| 1. |
- Lesch, Christine, et al.
(författare)
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A role for Hemolectin in coagulation and immunity in Drosophila melanogaster
- 2007
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Ingår i: Developmental and Comparative Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0145-305X .- 1879-0089. ; 31:12, s. 1255-1263
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hemolectin has been identified as a candidate clotting factor in Drosophila. We reassessed the domain structure of Hemolectin (Hml) and propose that instead of C-type lectin domains, the two discoidin domains are most likely responsible for the protein's lectin activity. We also tested Hml's role in coagulation and immunity in Drosophila. Here we describe the isolation of a new hml allele in a forward screen for coagulation mutants, and our characterization of this and two other hml alleles, one of which is a functional null. While loss of Hml had strong effects on larval hemolymph coagulation ex vivo, mutant larvae survived wounding. Drosophila thus possesses redundant hemostatic mechanisms. We also found that loss of Hml in immune-handicapped adults rendered them more sensitive to Gram(-) bacteria infection. This demonstrates an immunological role of this clotting protein and reinforces the importance of the clot in insect immunity.
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| 2. |
- Djupedal, Ingela, et al.
(författare)
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Analysis of small RNA in fission yeast; centromeric siRNAs are potentially generated through a structured RNA
- 2009
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Ingår i: EMBO Journal. - : Wiley. - 0261-4189 .- 1460-2075. ; 28:24, s. 3832-3844
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The formation of heterochromatin at the centromeres in fission yeast depends on transcription of the outer repeats. These transcripts are processed into siRNAs that target homologous loci for heterochromatin formation. Here, high throughput sequencing of small RNA provides a comprehensive analysis of centromere-derived small RNAs. We found that the centromeric small RNAs are Dcr1 dependent, carry 50-monophosphates and are associated with Ago1. The majority of centromeric small RNAs originate from two remarkably well-conserved sequences that are present in all centromeres. The high degree of similarity suggests that this non-coding sequence in itself may be of importance. Consistent with this, secondary structure-probing experiments indicate that this centromeric RNA is partially double-stranded and is processed by Dicer in vitro. We further demonstrate the existence of small centromeric RNA in rdp1D cells. Our data suggest a pathway for siRNA generation that is distinct from the well-documented model involving RITS/RDRC. We propose that primary transcripts fold into hairpin-like structures that may be processed by Dcr1 into siRNAs, and that these siRNAs may initiate heterochromatin formation independent of RDRC activity. The EMBO Journal (2009) 28, 3832-3844. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2009.351; Published online 26 November 2009
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| 3. |
- Ekblom, Robert, et al.
(författare)
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Major histocompatibility complex variation and mate choice in a lekking bird, the great snipe (Gallinago media)
- 2004
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - 0962-1083 .- 1365-294X. ; 13:12, s. 3821-3828
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play a major part in the activation of the vertebrate immune system. In addition, they also appear to function as cues for mate choice. In mammals especially, several kinds of MHC-dependent mate choice have been hypothesized and observed. These include choice of mates that share no or few alleles with the choosing individual, choice of mates with alleles that differ as much as possible from the choosing individual, choice of heterozygous mates, choice of certain genotypes and choice of rare alleles. We investigated these different aspects of mate choice in relation to MHC in a lekking bird species, the great snipe (Gallinago media). We found no evidence for MHC disassortative mating, no preference for males with many MHC alleles and no preference for rare alleles. However, we did find that some allelic lineages were more often found in males with mating success than in males without mating success. Females do not seem to use themselves as references for the MHC-dependent mate choice, rather they seem to prefer males with certain allele types. We speculate that these alleles may be linked to resistance to common parasites.
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| 4. |
- Korayem, Ahmed, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence for an immune function of lepidopteran silk proteins
- 2007
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Ingår i: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications - BBRC. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 352:2, s. 317-322
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hemolymph coagulation stops bleeding and protects against infection. Clotting factors include both proteins that are conserved during evolution as well as more divergent proteins in different species. Here we show that several silk proteins also appear in the clot of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella. RT-PCR analysis reveals that silk proteins are expressed in immune tissues and induced upon wounding in both Galleria and Ephestia kuehniella, a second pyralid moth. Our results support the idea that silk proteins were co-opted for immunity and coagulation during evolution.
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| 5. |
- Funk, Christiane, et al.
(författare)
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D1' centers are less efficient than normal photosystem II centers
- 2001
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Ingår i: FEBS Letters. - 0014-5793 .- 1873-3468. ; 505:1, s. 113-117
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One prominent difference between the photosystem II (PSII) reaction center protein D1 ' in Synechocystis 6803 and normal D1 is the replacement of Phe-186 in D1 with leucine in D1 '. Mutants of Synechocystis 6803 producing only D1 ', or containing engineered D1 proteins with Phe-186 substitutions, were analyzed by 77 K fluorescence emission spectra, chlorophyll a fluorescence induction yield and decay kinetics, and flash-induced oxygen evolution. Compared to D1-containing PSII centers, D1 ' centers exhibited a 50% reduction in variable chlorophyll a fluorescence yield, while the flash-induced O-2 evolution pattern was unaffected. In the F186 mutants, both the P680(+)/Q(A)(-) recombination and O-2 oscillation pattern were noticeably perturbed.
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| 6. |
- Grimm, T, et al.
(författare)
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Genomic organization and embryonic expression of Suppressor of Fused, a candidate gene for the split-hand/split-foot malformation type 3
- 2001
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Ingår i: FEBS Letters. - 0014-5793 .- 1873-3468. ; 505:1, s. 13-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The genes for human and mouse Suppressor of Fused (SU(FU)/Su(Fu)) in the Hedgehog signaling pathway were characterized and found to contain 12 exons. Human SU(FU) localized on chromosome 10q24-25 between the markers D10S192 and AFM183XB12. We detected three additional SU(FU) isoforms, two of which have lost their ability to interact with the transcription factor GLI1. Expression analysis using whole mount in situ hybridization revealed strong expression of Su(Fu) in various mouse embryonic tissues. SU(FU) was considered a candidate gene for the split-hand/split-foot malformation type 3 (SHFM3). However, no alterations in the SU(FU) gene were found in SHFM3 patients.
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| 7. |
- Hossein, Moradi, et al.
(författare)
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Functional features of the C-terminal region of yeast ribosomal protein L5
- 2008
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Ingår i: Molecular Genetics and Genomics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1617-4615 .- 1617-4623. ; 280:4, s. 337-350
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to analyze the functional importance of the C-terminus of the essential yeast ribosomal protein L5 (YrpL5). Previous studies have indicated that the C-terminal region of YrpL5 forms an α-helix with a positively charged surface that is involved in protein–5S rRNA interaction. Formation of an YrpL5·5S rRNA complex is a prerequisite for nuclear import of YrpL5. Here we have tested the importance of the α-helix and the positively charged surface for YrpL5 function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using site directed mutagenesis in combination with functional complementation. Alterations in the sequence forming the putative α-helix affected the functional capacity of YrpL5. However, the effect did not correlate with a decreased ability of the protein to bind to 5S rRNA as all rpL5 mutants tested were imported to the nucleus whether or not the α-helix or the positively charged surface were intact. The alterations introduced in the C-terminal sequence affected the growth rate of cells expressing mutant but functional forms of YrpL5. The reduced growth rate was correlated with a reduced ribosomal content per cell indicating that the alterations introduced in the C-terminus interfered with ribosome assembly.
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| 8. |
- Miranda-Vizuete, Antonio, et al.
(författare)
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Lifespan decrease in a Caenorhabditis elegans mutant lacking TRX-1, a thioredoxin expressed in ASJ sensory neurons
- 2006
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Ingår i: FEBS Letters. - : Wiley. - 0014-5793 .- 1873-3468. ; 580:2, s. 484-490
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Thioredoxins are a class of small proteins that play a key role in regulating many cellular redox processes. We report here the characterization of the first member of the thioredoxin family in metazoans that is mainly associated with neurons. The Caenorhabditis elegans gene B0228.5 encodes a thioredoxin (TRX-1) that is expressed in ASJ ciliated sensory neurons, and to some extent also in the posterior-most intestinal cells. TRX-1 is active at reducing protein disulfides in the presence of a heterologous thioredoxin reductase. A mutant worm strain carrying a null allele of the trx-1 gene displays a reproducible decrease in both mean and maximum lifespan when compared to wild-type. The identification and characterization of TRX-1 paves the way to use C elegans as an in vivo model to study the role of thioredoxins in lifespan and nervous system physiology and pathology.
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| 9. |
- Petersson, Ulrika A., et al.
(författare)
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The Prx Q protein of Arabidopsis thaliana is a member of the luminal chloroplast proteome
- 2006
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Ingår i: FEBS Letters. - : Wiley. - 0014-5793 .- 1873-3468. ; 580:26, s. 6055-6061
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Peroxiredoxins have been discovered in many organisms ranging from eubacteria to mammals, and their known biological functions include both oxidant defense and signal transduction. The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana encodes for ten individual peroxiredoxins, of which four are located in the chloroplast. The best-characterized member of the chloroplast peroxiredoxins is 2-Cys Prx that is associated with the stroma side of the thylakoid membrane and is considered to participate in antioxidant defense and protection of photosynthesis. This study addressed the chloroplast peroxiredoxin Prx Q and showed that its subcellular location is the lumen of the thylakoid membrane. To get insight in the biological function of the Prx Q protein of Arabidopsis, the protein levels of the Prx Q protein in thylakoid membranes were studied under different light conditions and oxidative stress. A T-DNA knockout mutant of Prx Q did not show any visible phenotype and had normal photosynthetic performance with a slightly increased oxygen evolving activity.
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| 10. |
- Figueroa, Ricardo, et al.
(författare)
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A transmembrane inner nuclear membrane protein in the mitotic spindle
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nucleus (Austin). - 1949-1042. ; 1:3, s. 249-253
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have recently characterized a novel transmembrane protein of the inner nuclear membrane of mammalian cells. The protein has two very interesting features. First, despite being an integral membrane protein it is able to concentrate in the membranes colocalizing with the mitotic spindle in metaphase and anaphase. Hence, the protein was named Samp1, Spindle associated membrane protein 1. Secondly, it displays a functional connection to centrosomes. This article discusses various aspects of Samp1 in relation to possible cellular function(s).
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