Biowissenschaften
Refine
Document Type
- Article (118)
Language
- English (118)
Has Fulltext
- yes (118)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (118)
Keywords
- Haloferax volcanii (6)
- aging (5)
- Podospora anserina (4)
- heat stress (4)
- Acinetobacter baumannii (3)
- Archaea (3)
- Biogeography (3)
- genomics (3)
- hippocampus (3)
- mitochondria (3)
- quality control (3)
- ABC transporter (2)
- AJAP1 (2)
- Antarctica (2)
- Arabidopsis (2)
- Biodiversity (2)
- Biohydrogen (2)
- Coenzyme A (2)
- Cortex (2)
- Ecological modelling (2)
- Formate dehydrogenase (2)
- Hydrogen production (2)
- Hydrogenase (2)
- Invasive species (2)
- Non-coding RNA (2)
- Operons (2)
- Pantothenate (2)
- Saccharomyces (2)
- Solanum lycopersicum (2)
- amyloid precursor protein (2)
- archaea (2)
- autophagy (2)
- connectedness to nature (2)
- connection to nature (2)
- deletion mutant (2)
- desiccation (2)
- mannitol (2)
- microbiome (2)
- microglia (2)
- peptide-loading complex (2)
- presynaptic active zone (2)
- regulation (2)
- ribosome (2)
- thermotolerance (2)
- 1-octanol (1)
- 2cpsdummy′-O-ribose-methylation (1)
- 3D printed stamp (1)
- A. thaliana (1)
- ABE fermentation (1)
- ADCD (1)
- ADP (1)
- AMPK (1)
- ATP (1)
- ATP synthase (1)
- ATPase (1)
- Acetobacterium woodii (1)
- Acetyl-CoA (1)
- Acetylating acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (1)
- Adherence junctions (1)
- Adhesion (1)
- Aedes aegypti (1)
- Aedes albopictus (1)
- Agent-based modeling (1)
- Agroecology (1)
- Akaike information criterion (1)
- Anamorphic fungi (1)
- Angiogenesis (1)
- Animal physiology (1)
- Anisakid nematodes (1)
- Antisense RNA (1)
- Apis mellifera (1)
- Applied microbiology (1)
- Aquatic invertebrates (1)
- Arabidopsis thaliana (1)
- Arabidopsis thaliana metabolism (1)
- Ascomycota (1)
- Automation (1)
- BMP signaling (1)
- Basidiomycota (1)
- Bathydraconinae (1)
- Bayesian information criterion (1)
- Behavioural ecology (1)
- Behavioural methods (1)
- Benin (1)
- Biochemistry (1)
- Biofuel (1)
- Biogeography of disease (1)
- Biological invasion (1)
- Biomonitoring (1)
- Biosynthesis (1)
- Birds of prey (1)
- Blastocysts (1)
- Brassicales (1)
- C-value (1)
- CDC-42 (1)
- CLP protease (1)
- CLPXP protease (1)
- CO2 reduction (1)
- Canis lupus (1)
- Caprylic acid (1)
- Carbon capture (1)
- Carboxylic acid reductase (1)
- Cell differentiation (1)
- Cell migration (1)
- Cercospora (1)
- Chaenodraco wilsoni (1)
- Champsocephalus gunnari (1)
- Channichthyidae (1)
- Chemical communication (1)
- Chemical contamination (1)
- Chorion (1)
- Chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydratase (1)
- Chromosomes and gene expression (1)
- Chrysops (1)
- Climate (1)
- Climatic habitat suitability (1)
- Cochlea (1)
- Communication center (1)
- Compartmentalization (1)
- Contact microradiography (1)
- Contracaecum (1)
- Core marking (1)
- Cre-lox system (1)
- Cytoskeleton (1)
- DNA transporter (1)
- Dehydration (medicine) (1)
- Developmental biology (1)
- Developmental biology and stem cells (1)
- Diptera (1)
- Diversity (1)
- Ecological niche modeling (1)
- Ecology (1)
- Ecophysiology (1)
- Ecotoxicological status class (1)
- Ectoparasites (1)
- Eltonian noise hypothesis (1)
- Embryos (1)
- Endoplasmic reticulum (1)
- Endothelial cells (1)
- Envelope (1)
- Environmental sciences (1)
- Evaluation matrix (1)
- Evolution (1)
- F1Fo-ATP-synthase (1)
- FAD (1)
- Fabaceae (1)
- Fatty acid synthase (1)
- Fatty alcohol (1)
- Feather mites (1)
- Feeding behavior (1)
- Fluorescent proteins (1)
- Fungi (1)
- Fusarium (1)
- GC content (1)
- GLUT2 (1)
- GLUT3 (1)
- Gammarus fossarum (1)
- Gammarus roeselii (1)
- Gene prediction (1)
- Generation time (1)
- Genome annotation (1)
- Genotyping (1)
- Gerlachea australis (1)
- Global (1)
- Global warming (1)
- Golgi (1)
- Great philippine eagle (1)
- Gymnodraco acuticeps (1)
- HSBP (1)
- HSF (1)
- Haematopota (1)
- High content imaging (1)
- Hispaniola (1)
- Hominins (1)
- Host specificity (1)
- Hydrogen storage (1)
- Hydrogen-dependent CO2 reductase (1)
- Hydromorphology (1)
- Hydroxymandelate synthase (1)
- Hypothermia (1)
- INS (1)
- Image processing (1)
- In vitro assays (1)
- Indoles (1)
- Insects (1)
- Intraspecific divergence (1)
- Klebsiella oxytoca (1)
- LTP (1)
- LUCA (1)
- Lactation (1)
- Land cover (1)
- Leaderless transcript (1)
- Leaf clearing (1)
- Leguminosae (1)
- Lepidoptera (1)
- Life-history evolution (1)
- Light sheet-based fluorescence microscopy (1)
- Local adaptation (1)
- Localized defecation (1)
- Long-term live imaging (1)
- MHC (1)
- Macropus (1)
- Malpighiales (1)
- Mammary gland (1)
- Mandelic acid (1)
- Marine biology (1)
- Massive Analysis of cDNA Ends (MACE) (1)
- Mathematical models (1)
- Maxent (1)
- Metabolic engineering (1)
- Metabolomics (1)
- Micro CT (1)
- Microthlaspi erraticum (1)
- Microtubules (1)
- Midbrain (1)
- Mindanao hawk-eagle (1)
- Mitochondria (1)
- Model (1)
- Model complexity (1)
- Molecular biology (1)
- Molecular phylogeny (1)
- Mollusca (1)
- Mortality (1)
- Multidimensional imaging (1)
- Neopagetopsis ionah (1)
- Network analysis (1)
- Neurophysiology (1)
- Niche (1)
- Nisaetus pinskeri (1)
- Northern blot (1)
- Notch signaling (1)
- Nothopassalora (1)
- O-CAS assay (1)
- Octanoic acid (1)
- P2Y13 receptor (1)
- PAR complex (1)
- PSII core phosphorylation (1)
- Pagetopsis macropterus (1)
- Palaeontology (1)
- Parachaenichthys charcoti (1)
- Parasites (1)
- Parasites of endangered species (1)
- Passalora (1)
- Petri net (1)
- Phylogenetics (1)
- PilF (1)
- Pithecophaga jefferyi (1)
- Population density (1)
- Population dynamics (1)
- Potamopyrgus antipodarum (1)
- Proline (1)
- Promoter (1)
- Protein domains (1)
- Pseudocercospora (1)
- Pseudochaenichthys georgianus (1)
- Pseudoterranova (1)
- Pterolichoidea (1)
- Quantitative imaging (1)
- RMP1 (1)
- RNA polymerase (1)
- RNA sequencing (1)
- RNA-seq (1)
- Racovitzia glacialis (1)
- Rapid evolution (1)
- Rearing temperature (1)
- Reproducibility (1)
- Reproduction (1)
- Retrotransposon (1)
- Rnf complex (1)
- SNF1 (1)
- SPAdes (1)
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae (1)
- Schizokinen (1)
- Sea water (1)
- Shores (1)
- Short-chain fatty acids (1)
- Shrew-1 (1)
- Signal inhibition (1)
- Small nucleolar RNA (1)
- Social behaviour (1)
- Solanum lycopersicum L. (1)
- Solenidae (1)
- Species distribution modelling (1)
- Spheroids (1)
- Splice variants (1)
- Standardization (1)
- Stem cells (1)
- Surface range (1)
- Swimming (1)
- Tabanidae (1)
- Tabanus (1)
- Thermal pollution (1)
- Thermoanaerobacter kivui (1)
- Thermophiles (1)
- Three-dimensional cell culture (1)
- Tiger mosquito (1)
- Tissue integrity (1)
- Tools and resources (1)
- Tortoise beetles (1)
- Trans-2-enoyl-CoA reductase (1)
- Transcriptome (1)
- Transcriptome analysis (1)
- Transgenesis (1)
- Transposable elements (1)
- Tribolium castaneum (1)
- Tuber aestivum (1)
- Tumor suppressor protein (1)
- Tyrosine prototrophy (1)
- UV-stress (1)
- UV/V cones (1)
- Urban ecology (1)
- Vector borne diseases (1)
- Vector mosquito (1)
- Vectorpathogen-host (1)
- Vein density (1)
- Vein networks (1)
- West Africa (1)
- Whales (1)
- Wnt (1)
- Wood–Ljungdahl pathway (1)
- Yeast (1)
- Yellow fever mosquito (1)
- Zebrafish (1)
- aIF (1)
- acetogenesis (1)
- acetogenic bacteria (1)
- acetyl-CoA (1)
- acoustic startle reflex (1)
- adaptive immunity (1)
- adult neurogenesis (1)
- alternative splicing (1)
- alzheimer’s disease (1)
- amplicon sequencing (1)
- animal migration (1)
- anti-oxidants (1)
- antigen presentation (1)
- antigen processing (1)
- aposematism (1)
- asexual fungi (1)
- asymmetry (1)
- auditory cortex (1)
- auditory processing (1)
- background noise (1)
- bacterial communities (1)
- behavioural ecology (1)
- betaine/choline/carnitine transporter (1)
- biodiversity loss (1)
- biofilm (1)
- biosynthetic gene clusters (1)
- bromeliads (1)
- brood (1)
- carnitine metabolism (1)
- carotenoids (1)
- chlorophyta (1)
- chloroplast phosphorylation network (1)
- chromosome number (1)
- climate (1)
- climate-change ecology (1)
- clostridia (1)
- coherence (1)
- cold tolerance (1)
- coloration (1)
- common transition pairs (1)
- compaction (1)
- comparative genomics (1)
- compass orientation (1)
- compatible solutes (1)
- computed tomography (1)
- connectedness to nature scale (1)
- connectedness to nature scale (CNS) (1)
- conservation (1)
- conservation biology (1)
- copyright (1)
- cortical flow (1)
- costs (1)
- coupling (1)
- cryptochrome (1)
- dRNA-Seq (1)
- database (1)
- dataset (1)
- dentate gyrus (1)
- development (1)
- drug screening system (1)
- education for sustainable development (ESD) (1)
- electron bifurcation (1)
- energy conservation (1)
- energy metabolism (1)
- environmental behavior (1)
- environmental factors (1)
- environmental knowledge (1)
- enzyme activity (1)
- eukaryotic system (1)
- evolution (1)
- flow cytometry (1)
- forest tree (1)
- formate dehydrogenase (1)
- freeze avoidance (1)
- frontal cortex (1)
- functional coupling (1)
- fungi (1)
- gap duration (1)
- gap-prepulse inhibition (1)
- gel retardation (1)
- gene conversion (1)
- gene expression (1)
- gene flow (1)
- gene loss (1)
- genomic base composition (1)
- geographic distributions (1)
- giraffe (1)
- glucose transport inhibitor (1)
- grisel syndrome (1)
- hardwood (1)
- heat shock protein (1)
- heat stress transcription factor (1)
- heterozygous cells (1)
- homeostasis (1)
- human host adaptation (1)
- human pathogen (1)
- hxt0 yeast strain (1)
- hybrid assembly (1)
- hybrid enrichment (1)
- hybridization (1)
- hydrogen production (1)
- hydrogen storage (1)
- hydrogenase (1)
- hydroxamate (1)
- illustrated inclusion of nature in self scale (IINS) (1)
- imaging protocol (1)
- inclination compass (1)
- inclusion of nature in self scale (INS) (1)
- incomplete lineage sorting (1)
- insect (1)
- insecticides (1)
- intellectual property (1)
- interaction networks (1)
- intracellular protein localization (1)
- invariant transition pairs (1)
- iron starvation (1)
- kangaroo (1)
- kinase protein interaction (1)
- large carnivores (1)
- larva (1)
- larvae (1)
- latitudinal gradient in species richness (1)
- learning difficulties (1)
- lichen secondary metabolites (1)
- ligand binding (1)
- light-stress (1)
- lipid peroxidation (1)
- local-field potentials (1)
- mPTP (1)
- magnesium transporters (1)
- magnetic resonance imaging (1)
- magnetoreception (1)
- maladaptation (1)
- mating type (1)
- melanization (1)
- membrane proteins (1)
- metabolic pathway (1)
- metagenome assembly (1)
- mitophagy (1)
- model verification (1)
- molecular phylogenetic analysis (1)
- molecular tug-of-war (1)
- morphogenesis (1)
- motif search (1)
- multilocus genotype (1)
- museum collections (1)
- mutational spectrum bias (1)
- n-Butanol (1)
- n-butanol (1)
- natural competence (1)
- nature relatedness scale (NR) (1)
- network reduction (1)
- network state changes (1)
- neurodegeneration (1)
- neuronal network (1)
- nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (1)
- non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (1)
- nontraumatic atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation (1)
- oakmoss (1)
- off-target reads (1)
- open access (1)
- organellar ploidy levels (1)
- ortholog search (1)
- oscillations (1)
- osmotic stress (1)
- peptide editing (1)
- peroxisomes (1)
- phenotypic analysis (1)
- phenotyping (1)
- phosphate starvation (1)
- photocycle (1)
- photosynthesis (1)
- photosystem II assembly and repair (1)
- phylogenetic conflict (1)
- phylogenetic profile (1)
- phylogenetic signal (1)
- phylogenomics (1)
- phylogeny (1)
- piracy (1)
- planar polarity (1)
- plant-microbe interactions (1)
- plastic response (1)
- plastome (1)
- ploidy (1)
- polyketide synthases (1)
- polyploidy (1)
- polytomy (1)
- population growth (1)
- posttranslational regulation of photosynthesis (1)
- pre-mRNA (1)
- prepulse inhibition (1)
- progenitor cell (1)
- protected areas (1)
- protoplast fusion (1)
- pseudouridylation (1)
- publishing (1)
- pupil diameter (1)
- pupillometry (1)
- rRNA (1)
- radical pair model (1)
- radicals (1)
- razor clams (1)
- recolonization (1)
- relational values (1)
- respiratory chain (1)
- ribosomal proteins (1)
- ribosome biogenesis (1)
- royal jelly (1)
- sRNA (1)
- sRNA regulon (1)
- scale validation (1)
- sci-hub (1)
- seedling (1)
- senescence (1)
- sensory coding (1)
- sequence evolution (1)
- sequencing error (1)
- siderophore (1)
- signaling (1)
- singlet oxygen (1)
- small protein (1)
- small regulatory RNA (1)
- snoRNA (1)
- soil VOCs (1)
- soil degradation (1)
- soil fungal communities (1)
- special needs education (1)
- speciation (1)
- species richness (1)
- structure activity relationship (1)
- substrate-binding site (1)
- sustainable development goals (SDGs) (1)
- swarming (1)
- symbiosis (1)
- synapse (1)
- systems biology (1)
- tapasin (1)
- taxon sampling (1)
- terpene synthases (1)
- thermophile (1)
- thylakoid kinases (1)
- tinnitus (1)
- torticollis (1)
- transcription (1)
- transcription factor (1)
- transcriptome (1)
- transcriptomics (1)
- transient regulation (1)
- transition invariant (1)
- translation initiation (1)
- tree moss (1)
- trehalose (1)
- tropical fungi (1)
- twilight zone (1)
- two factor model of environmental values model (1)
- type IV pili (1)
- unselected segregation (1)
- volatile organic compounds (1)
- wax layer (1)
- winter survival (1)
- zinc finger protein (1)
- µ-protein (1)
Institute
- Biowissenschaften (91)
- Institut für Ökologie, Evolution und Diversität (31)
- Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft (22)
- Exzellenzcluster Makromolekulare Komplexe (20)
- Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F) (17)
- Biochemie und Chemie (5)
- Medizin (5)
- Center for Membrane Proteomics (CMP) (4)
- Informatik (4)
- Sonderforschungsbereiche / Forschungskollegs (2)
Reconstructing the evolution of baleen whales (Mysticeti) has been problematic because morphological and genetic analyses have produced different scenarios. This might be caused by genomic admixture that may have taken place among some rorquals. We present the genomes of six whales, including the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), to reconstruct a species tree of baleen whales and to identify phylogenetic conflicts. Evolutionary multilocus analyses of 34,192 genome fragments reveal a fast radiation of rorquals at 10.5 to 7.5 million years ago coinciding with oceanic circulation shifts. The evolutionarily enigmatic gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is placed among rorquals, and the blue whale genome shows a high degree of heterozygosity. The nearly equal frequency of conflicting gene trees suggests that speciation of rorqual evolution occurred under gene flow, which is best depicted by evolutionary networks. Especially in marine environments, sympatric speciation might be common; our results raise questions about how genetic divergence can be established.
Importance of latrine communication in European rabbits shifts along a rural–to–urban gradient
(2016)
Background: Information transfer in mammalian communication networks is often based on the deposition of excreta in latrines. Depending on the intended receiver(s), latrines are either formed at territorial boundaries (between-group communication) or in core areas of home ranges (within-group communication). The relative importance of both types of marking behavior should depend, amongst other factors, on population densities and social group sizes, which tend to differ between urban and rural wildlife populations. Our study is the first to assess (direct and indirect) anthropogenic influences on mammalian latrine-based communication networks along a rural-to-urban gradient in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) living in urban, suburban and rural areas in and around Frankfurt am Main (Germany).
Results: The proportion of latrines located in close proximity to the burrow was higher at rural study sites compared to urban and suburban ones. At rural sites, we found the largest latrines and highest latrine densities close to the burrow, suggesting that core marking prevailed. By contrast, latrine dimensions and densities increased with increasing distance from the burrow in urban and suburban populations, suggesting a higher importance of peripheral marking.
Conclusions: Increased population densities, but smaller social group sizes in urban rabbit populations may lead to an increased importance of between-group communication and thus, favor peripheral over core marking. Our study provides novel insights into the manifold ways by which man-made habitat alterations along a rural-to-urban gradient directly and indirectly affect wildlife populations, including latrine-based communication networks.
Acinetobacter baumannii is a nosocomial pathogen which can persist in the hospital environment not only due to the acquirement of multiple antibiotic resistances, but also because of its exceptional resistance against disinfectants and desiccation. A suitable desiccation assay was established in which A. baumannii ATCC 19606T survived for ca. 1 month. The growth medium slightly influenced survival after subsequent desiccation. A significant effect could be attributed to the growth phase in which bacteria were dried: In exponential phase, cells were much more desiccation sensitive. The main focus of the present study was the elucidation of the role of compatible solutes, which are known to protect many bacteria under low water activity conditions, in desiccation survival of A. baumannii. Exogenous trehalose was shown to efficiently protect A. baumannii on dry surfaces, in contrast to other compatible solutes tested such as mannitol or glycine betaine. To analyze the importance of intracellularly accumulated solutes, a double mutant lacking biosynthesis pathways for mannitol and trehalose was generated. This mutant accumulated glutamate as sole solute in the presence of high NaCl concentrations and showed severe growth defects under osmotic stress conditions. However, no effect on desiccation tolerance could be seen, neither when cells were dried in water nor in the presence of NaCl.
Mannitol is the major compatible solute, next to glutamate, synthesized by the opportunistic human pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii under low water activities. The key enzyme for mannitol biosynthesis, MtlD, was identified. MtlD is highly similar to the bifunctional mannitol‐1‐phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphatase from Acinetobacter baylyi. After deletion of the mtlD gene from A. baumannii ATCC 19606T cells no longer accumulated mannitol and growth was completely impaired at high salt. Addition of glycine betaine restored growth, demonstrating that mannitol is an important compatible solute in the human pathogen. MtlD was heterologously produced and purified. Enzyme activity was strictly salt dependent. Highest stimulation was reached at 600 mmol/L NaCl. Addition of different sodium as well as potassium salts restored activity, with highest stimulations up to 41 U/mg protein by sodium glutamate. In contrast, an increase in osmolarity by addition of sugars did not restore activity. Regulation of mannitol synthesis was also assayed at the transcriptional level. Reporter gene assays revealed that expression of mtlD is strongly dependent on high osmolarity, not discriminating between different salts or sugars. The presence of glycine betaine or its precursor choline repressed promoter activation. These data indicate a dual regulation of mannitol production in A. baumannii, at the transcriptional and the enzymatic level, depending on high osmolarity.
The pyrrolobenzodiazepine tilivalline (1) was originally identified in the human gut pathobiont Klebsiella oxytoca, the causative agent of antibiotic-associated hemorrhagic colitis. Here we show the identification of tilivalline and analogs thereof in the entomopathogenic bacterium Xenorhabdus eapokensis as well as the identification of its biosynthesis gene cluster encoding a bimodular non-ribosomal peptide synthetase. Heterologous expression of both genes in E. coli resulted in the production of 1 and from mutasynthesis and precursor directed biosynthesis 11 new tilivalline analogs were identified in X. eapokensis. These results allowed the prediction of the tilivalline biosynthesis being similar to that in K. oxytoca.
All giraffe (Giraffa) were previously assigned to a single species (G. camelopardalis) and nine subspecies. However, multi‐locus analyses of all subspecies have shown that there are four genetically distinct clades and suggest four giraffe species. This conclusion might not be fully accepted due to limited data and lack of explicit gene flow analyses. Here, we present an extended study based on 21 independent nuclear loci from 137 individuals. Explicit gene flow analyses identify less than one migrant per generation, including between the closely related northern and reticulated giraffe. Thus, gene flow analyses and population genetics of the extended dataset confirm four genetically distinct giraffe clades and support four independent giraffe species. The new findings support a revision of the IUCN classification of giraffe taxonomy. Three of the four species are threatened with extinction, and mostly occurring in politically unstable regions, and as such, require the highest conservation support possible.
The geomagnetic field provides directional information for birds. The avian magnetic compass is an inclination compass that uses not the polarity of the magnetic field but the axial course of the field lines and their inclination in space. It works in a flexible functional window, and it requires short-wavelength light. These characteristics result from the underlying sensory mechanism based on radical pair processes in the eyes, with cryptochrome suggested as the receptor molecule. The chromophore of cryptochrome, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), undergoes a photocycle, where radical pairs are formed during photo-reduction as well as during re-oxidation; behavioral data indicate that the latter is crucial for detecting magnetic directions. Five types of cryptochromes are found in the retina of birds: cryptochrome 1a (Cry1a), cryptochrome 1b, cryptochrome 2, cryptochrome 4a, and cryptochrome 4b. Because of its location in the outer segments of the ultraviolet cones with their clear oil droplets, Cry1a appears to be the most likely receptor molecule for magnetic compass information.
In times of global warming caused by the extensive use of fossil fuels, the need to capture gaseous carbon compounds is growing bigger. Several groups of microorganisms can fix the greenhouse gas CO2. Out of these, acetogenic bacteria are role models in their ability to reduce CO2 with hydrogen to acetate, which makes acetogens prime candidates for genetic modification towards biotechnological production of value-added compounds from CO2, such as biofuels. However, growth of acetogens on gaseous substrates is strongly energy-limited, and successful metabolic engineering requires a detailed knowledge of the bioenergetics. In 1939, Clostridium aceticum was the first acetogen to be described. A recent genomic study revealed that this organism contains cytochromes and therefore may use a proton gradient in its respiratory chain. We have followed up these studies and will present data that C. aceticum does not use a H+ but a Na+ gradient for ATP synthesis, established by a Na+-Rnf. Experimental data and in silico analyses enabled us to propose the biochemistry and bioenergetics of acetogenesis from H2 + CO2 in C. aceticum.
Inflammatory nontraumatic atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation (AAS) in children is an often-missed diagnosis, especially in the early stages of disease. Abscess formation and spinal cord compression are serious risks that call for immediate surgical attention. Neither radiographs nor non-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images sufficiently indicate inflammatory processes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows a thorough evaluation of paraspinal soft tissues, joints, and ligaments. In addition, it can show evidence of vertebral distraction and spinal cord compression. After conducting a scoping review of the literature, along with scientific and practical considerations, we outlined a standardized pediatric MRI protocol for suspected inflammatory nontraumatic AAS. We recommend contrast-enhanced MRI as the primary diagnostic imaging modality in children with signs of torticollis in combination with nasopharyngeal inflammatory or ear nose and throat (ENT) surgical history.
The amyloid precursor protein (APP) was discovered in the 1980s as the precursor protein of the amyloid A4 peptide. The amyloid A4 peptide, also known as A-beta (Aβ), is the main constituent of senile plaques implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In association with the amyloid deposits, increasing impairments in learning and memory as well as the degeneration of neurons especially in the hippocampus formation are hallmarks of the pathogenesis of AD. Within the last decades much effort has been expended into understanding the pathogenesis of AD. However, little is known about the physiological role of APP within the central nervous system (CNS). Allocating APP to the proteome of the highly dynamic presynaptic active zone (PAZ) identified APP as a novel player within this neuronal communication and signaling network. The analysis of the hippocampal PAZ proteome derived from APP-mutant mice demonstrates that APP is tightly embedded in the underlying protein network. Strikingly, APP deletion accounts for major dysregulation within the PAZ proteome network. Ca2+-homeostasis, neurotransmitter release and mitochondrial function are affected and resemble the outcome during the pathogenesis of AD. The observed changes in protein abundance that occur in the absence of APP as well as in AD suggest that APP is a structural and functional regulator within the hippocampal PAZ proteome. Within this review article, we intend to introduce APP as an important player within the hippocampal PAZ proteome and to outline the impact of APP deletion on individual PAZ proteome subcommunities.