TY  - JOUR
A1  - Adamla, Frauke
A1  - Ignatova, Zoya
T1  - Somatic expression of unc-54 and vha-6 mRNAs declines but not pan-neuronal rgef-1 and unc-119 expression in aging Caenorhabditis elegans
JF  - Scientific reports
N2  - Aging is a highly controlled biological process characterized by a progressive deterioration of various cellular activities. One of several hallmarks of aging describes a link to transcriptional alteration, suggesting that it may impact the steady-state mRNA levels. We analyzed the mRNA steady-state levels of polyCAG-encoding transgenes and endogenous genes under the control of well-characterized promoters for intestinal (vha-6), muscular (unc-54, unc-15) and pan-neuronal (rgef-1, unc-119) expression in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We find that there is not a uniform change in transcriptional profile in aging, but rather a tissue-specific difference in the mRNA levels of these genes. While levels of mRNA in the intestine (vha-6) and muscular (unc-54, unc-15) cells decline with age, pan-neuronal tissue shows more stable mRNA expression (rgef-1, unc-119) which even slightly increases with the age of the animals. Our data on the variations in the mRNA abundance from exemplary cases of endogenous and transgenic gene expression contribute to the emerging evidence for tissue-specific variations in the aging process.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep10692
SN  - 2045-2322
VL  - 5
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Albert, Aurelie
A1  - Auffret, Alistair G.
A1  - Cosyns, Eric
A1  - Cousins, Sara A. O.
A1  - Eichberg, Carsten
A1  - Eycott, Amy E.
A1  - Heinken, Thilo
A1  - Hoffmann, Maurice
A1  - Jaroszewicz, Bogdan
A1  - Malo, Juan E.
A1  - Marell, Anders
A1  - Mouissie, Maarten
A1  - Pakeman, Robin J.
A1  - Picard, Melanie
A1  - Plue, Jan
A1  - Poschlod, Peter
A1  - Provoost, Sam
A1  - Schulze, Kiowa Alraune
A1  - Baltzinger, Christophe
T1  - Seed dispersal by ungulates as an ecological filter: a trait-based meta-analysis
JF  - Oikos
N2  - Plant communities are often dispersal-limited and zoochory can be an efficient mechanism for plants to colonize new patches of potentially suitable habitat. We predicted that seed dispersal by ungulates acts as an ecological filter - which differentially affects individuals according to their characteristics and shapes species assemblages - and that the filter varies according to the dispersal mechanism (endozoochory, fur-epizoochory and hoof-epizoochory). We conducted two-step individual participant data meta-analyses of 52 studies on plant dispersal by ungulates in fragmented landscapes, comparing eight plant traits and two habitat indicators between dispersed and non-dispersed plants. We found that ungulates dispersed at least 44% of the available plant species. Moreover, some plant traits and habitat indicators increased the likelihood for plant of being dispersed. Persistent or nitrophilous plant species from open habitats or bearing dry or elongated diaspores were more likely to be dispersed by ungulates, whatever the dispersal mechanism. In addition, endozoochory was more likely for diaspores bearing elongated appendages whereas epizoochory was more likely for diaspores released relatively high in vegetation. Hoof-epizoochory was more likely for light diaspores without hooked appendages. Fur-epizoochory was more likely for diaspores with appendages, particularly elongated or hooked ones. We thus observed a gradient of filtering effect among the three dispersal mechanisms. Endozoochory had an effect of rather weak intensity (impacting six plant characteristics with variations between ungulate-dispersed and non-dispersed plant species mostly below 25%), whereas hoof-epizoochory had a stronger effect (eight characteristics included five ones with above 75% variation), and fur-epizoochory an even stronger one (nine characteristics included six ones with above 75% variation). Our results demonstrate that seed dispersal by ungulates is an ecological filter whose intensity varies according to the dispersal mechanism considered. Ungulates can thus play a key role in plant community dynamics and have implications for plant spatial distribution patterns at multiple scales.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.02512
SN  - 0030-1299
SN  - 1600-0706
VL  - 124
IS  - 9
SP  - 1109
EP  - 1120
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Allan, Eric
A1  - Manning, Pete
A1  - Alt, Fabian
A1  - Binkenstein, Julia
A1  - Blaser, Stefan
A1  - Blüthgen, Nico
A1  - Böhm, Stefan
A1  - Grassein, Fabrice
A1  - Hölzel, Norbert
A1  - Klaus, Valentin H.
A1  - Kleinebecker, Till
A1  - Morris, E. Kathryn
A1  - Oelmann, Yvonne
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Renner, Swen C.
A1  - Rillig, Matthias C.
A1  - Schaefer, Martin
A1  - Schloter, Michael
A1  - Schmitt, Barbara
A1  - Schöning, Ingo
A1  - Schrumpf, Marion
A1  - Solly, Emily
A1  - Sorkau, Elisabeth
A1  - Steckel, Juliane
A1  - Steffen-Dewenter, Ingolf
A1  - Stempfhuber, Barbara
A1  - Tschapka, Marco
A1  - Weiner, Christiane N.
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Werner, Michael
A1  - Westphal, Catrin
A1  - Wilcke, Wolfgang
A1  - Fischer, Markus
T1  - Land use intensification alters ecosystem multifunctionality via loss of biodiversity and changes to functional composition
JF  - Ecology letters
N2  - Global change, especially land-use intensification, affects human well-being by impacting the delivery of multiple ecosystem services (multifunctionality). However, whether biodiversity loss is a major component of global change effects on multifunctionality in real-world ecosystems, as in experimental ones, remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed biodiversity, functional composition and 14 ecosystem services on 150 agricultural grasslands differing in land-use intensity. We also introduce five multifunctionality measures in which ecosystem services were weighted according to realistic land-use objectives. We found that indirect land-use effects, i.e. those mediated by biodiversity loss and by changes to functional composition, were as strong as direct effects on average. Their strength varied with land-use objectives and regional context. Biodiversity loss explained indirect effects in a region of intermediate productivity and was most damaging when land-use objectives favoured supporting and cultural services. In contrast, functional composition shifts, towards fast-growing plant species, strongly increased provisioning services in more inherently unproductive grasslands.
KW  - Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning
KW  - ecosystem services
KW  - global change
KW  - land use
KW  - multifunctionality
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12469
SN  - 1461-023X
SN  - 1461-0248
VL  - 18
IS  - 8
SP  - 834
EP  - 843
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Allhoff, Korinna Theresa
A1  - Ritterskamp, Daniel
A1  - Rall, Björn C.
A1  - Drossel, Barbara
A1  - Guill, Christian
T1  - Evolutionary food web model based on body masses gives realistic networks with permanent species turnover
JF  - Scientific reports
N2  - The networks of predator-prey interactions in ecological systems are remarkably complex, but nevertheless surprisingly stable in terms of long term persistence of the system as a whole. In order to understand the mechanism driving the complexity and stability of such food webs, we developed an eco-evolutionary model in which new species emerge as modifications of existing ones and dynamic ecological interactions determine which species are viable. The food-web structure thereby emerges from the dynamical interplay between speciation and trophic interactions. The proposed model is less abstract than earlier evolutionary food web models in the sense that all three evolving traits have a clear biological meaning, namely the average body mass of the individuals, the preferred prey body mass, and the width of their potential prey body mass spectrum. We observed networks with a wide range of sizes and structures and high similarity to natural food webs. The model networks exhibit a continuous species turnover, but massive extinction waves that affect more than 50% of the network are not observed.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep10955
SN  - 2045-2322
VL  - 5
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Alseekh, Saleh
A1  - Tohge, Takayuki
A1  - Wendenberg, Regina
A1  - Scossa, Federico
A1  - Omranian, Nooshin
A1  - Li, Jie
A1  - Kleessen, Sabrina
A1  - Giavalisco, Patrick
A1  - Pleban, Tzili
A1  - Müller-Röber, Bernd
A1  - Zamir, Dani
A1  - Nikoloski, Zoran
A1  - Fernie, Alisdair
T1  - Identification and Mode of Inheritance of Quantitative Trait Loci for Secondary Metabolite Abundance in Tomato
JF  - The plant cell
N2  - A large-scale metabolic quantitative trait loci (mQTL) analysis was performed on the well-characterized Solanum pennellii introgression lines to investigate the genomic regions associated with secondary metabolism in tomato fruit pericarp. In total, 679 mQTLs were detected across the 76 introgression lines. Heritability analyses revealed that mQTLs of secondary metabolism were less affected by environment than mQTLs of primary metabolism. Network analysis allowed us to assess the interconnectivity of primary and secondary metabolism as well as to compare and contrast their respective associations with morphological traits. Additionally, we applied a recently established real-time quantitative PCR platform to gain insight into transcriptional control mechanisms of a subset of the mQTLs, including those for hydroxycinnamates, acyl-sugar, naringenin chalcone, and a range of glycoalkaloids. Intriguingly, many of these compounds displayed a dominant-negative mode of inheritance, which is contrary to the conventional wisdom that secondary metabolite contents decreased on domestication. We additionally performed an exemplary evaluation of two candidate genes for glycolalkaloid mQTLs via the use of virus-induced gene silencing. The combined data of this study were compared with previous results on primary metabolism obtained from the same material and to other studies of natural variance of secondary metabolism.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.114.132266
SN  - 1040-4651
SN  - 1532-298X
VL  - 27
IS  - 3
SP  - 485
EP  - 512
PB  - American Society of Plant Physiologists
CY  - Rockville
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Alter, S. Elizabeth
A1  - Meyer, Matthias
A1  - Post, Klaas
A1  - Czechowski, Paul
A1  - Gravlund, Peter
A1  - Gaines, Cork
A1  - Rosenbaum, Howard C.
A1  - Kaschner, Kristin
A1  - Turvey, Samuel T.
A1  - van der Plicht, Johannes
A1  - Shapiro, Beth
A1  - Hofreiter, Michael
T1  - Climate impacts on transocean dispersal and habitat in gray whales from the Pleistocene to 2100
JF  - Molecular ecology
N2  - Arctic animals face dramatic habitat alteration due to ongoing climate change. Understanding how such species have responded to past glacial cycles can help us forecast their response to today's changing climate. Gray whales are among those marine species likely to be strongly affected by Arctic climate change, but a thorough analysis of past climate impacts on this species has been complicated by lack of information about an extinct population in the Atlantic. While little is known about the history of Atlantic gray whales or their relationship to the extant Pacific population, the extirpation of the Atlantic population during historical times has been attributed to whaling. We used a combination of ancient and modern DNA, radiocarbon dating and predictive habitat modelling to better understand the distribution of gray whales during the Pleistocene and Holocene. Our results reveal that dispersal between the Pacific and Atlantic was climate dependent and occurred both during the Pleistocene prior to the last glacial period and the early Holocene immediately following the opening of the Bering Strait. Genetic diversity in the Atlantic declined over an extended interval that predates the period of intensive commercial whaling, indicating this decline may have been precipitated by Holocene climate or other ecological causes. These first genetic data for Atlantic gray whales, particularly when combined with predictive habitat models for the year 2100, suggest that two recent sightings of gray whales in the Atlantic may represent the beginning of the expansion of this species' habitat beyond its currently realized range.
KW  - ancient DNA
KW  - climate change
KW  - last glacial maximum
KW  - marine mammal
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13121
SN  - 0962-1083
SN  - 1365-294X
VL  - 24
IS  - 7
SP  - 1510
EP  - 1522
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Apelt, Federico
A1  - Breuer, David
A1  - Nikoloski, Zoran
A1  - Stitt, Mark
A1  - Kragler, Friedrich
T1  - Phytotyping(4D): a light-field imaging system for non-invasive and accurate monitoring of spatio-temporal plant growth
JF  - The plant journal
N2  - Integrative studies of plant growth require spatially and temporally resolved information from high-throughput imaging systems. However, analysis and interpretation of conventional two-dimensional images is complicated by the three-dimensional nature of shoot architecture and by changes in leaf position over time, termed hyponasty. To solve this problem, Phytotyping(4D) uses a light-field camera that simultaneously provides a focus image and a depth image, which contains distance information about the object surface. Our automated pipeline segments the focus images, integrates depth information to reconstruct the three-dimensional architecture, and analyses time series to provide information about the relative expansion rate, the timing of leaf appearance, hyponastic movement, and shape for individual leaves and the whole rosette. Phytotyping(4D) was calibrated and validated using discs of known sizes, and plants tilted at various orientations. Information from this analysis was integrated into the pipeline to allow error assessment during routine operation. To illustrate the utility of Phytotyping(4D), we compare diurnal changes in Arabidopsis thaliana wild-type Col-0 and the starchless pgm mutant. Compared to Col-0, pgm showed very low relative expansion rate in the second half of the night, a transiently increased relative expansion rate at the onset of light period, and smaller hyponastic movement including delayed movement after dusk, both at the level of the rosette and individual leaves. Our study introduces light-field camera systems as a tool to accurately measure morphological and growth-related features in plants.
 Significance Statement Phytotyping(4D) is a non-invasive and accurate imaging system that combines a 3D light-field camera with an automated pipeline, which provides validated measurements of growth, movement, and other morphological features at the rosette and single-leaf level. In a case study in which we investigated the link between starch and growth, we demonstrated that Phytotyping(4D) is a key step towards bridging the gap between phenotypic observations and the rich genetic and metabolic knowledge.
KW  - plant growth
KW  - hyponasty
KW  - 3D imaging
KW  - light-field camera
KW  - Arabidopsis thaliana
KW  - pgm
KW  - technical advance
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.12833
SN  - 0960-7412
SN  - 1365-313X
VL  - 82
IS  - 4
SP  - 693
EP  - 706
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Attermeyer, Katrin
A1  - Tittel, Joerg
A1  - Allgaier, Martin
A1  - Frindte, Katharina
A1  - Wurzbacher, Christian
A1  - Hilt, Sabine
A1  - Kamjunke, Norbert
A1  - Grossart, Hans-Peter
T1  - Effects of Light and Autochthonous Carbon Additions on Microbial Turnover of Allochthonous Organic Carbon and Community Composition
JF  - Microbial ecology
N2  - The fate of allochthonous dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in aquatic systems is primarily controlled by the turnover of heterotrophic bacteria. However, the roles that abiotic and biotic factors such as light and DOC release by aquatic primary producers play in the microbial decomposition of allochthonous DOC is not well understood. We therefore tested if light and autochthonous DOC additions would increase allochthonous DOC decomposition rates and change bacterial growth efficiencies and community composition (BCC). We established continuous growth cultures with different inocula of natural bacterial communities and alder leaf leachates (DOCleaf) with and without light exposure before amendment. Furthermore, we incubated DOCleaf together with autochthonous DOC from lysed phytoplankton cultures (DOCphyto). Our results revealed that pretreatments of DOCleaf with light resulted in a doubling of bacterial growth efficiency (BGE), whereas additions of DOCphyto or combined additions of DOCphyto and light had no effect on BGE. The change in BGE was not accompanied by shifts in the phylogenetic structure of the BCC, but BCC was influenced by the DOC source. Our results highlight that a doubling of BGE is not necessarily accompanied by a shift in BCC and that BCC is more strongly affected by resource properties.
KW  - Bacterial growth efficiency
KW  - Continuous cultures
KW  - Carbon decomposition
KW  - Leaf litter
KW  - Photolysis
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-014-0549-4
SN  - 0095-3628
SN  - 1432-184X
VL  - 69
IS  - 2
SP  - 361
EP  - 371
PB  - Springer
CY  - New York
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bergholz, Kolja
A1  - Jeltsch, Florian
A1  - Weiß, Lina
A1  - Pottek, Janine
A1  - Geißler, Katja
A1  - Ristow, Michael
T1  - Fertilization affects the establishment ability of species differing in seed mass via direct nutrient addition and indirect competition effects
JF  - Oikos
N2  - Fertilization causes species loss and species dominance changes in plant communities worldwide. However, it still remains unclear how fertilization acts upon species functional traits, e.g. seed mass. Seed mass is a key trait of the regeneration strategy of plants, which influences a range of processes during the seedling establishment phase. Fertilization may select upon seed mass, either directly by increased nutrient availability or indirectly by increased competition. Since previous research has mainly analyzed the indirect effects of fertilization, we disentangled the direct and indirect effects to examine how nutrient availability and competition influence the seed mass relationships on four key components during seedling establishment: seedling emergence, time of seedling emergence, seedling survival and seedling growth. We conducted a common garden experiment with 22 dry grassland species with a two-way full factorial design that simulated additional nutrient supply and increased competition. While we found no evidence that fertilization either directly by additional nutrient supply or indirectly by increased competition alters the relationship between seed mass and (time of) seedling emergence, we revealed that large seed mass is beneficial under nutrient-poor conditions (seedlings have greater chances of survival, particularly in nutrient-poor soils) as well as under competition (large-seeded species produced larger seedlings, which suffered less from competition than small-seeded species). Based on these findings, we argue that both factors, i.e. nutrient availability and competition intensity, ought to be considered to understand how fertilization influences seedling establishment and species composition with respect to seed mass in natural communities. We propose a simple conceptual model, in which seed mass in natural communities is determined by competition intensity and nutrient availability. Here, we hypothesize that seed mass shows a U-shaped pattern along gradients of soil fertility, which may explain the contrasting soil fertility-seed mass relationships found in the recent literature.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.02193
SN  - 0030-1299
SN  - 1600-0706
VL  - 124
IS  - 11
SP  - 1547
EP  - 1554
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bernhardt-Römermann, Markus
A1  - Baeten, Lander
A1  - Craven, Dylan
A1  - De Frenne, Pieter
A1  - Hedl, Radim
A1  - Lenoir, Jonathan
A1  - Bert, Didier
A1  - Brunet, Jorg
A1  - Chudomelova, Marketa
A1  - Decocq, Guillaume
A1  - Dierschke, Hartmut
A1  - Dirnboeck, Thomas
A1  - Dörfler, Inken
A1  - Heinken, Thilo
A1  - Hermy, Martin
A1  - Hommel, Patrick
A1  - Jaroszewicz, Bogdan
A1  - Keczynski, Andrzej
A1  - Kelly, Daniel L.
A1  - Kirby, Keith J.
A1  - Kopecky, Martin
A1  - Macek, Martin
A1  - Malis, Frantisek
A1  - Mirtl, Michael
A1  - Mitchell, Fraser J. G.
A1  - Naaf, Tobias
A1  - Newman, Miles
A1  - Peterken, George
A1  - Petrik, Petr
A1  - Schmidt, Wolfgang
A1  - Standovar, Tibor
A1  - Toth, Zoltan
A1  - Van Calster, Hans
A1  - Verstraeten, Gorik
A1  - Vladovic, Jozef
A1  - Vild, Ondrej
A1  - Wulf, Monika
A1  - Verheyen, Kris
T1  - Drivers of temporal changes in temperate forest plant diversity vary across spatial scales
JF  - Global change biology
N2  - Global biodiversity is affected by numerous environmental drivers. Yet, the extent to which global environmental changes contribute to changes in local diversity is poorly understood. We investigated biodiversity changes in a meta-analysis of 39 resurvey studies in European temperate forests (3988 vegetation records in total, 17-75years between the two surveys) by assessing the importance of (i) coarse-resolution (i.e., among sites) vs. fine-resolution (i.e., within sites) environmental differences and (ii) changing environmental conditions between surveys. Our results clarify the mechanisms underlying the direction and magnitude of local-scale biodiversity changes. While not detecting any net local diversity loss, we observed considerable among-site variation, partly explained by temporal changes in light availability (a local driver) and density of large herbivores (a regional driver). Furthermore, strong evidence was found that presurvey levels of nitrogen deposition determined subsequent diversity changes. We conclude that models forecasting future biodiversity changes should consider coarse-resolution environmental changes, account for differences in baseline environmental conditions and for local changes in fine-resolution environmental conditions.
KW  - atmospheric nitrogen deposition
KW  - evenness
KW  - forestREplot
KW  - forest management
KW  - game browsing
KW  - Shannon diversity
KW  - spatiotemporal resurvey data
KW  - species richness
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12993
SN  - 1354-1013
SN  - 1365-2486
VL  - 21
IS  - 10
SP  - 3726
EP  - 3737
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bhaskar, Thanga Bhuvanesh Vijaya
A1  - Ma, Nan
A1  - Lendlein, Andreas
A1  - Roch, Toralf
T1  - The interaction of human macrophage subsets with silicone as a biomaterial
JF  - Clinical hemorheology and microcirculation : blood flow and vessels
N2  - Silicones are widely used as biomaterials for medical devices such as extracorporeal equipments. However, there is often conflicting evidence about their supposed cell-and histocompatibility. Macrophages could mediate silicone-induced adverse responses such as foreign body reaction and fibrous encapsulation. The polarization behaviour of macrophages could determine the clinical outcome after implantation of biomaterials. Induction of classically activated macrophages (CAM) may induce and support uncontrolled inflammatory responses and undesired material degradation. In contrast, polarization into alternatively activated macrophages (AAM) is assumed to support healing processes and implant integration.
 This study compared the interaction of non-polarized macrophages (M0), CAM, and AAM with commercially available tissue culture polystyrene (TCP) and a medical grade silicone-based biomaterial, regarding the secretion of inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines. Firstly, by using the Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) test the silicone films were shown to be free of soluble endotoxins, which is the prerequisite to investigate their interaction with primary immune cells. Primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (M0) were polarized into CAM and AAM by addition of suitable differentiation factors. These macrophage subsets were incubated on the materials for 24 hours and their viability and cytokine secretion was assessed. In comparison to TCP, cell adhesion was lower on silicone after 24 hours for all three macrophage subsets. However, compared to TCP, silicone induced higher levels of certain inflammatory and chemotactic cytokines in M0, CAM, and AAM macrophage subsets.
 Conclusively, it was shown that silicone has the ability to induce a pro-inflammatory state to different magnitudes dependent on the macrophage subsets. This priming of the macrophage phenotype by silicone could explain the incidence of severe foreign body complications observed in vivo.
KW  - Biomaterials
KW  - silicone
KW  - macrophage subsets
KW  - cytokines/chemokines
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3233/CH-151991
SN  - 1386-0291
SN  - 1875-8622
VL  - 61
IS  - 2
SP  - 119
EP  - 133
PB  - IOS Press
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bizic-Ionescu, Mina
A1  - Zeder, Michael
A1  - Ionescu, Danny
A1  - Orlic, Sandi
A1  - Fuchs, Bernhard M.
A1  - Grossart, Hans-Peter
A1  - Amann, Rudolf
T1  - Comparison of bacterial communities on limnic versus coastal marine particles reveals profound differences in colonization
JF  - Environmental microbiology
N2  - Marine and limnic particles are hotspots of organic matter mineralization significantly affecting biogeochemical element cycling. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes were combined to investigate bacterial diversity and community composition on limnic and coastal marine particles >5 and >10m respectively. Limnic particles were more abundant (average: 1x10(7)l(-1)), smaller in size (average areas: 471 versus 2050m(2)) and more densely colonized (average densities: 7.3 versus 3.6 cells 100m(-2)) than marine ones. Limnic particle-associated (PA) bacteria harboured Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria, and unlike previously suggested sizeable populations of Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Marine particles were colonized by Planctomycetes and Betaproteobacteria additionally to Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Gammaproteobacteria. Large differences in individual particle colonization could be detected. High-throughput sequencing revealed a significant overlap of PA and free-living (FL) bacteria highlighting an underestimated connectivity between both fractions. PA bacteria were in 14/21 cases more diverse than FL bacteria, reflecting a high heterogeneity in the particle microenvironment. We propose that a ratio of Chao 1 indices of PA/FL<1 indicates the presence of rather homogeneously colonized particles. The identification of different bacterial families enriched on either limnic or marine particles demonstrates that, despite the seemingly similar ecological niches, PA communities of both environments differ substantially.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12466
SN  - 1462-2912
SN  - 1462-2920
VL  - 17
IS  - 10
SP  - 3500
EP  - 3514
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Blankenburg, Stefanie
A1  - Balfanz, Sabine
A1  - Hayashi, Y.
A1  - Shigenobu, S.
A1  - Miura, T.
A1  - Baumann, Otto
A1  - Baumann, Arnd
A1  - Blenau, Wolfgang
T1  - Cockroach GABA(B) receptor subtypes: Molecular characterization, pharmacological properties and tissue distribution
JF  - Neuropharmacology
N2  - gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the predominant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). Its effects are mediated by either ionotropic GABA(A) receptors or metabotropic GABA(B) receptors. GABA(B) receptors regulate, via Gi/o, G-proteins, ion channels, and adenylyl cyclases. In humans, GABA(B) receptor subtypes are involved in the etiology of neurologic and psychiatric disorders. In arthropods, however, these members of the G-protein-coupled receptor family are only inadequately characterized. Interestingly, physiological data have revealed important functions of GABA(B) receptors in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. We have cloned cDNAs coding for putative GABA(B) receptor subtypes 1 and 2 of P. americana (PeaGB1 and PeaGB2). When both receptor proteins are co-expressed in mammalian cells, activation of the receptor heteromer with GABA leads to a dose-dependent decrease in cAMP production. The pharmacological profile differs from that of mammalian and Drosophila GABA(B) receptors. Western blot analyses with polyclonal antibodies have revealed the expression of PeaGB1 and PeaGB2 in the CNS of the American cockroach. In addition to the widespread distribution in the brain, PeaGB1 is expressed in salivary glands and male accessory glands. Notably, PeaGB1-like immunoreactivity has been detected in the GABAergic salivary neuron 2, suggesting that GABA(B) receptors act as autoreceptors in this neuron.
KW  - GABA(B) receptor
KW  - G-protein-coupled receptor
KW  - Periplaneta americana
KW  - Central nervous system
KW  - Adenylyl cyclase
KW  - Salivary gland
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.08.022
SN  - 0028-3908
SN  - 1873-7064
VL  - 88
SP  - 134
EP  - 144
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bogen, Oliver
A1  - Bender, Olaf
A1  - Loewe, Jana
A1  - Blenau, Wolfgang
A1  - Thevis, Beatrice
A1  - Schroeder, Wolfgang
A1  - Margolis, Richard U.
A1  - Levine, Jon D.
A1  - Hucho, Ferdinand
T1  - Neuronally produced versican V2 renders C-fiber nociceptors IB4-positive
JF  - Journal of neurochemistry
N2  - A subpopulation of nociceptors, the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-dependent, non-peptidergic C-fibers, expresses a cell-surface glycoconjugate that can be selectively labeled with isolectin B4 (IB4), a homotetrameric plant lectin from Griffonia simplicifolia. We show that versican is an IB4-binding molecule in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. Using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), insitu hybridization and immunofluorescence experiments on rat lumbar dorsal root ganglion, we provide the first demonstration that versican is produced by neurons. In addition, by probing Western blots with splice variant-specific antibodies we show that the IB4-binding versican contains only the glycosaminoglycan alpha domain. Our data support V2 as the versican isoform that renders this subpopulation of nociceptors IB4-positive (+).
 A subset of nociceptors, the GDNF-dependent non-peptidergic C-fibers can be characterized by its reactivity for isolectin B4 (IB4), a plant lectin from Griffonia simplicifolia. We have previously demonstrated that versican V2 binds IB4 in a Ca2+-dependent manner. However, given that versican is thought to be the product of glial cells, it was questionable whether versican V2 can be accountable for the IB4-reactivity of this subset of nociceptors. The results presented here prove - for the first time - a neuronal origin of versican and suggest that versican V2 is the molecule that renders GDNF-dependent non-peptidergic C-fibers IB4-positive.
KW  - IB4
KW  - nociceptors
KW  - pain
KW  - sensory neurons
KW  - V2
KW  - versican
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.13113
SN  - 0022-3042
SN  - 1471-4159
VL  - 134
IS  - 1
SP  - 147
EP  - 155
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bordag, Natalie
A1  - Klie, Sebastian
A1  - Jürchott, Kathrin
A1  - Vierheller, Janine
A1  - Schiewe, Hajo
A1  - Albrecht, Valerie
A1  - Tonn, Jörg-Christian
A1  - Schwartz, Christoph
A1  - Schichor, Christian
A1  - Selbig, Joachim
T1  - Glucocorticoid (dexamethasone)-induced metabolome changes in healthy males suggest prediction of response and side effects
JF  - Scientific reports
N2  - Glucocorticoids are indispensable anti-inflammatory and decongestant drugs with high prevalence of use at (similar to)0.9% of the adult population. Better holistic insights into glucocorticoid-induced changes are crucial for effective use as concurrent medication and management of adverse effects. The profiles of 214 metabolites from plasma of 20 male healthy volunteers were recorded prior to and after ingestion of a single dose of 4 mg dexamethasone (+20 mg pantoprazole). Samples were drawn at three predefined time points per day: seven untreated (day 1 midday - day 3 midday) and four treated (day 3 evening - day 4 evening) per volunteer. Statistical analysis revealed tremendous impact of dexamethasone on the metabolome with 150 of 214 metabolites being significantly deregulated on at least one time point after treatment (ANOVA, Benjamini-Hochberg corrected, q < 0.05). Inter-person variability was high and remained uninfluenced by treatment. The clearly visible circadian rhythm prior to treatment was almost completely suppressed and deregulated by dexamethasone. The results draw a holistic picture of the severe metabolic deregulation induced by single-dose, short-term glucocorticoid application. The observed metabolic changes suggest a potential for early detection of severe side effects, raising hope for personalized early countermeasures increasing quality of life and reducing health care costs.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep15954
SN  - 2045-2322
VL  - 5
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Breitkopf, Hendrik
A1  - Onstein, Renske E.
A1  - Cafasso, Donata
A1  - Schlüter, Philipp M.
A1  - Cozzolino, Salvatore
T1  - Multiple shifts to different pollinators fuelled rapid diversification in sexually deceptive Ophrys orchids
JF  - New phytologist : international journal of plant science
N2  - Episodes of rapid speciation provide unique insights into evolutionary processes underlying species radiations and patterns of biodiversity. Here we investigated the radiation of sexually deceptive bee orchids (Ophrys). Based on a time-calibrated phylogeny and by means of ancestral character reconstruction and divergence time estimation, we estimated the tempo and mode of this radiation within a state-dependent evolutionary framework. It appears that, in the Pleistocene, the evolution of Ophrys was marked by episodes of rapid diversification coinciding with shifts to different pollinator types: from wasps to Eucera bees to Andrena and other bees. An abrupt increase in net diversification rate was detected in three clades. Among these, two phylogenetically distant lineages switched from Eucera to Andrena and other bees in a parallel fashion and at about the same time in their evolutionary history. Lack of early radiation associated with the evolution of the key innovation of sexual deception suggests that Ophrys diversification was mainly driven by subsequent ecological opportunities provided by the exploitation of novel pollinator groups, encompassing many bee species slightly differing in their sex pheromone communication systems, and by spatiotemporal fluctuations in the pollinator mosaic.
KW  - Andrena
KW  - diversification rates
KW  - Eucera
KW  - Ophrys
KW  - pollination syndrome
KW  - pollinator shift
KW  - sexual deception (SD)
KW  - species radiation
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13219
SN  - 0028-646X
SN  - 1469-8137
VL  - 207
IS  - 2
SP  - 377
EP  - 389
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Budzik, Karolina A.
A1  - Zuwala, Krystyna
A1  - Kupfer, Alexander
A1  - Gower, David J.
A1  - Wilkinson, Mark
T1  - Diverse anatomy of the tongue and taste organs in five species of caecilian (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)
JF  - Zoologischer Anzeiger = Journal of comparative zoology : morphology, systematics, biogeography
N2  - Limited previous studies on caecilian taste organs have demonstrated the presence of very few taste buds in the oral epithelium, while providing somewhat contradictory reports of their distribution within the oropharynx and across taxa. Here we report on the gross morphology of the tongue and explore the distribution, number and morphology of taste organs of five caecilian species representing five families, focusing upon variation within the group and investigating whether larvae and adults have the same type of taste organs. We find that taste buds are widespread in the oropharynx of caecilians and that they occur both in adults and larvae of a species with a biphasic life history. Thus Gymnophiona differ substantially from Batriachia, which have distinct larval and adult taste organs.
KW  - Amphibian
KW  - Number of taste organs
KW  - Sensory zone
KW  - Taste buds
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2015.04.007
SN  - 0044-5231
VL  - 257
SP  - 103
EP  - 109
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Jena
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Camargo, Rodolfo Gonzalez
A1  - dos Reis Riccardi, Daniela Mendes
A1  - Teixeira Ribeiro, Henrique Quintas
A1  - Carnevali Junior, Luiz Carlos
A1  - de Matos-Neto, Emidio Marques
A1  - Enjiu, Lucas
A1  - Neves, Rodrigo Xavier
A1  - Carola Correia Lima, Joanna Darck
A1  - Figueredo, Raquel Galvao
A1  - Martins de Alcantara, Paulo Sergio
A1  - Maximiano, Linda
A1  - Otoch, Jose
A1  - Batista Jr., Miguel Luiz
A1  - Püschel, Gerhard Paul
A1  - Seelaender, Marilia
T1  - NF-kappa Bp65 and Expression of Its Pro-Inflammatory Target Genes Are Upregulated in the Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue of Cachectic Cancer Patients
JF  - Nutrients
N2  - Cancer cachexia, of which the most notable symptom is severe and rapid weight loss, is present in the majority of patients with advanced cancer. Inflammatory mediators play an important role in the development of cachexia, envisaged as a chronic inflammatory syndrome. The white adipose tissue (WAT) is one of the first compartments affected in cancer cachexia and suffers a high rate of lipolysis. It secretes several cytokines capable of directly regulating intermediate metabolism. A common pathway in the regulation of the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in WAT is the activation of the nuclear transcription factor kappa-B (NF-B). We have examined the gene expression of the subunits NF-Bp65 and NF-Bp50, as well as NF-Bp65 and NF-Bp50 binding, the gene expression of pro-inflammatory mediators under NF-B control (IL-1, IL-6, INF-, TNF-, MCP-1), and its inhibitory protein, nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, alpha (IB-). The observational study involved 35 patients (control group, n = 12 and cancer group, n = 23, further divided into cachectic and non-cachectic). NF-Bp65 and its target genes expression (TNF-, IL-1, MCP-1 and IB-) were significantly higher in cachectic cancer patients. Moreover, NF-Bp65 gene expression correlated positively with the expression of its target genes. The results strongly suggest that the NF-B pathway plays a role in the promotion of WAT inflammation during cachexia.
KW  - cancer cachexia
KW  - inflammation
KW  - white adipose tissue
KW  - NF-B
KW  - IB
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7064465
SN  - 2072-6643
VL  - 7
IS  - 6
SP  - 4465
EP  - 4479
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Caron, Maria Mercedes
A1  - De Frenne, P.
A1  - Chabrerie, Olivier
A1  - Cousins, S. A. O.
A1  - De Backer, L.
A1  - Decocq, G.
A1  - Diekmann, M.
A1  - Heinken, Thilo
A1  - Kolb, A.
A1  - Naaf, T.
A1  - Plue, J.
A1  - Selvi, F.
A1  - Strimbeck, G. R.
A1  - Wulf, M.
A1  - Verheyen, Kris
T1  - Impacts of warming and changes in precipitation frequency on the regeneration of two Acer species
JF  - Flora : morphology, distribution, functional ecology of plants
KW  - Seed provenance
KW  - Germination
KW  - Climate change
KW  - Interactive effects
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2015.05.005
SN  - 0367-2530
SN  - 1618-0585
VL  - 214
SP  - 24
EP  - 33
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Jena
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Caron, Maria Mercedes
A1  - De Frenne, Pieter
A1  - Brunet, J.
A1  - Chabrerie, Olivier
A1  - Cousins, S. A. O.
A1  - De Backer, L.
A1  - Decocq, G.
A1  - Diekmann, M.
A1  - Heinken, Thilo
A1  - Kolb, A.
A1  - Naaf, T.
A1  - Plue, J.
A1  - Selvi, Federico
A1  - Strimbeck, G. R.
A1  - Wulf, Monika
A1  - Verheyen, Kris
T1  - Interacting effects of warming and drought on regeneration and early growth of Acer pseudoplatanus and A. platanoides
JF  - Plant biology
N2  - Climate change is acting on several aspects of plant life cycles, including the sexual reproductive stage, which is considered amongst the most sensitive life-cycle phases. In temperate forests, it is expected that climate change will lead to a compositional change in community structure due to changes in the dominance of currently more abundant forest tree species. Increasing our understanding of the effects of climate change on currently secondary tree species recruitment is therefore important to better understand and forecast population and community dynamics in forests. Here, we analyse the interactive effects of rising temperatures and soil moisture reduction on germination, seedling survival and early growth of two important secondary European tree species, Acer pseudoplatanus and A.platanoides. Additionally, we analyse the effect of the temperature experienced by the mother tree during seed production by collecting seeds of both species along a 2200-km long latitudinal gradient. For most of the responses, A.platanoides showed higher sensitivity to the treatments applied, and especially to its joint manipulation, which for some variables resulted in additive effects while for others only partial compensation. In both species, germination and survival decreased with rising temperatures and/or soil moisture reduction while early growth decreased with declining soil moisture content. We conclude that although A.platanoides germination and survival were more affected after the applied treatments, its initial higher germination and larger seedlings might allow this species to be relatively more successful than A.pseudoplatanus in the face of climate change.
KW  - Acer platanoides
KW  - Acer pseudoplatanus
KW  - climate change
KW  - drought
KW  - reproduction
KW  - seed
KW  - temperature
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.12177
SN  - 1435-8603
SN  - 1438-8677
VL  - 17
IS  - 1
SP  - 52
EP  - 62
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -