@unpublished{LendleinNeffeJerome2014, author = {Lendlein, Andreas and Neffe, Axel T. and Jerome, Christine}, title = {Advanced functional polymers for medicine}, series = {Advanced healthcare materials}, volume = {3}, journal = {Advanced healthcare materials}, number = {12}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {2192-2640}, doi = {10.1002/adhm.201400718}, pages = {1939 -- 1940}, year = {2014}, language = {en} } @article{KindMusterStaroskeetal.2014, author = {Kind, Barbara and Muster, Britta and Staroske, Wolfgang and Herce, Henry D. and Sachse, Rene and Rapp, Alexander and Schmidt, Franziska and Koss, Sarah and Cardoso, M. Cristina and Lee-Kirsch, Min Ae}, title = {Altered spatio-temporal dynamics of RNase H2 complex assembly at replication and repair sites in Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome}, series = {Human molecular genetics}, volume = {23}, journal = {Human molecular genetics}, number = {22}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0964-6906}, doi = {10.1093/hmg/ddu319}, pages = {5950 -- 5960}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Ribonuclease H2 plays an essential role for genome stability as it removes ribonucleotides misincorporated into genomic DNA by replicative polymerases and resolves RNA/DNA hybrids. Biallelic mutations in the genes encoding the three RNase H2 subunits cause Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome (AGS), an early-onset inflammatory encephalopathy that phenotypically overlaps with the autoimmune disorder systemic lupus erythematosus. Here we studied the intracellular dynamics of RNase H2 in living cells during DNA replication and in response to DNA damage using confocal time-lapse imaging and fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy. We demonstrate that the RNase H2 complex is assembled in the cytosol and imported into the nucleus in an RNase H2B-dependent manner. RNase H2 is not only recruited to DNA replication foci, but also to sites of PCNA-dependent DNA repair. By fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, we demonstrate a high mobility and fast exchange of RNase H2 at sites of DNA repair and replication. We provide evidence that recruitment of RNase H2 is not only PCNA-dependent, mediated by an interaction of the B subunit with PCNA, but also PCNA-independent mediated via the catalytic domain of the A subunit. We found that AGS-associated mutations alter complex formation, recruitment efficiency and exchange kinetics at sites of DNA replication and repair suggesting that impaired ribonucleotide removal contributes to AGS pathogenesis.}, language = {en} } @misc{LecourieuxKappelLecourieuxetal.2014, author = {Lecourieux, Fatma and Kappel, Christian and Lecourieux, David and Serrano, Alejandra and Torres, Elizabeth and Arce-Johnson, Patricio and Delrot, Serge}, title = {An update on sugar transport and signalling in grapevine}, series = {Journal of experimental botany}, volume = {65}, journal = {Journal of experimental botany}, number = {3}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0022-0957}, doi = {10.1093/jxb/ert394}, pages = {821 -- 832}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In addition to their role as a source of reduced carbon, sugars may directly or indirectly control a wide range of activities in plant cells, through transcriptional and post-translational regulation. This control has been studied in detail using Arabidopsis thaliana, where genetic analysis offers many possibilities. Much less is known about perennial woody species. For several years, various aspects of sugar sensing and signalling have been investigated in the grape (Vitis vinifera L.) berry, an organ that accumulates high concentrations of hexoses in the vacuoles of flesh cells. Here we review various aspects of this topic: the molecular basis of sugar transport and its regulation by sugars in grapevine; the functional analysis of several sugar-induced genes; the effects of some biotic and abiotic stresses on the sugar content of the berry; and finally the effects of exogenous sugar supply on the ripening process in field conditions. A picture of complex feedback and multiprocess regulation emerges from these data.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Girbig2014, author = {Girbig, Dorothee}, title = {Analysing concerted criteria for local dynamic properties of metabolic systems}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-72017}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Metabolic systems tend to exhibit steady states that can be measured in terms of their concentrations and fluxes. These measurements can be regarded as a phenotypic representation of all the complex interactions and regulatory mechanisms taking place in the underlying metabolic network. Such interactions determine the system's response to external perturbations and are responsible, for example, for its asymptotic stability or for oscillatory trajectories around the steady state. However, determining these perturbation responses in the absence of fully specified kinetic models remains an important challenge of computational systems biology. Structural kinetic modeling (SKM) is a framework to analyse whether a metabolic steady state remains stable under perturbation, without requiring detailed knowledge about individual rate equations. It provides a parameterised representation of the system's Jacobian matrix in which the model parameters encode information about the enzyme-metabolite interactions. Stability criteria can be derived by generating a large number of structural kinetic models (SK-models) with randomly sampled parameter sets and evaluating the resulting Jacobian matrices. The parameter space can be analysed statistically in order to detect network positions that contribute significantly to the perturbation response. Because the sampled parameters are equivalent to the elasticities used in metabolic control analysis (MCA), the results are easy to interpret biologically. In this project, the SKM framework was extended by several novel methodological improvements. These improvements were evaluated in a simulation study using a set of small example pathways with simple Michaelis Menten rate laws. Afterwards, a detailed analysis of the dynamic properties of the neuronal TCA cycle was performed in order to demonstrate how the new insights obtained in this work could be used for the study of complex metabolic systems. The first improvement was achieved by examining the biological feasibility of the elasticity combinations created during Monte Carlo sampling. Using a set of small example systems, the findings showed that the majority of sampled SK-models would yield negative kinetic parameters if they were translated back into kinetic models. To overcome this problem, a simple criterion was formulated that mitigates such infeasible models and the application of this criterion changed the conclusions of the SKM experiment. The second improvement of this work was the application of supervised machine-learning approaches in order to analyse SKM experiments. So far, SKM experiments have focused on the detection of individual enzymes to identify single reactions important for maintaining the stability or oscillatory trajectories. In this work, this approach was extended by demonstrating how SKM enables the detection of ensembles of enzymes or metabolites that act together in an orchestrated manner to coordinate the pathways response to perturbations. In doing so, stable and unstable states served as class labels, and classifiers were trained to detect elasticity regions associated with stability and instability. Classification was performed using decision trees and relevance vector machines (RVMs). The decision trees produced good classification accuracy in terms of model bias and generalizability. RVMs outperformed decision trees when applied to small models, but encountered severe problems when applied to larger systems because of their high runtime requirements. The decision tree rulesets were analysed statistically and individually in order to explore the role of individual enzymes or metabolites in controlling the system's trajectories around steady states. The third improvement of this work was the establishment of a relationship between the SKM framework and the related field of MCA. In particular, it was shown how the sampled elasticities could be converted to flux control coefficients, which were then investigated for their predictive information content in classifier training. After evaluation on the small example pathways, the methodology was used to study two steady states of the neuronal TCA cycle with respect to their intrinsic mechanisms responsible for stability or instability. The findings showed that several elasticities were jointly coordinated to control stability and that the main source for potential instabilities were mutations in the enzyme alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase.}, language = {en} } @article{KuekenshoenerHagemannWohlwendetal.2014, author = {Kuekenshoener, Tim and Hagemann, Urs B. and Wohlwend, Daniel and Raeuber, Christina and Baumann, Tobias and Keller, Sandro and Einsle, Oliver and Mueller, Kristian M. and Arndt, Katja Maren}, title = {Analysis of Selected and Designed Chimeric D- and L-alpha-Helix Assemblies}, series = {Biomacromolecules : an interdisciplinary journal focused at the interface of polymer science and the biological sciences}, volume = {15}, journal = {Biomacromolecules : an interdisciplinary journal focused at the interface of polymer science and the biological sciences}, number = {9}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1525-7797}, doi = {10.1021/bm5006883}, pages = {3296 -- 3305}, year = {2014}, abstract = {D-Peptides have been attributed pharmacological advantages over regular L-peptides, yet design rules are largely unknown. Based on a designed coiled coil-like D/L heterotetramer, named L-Base/D-Acid, we generated a library offering alternative residues for interaction with the D-peptide. Phage display selection yielded one predominant peptide, named HelixA, that differed at 13 positions from the scaffold helix. In addition to the observed D-/L-heterotetramers, ratio-dependent intermediate states were detected by isothermal titration calorimetry. Importantly, the formation of the selected HelixA/D-Acid bundle passes through fewer intermediate states than L-Base/D-Acid. Back mutation of HelixA core residues to L-Base (HelixLL) revealed that the residues at e/g-positions are responsible for the different intermediates. Furthermore, a Val-core variant (PeptideVV) was completely devoid of binding D-Acid, whereas an Ile-core helix (HelixII) interacted with D-Acid in a significantly more specific complex than L-Base.}, language = {en} } @article{BrustLehmannFettke2014, author = {Brust, Henrike and Lehmann, Tanja and Fettke, J{\"o}rg}, title = {Analysis of the functional interaction of arabidopsis starch synthase and branching enzyme isoforms reveals that the cooperative action of SSI and BEs results in glucans with polymodal chain length distribution similar to amylopectin}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {9}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {7}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0102364}, pages = {14}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Starch synthase (SS) and branching enzyme (BE) establish the two glycosidic linkages existing in starch. Both enzymes exist as several isoforms. Enzymes derived from several species were studied extensively both in vivo and in vitro over the last years, however, analyses of a functional interaction of SS and BE isoforms are missing so far. Here, we present data from in vitro studies including both interaction of leaf derived and heterologously expressed SS and BE isoforms. We found that SSI activity in native PAGE without addition of glucans was dependent on at least one of the two BE isoforms active in Arabidopsis leaves. This interaction is most likely not based on a physical association of the enzymes, as demonstrated by immunodetection and native PAGE mobility analysis of SSI, BE2, and BE3. The glucans formed by the action of SSI/BEs were analysed using leaf protein extracts from wild type and be single mutants (Atbe2 and Atbe3 mutant lines) and by different combinations of recombinant proteins. Chain length distribution (CLD) patterns of the formed glucans were irrespective of SSI and BE isoforms origin and still independent of assay conditions. Furthermore, we show that all SS isoforms (SSI-SSIV) were able to interact with BEs and form branched glucans. However, only SSI/BEs generated a polymodal distribution of glucans which was similar to CLD pattern detected in amylopectin of Arabidopsis leaf starch. We discuss the impact of the SSI/BEs interplay for the CLD pattern of amylopectin.}, language = {en} } @article{HornProstStilleretal.2014, author = {Horn, Susanne and Prost, Stefan and Stiller, Mathias and Makowiecki, Daniel and Kuznetsova, Tatiana and Benecke, Norbert and Pucher, Erich and Hufthammer, Anne K. and Schouwenburg, Charles and Shapiro, Beth and Hofreiter, Michael}, title = {Ancient mitochondrial DNA and the genetic history of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) in Europe}, series = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {23}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, number = {7}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0962-1083}, doi = {10.1111/mec.12691}, pages = {1717 -- 1729}, year = {2014}, abstract = {After centuries of human hunting, the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber had disappeared from most of its original range by the end of the 19th century. The surviving relict populations are characterized by both low genetic diversity and strong phylogeographical structure. However, it remains unclear whether these attributes are the result of a human-induced, late Holocene bottleneck or already existed prior to this reduction in range. To investigate genetic diversity in Eurasian beaver populations during the Holocene, we obtained mitochondrial control region DNA sequences from 48 ancient beaver samples and added 152 modern sequences from GenBank. Phylogeographical analyses of the data indicate a differentiation of European beaver populations into three mitochondrial clades. The two main clades occur in western and eastern Europe, respectively, with an early Holocene contact zone in eastern Europe near a present-day contact zone. A divergent and previously unknown clade of beavers from the Danube Basin survived until at least 6000years ago, but went extinct during the transition to modern times. Finally, we identify a recent decline in effective population size of Eurasian beavers, with a stronger bottleneck signal in the western than in the eastern clade. Our results suggest that the low genetic diversity and the strong phylogeographical structure in recent beavers are artefacts of human hunting-associated population reductions. While beaver populations have been growing rapidly since the late 19th century, genetic diversity within modern beaver populations remains considerably reduced compared to what was present prior to the period of human hunting and habitat reduction.}, language = {en} } @article{RoderHille2014, author = {Roder, Phillip and Hille, Carsten}, title = {ANG-2 for quantitative Na+ determination in living cells by time-resolved fluorescence microscopy}, series = {Photochemical \& photobiological sciences}, volume = {13}, journal = {Photochemical \& photobiological sciences}, number = {12}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1474-905X}, doi = {10.1039/c4pp00061g}, pages = {1699 -- 1710}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Sodium ions (Na+) play an important role in a plethora of cellular processes, which are complex and partly still unexplored. For the investigation of these processes and quantification of intracellular Na+ concentrations ([Na+](i)), two-photon coupled fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (2P-FLIM) was performed in the salivary glands of the cockroach Periplaneta americana. For this, the novel Na+-sensitive fluorescent dye Asante NaTRIUM Green-2 (ANG-2) was evaluated, both in vitro and in situ. In this context, absorption coefficients, fluorescence quantum yields and 2P action cross-sections were determined for the first time. ANG-2 was 2P-excitable over a broad spectral range and displayed fluorescence in the visible spectral range. Although the fluorescence decay behaviour of ANG-2 was triexponential in vitro, its analysis indicates a Na+-sensitivity appropriate for recordings in living cells. The Na+-sensitivity was reduced in situ, but the biexponential fluorescence decay behaviour could be successfully analysed in terms of quantitative [Na+](i) recordings. Thus, physiological 2P-FLIM measurements revealed a dopamine-induced [Na+](i) rise in cockroach salivary gland cells, which was dependent on a Na+-K+-2Cl-cotransporter (NKCC) activity. It was concluded that ANG-2 is a promising new sodium indicator applicable for diverse biological systems.}, language = {en} } @article{RadchukJohstGroeneveldetal.2014, author = {Radchuk, Viktoriia and Johst, Karin and Groeneveld, J{\"u}rgen and Turlure, Camille and Grimm, Volker and Schtickzelle, Nicolas}, title = {Appropriate resolution in time and model structure for population viability analysis: Insights from a butterfly metapopulation}, series = {: an international journal}, volume = {169}, journal = {: an international journal}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0006-3207}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2013.12.004}, pages = {345 -- 354}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The importance of a careful choice of the appropriate scale for studying ecological phenomena has been stressed repeatedly. However, issues of spatial scale in metapopulation dynamics received much more attention compared to temporal scale. Moreover, multiple calls were made to carefully choose the appropriate model structure for Population Viability Analysis (PVA). We assessed the effect of using coarser resolution in time and model structure on population dynamics. For this purpose, we compared outcomes of two PVA models differing in their time step: daily individual-based model (dIBM) and yearly stage-based model (ySBM), loaded with empirical data on a well-known metapopulation of the butterfly Boloria eunomia. Both models included the same environmental drivers of population dynamics that were previously identified as being the most important for this species. Under temperature change scenarios, both models yielded the same qualitative scenario ranking, but they quite substantially differed quantitatively with dIBM being more pessimistic in absolute viability measures. We showed that these differences stemmed from inter-individual heterogeneity in dIBM allowing for phenological shifts of individual appearance. We conclude that a finer temporal resolution and an individual-based model structure allow capturing the essential mechanisms necessary to go beyond mere PVA scenario ranking. We encourage researchers to carefully chose the temporal resolution and structure of their model aiming at (1) depicting the processes important for (meta)population dynamics of the species and (2) implementing the environmental change scenarios expected for their study system in the future, using the temporal resolution at which such changes are predicted to operate.}, language = {en} } @article{StiefAltmannHoffmannetal.2014, author = {Stief, Anna and Altmann, Simone and Hoffmann, Karen and Pant, Bikram Datt and Scheible, Wolf-R{\"u}diger and B{\"a}urle, Isabel}, title = {Arabidopsis miR156 regulates tolerance to recurring environmental stress through SPL transcription factors}, series = {The plant cell}, volume = {26}, journal = {The plant cell}, number = {4}, publisher = {American Society of Plant Physiologists}, address = {Rockville}, issn = {1040-4651}, doi = {10.1105/tpc.114.123851}, pages = {1792 -- 1807}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Plants are sessile organisms that gauge stressful conditions to ensure survival and reproductive success. While plants in nature often encounter chronic or recurring stressful conditions, the strategies to cope with those are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate the involvement of ARGONAUTE1 and the microRNA pathway in the adaptation to recurring heat stress (HS memory) at the physiological and molecular level. We show that miR156 isoforms are highly induced after HS and are functionally important for HS memory. miR156 promotes sustained expression of HS-responsive genes and is critical only after HS, demonstrating that the effects of modulating miR156 on HS memory do not reflect preexisting developmental alterations. miR156 targets SPL transcription factor genes that are master regulators of developmental transitions. SPL genes are posttranscriptionally downregulated by miR156 after HS, and this is critical for HS memory. Altogether, the miR156-SPL module mediates the response to recurring HS in Arabidopsis thaliana and thus may serve to integrate stress responses with development.}, language = {en} } @article{TrostViCzesnicketal.2014, author = {Trost, Gerda and Vi, Son Lang and Czesnick, Hj{\"o}rdis and Lange, Peggy and Holton, Nick and Giavalisco, Patrick and Zipfel, Cyril and Kappel, Christian and Lenhard, Michael}, title = {Arabidopsis poly(A) polymerase PAPS1 limits founder-cell recruitment to organ primordia and suppresses the salicylic acid-independent immune response downstream of EDS1/PAD4}, series = {The plant journal}, volume = {77}, journal = {The plant journal}, number = {5}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0960-7412}, doi = {10.1111/tpj.12421}, pages = {688 -- 699}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Polyadenylation of pre-mRNAs by poly(A) polymerase (PAPS) is a critical process in eukaryotic gene expression. As found in vertebrates, plant genomes encode several isoforms of canonical nuclear PAPS enzymes. In Arabidopsis thaliana these isoforms are functionally specialized, with PAPS1 affecting both organ growth and immune response, at least in part by the preferential polyadenylation of subsets of pre-mRNAs. Here, we demonstrate that the opposite effects of PAPS1 on leaf and flower growth reflect the different identities of these organs, and identify a role for PAPS1 in the elusive connection between organ identity and growth patterns. The overgrowth of paps1 mutant petals is due to increased recruitment of founder cells into early organ primordia, and suggests that PAPS1 activity plays unique roles in influencing organ growth. By contrast, the leaf phenotype of paps1 mutants is dominated by a constitutive immune response that leads to increased resistance to the biotrophic oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis and reflects activation of the salicylic acid-independent signalling pathway downstream of ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 (EDS1)/PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 (PAD4). These findings provide an insight into the developmental and physiological basis of the functional specialization amongst plant PAPS isoforms.}, language = {en} } @article{RoethleinMiettinenBorwankaretal.2014, author = {Roethlein, Christoph and Miettinen, Markus S. and Borwankar, Tejas and Buerger, Joerg and Mielke, Thorsten and Kumke, Michael Uwe and Ignatova, Zoya}, title = {Architecture of polyglutamine-containing fibrils from time-resolved fluorescence decay}, series = {The journal of biological chemistry}, volume = {289}, journal = {The journal of biological chemistry}, number = {39}, publisher = {American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology}, address = {Bethesda}, issn = {0021-9258}, doi = {10.1074/jbc.M114.581991}, pages = {26817 -- 26828}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The disease risk and age of onset of Huntington disease (HD) and nine other repeat disorders strongly depend on the expansion of CAG repeats encoding consecutive polyglutamines (polyQ) in the corresponding disease protein. PolyQ length-dependent misfolding and aggregation are the hallmarks of CAG pathologies. Despite intense effort, the overall structure of these aggregates remains poorly understood. Here, we used sensitive time-dependent fluorescent decay measurements to assess the architecture of mature fibrils of huntingtin (Htt) exon 1 implicated in HD pathology. Varying the position of the fluorescent labels in the Htt monomer with expanded 51Q (Htt51Q) and using structural models of putative fibril structures, we generated distance distributions between donors and acceptors covering all possible distances between the monomers or monomer dimensions within the polyQ amyloid fibril. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we systematically scanned all possible monomer conformations that fit the experimentally measured decay times. Monomers with four-stranded 51Q stretches organized into five-layered beta-sheets with alternating N termini of the monomers perpendicular to the fibril axis gave the best fit to our data. Alternatively, the core structure of the polyQ fibrils might also be a zipper layer with antiparallel four-stranded stretches as this structure showed the next best fit. All other remaining arrangements are clearly excluded by the data. Furthermore, the assessed dimensions of the polyQ stretch of each monomer provide structural evidence for the observed polyQ length threshold in HD pathology. Our approach can be used to validate the effect of pharmacological substances that inhibit or alter amyloid growth and structure.}, language = {en} } @article{MeyerSchulzJeibmannetal.2014, author = {Meyer, S{\"o}ren and Schulz, J. and Jeibmann, A. and Taleshi, M. S. and Ebert, Franziska and Francesconi, Kevin A. and Schwerdtle, Tanja}, title = {Arsenic-containing hydrocarbons are toxic in the in vivo model Drosophila melanogaster}, series = {Metallomics : integrated biometal science}, volume = {6}, journal = {Metallomics : integrated biometal science}, number = {11}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1756-5901}, doi = {10.1039/c4mt00249k}, pages = {2010 -- 2014}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Arsenic-containing hydrocarbons (AsHC) constitute one group of arsenolipids that have been identified in seafood. In this first in vivo toxicity study for AsHCs, we show that AsHCs exert toxic effects in Drosophila melanogaster in a concentration range similar to that of arsenite. In contrast to arsenite, however, AsHCs cause developmental toxicity in the late developmental stages of Drosophila melanogaster. This work illustrates the need for a full characterisation of the toxicity of AsHCs in experimental animals to finally assess the risk to human health related to the presence of arsenolipids in seafood.}, language = {en} } @article{FujikuraElsaesserBreuningeretal.2014, author = {Fujikura, Ushio and Elsaesser, Lore and Breuninger, Holger and Sanchez-Rodriguez, Clara and Ivakov, Alexander and Laux, Thomas and Findlay, Kim and Persson, Staffan and Lenhard, Michael}, title = {Atkinesin-13A modulates cell-wall synthesis and cell expansion in arabidopsis thaliana via the THESEUS1 pathway}, series = {PLoS Genetics : a peer-reviewed, open-access journal}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS Genetics : a peer-reviewed, open-access journal}, number = {9}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1553-7390}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1004627}, pages = {15}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Growth of plant organs relies on cell proliferation and expansion. While an increasingly detailed picture about the control of cell proliferation is emerging, our knowledge about the control of cell expansion remains more limited. We demonstrate the internal-motor kinesin AtKINESIN-13A (AtKIN13A) limits cell expansion and cell size in Arabidopsis thaliana, ion atkinl3a mutants forming larger petals with larger cells. The homolog, AtKINESIN-13B, also affects cell expansion and double mutants display growth, gametophytic and early embryonic defects, indicating a redundant role of he two genes. AtKIN13A is known to depolymerize microtubules and influence Golgi motility and distribution. Consistent his function, AtKIN13A interacts genetically with ANGUSTIFOLIA, encoding a regulator of Golgi dynamics. Reduced AtIGN13A activity alters cell wall structure as assessed by Fourier-transformed infrared-spectroscopy and triggers signalling he THESEUS1-dependent cell-wall integrity pathway, which in turn promotes the excess cell expansion in the atkinl3a mutant. Thus, our results indicate that the intracellular activity of AtKIN13A regulates cell expansion and wall architecture via THESEUS1, providing a compelling case of interplay between cell wall integrity sensing and expansion.}, language = {en} } @article{MuellerRoeberBalazadeh2014, author = {M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Balazadeh, Salma}, title = {Auxin and its role in plant senescence}, series = {Journal of plant growth regulation}, volume = {33}, journal = {Journal of plant growth regulation}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0721-7595}, doi = {10.1007/s00344-013-9398-5}, pages = {21 -- 33}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Leaf senescence represents a key developmental process through which resources trapped in the photosynthetic organ are degraded in an organized manner and transported away to sustain the growth of other organs including newly forming leaves, roots, seeds, and fruits. The optimal timing of the initiation and progression of senescence are thus prerequisites for controlled plant growth, biomass accumulation, and evolutionary success through seed dispersal. Recent research has uncovered a multitude of regulatory factors including transcription factors, micro-RNAs, protein kinases, and others that constitute the molecular networks that regulate senescence in plants. The timing of senescence is affected by environmental conditions and abiotic or biotic stresses typically trigger a faster senescence. Various phytohormones, including for example ethylene, abscisic acid, and salicylic acid, promote senescence, whereas cytokinins delay it. Recently, several reports have indicated an involvement of auxin in the control of senescence, however, its mode of action and point of interference with senescence control mechanisms remain vaguely defined at present and contrasting observations regarding the effect of auxin on senescence have so far hindered the establishment of a coherent model. Here, we summarize recent studies on auxin-related genes that affect senescence in plants and highlight how these findings might be integrated into current molecular-regulatory models of senescence.}, language = {en} } @article{SeulMuellerAndresetal.2014, author = {Seul, Anait and M{\"u}ller, J{\"u}rgen J. and Andres, Dorothee and Stettner, Eva and Heinemann, Udo and Seckler, Robert}, title = {Bacteriophage P22 tailspike: structure of the complete protein and function of the interdomain linker}, series = {Acta crystallographica : Section D, Biological crystallography}, volume = {70}, journal = {Acta crystallographica : Section D, Biological crystallography}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1399-0047}, doi = {10.1107/S1399004714002685}, pages = {1336 -- 1345}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Attachment of phages to host cells, followed by phage DNA ejection, represents the first stage of viral infection of bacteria. Salmonella phage P22 has been extensively studied, serving as an experimental model for bacterial infection by phages. P22 engages bacteria by binding to the sugar moiety of lipopolysaccharides using the viral tailspike protein for attachment. While the structures of the N-terminal particle-binding domain and the major receptor-binding domain of the tailspike have been analyzed individually, the three-dimensional organization of the intact protein, including the highly conserved linker region between the two domains, remained unknown. A single amino-acid exchange in the linker sequence made it possible to crystallize the full-length protein. Two crystal structures of the linker region are presented: one attached to the N-terminal domain and the other present within the complete tailspike protein. Both retain their biological function, but the mutated full-length tailspike displays a retarded folding pathway. Fitting of the full-length tailspike into a published cryo-electron microscopy map of the P22 virion requires an elastic distortion of the crystal structure. The conservation of the linker suggests a role in signal transmission from the distal tip of the molecule to the phage head, eventually leading to DNA ejection.}, language = {en} } @article{BecherGrimmThorbeketal.2014, author = {Becher, Matthias A. and Grimm, Volker and Thorbek, Pernille and Horn, Juliane and Kennedy, Peter J. and Osborne, Juliet L.}, title = {BEEHAVE: a systems model of honeybee colony dynamics and foraging to explore multifactorial causes of colony failure}, series = {Journal of applied ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society}, volume = {51}, journal = {Journal of applied ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0021-8901}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2664.12222}, pages = {470 -- 482}, year = {2014}, abstract = {BEEHAVE offers a valuable tool for researchers to design and focus field experiments, for regulators to explore the relative importance of stressors to devise management and policy advice and for beekeepers to understand and predict varroa dynamics and effects of management interventions. We expect that scientists and stakeholders will find a variety of applications for BEEHAVE, stimulating further model development and the possible inclusion of other stressors of potential importance to honeybee colony dynamics.}, language = {en} } @article{BoitGaedke2014, author = {Boit, Alice and Gaedke, Ursula}, title = {Benchmarking successional progress in a quantitative food web}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {9}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {2}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0090404}, pages = {25}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Central to ecology and ecosystem management, succession theory aims to mechanistically explain and predict the assembly and development of ecological communities. Yet processes at lower hierarchical levels, e. g. at the species and functional group level, are rarely mechanistically linked to the under-investigated system-level processes which drive changes in ecosystem properties and functioning and are comparable across ecosystems. As a model system for secondary succession, seasonal plankton succession during the growing season is readily observable and largely driven autogenically. We used a long-term dataset from large, deep Lake Constance comprising biomasses, auto-and heterotrophic production, food quality, functional diversity, and mass-balanced food webs of the energy and nutrient flows between functional guilds of plankton and partly fish. Extracting population-and system-level indices from this dataset, we tested current hypotheses about the directionality of successional progress which are rooted in ecosystem theory, the metabolic theory of ecology, quantitative food web theory, thermodynamics, and information theory. Our results indicate that successional progress in Lake Constance is quantifiable, passing through predictable stages. Mean body mass, functional diversity, predator-prey weight ratios, trophic positions, system residence times of carbon and nutrients, and the complexity of the energy flow patterns increased during succession. In contrast, both the mass-specific metabolic activity and the system export decreased, while the succession rate exhibited a bimodal pattern. The weighted connectance introduced here represents a suitable index for assessing the evenness and interconnectedness of energy flows during succession. Diverging from earlier predictions, ascendency and eco-exergy did not increase during succession. Linking aspects of functional diversity to metabolic theory and food web complexity, we reconcile previously disjoint bodies of ecological theory to form a complete picture of successional progress within a pelagic food web. This comprehensive synthesis may be used as a benchmark for quantifying successional progress in other ecosystems.}, language = {en} } @article{OtreloCardosoSchwuchowRodriguesetal.2014, author = {Otrelo-Cardoso, Ana Rita and Schwuchow, Viola and Rodrigues, David and Cabrita, Eurico J. and Leimk{\"u}hler, Silke and Romao, Maria Joao and Santos-Silva, Teresa}, title = {Biochemical, stabilization and crystallization studies on a molecular chaperone (PaoD) involved in the maturation of molybdoenzymes}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {9}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {1}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0087295}, pages = {9}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Molybdenum and tungsten enzymes require specific chaperones for folding and cofactor insertion. PaoD is the chaperone of the periplasmic aldehyde oxidoreductase PaoABC. It is the last gene in the paoABCD operon in Escherichia coli and its presence is crucial for obtaining mature enzyme. PaoD is an unstable, 35 kDa, protein. Our biochemical studies showed that it is a dimer in solution with a tendency to form large aggregates, especially after freezing/thawing cycles. In order to improve stability, PaoD was thawed in the presence of two ionic liquids [C(4)mim]Cl and [C(2)OHmim]PF6 and no protein precipitation was observed. This allowed protein concentration and crystallization using polyethylene glycol or ammonium sulfate as precipitating agents. Saturation transfer difference - nuclear magnetic resonance (STD-NMR) experiments have also been performed in order to investigate the effect of the ionic liquids in the stabilization process, showing a clear interaction between the acidic ring protons of the cation and, most likely, negatively charged residues at the protein surface. DLS assays also show a reduction of the overall size of the protein aggregates in presence of ionic liquids. Furthermore, cofactor binding studies on PaoD showed that the protein is able to discriminate between molybdenum and tungsten bound to the molybdenum cofactor, since only a Mo-MPT form of the cofactor remained bound to PaoD.}, language = {en} } @article{KlieNikoloskiSelbig2014, author = {Klie, Sebastian and Nikoloski, Zoran and Selbig, Joachim}, title = {Biological cluster evaluation for gene function prediction}, series = {Journal of computational biology}, volume = {21}, journal = {Journal of computational biology}, number = {6}, publisher = {Liebert}, address = {New Rochelle}, issn = {1066-5277}, doi = {10.1089/cmb.2009.0129}, pages = {428 -- 445}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Recent advances in high-throughput omics techniques render it possible to decode the function of genes by using the "guilt-by-association" principle on biologically meaningful clusters of gene expression data. However, the existing frameworks for biological evaluation of gene clusters are hindered by two bottleneck issues: (1) the choice for the number of clusters, and (2) the external measures which do not take in consideration the structure of the analyzed data and the ontology of the existing biological knowledge. Here, we address the identified bottlenecks by developing a novel framework that allows not only for biological evaluation of gene expression clusters based on existing structured knowledge, but also for prediction of putative gene functions. The proposed framework facilitates propagation of statistical significance at each of the following steps: (1) estimating the number of clusters, (2) evaluating the clusters in terms of novel external structural measures, (3) selecting an optimal clustering algorithm, and (4) predicting gene functions. The framework also includes a method for evaluation of gene clusters based on the structure of the employed ontology. Moreover, our method for obtaining a probabilistic range for the number of clusters is demonstrated valid on synthetic data and available gene expression profiles from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Finally, we propose a network-based approach for gene function prediction which relies on the clustering of optimal score and the employed ontology. Our approach effectively predicts gene function on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae data set and is also employed to obtain putative gene functions for an Arabidopsis thaliana data set.}, language = {en} }