Repräsentative Analyse der Lebenslagen einkommensstarker Haushalte

Die Studie von 2002 liefert eine Expertise für die Armuts- und Reichtumsberichterstattung der Bundesregierung auf Basis einer repräsentativen Erhebung einkommensstarker Haushalte. Die Datenbasis zur Analyse der Lebenslage, der Einkommen und der Vermögensbildung von Haushalten im oberen Einkommensbereich umfasst eine Zufallstichprobe von 1.224 Haushalten mit 2.671 Befragungspersonen, die über ein Haushaltsnettoeinkommen von 3.835 EUR und mehr verfügen, bzw. 505 Haushalte mit 1.130 Personen mit einem Haushaltsnettoeinkommen von 5.113 EUR und mehr. Die telefonische Befragung der einkommensstarken Haushalte wurde im Rahmen der SOEP-Befragung des Jahres 2002 durchgeführt. Die empirischen Ergebnisse zu den Lebenslagen gliedern sich in folgende Aspekte: (1) Struktur und Lebenslage von Hocheinkommensbeziehern, (2) subjektive Indikatoren, (3) Hocheinkommen und Gesundheit, (4) die individuelle Vermögensbilanz von Hocheinkommensbeziehern, (5) Spezifika einkommensstarker Haushalte, (6) Verteilung des Vermögens auf die Gruppen nach Hausnettoeinkommen sowie (7) Hocheinkommensbezieherhaushalte in der äquivalenzgewichteten Perspektive. (ICG2

GARP as an immune regulatory molecule in the tumor microenvironment of glioblastoma multiforme

Glycoprotein A repetition predominant (GARP), a specific surface molecule of activated regulatory T cells, has been demonstrated to significantly contribute to tolerance in humans by induction of peripheral Treg and regulatory M2-macrophages and by inhibition of (tumorantigen specific) T effector cells. Previous work identified GARP on Treg, and also GARP on the surface of several malignant tumors, as well as in a soluble form being shedded from their surface, contributing to tumor immune escape. Preliminary results also showed GARP expression on brain metastases of malignant melanoma. On the basis of these findings, we investigated whether GARP is also expressed on primary brain tumors. We showed GARP expression on glioblastoma (GB) cell lines and primary GB tissue, as well as on low-grade glioma, suggesting an important influence on the tumor micromilieu and the regulation of immune responses also in primary cerebral tumors. This was supported by the finding that GB cells led to a reduced, in part GARP-dependent effector T cell function (reduced proliferation and reduced cytokine secretion) in coculture experiments. Interestingly, GARP was localized not only on the cell surface but also in the cytoplasmatic, as well as nuclear compartments in tumor cells. Our findings reveal that GARP, as an immunoregulatory molecule, is located on, as well as in, tumor cells of GB and low-grade glioma, inhibiting effector T cell function, and thus contributing to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment of primary brain tumors. As GARP is expressed on activated Treg, as well as on brain tumors, it may be an interesting target for new immunotherapeutic approaches using antibody-based strategies as this indication

Different Forms of AMPA Receptor Mediated LTP and Their Correlation to the Spatial Working Memory Formation

Spatial working memory (SWM) and the classical, tetanus-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal CA3/CA1 synapses are dependent on L-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate receptors (AMPARs) containing GluA1 subunits as demonstrated by knockout mice lacking GluA1. In GluA1 knockout mice LTP and SWM deficits could be partially recovered by transgenic re-installation of full-length GluA1 in principle forebrain neurons. Here we partially restored hippocampal LTP in GluA1-deficient mice by forebrain-specific depletion of the GluA2 gene, by the activation of a hypomorphic GluA2(Q) allele and by transgenic expression of PDZ-site truncated GFP-GluA1(TG). In none of these three mouse lines, the partial LTP recovery improved the SWM performance of GluA1-deficient mice suggesting a specific function of intact GluA1/2 receptors and the GluA1 intracellular carboxyl-terminus in SWM and its associated behavior

Different Forms of AMPA Receptor Mediated LTP and Their Correlation to the Spatial Working Memory Formation

Spatial working memory (SWM) and the classical, tetanus-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal CA3/CA1 synapses are dependent on L-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate receptors (AMPARs) containing GluA1 subunits as demonstrated by knockout mice lacking GluA1. In GluA1 knockout mice LTP and SWM deficits could be partially recovered by transgenic re-installation of full-length GluA1 in principle forebrain neurons. Here we partially restored hippocampal LTP in GluA1-deficient mice by forebrain-specific depletion of the GluA2 gene, by the activation of a hypomorphic GluA2(Q) allele and by transgenic expression of PDZ-site truncated GFP-GluA1(TG). In none of these three mouse lines, the partial LTP recovery improved the SWM performance of GluA1-deficient mice suggesting a specific function of intact GluA1/2 receptors and the GluA1 intracellular carboxyl-terminus in SWM and its associated behavior

Differential Modulation of Markers of Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage in Arterial Hypertension

Patients with arterial hypertension have an increased risk of developing tumors, particularly renal cell carcinoma. Arterial hypertension is linked to DNA damage via the generation of oxidative stress, in which an upregulated renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system plays a crucial role. The current study investigated surrogates of oxidative stress and DNA damage in a group of hypertensive patients (HypAll, n = 64) and subgroups of well (HypWell, n = 36) and poorly (HypPoor, n = 28) controlled hypertensive patients compared to healthy controls (n = 8). In addition, a longitudinal analysis was performed with some of the hypertensive patients. Markers for oxidative stress in plasma (SHp, D-ROM, and 3-nitrotyrosine) and urine (8-oxodG, 15-F2t-isoprostane, and malondialdehyde) and markers for DNA damage in lymphocytes (γ-H2AX and micronuclei) were measured. In HypAll, all markers of oxidative stress except malondialdehyde were increased compared to the controls. After adjustment for age, this association was maintained for the protein stress markers SHp and 3-nitrotyrosine. With regard to the markers for DNA damage, there was no difference between HypAll and the controls. Further, no significant differences became apparent in the levels of both oxidative stress and DNA damage between HypWell and HypPoor. Finally, a positive correlation between the development of blood pressure and oxidative stress was observed in the longitudinal study based on the changes in D-ROM and systolic blood pressure. In conclusion, we found increased oxidative stress in extensively treated hypertensive patients correlating with the level of blood-pressure control but no association with DNA damage

Importance of the γ-aminobutyric acidB receptor C-termini for G-protein coupling

Functional γ-aminobutyric acidB (GABAB) receptors assemble from two subunits, GABAB(1) and GABA(1). This heteromerization, which involves a C-terminal coiled-coil interaction, ensures efficient surface trafficking and agonist-dependent G-protein activation. In the present study, we took a closer look at the implications of the intracellular C termini of GABAB(1) and GABAB(2) for G-protein coupling. We generated a series of C-terminal mutants of GABAB(1) and GABAB(2) and tested them for physical interaction, surface trafficking, coupling to adenylyl cyclase, and G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells as well as on endogenous calcium channels in sympathetic neurons of the superior cervical ganglion (SCG). We found that the C-terminal interaction contributes only partly to the heterodimeric assembly of the subunits, indicating the presence of an additional interaction site. The described endoplasmic reticulum retention signal within the C terminus of GABAB(1) functioned only in the context of specific amino acids, which constitute part of the GABAB(1) coiled-coil sequence. This finding may provide a link between the retention signal and its shielding by the coiled coil of GABAB(2). In HEK293 cells, we observed that the two well-known GABAB receptor antagonists [S-(R*,R*)]-[3-[[1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]amino]-2-hydroxypropyl](cyclohexylmethyl) phosphinic acid (CGP54626) and (+)-(2S)-5,5-dimethyl-2-morpholineacetic acid (SCH50911) CGP54626 and SCH50911 function as inverse agonists. The C termini of GABAB(1) and GABAB(2) strongly influenced agonist-independent G-protein coupling, although they were not necessary for agonist-dependent G-protein coupling. The C-terminal GABAB receptor mutants described here demonstrate that the active receptor conformation is stabilized by the coiled-coil interaction. Thus, the C-terminal conformation of the GABAB(1) receptor may determine its constitutive activity, which could be a therapeutic target for inverse agonists