Canidae Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2017.1331325 SN - 2380-2359 VL - 2 IS - 1 SP - 298 EP - 299 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - London ER - TY - THES A1 - Weiß, Lina T1 - Understanding the emergence and maintenance of biodiversity in grasslands BT - linking individual plant responses to community patterns Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weithoff, Guntram A1 - Taube, Anne A1 - Bolius, Sarah T1 - The invasion success of the cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in experimental mesocosms BT - genetic identity, grazing loss, competition and biotic resistance JF - Aquatic Invasions N2 - The potentially toxic, invasive cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, originating from sub-tropical regions, has spread into temperate climate zones in almost all continents. Potential factors in its success are temperature, light and nutrient levels. Grazing losses through zooplankton have been measured in the laboratory but are typically not regarded as a factor in (failed) invasion success. In some potentially suitable lakes, C. raciborskii has never been found, although it is present in water bodies close by. Therefore, we tested the invasive potential of three different isolates introduced into natural plankton communities using laboratory mesocosm experiments under three grazing levels: ambient zooplankton densities, removal of large species using 100 mu m mesh and a ca. doubling of large species. Three C. raciborskii isolates originating from the same geographic region (North-East Germany) were added separately to the four replicates of each treatment and kept in semi-continuous cultures for 21 days. Two isolates disappeared from the mesocosms and were also not viable in filtered lake water indicating that the lake water itself or the switch from culture medium to lake water led to the decay of the inoculated C. raciborskii. Only one out of the three isolates persisted in the plankton communities at a rather low level and only in the treatment without larger zooplankton. This result demonstrates that under potentially suitable environmental conditions, top-down control from zooplankton might hamper the establishment of C. raciborskii. Non-metric multidimensional scaling showed distinct variation in resident phytoplankton communities between the different grazing levels, thus differential grazing impact shaped the resident community in different ways allowing C. raciborskii only to invade under competitive (= low grazing pressure) conditions. Furthermore, even after invasion failure, the temporary presence of C. raciborskii influenced the phytoplankton community. KW - alien species KW - Cyanobacteria KW - competitive resistance KW - consumptive resistance KW - herbivory KW - harmful algae KW - microbial invasion Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2017.12.3.07 SN - 1798-6540 SN - 1818-5487 VL - 12 SP - 333 EP - 341 PB - Regional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions centre-reabic CY - Helsinki ER - TY - GEN A1 - Weisser, Karin A1 - Stübler, Sabine A1 - Matheis, Walter A1 - Huisinga, Wilhelm T1 - Towards toxicokinetic modelling of aluminium exposure from adjuvants in medicinal products T2 - Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology : official journal of the International Society for Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology N2 - As a potentially toxic agent on nervous system and bone, the safety of aluminium exposure from adjuvants in vaccines and subcutaneous immune therapy (SCIT) products has to be continuously reevaluated, especially regarding concomitant administrations. For this purpose, knowledge on absorption and disposition of aluminium in plasma and tissues is essential. Pharmacokinetic data after vaccination in humans, however, are not available, and for methodological and ethical reasons difficult to obtain. To overcome these limitations, we discuss the possibility of an in vitro-in silico approach combining a toxicokinetic model for aluminium disposition with biorelevant kinetic absorption parameters from adjuvants. We critically review available kinetic aluminium-26 data for model building and, on the basis of a reparameterized toxicokinetic model (Nolte et al., 2001), we identify main modelling gaps. The potential of in vitro dissolution experiments for the prediction of intramuscular absorption kinetics of aluminium after vaccination is explored. It becomes apparent that there is need for detailed in vitro dissolution and in vivo absorption data to establish an in vitro-in vivo correlation (IVIVC) for aluminium adjuvants. We conclude that a combination of new experimental data and further refinement of the Nolte model has the potential to fill a gap in aluminium risk assessment. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. KW - Aluminium KW - Aluminium adjuvants KW - Absorption kinetics KW - Toxicokinetic modelling KW - In vitro dissolution Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.02.018 SN - 0273-2300 SN - 1096-0295 VL - 88 SP - 310 EP - 321 PB - Elsevier CY - San Diego ER - TY - JOUR A1 - von Loeffelholz, Christian A1 - Lieske, Stefanie A1 - Neuschaefer-Rube, Frank A1 - Willmes, Diana M. A1 - Raschzok, Nathanael A1 - Sauer, Igor M. A1 - König, Jörg A1 - Fromm, Martin F. A1 - Horn, Paul A1 - Chatzigeorgiou, Antonios A1 - Pathe-Neuschaefer-Rube, Andrea A1 - Jordan, Jens A1 - Pfeiffer, Andreas F. H. A1 - Mingrone, Geltrude A1 - Bornstein, Stefan R. A1 - Stroehle, Peter A1 - Harms, Christoph A1 - Wunderlich, F. Thomas A1 - Helfand, Stephen L. A1 - Bernier, Michel A1 - de Cabo, Rafael A1 - Shulman, Gerald I. A1 - Chavakis, Triantafyllos A1 - Püschel, Gerhard Paul A1 - Birkenfeld, Andreas L. T1 - The human longevity gene homolog INDY and interleukin-6 interact in hepatic lipid metabolism BT - official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases JF - Hepatology N2 - Reduced expression of the Indy ("I am Not Dead, Yet") gene in lower organisms promotes longevity in a manner akin to caloric restriction. Deletion of the mammalian homolog of Indy (mIndy, Slc13a5) encoding for a plasma membrane-associated citrate transporter expressed highly in the liver, protects mice from high-fat diet-induced and aging-induced obesity and hepatic fat accumulation through a mechanism resembling caloric restriction. We studied a possible role of mIndy in human hepatic fat metabolism. In obese, insulin-resistant patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatic mIndy expression was increased and mIndy expression was also independently associated with hepatic steatosis. In nonhuman primates, a 2-year high-fat, high-sucrose diet increased hepatic mIndy expression. Liver microarray analysis showed that high mIndy expression was associated with pathways involved in hepatic lipid metabolism and immunological processes. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was identified as a regulator of mIndy by binding to its cognate receptor. Studies in human primary hepatocytes confirmed that IL-6 markedly induced mIndy transcription through the IL-6 receptor and activation of the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, and a putative start site of the human mIndy promoter was determined. Activation of the IL-6-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway stimulated mIndy expression, enhanced cytoplasmic citrate influx, and augmented hepatic lipogenesis in vivo. In contrast, deletion of mIndy completely prevented the stimulating effect of IL-6 on citrate uptake and reduced hepatic lipogenesis. These data show that mIndy is increased in liver of obese humans and nonhuman primates with NALFD. Moreover, our data identify mIndy as a target gene of IL-6 and determine novel functions of IL-6 through mINDY. Conclusion: Targeting human mINDY may have therapeutic potential in obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00005450. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.29089 SN - 0270-9139 SN - 1527-3350 VL - 66 IS - 2 SP - 616 EP - 630 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Van den Wyngaert, Silke A1 - Seto, Kensuke A1 - Rojas-Jimenez, Keilor A1 - Kagami, Maiko A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - A New Parasitic Chytrid, Staurastromyces oculus (Rhizophydiales, Staurastromy-cetaceae fam. nov.), Infecting the Freshwater Desmid Staurastrum sp. JF - Protist N2 - Chytrids are a diverse group of ubiquitous true zoosporic fungi. The recent molecular discovery of a large diversity of undescribed chytrids has raised awareness on their important, but so far understudied ecological role in aquatic ecosystems. In the pelagic zone, of both freshwater and marine ecosystems, many chytrid species have been morphologically described as parasites on almost all major groups of phytoplankton. However, the majority of these parasitic chytrids has rarely been isolated and lack DNA sequence data, resulting in a large proportion of "dark taxa" in databases. Here, we report on the isolation and in-depth morphological, molecular and host range characterization of a chytrid infecting the common freshwater desmid Staurastrum sp. We provide first insights on the metabolic activity of the different chytrid development stages by using the vital dye FUN (R)-1 (2-chloro-4-[2,3-dihydro-3-methyl-[benzo-1,3-thiazol-2-yl]-methylidene]-1-phenylquinolinium iodide). Cross infection experiments suggest that this chytrid is an obligate parasite and specific for the genus Staurastrum sp. Phylogenetic analysis, based on ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and 28S rDNA sequences, placed it in the order Rhizophydiales. Based on the unique zoospore ultrastructure, combined with thallus morphology, and molecular phylogenetic placement, we describe this parasitic chytrid as a new genus and species Staurastromyces oculus, within a new family Staurastromycetaceae. (C) 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. KW - Chytrids KW - parasite KW - phytoplankton KW - Staurastromyces oculus KW - Staurastrum sp. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protis.2017.05.001 SN - 1434-4610 VL - 168 SP - 392 EP - 407 PB - Elsevier CY - Jena ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Valente, Luis A1 - Etienne, Rampal S. A1 - Davalos, Liliana M. T1 - Recent extinctions disturb path to equilibrium diversity in Caribbean bats JF - Nature Ecology & Evolution N2 - Islands are ideal systems to model temporal changes in biodiversity and reveal the influence of humans on natural communities. Although theory predicts biodiversity on islands tends towards an equilibrium value, the recent extinction of large proportions of island biotas complicates testing this model. The well-preserved subfossil record of Caribbean bats-involving multiple insular radiations-provides a rare opportunity to model diversity dynamics in an insular community. Here, we reconstruct the diversity trajectory in noctilionoid bats of the Greater Antilles by applying a dynamic model of colonization, extinction and speciation to phylogenetic and palaeontological data including all known extinct and extant species. We show species richness asymptotes to an equilibrium value, a demonstration of natural equilibrium dynamics across an entire community. However, recent extinctions-many caused by humans-have wiped out nearly a third of island lineages, dragging diversity away from equilibrium. Using a metric to measure island biodiversity loss, we estimate it will take at least eight million years to regain pre-human diversity levels. Our integrative approach reveals how anthropogenic extinctions can drastically alter the natural trajectory of biological communities, resulting in evolutionary disequilibrium. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-016-0026 SN - 2397-334X VL - 1 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tritsch, Christian A1 - Martens, Jochen A1 - Sun, Yue-Hua A1 - Heim, Wieland A1 - Strutzenberger, Patrick A1 - Päckert, Martin T1 - Improved sampling at the subspecies level solves a taxonomic dilemma BT - a case study of two enigmatic Chinese tit species (Aves, Passeriformes, Paridae, Poecile) JF - Molecular phylogenetics and evolution N2 - A recent full species-level phylogeny of tits, titmice and chickadees (Paridae) has placed the Chinese endemic black-bibbed tit (Poecile hypermelaenus) as the sister to the Palearctic willow tit (P. montanus). Because this sister-group relationship is in striking disagreement with the traditional affiliation of P. hypermelaenus close to the marsh tit (P. palustris) we tested this phylogenetic hypothesis in a multi locus analysis with an extended taxon sampling including sixteen subspecies of willow tits and marsh tits. As a taxonomic reference we included type specimens in our analysis. The molecular genetic study was complemented with an analysis of biometric data obtained from museum specimens. Our phylogenetic reconstructions, including a comparison of all GenBank data available for our target species, clearly show that the genetic lineage previously identified as P. hypermelaenus actually refers to P. weigoldicus because sequences were identical to that of a syntype of this taxon. The close relationship of P. weigoldicus and P. montanus - despite large genetic distances between the two taxa - is in accordance with current taxonomy and systematics. In disagreement with the previous phylogenetic hypothesis but in accordance with most taxonomic authorities, all our P. hypermelaenus specimens fell in the sister Glade of all western and eastern Palearctic P. palustris. Though shared haplotypes among the Chinese populations of the two latter species might indicate mitochondrial introgression in this part of the breeding range, further research is needed here due to the limitations of our own sampling. KW - Poecile hypermelaenus KW - Poecile weigoldicus KW - Multi-locus phylogeny KW - Phylogeography KW - DNA barcoding Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.014 SN - 1055-7903 SN - 1095-9513 VL - 107 SP - 538 EP - 550 PB - Elsevier CY - San Diego ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tomiolo, Sara A1 - Metz, Johannes A1 - Blackwood, Christopher B. A1 - Djendouci, Karin A1 - Henneberg, Lorenz A1 - Mueller, Caroline A1 - Tielboerger, Katja T1 - Short-term drought and long-term climate legacy affect production of chemical defenses among plant ecotypes JF - Environmental and Experimental Botany N2 - Long and short-term climatic variation affect the ability of plants to simultaneously cope with increasing abiotic stress and biotic interactions. Specifically, ecotypes adapted to different climatic conditions (i.e., long-term legacy) may have to adjust their allocation to chemical defenses against enemies under acute drought (i.e., short-term response). Although several studies have addressed drought effects on chemical defense production, little is known about their intraspecific variation along resource gradients. Studying intraspecific variation is important for understanding how different environments select for defense strategies and how these may be affected directly and indirectly by changing climatic conditions. We conducted greenhouse experiments with the annual Biscutella didyma (Brassicaceae) to test the effects of long-term climatic legacy versus short-term drought stress on the concentrations of defense compounds (glucosinolates). To this aim, four ecotypes originating from a steep aridity gradient were exposed to contrasting water treatments. Concentrations of chemical defenses were measured separately in leaves of young (8 weeks) and old (14 weeks) plants, respectively. For young plants, ecotypes from the wettest climate (long-term legacy) as well as plants receiving high water treatments (short-term response) were better defended. A marginally significant interaction suggested that wetter ecotypes experienced a larger shift in defense production across water treatments. Older plants contained much lower glucosinolate concentrations and showed no differences between ecotypes and water treatments. Our results indicate that younger plants invest more resources into chemical defenses, possibly due to higher vulnerability to tissue loss compared to older plants. We propose that the strong response of wet ecotypes to water availability may be explained by a less pronounced adaptation to drought. KW - Plant chemical defense KW - Glucosinolates KW - Climatic legacy KW - Short-term drought KW - Brassicaceae KW - Gradients Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.07.009 SN - 0098-8472 SN - 1873-7307 VL - 141 SP - 124 EP - 131 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Thomas, Jessica E. A1 - Carvalho, Gary R. A1 - Haile, James A1 - Martin, Michael D. A1 - Castruita, Jose A. Samaniego A1 - Niemann, Jonas A1 - Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S. A1 - Sandoval-Velasco, Marcela A1 - Rawlence, Nicolas J. A1 - Fuller, Errol A1 - Fjeldsa, Jon A1 - Hofreiter, Michael A1 - Stewart, John R. A1 - Gilbert, M. Thomas P. A1 - Knapp, Michael T1 - An ‛Aukward’ tale BT - a genetic approach to discover the whereabouts of the Last Great Auks JF - Genes N2 - One hundred and seventy-three years ago, the last two Great Auks, Pinguinus impennis, ever reliably seen were killed. Their internal organs can be found in the collections of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, but the location of their skins has remained a mystery. In 1999, Great Auk expert Errol Fuller proposed a list of five potential candidate skins in museums around the world. Here we take a palaeogenomic approach to test which—if any—of Fuller’s candidate skins likely belong to either of the two birds. Using mitochondrial genomes from the five candidate birds (housed in museums in Bremen, Brussels, Kiel, Los Angeles, and Oldenburg) and the organs of the last two known individuals, we partially solve the mystery that has been on Great Auk scholars’ minds for generations and make new suggestions as to the whereabouts of the still-missing skin from these two birds. KW - ancient DNA KW - extinct birds KW - mitochondrial genome KW - museum specimens KW - palaeogenomics Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/genes8060164 SN - 2073-4425 VL - 8 IS - 6 SP - 164 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Taube, Robert A1 - Ganzert, Lars A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - Gleixner, Gerd A1 - Premke, Katrin T1 - Organic matter quality structures benthic fatty acid patterns and the abundance of fungi and bacteria in temperate lakes JF - The science of the total environment : an international journal for scientific research into the environment and its relationship with man N2 - Benthic microbial communities (BMCs) play important roles in the carbon cycle of lakes, and benthic littoral zones in particular have been previously highlighted as biogeochemical hotspots. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) presents the major carbon pool in lakes, and although the effect of DOM composition on the pelagic microbial community composition is widely accepted, little is known about its effect on BMCs, particularly aquatic fungi. Therefore, we investigated the composition of benthic littoral microbial communities in twenty highly diverse lakes in northeast Germany. DOM quality was analyzed via size exclusion chromatography (SEC), fluorescence parallel factor analyses (PRAFACs) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. We determined the BMC composition and biomass using phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA) and extended the interpretation to the analysis of fungi by applying a Bayesian mixed model. We present evidence that the quality of DOM structures the BMCs, which are dominated by heterotrophic bacteria and show low fungal biomass. The fungal biomass increases when the DOM pool is processed by microorganisms of allochthonous origin, whereas the opposite is true for bacteria. KW - PLFA KW - PARAFAC KW - Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) KW - Aquatic fungi KW - Stable isotopes KW - FASTAR Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.256 SN - 0048-9697 SN - 1879-1026 VL - 610 SP - 469 EP - 481 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - THES A1 - Tabatabaei, Iman T1 - Development of new selection systems for organellar genome transformation N2 - Plant cells host two important organelles: mitochondria, known as the cell’s ‘powerhouse’, which act by converting oxygen and nutrients into ATP, and plastids, which perform photosynthesis. These organelles contain their own genomes that encode proteins required for gene expression and energy metabolism. Transformation technologies offer great potential for investigating all aspects of the physiology and gene expression of these organelles in vivo. In addition, organelle transformation can be a valuable tool for biotechnology and molecular plant breeding. Plastid transformation systems are well-developed for a few higher plants, however, mitochondrial transformation has so far only been reported for Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Development of an efficient new selection marker for plastid transformation is important for several reasons, including facilitating supertransformation of the plastid genome for metabolic engineering purposes and for producing multiple knock-outs or site-directed mutagenesis of two unlinked genes. In this work, we developed a novel selection system for Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) chloroplast transformation with an alternative marker. The marker gene, aac(6′)-Ie/aph(2′′)-Ia, was cloned into different plastid transformation vectors and several candidate aminoglycoside antibiotics were investigated as selection agents. Generally, the efficiency of selection and the transformation efficiency with aac(6′)-Ie/aph(2′′)-Ia as selectable marker in combination with the aminoglycoside antibiotic tobramycin was similarly high as that with the standard marker gene aadA and spectinomycin selection. Furthermore, our new selection system may be useful for the development of plastid transformation for new species, including cereals, the world’s most important food crops, and could also be helpful for the establishment of a selection system for mitochondrial transformation. To date, all attempts to achieve mitochondrial transformation for higher plants have been unsuccessful. A mitochondrial transformation system for higher plants would not only provide a potential for studying mitochondrial physiology but could also provide a method to introduce cytoplasmic male sterility into crops to produce hybrid seeds. Establishing a stable mitochondrial transformation system in higher plants requires several steps including delivery of foreign DNA, stable integration of the foreign sequences into the mitochondrial genome, efficient expression of the transgene, a highly regenerable tissue culture system that allows regeneration of the transformed cells into plants, and finally, a suitable selection system to identify cells with transformed mitochondrial genomes. Among all these requirements, finding a good selection is perhaps the most important obstacle towards the development of a mitochondrial transformation system for higher plants. In this work, two selection systems were tested for mitochondrial transformation: kanamycin as a selection system in combination with the antibiotic-inactivating marker gene nptII, and sulfadiazine as a selection agent that inhibits the folic acid biosynthesis pathway residing in plant mitochondria in combination with the sul gene encoding an enzyme that is insensitive to inhibition by sulfadiazine. Nuclear transformation experiments were considered as proof of the specificity of the sulfadiazine selection system for mitochondria. We showed that an optimized sulfadiazine selection system, with the Sul protein targeted to mitochondria, is much more efficient than the previous sulfadiazine selection system, in which the Sul protein was targeted to the chloroplast. We also showed by systematic experiments that the efficiency of selection and nuclear transformation of the optimized sulfadiazine selection was higher compared to the standard kanamycin selection system. Finally, we also investigated the suitability of this selection system for nuclear transformation of the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, obtaining promising results. Although we designed several mitochondrial transformation vectors with different expression elements and integration sites in the mitochondrial genome based on the sulfadiazine system, and different tissue culture condition were also considered, we were not able to obtain mitochondrial transformation with this system. Nonetheless, establishing the sul gene as an efficient and specific selection marker for mitochondria addresses one of the major bottlenecks and may pave the way to achieve mitochondrial transformation in higher plants. KW - plastid transformation KW - tobramycin KW - bifunctional enzyme KW - mitochondrial transformation KW - sulfadiazine Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - THES A1 - Swart, Corné T1 - Managing protein activity in A. thaliana BT - A proteomic approach to understanding SUMOylation as well as the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - THES A1 - Suchoszek, Monika T1 - Characterization of inducible galactolipid biosynthesis mutants in tobacco N2 - Chloroplast membranes have a unique composition characterized by very high contents of the galactolipids, MGDG and DGDG. Many studies on constitutive, galactolipid-deficient mutants revealed conflicting results about potential functions of galactolipids in photosynthetic membranes. Likely, this was caused by pleiotropic effects such as starvation artefacts because of impaired photosynthesis from early developmental stages of the plants onward. Therefore, an ethanol inducible RNAi-approach has been taken to suppress two key enzymes of galactolipid biosynthesis in the chloroplast, MGD1 and DGD1. Plants were allowed to develop fully functional source leaves prior to induction, which then could support plant growth. Then, after the ethanol induction, both young and mature leaves were investigated over time. Our studies revealed similar changes in both MGDG- and DGDG-deficient lines, however young and mature leaves of transgenic lines showed a different response to galactolipid deficiency. While no changes of photosynthetic parameters and minor changes in lipid content were observed in mature leaves of transgenic lines, strong reductions in total chlorophyll content and in the accumulation of all photosynthetic complexes and significant changes in contents of various lipid groups occurred in young leaves. Microscopy studies revealed an appearance of lipid droplets in the cytosol of young leaves in all transgenic lines which correlates with significantly higher levels of TAGs. Since in young leaves the production of membrane lipids is lowered, the excess of fatty acids is used for storage lipids production, resulting in the accumulation of TAGs. Our data indicate that both investigated galactolipids serve as structural lipids since changes in photosynthetic parameters were mainly the result of reduced amounts of all photosynthetic constituents. In response to restricted galactolipid synthesis, thylakoid biogenesis is precisely readjusted to keep the proper stoichiometry and functionality of the photosynthetic apparatus. Ultimately, the data revealed that downregulation of one galactolipid triggers changes not only in chloroplasts but also in the nucleus as shown by downregulation of nuclear encoded subunits of the photosynthetic complexes. KW - galactolipids KW - photosynthesis KW - tobacco Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stillfried, Milena A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Börner, Konstantin A1 - Wittstatt, Ulrich A1 - Heddergott, Mike A1 - Ortmann, Sylvia A1 - Kramer-Schadt, Stephanie A1 - Frantz, Alain C. T1 - Do cities represent sources, sinks or isolated islands for urban wild boar population structure? JF - Journal of applied ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society KW - baps KW - Berlin KW - diyabc KW - human-wildlife conflict KW - hunting KW - microsatellites KW - movement barrier KW - source-sink dynamics KW - structure KW - urban ecology Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12756 SN - 0021-8901 SN - 1365-2664 VL - 54 IS - 1 SP - 272 EP - 281 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Spijkerman, Elly A1 - Lukas, Marcus A1 - Wacker, Alexander T1 - Ecophysiological strategies for growth under varying light and organic carbon supply in two species of green microalgae differing in their motility JF - Phytochemistry : an international journal of plant biochemistry N2 - Mixing events in stratified lakes result in microalgae being exposed to varying conditions in light and organic carbon concentrations. Stratified lakes consist of an upper illuminated strata and a lower, darker strata where organic carbon accumulates. Therefore, in this contribution we explore the importance of dissolved organic carbon for growth under various light intensities by measuring some ecophysiological adaptations in two green microalgae. We compared the non-motile Chlorella vulgaris with the flagellated Chlamydomonas acidophila under auto-, mixo-, and heterotrophic growth conditions. In both algae the maximum photosynthetic and growth rates were highest under mixotrophy, and both algae appeared inhibited in their phosphorus acquisition under heterotrophy. Heterotrophic conditions provoked the largest differences as C. vulgaris produced chlorophyll a in darkness and grew as well as in autotrophic conditions, whereas Chl. acidophila bleached and could not grow heterotrophically. Although the fatty acid composition of both phytoplankton species differed, both species reacted in a similar way to changes in their growth conditions, mainly by a decrease of C18:3n-3 and an increase of C18:1n-9 from auto- to heterotrophic conditions. The two contrasting responses within the group of green microalgae suggest that dissolved organic carbon has a high deterministic potential to explain the survival and behaviour of green algae in the deeper strata of lakes. KW - Chlamydomonas acidophila KW - Chlorella vulgaris KW - Chlorophyceae KW - Ecophysiology on freshwater phytoplankton KW - Glucose KW - Mixotrophy KW - Osmotrophy KW - Heterotrophy KW - Photosynthesis KW - Fatty acids Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2017.08.018 SN - 0031-9422 SN - 1873-3700 VL - 144 SP - 43 EP - 51 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Skłodowski, Kamil A1 - Riedelsberger, Janin A1 - Raddatz, Natalia A1 - Riadi, Gonzalo A1 - Caballero, Julio A1 - Chérel, Isabelle A1 - Schulze, Waltraud A1 - Graf, Alexander A1 - Dreyer, Ingo T1 - The receptor-like pseudokinase MRH1 interacts with the voltage-gated potassium channel AKT2 JF - Scientific reports N2 - The potassium channel AKT2 plays important roles in phloem loading and unloading. It can operate as inward-rectifying channel that allows H+-ATPase-energized K+ uptake. Moreover, through reversible post-translational modifications it can also function as an open, K+-selective channel, which taps a ‘potassium battery’, providing additional energy for transmembrane transport processes. Knowledge about proteins involved in the regulation of the operational mode of AKT2 is very limited. Here, we employed a large-scale yeast two-hybrid screen in combination with fluorescence tagging and null-allele mutant phenotype analysis and identified the plasma membrane localized receptor-like kinase MRH1/MDIS2 (AT4G18640) as interaction partner of AKT2. The phenotype of the mrh1-1 knockout plant mirrors that of akt2 knockout plants in energy limiting conditions. Electrophysiological analyses showed that MRH1/MDIS2 failed to exert any functional regulation on AKT2. Using structural protein modeling approaches, we instead gathered evidence that the putative kinase domain of MRH1/MDIS2 lacks essential sites that are indispensable for a functional kinase suggesting that MRH1/MDIS2 is a pseudokinase. We propose that MRH1/MDIS2 and AKT2 are likely parts of a bigger protein complex. MRH1 might help to recruit other, so far unknown partners, which post-translationally regulate AKT2. Additionally, MRH1 might be involved in the recognition of chemical signals. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep44611 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 7 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Simons, Nadja K. A1 - Lewinsohn, Thomas A1 - Bluethgen, Nico A1 - Buscot, Francois A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Daniel, Rolf A1 - Gossner, Martin M. A1 - Jung, Kirsten A1 - Kaiser, Kristin A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Renner, Swen C. A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Sonnemann, Ilja A1 - Weiner, Christiane N. A1 - Werner, Michael A1 - Wubet, Tesfaye A1 - Wurst, Susanne A1 - Weisser, Wolfgang W. T1 - Contrasting effects of grassland management modes on species-abundance distributions of multiple groups JF - Agriculture, ecosystems & environment : an international journal for scientific research on the relationship of agriculture and food production to the biosphere N2 - Intensive land use is a major cause of biodiversity loss, but most studies comparing the response of multiple taxa rely on simple diversity measures while analyses of other community attributes are only recently gaining attention. Species-abundance distributions (SADs) are a community attribute that can be used to study changes in the overall abundance structure of species groups, and whether these changes are driven by abundant or rare species. We evaluated the effect of grassland management intensity for three land-use modes (fertilization, mowing, grazing) and their combination on species richness and SADs for three belowground (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, prokaryotes and insect larvae) and seven aboveground groups (vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens; arthropod herbivores; arthropod pollinators; bats and birds). Three descriptors of SADs were evaluated: general shape (abundance decay rate), proportion of rare species (rarity) and proportional abundance of the commonest species (dominance). Across groups, taxonomic richness was largely unaffected by land-use intensity and only decreased with increasing mowing intensity. Of the three SAD descriptors, abundance decay rate became steeper with increasing combined land-use intensity across groups. This reflected a decrease in rarity among plants, herbivores and vertebrates. Effects of fertilization on the three descriptors were similar to the combined land-use intensity effects. Mowing intensity only affected the SAD descriptors of insect larvae and vertebrates, while grazing intensity produced a range of effects on different descriptors in distinct groups. Overall, belowground groups had more even abundance distribtitions than aboveground groups. Strong differences among aboveground groups and between above- and belowground groups indicate that no single taxonomic group can serve as an indicator for effects in other groups. In the past, the use of SADs has been hampered by concerns over theoretical models underlying specific forms of SADs. Our study shows that SAD descriptors that are not connected to a particular model are suitable to assess the effect of land use on community structure. KW - Biodiversity KW - Cutting frequency KW - Management intensity KW - Rank-abundance KW - Species loss KW - Rarity Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2016.12.022 SN - 0167-8809 SN - 1873-2305 VL - 237 SP - 143 EP - 153 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Shubchynskyy, Volodymyr A1 - Boniecka, Justyna A1 - Schweighofer, Alois A1 - Simulis, Justinas A1 - Kvederaviciute, Kotryna A1 - Stumpe, Michael A1 - Mauch, Felix A1 - Balazadeh, Salma A1 - Müller-Röber, Bernd A1 - Boutrot, Freddy A1 - Zipfel, Cyril A1 - Meskiene, Irute T1 - Protein phosphatase AP2C1 negatively regulates basal resistance and defense responses to Pseudomonas syringae JF - Journal of experimental botany N2 - Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) mediate plant immune responses to pathogenic bacteria. However, less is known about the cell autonomous negative regulatory mechanism controlling basal plant immunity. We report the biological role of Arabidopsis thaliana MAPK phosphatase AP2C1 as a negative regulator of plant basal resistance and defense responses to Pseudomonas syringae. AP2C2, a closely related MAPK phosphatase, also negatively controls plant resistance. Loss of AP2C1 leads to enhanced pathogen-induced MAPK activities, increased callose deposition in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns or to P. syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000, and enhanced resistance to bacterial infection with Pto. We also reveal the impact of AP2C1 on the global transcriptional reprogramming of transcription factors during Pto infection. Importantly, ap2c1 plants show salicylic acid-independent transcriptional reprogramming of several defense genes and enhanced ethylene production in response to Pto. This study pinpoints the specificity of MAPK regulation by the different MAPK phosphatases AP2C1 and MKP1, which control the same MAPK substrates, nevertheless leading to different downstream events. We suggest that precise and specific control of defined MAPKs by MAPK phosphatases during plant challenge with pathogenic bacteria can strongly influence plant resistance. KW - Callose KW - defense genes KW - MAPK KW - MAPK phosphatase KW - PAMP KW - PP2C phosphatase KW - Pseudomonas syringae KW - salicylic acid KW - transcription factors Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erw485 SN - 0022-0957 SN - 1460-2431 VL - 68 IS - 5 SP - 1169 EP - 1183 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sharma, Neha A1 - Ruelens, Philip A1 - Maggen, Thomas A1 - Dochy, Niklas A1 - Torfs, Sanne A1 - Kaufmann, Kerstin A1 - Rohde, Antje A1 - Geuten, Koen T1 - A Flowering Locus C Homolog Is a Vernalization-Regulated Repressor in Brachypodium and Is Cold Regulated in Wheat JF - Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants N2 - 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. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.16.01161 SN - 0032-0889 SN - 1532-2548 VL - 173 IS - 2 SP - 1301 EP - 1315 PB - American Society of Plant Physiologists CY - Rockville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Shahnejat-Bushehri, Sara A1 - Allu, Annapurna Devi A1 - Mehterov, Nikolay A1 - Thirumalaikumar, Venkatesh P. A1 - Alseekh, Saleh A1 - Fernie, Alisdair R. A1 - Mueller-Roeber, Bernd A1 - Balazadeh, Salma T1 - Arabidopsis NAC Transcription Factor JUNGBRUNNEN1 Exerts Conserved Control Over Gibberellin and Brassinosteroid Metabolism and Signaling Genes in Tomato JF - Frontiers in plant science N2 - The Arabidopsis thaliana NAC transcription factor JUNGBRUNNEN1 (AtJUB1) regulates growth by directly repressing GA3ox1 and DWF4, two key genes involved in gibberellin (GA) and brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis, respectively, leading to GA and BR deficiency phenotypes. AtJUB1 also reduces the expression of PIF4, a bHLH transcription factor that positively controls cell elongation, while it stimulates the expression of DELLA genes, which are important repressors of growth. Here, we extend our previous findings by demonstrating that AtJUB1 induces similar GA and BR deficiency phenotypes and changes in gene expression when overexpressed in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Importantly, and in accordance with the growth phenotypes observed, AtJUB1 inhibits the expression of growth-supporting genes, namely the tomato orthologs of GA3ox1, DWF4 and PIF4, but activates the expression of DELLA orthologs, by directly binding to their promoters. Overexpression of AtJUB1 in tomato delays fruit ripening, which is accompanied by reduced expression of several ripeningrelated genes, and leads to an increase in the levels of various amino acids (mostly proline, beta-alanine, and phenylalanine), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and major organic acids including glutamic acid and aspartic acid. The fact that AtJUB1 exerts an inhibitory effect on the GA/BR biosynthesis and PIF4 genes but acts as a direct activator of DELLA genes in both, Arabidopsis and tomato, strongly supports the model that the molecular constituents of the JUNGBRUNNEN1 growth control module are considerably conserved across species. KW - Arabidopsis KW - tomato KW - fruit KW - growth KW - transcription factor KW - gibberellic acid KW - brassinosteroid KW - DELLA proteins Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.00214 SN - 1664-462X VL - 8 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - THES A1 - Sedaghatmehr, Mastoureh T1 - Unraveling the regulatory mechanisms of heat stress memory in Arabidopsis thaliana Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schäfer, Merlin A1 - Menz, Stephan A1 - Jeltsch, Florian A1 - Zurell, Damaris T1 - sOAR: a tool for modelling optimal animal life-history strategies in cyclic environments JF - Ecography : pattern and diversity in ecology ; research papers forum N2 - Periodic environments determine the life cycle of many animals across the globe and the timing of important life history events, such as reproduction and migration. These adaptive behavioural strategies are complex and can only be fully understood (and predicted) within the framework of natural selection in which species adopt evolutionary stable strategies. We present sOAR, a powerful and user-friendly implementation of the well-established framework of optimal annual routine modelling. It allows determining optimal animal life history strategies under cyclic environmental conditions using stochastic dynamic programming. It further includes the simulation of population dynamics under the optimal strategy. sOAR provides an important tool for theoretical studies on the behavioural and evolutionary ecology of animals. It is especially suited for studying bird migration. In particular, we integrated options to differentiate between costs of active and passive flight into the optimal annual routine modelling framework, as well as options to consider periodic wind conditions affecting flight energetics. We provide an illustrative example of sOAR where food supply in the wintering habitat of migratory birds significantly alters the optimal timing of migration. sOAR helps improving our understanding of how complex behaviours evolve and how behavioural decisions are constrained by internal and external factors experienced by the animal. Such knowledge is crucial for anticipating potential species’ response to global environmental change. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03328 SN - 0906-7590 SN - 1600-0587 VL - 41 IS - 3 SP - 551 EP - 557 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwiebs, Anja A1 - Thomas, Dominique Jeanette A1 - Kleuser, Burkhard A1 - Pfeilschifter, Josef A1 - Radeke, Heinfried H. T1 - Nuclear translocation of SGPP-1 and decrease of SGPL-1 activity contribute to sphingolipid rheostat regulation of inflammatory dendritic cells JF - Mediators of inflammation N2 - A balanced sphingolipid rheostat is indispensable for dendritic cell function and survival and thus initiation of an immune response. Sphingolipid levels are dynamically maintained by the action of sphingolipid enzymes of which sphingosine kinases, S1P phosphatases (SGPP-1/2) and S1P lyase (SGPL-1), are pivotal in the balance of S1P and sphingosine levels. In this study, we present that SGPP-1 and SGPL-1 are regulated in inflammatory dendritic cells and contribute to S1P fate. TLR-dependent activation caused SGPL-1 protein downregulation with subsequent decrease of enzymatic activity by two-thirds. In parallel, confocal fluorescence microscopy revealed that endogenous SGPP-1 was expressed in nuclei of naive dendritic cells and was translocated into the cytoplasmatic compartment upon inflammatory stimulation resulting in dephosphorylation of S1P. Mass spectrometric determination showed that a part of the resulting sphingosine was released from the cell, increasing extracellular levels. Another route of diminishing intracellular S1P was possibly taken by its export via ATP-binding cassette transporter C1 which was upregulated in array analysis, while the S1P transporter, spinster homolog 2, was not relevant in dendritic cells. These investigations newly describe the sequential expression and localization of the endogenous S1P regulators SGPP-1 and SGPL-1 and highlight their contribution to the sphingolipid rheostat in inflammation. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5187368 SN - 0962-9351 SN - 1466-1861 PB - Hindawi Publishing Corp. CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwensow, Nina I. A1 - Detering, Harald A1 - Pederson, Stephen A1 - Mazzoni, Camila A1 - Sinclair, Ron A1 - Peacock, David A1 - Kovaliski, John A1 - Cooke, Brian A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Sommer, Simone T1 - Resistance to RHD virus in wild Australian rabbits BT - comparison of susceptible and resistant individuals using a genomewide approach JF - Molecular ecology N2 - Deciphering the genes involved in disease resistance is essential if we are to understand host-pathogen coevolutionary processes. The rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) was imported into Australia in 1995 as a biocontrol agent to manage one of the most successful and devastating invasive species, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). During the first outbreaks of the disease, RHDV caused mortality rates of up to 97%. Recently, however, increased genetic resistance to RHDV has been reported. Here, we have aimed to identify genomic differences between rabbits that survived a natural infection with RHDV and those that died in the field using a genomewide next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach. We detected 72 SNPs corresponding to 133 genes associated with survival of a RHD infection. Most of the identified genes have known functions in virus infections and replication, immune responses or apoptosis, or have previously been found to be regulated during RHD. Some of the genes identified in experimental studies, however, did not seem to play a role under natural selection regimes, highlighting the importance of field studies to complement the genomic background of wildlife diseases. Our study provides a set of candidate markers as a tool for the future scanning of wild rabbits for their resistance to RHDV. This is important both for wild rabbit populations in southern Europe where RHD is regarded as a serious problem decimating the prey of endangered predator species and for assessing the success of currently planned RHDV variant biocontrol releases in Australia. KW - adaptation KW - genetic resistance KW - host-pathogen coevolution KW - natural selection KW - rabbit KW - rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14228 SN - 0962-1083 SN - 1365-294X VL - 26 SP - 4551 EP - 4561 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - THES A1 - Schraplau, Anne T1 - Regulation der Expression von Xenobiotika-metabolisierenden Enzymen und Deiodasen durch die Xenobiotika-abhängige wechselseitige Induktion von Xenosensor-Transkriptionsfaktoren und Prostaglandin E2 BT - Auswirkung auf die Aktivierung und Inaktivierung von Schilddrüsenhormonen Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmidt, Marco F. T1 - miRNA Targeting Drugs BT - the next blockbusters? JF - Drug Target miRNA: Methods and Protocols N2 - Only 20 years after the discovery of small non-coding, single-stranded ribonucleic acids, so-called microRNAs (miRNAs), as post-transcriptional gene regulators, the first miRNA-targeting drug Miravirsen for the treatment of hepatitis C has been successfully tested in clinical Phase II trials. Addressing miRNAs as drug targets may enable the cure, or at least the treatment of diseases, which presently seems impossible. However, due to miRNAs’ chemical structure, generation of potential drug molecules with necessary pharmacokinetic properties is still challenging and requires a re-thinking of the drug discovery process. Therefore, this chapter highlights the potential of miRNAs as drug targets, discusses the challenges, and tries to give a complete overview of recent strategies in miRNA drug discovery. KW - miRNA KW - Drug discovery KW - microRNA-induced silencing complex KW - Antisense agents KW - Small-molecule miRNA modulators KW - Argonaute 2 protein Y1 - 2016 SN - 978-1-4939-6563-2 SN - 978-1-4939-6561-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6563-2_1 SN - 1064-3745 SN - 1940-6029 VL - 1517 SP - 3 EP - 22 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schmidt, Marco F. ED - Schmidt, Marco F. T1 - Preface T2 - Drug target miRNA Y1 - 2016 SN - 978-1-4939-6563-2 SN - 978-1-4939-6561-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6563-2 SN - 1064-3745 SN - 1940-6029 VL - 1517 SP - V EP - V PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - GEN A1 - Scheffler, Tatjana T1 - Root infinitives on Twitter T2 - Snippets Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7358/snip-2017-031-sche SN - 1590-1807 IS - 31 SP - 24 EP - 25 PB - Editioni Università di Lettere Economica Diritto CY - Milano ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Greil, Holle A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - The association between weight, height, and head circumference reconsidered JF - Pediatric Research N2 - BACKGROUND: Under normal nutritional and health conditions, body height, weight and head circumference are significantly related. We hypothesize that the apparent general association between weight, height, and head circumference of the growing child might be misleading. METHODS: We reanalyzed data of 7,444 boys and 7,375 girls measured in East-Germany between 1986 and 1990, aged from 0 to 7 y with measurements of body length/height, leg length, sitting height, biacromial shoulder breadth, thoracic breadth, thoracic depth, thoracic circumference, body weight, head volume, percentage of body fat, and hip skinfold vertical, using principal component analysis. RESULTS: Strong associations exist between skeletal growth, fat accumulation, and head volume increments. Yet in spite of this general proportionality, skeletal growth, fat acquisition, and head growth exhibit different patterns. Three components explain between almost 60% and more than 75% of cumulative variance between birth and age 7 y. Parameters of skeletal growth predominantly load on the first component and clearly separate from indicators of fat deposition. After age of 2 y, head volume loads on a separate third component in both sexes indicating independence of head growth. CONCLUSION: Under appropriate nutritional and health circumstances, nutritional status, body size, and head circumference are not related. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2017.3 SN - 0031-3998 SN - 1530-0447 VL - 81 SP - 825 EP - 830 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - New York ER - TY - THES A1 - Schedina, Ina-Maria T1 - Comparative genetic and transcriptomic analyses of the amazon molly, poecilia formosa and its parental species, poecilia mexicana and poecilia latipinna Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schall, Peter A1 - Gossner, Martin M. A1 - Heinrichs, Steffi A1 - Fischer, Markus A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Jung, Kirsten A1 - Baumgartner, Vanessa A1 - Blaser, Stefan A1 - Böhm, Stefan A1 - Buscot, Francois A1 - Daniel, Rolf A1 - Goldmann, Kezia A1 - Kaiser, Kristin A1 - Kahl, Tiemo A1 - Lange, Markus A1 - Müller, Jörg Hans A1 - Overmann, Jörg A1 - Renner, Swen C. A1 - Schulze, Ernst-Detlef A1 - Sikorski, Johannes A1 - Tschapka, Marco A1 - Türke, Manfred A1 - Weisser, Wolfgang W. A1 - Wemheuer, Bernd A1 - Wubet, Tesfaye A1 - Ammer, Christian T1 - The impact of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on regional biodiversity of multiple taxa in European beech forests JF - Journal of applied ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society N2 - 1. For managed temperate forests, conservationists and policymakers favour fine-grained uneven-aged (UEA) management over more traditional coarse-grained even-aged (EA) management, based on the assumption that within-stand habitat heterogeneity enhances biodiversity. There is, however, little empirical evidence to support this assumption. We investigated for the first time how differently grained forest management systems affect the biodiversity of multiple above- and below-ground taxa across spatial scales. 2. We sampled 15 taxa of animals, plants, fungi and bacteria within the largest contiguous beech forest landscape of Germany and classified them into functional groups. Selected forest stands have been managed for more than a century at different spatial grains. The EA (coarse-grained management) and UEA (fine-grained) forests are comparable in spatial arrangement, climate and soil conditions. These were compared to forests of a nearby national park that have been unmanaged for at least 20years. We used diversity accumulation curves to compare -diversity for Hill numbers D-0 (species richness), D-1 (Shannon diversity) and D-2 (Simpson diversity) between the management systems. Beta diversity was quantified as multiple-site dissimilarity. 3. Gamma diversity was higher in EA than in UEA forests for at least one of the three Hill numbers for six taxa (up to 77%), while eight showed no difference. Only bacteria showed the opposite pattern. Higher -diversity in EA forests was also found for forest specialists and saproxylic beetles. 4. Between-stand -diversity was higher in EA than in UEA forests for one-third (all species) and half (forest specialists) of all taxa, driven by environmental heterogeneity between age-classes, while -diversity showed no directional response across taxa or for forest specialists. 5. Synthesis and applications. Comparing EA and uneven-aged forest management in Central European beech forests, our results show that a mosaic of different age-classes is more important for regional biodiversity than high within-stand heterogeneity. We suggest reconsidering the current trend of replacing even-aged management in temperate forests. Instead, the variability of stages and stand structures should be increased to promote landscape-scale biodiversity. KW - beta diversity KW - forest specialists KW - gamma diversity KW - heterogeneity KW - Hill numbers KW - saproxylic beetles KW - spatial grain KW - species accumulation curve KW - species richness KW - species turnover Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12950 SN - 0021-8901 SN - 1365-2664 VL - 55 IS - 1 SP - 267 EP - 278 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sander, Martha Maria A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Heim, Wieland T1 - Flight range estimation of migrant yellow-browed warblers phylloscopus inornatus on the East Asian flyway JF - Bird study : the journal of the British Trust for Ornithology N2 - Fat loads were quantified for 2125 Yellow-browed Warblers Phylloscopus inornatus trapped at a stop-over site in Far East Russia during autumn migration. Flight ranges of 660-820km were estimated for the fattest individuals, suggesting that they would need to stop for refuelling at least six times to reach their wintering areas in South East Asia. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2017.1409696 SN - 0006-3657 SN - 1944-6705 VL - 64 SP - 569 EP - 572 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Salleh, Faezah Mohd A1 - Ramos-Madrigal, Jazmin A1 - Penaloza, Fernando A1 - Liu, Shanlin A1 - Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S. A1 - Patel, Riddhi P. A1 - Martins, Renata A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Roos, Christian A1 - Shamsir, Mohd Shahir A1 - Azman, Mohammad Shahfiz A1 - Lim, Burton K. A1 - Rossiter, Stephen J. A1 - Wilting, Andreas A1 - Gilbert, M. Thomas P. T1 - An expanded mammal mitogenome dataset from Southeast Asia JF - Gigascience N2 - Background: Findings: Approximately 55 gigabases of raw sequence were generated. From this data we assembled 72 complete mitogenome sequences, with an average depth of coverage of 102.9x and 55.2x for modern samples and historical samples, respectively. This dataset represents 52 species, of which 30 species had no previous mitogenome data available. The mitogenomes were geotagged to their sampling location, where known, to display a detailed geographical distribution of the species. Conclusion: KW - invertebrate-derived (iDNA) KW - metabarcoding KW - GenBank KW - Taxonomic assignment Y1 - 2017 SN - 2047-217X VL - 6 IS - 8 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Saini, Jeetendra A1 - Guenther, Franziska A1 - Aichner, Bernhard A1 - Mischke, Steffen A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike A1 - Zhang, Chengjun A1 - Maeusbacher, Roland A1 - Gleixner, Gerd T1 - Climate variability in the past similar to 19,000 yr in NE Tibetan Plateau inferred from biomarker and stable isotope records of Lake Donggi Cona JF - Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal N2 - We investigated 4.84-m-long sediment record spanning over the Late Glacial and Holocene from Lake Donggi Cona to be able to reconstruct circulation pattern on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Presently, Lake Donggi Cona is located at the boundaries of Westerlies and Asian monsoon circulations in the northeastern TP. However, the exact timing and stimulating mechanisms for climatic changes and monsoon shifts in this region are still debated. We used a 19-ka-long stable isotope record of sedimentary n-alkanes to address this discrepancy by providing insights into paleohydrological conditions. The SD of nC(23) is influenced by lake water evaporation; the BD. values of sedimentary nC(29) are mainly controlled by moisture source and temperature changes. Long-chain n-alkanes dominate over the core whereas three mean clusters (i.e. microbial, aquatic and terrestrial) can be inferred. Multi-proxies suggest five major episodes in the history of Lake Donggi Cona. The Lake Donggi Cona record indicates that the Late Glacial(18.4-14.8 cal ka BP) was dominated by low productivity of mainly microbial and aquatic organisms. Relatively low delta D values suggest low temperatures and moist conditions eventually caused by stronger Westerlies, winter monsoon and melt-water influence. Likely, the shift (similar to 17.9 cal ka BP) from microbial to enhanced aquatic input suggests either a change from deep to shallow water lake or a break in local stratification. Between 14.8 and 13.0 cal ka BP, variable climatic conditions prevailed. Although the Westerlies weekend, the increase in temperature enhanced the permafrost and snow melting (displayed by a high sedimentary accumulation rate). Higher delta D values indicate increasingly arid conditions with higher temperatures which eventually lead to high evaporative conditions and lowest lake levels. Low vegetation cover and high erosion rates led to high sediment accumulation resulting in stratification followed by anoxia in the terminal lake. From 13.0 to 9.2 cal ka BP, lowered values of 813 along with high contents of terrestrial organic matter marked the early-Holocene warming indicating a further strengthening of summer precipitation and higher lake levels. A cooling trend was observed in the mid-Holocene between 9.2 and 3.0 cal ka BP accompanied by higher moisture availability (displayed by lowered SD values) caused by reduced evaporative conditions due to a drop in temperature and recovering Westerlies. After 3.0 cal ka BP, a decrease in lake productivity and cold and semi-arid conditions prevailed suggesting lower lake levels and reduced moisture from recycled air masses and Westerlies. We propose that the summer monsoon was the predominant moisture source during the Belling-Allered warm complex and early -Holocene followed by Westerlies in mid-to-late Holocene period. Stable carbon isotope values-32%o indicate the absence of C-4 -type vegetation in the region contradicting with their presence in the Lake Qinghai record. The 81) record from lake Donggi Cona highlights the importance of the interplay between Westerlies and summer monsoon circulation at this location, which is highly dynamic in northeastern plateau compared to the North Atlantic circulation and insolation changes. Consequently lake Donggi Cona might be an important anchor point for environmental reconstructions on the Tibetan Plateau. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. KW - n-alkanes KW - Hydrogen isotopes (delta D) KW - Carbon isotopes (delta C-13) KW - Carbon preference index (CPI) KW - Westerlies KW - Continental air masses KW - Precipitation KW - Late Glacial and Holocene Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.12.023 SN - 0277-3791 VL - 157 SP - 129 EP - 140 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ruelens, Philip A1 - Zhang, Zhicheng A1 - van Mourik, Hilda A1 - Maere, Steven A1 - Kaufmann, Kerstin A1 - Geuten, Koen T1 - The Origin of Floral Organ Identity Quartets JF - The plant cell N2 - The origin of flowers has puzzled plant biologists ever since Darwin referred to their sudden appearance in the fossil record as an abominable mystery. Flowers are considered to be an assembly of protective, attractive, and reproductive male and female leaf-like organs. Their origin cannot be understood by a morphological comparison to gymnosperms, their closest relatives, which develop separate male or female cones. Despite these morphological differences, gymnosperms and angiosperms possess a similar genetic toolbox consisting of phylogenetically related MADS domain proteins. Using ancestral MADS domain protein reconstruction, we trace the evolution of organ identity quartets along the stem lineage of crown angiosperms. We provide evidence that current floral quartets specifying male organ identity, which consist of four types of subunits, evolved from ancestral complexes of two types of subunits through gene duplication and integration of SEPALLATA proteins just before the origin of flowering plants. Our results suggest that protein interaction changes underlying this compositional shift were the result of a gradual and reversible evolutionary trajectory. Modeling shows that such compositional changes may have facilitated the evolution of the perfect, bisexual flower. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.16.00366 SN - 1040-4651 SN - 1532-298X VL - 29 IS - 2 SP - 229 EP - 242 PB - American Society of Plant Physiologists CY - Rockville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Romao, Maria Joao A1 - Coelho, Catarina A1 - Santos-Silva, Teresa A1 - Foti, Alessandro A1 - Terao, Mineko A1 - Garattini, Enrico A1 - Leimkühler, Silke T1 - Structural basis for the role of mammalian aldehyde oxidases in the metabolism of drugs and xenobiotics JF - Current Opinion in Chemical Biology N2 - Aldehyde oxidases (AOXs) are molybdo-flavoenzymes characterized by broad substrate specificity, oxidizing aromatic/aliphatic aldehydes into the corresponding carboxylic acids and hydroxylating various heteroaromatic rings. Mammals are characterized by a complement of species specific AOX isoenzymes, that varies from one in humans (AOX1) to four in rodents (AOX1, AOX2, AOX3 and AOX4). The physiological function of mammalian AOX isoenzymes is unknown, although human AOX1 is an emerging enzyme in phase-I drug metabolism. Indeed, the number of therapeutic molecules under development which act as AOX substrates is increasing. The recent crystallization and structure determination of human AOX1 as well as mouse AOX3 has brought new insights into the mechanisms underlying substrate/inhibitor binding as well as the catalytic activity of this class of enzymes. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.01.005 SN - 1367-5931 SN - 1879-0402 VL - 37 SP - 39 EP - 47 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rojas-Jimenez, Keilor A1 - Fonvielle, Jeremy Andre A1 - Ma, Hua A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Transformation of humic substances by the freshwater Ascomycete Cladosporium sp. JF - Waterbird N2 - The ecological relevance of fungi in freshwater ecosystems is becoming increasingly evident, particularly in processing the extensive amounts of polymeric organic carbon such as cellulose, chitin, and humic substances (HS). We isolated several fungal strains from oligo-mesotrophic Lake Stechlin, Brandenburg, Germany, and analyzed their ability to degrade polymeric-like substrates. Using liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection, we determined the byproducts of HS transformation by the freshwater fungus Cladosporium sp. KR14. We demonstrate the ability of this fungus to degrade and simultaneously synthesize HS, and that transformation processes were intensified when iron, as indicator of the occurrence of Fenton reactions, was present in the medium. Furthermore, we showed that structural complexity of the HS produced changed with the availability of other polymeric substances in the medium. Our study highlights the contribution of freshwater Ascomycetes to the transformation of complex organic compounds. As such, it has important implications for understanding the ecological contribution of fungi to aquatic food webs and related biogeochemical cycles. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10545 SN - 1524-4695 SN - 1938-5390 VL - 40 SP - 282 EP - 288 PB - Waterbird SOC CY - Washington ER -