Forschung für eine naturgerechte Landwirtschaft

Eine Wende hin zu einer naturgerechten Landwirtschaft setzt voraus, dass auch in der Agrarforschung neue Akzente gesetzt werden. Eine Denkschrift* bringt auf den Punkt, was sich in Forschung, Lehre und Ausbildung ändern muss. Die Langfassung dieser Denkschrift, die in diesem Beitrag zusammengefasst wird, kann beim Bundesamt für Naturschutz, Konstantinstr. 110, D-53179 Bonn, Tel. 0228 - 8491 0, Fax - 8491 200, E-Mail [email protected], bezogen oder im Internet unter www.bfn.de/10/ eingesehen und unterzeichnet werden

Eps8 Regulates Axonal Filopodia in Hippocampal Neurons in Response to Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)

A novel signaling cascade controlling actin polymerization in response to extracellular signals regulates filopodia formation and likely also neuronal synapse formation

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is associated with a variant in low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality and has a significant heritability. We carried out a genome-wide association discovery study of 1866 patients with AAA and 5435 controls and replication of promising signals (lead SNP with a p value < 1 × 10-5) in 2871 additional cases and 32,687 controls and performed further follow-up in 1491 AAA and 11,060 controls. In the discovery study, nine loci demonstrated association with AAA (p < 1 × 10-5). In the replication sample, the lead SNP at one of these loci, rs1466535, located within intron 1 of low-density-lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) demonstrated significant association (p = 0.0042). We confirmed the association of rs1466535 and AAA in our follow-up study (p = 0.035). In a combined analysis (6228 AAA and 49182 controls), rs1466535 had a consistent effect size and direction in all sample sets (combined p = 4.52 × 10-10, odds ratio 1.15 [1.10-1.21]). No associations were seen for either rs1466535 or the 12q13.3 locus in independent association studies of coronary artery disease, blood pressure, diabetes, or hyperlipidaemia, suggesting that this locus is specific to AAA. Gene-expression studies demonstrated a trend toward increased LRP1 expression for the rs1466535 CC genotype in arterial tissues; there was a significant (p = 0.029) 1.19-fold (1.04-1.36) increase in LRP1 expression in CC homozygotes compared to TT homozygotes in aortic adventitia. Functional studies demonstrated that rs1466535 might alter a SREBP-1 binding site and influence enhancer activity at the locus. In conclusion, this study has identified a biologically plausible genetic variant associated specifically with AAA, and we suggest that this variant has a possible functional role in LRP1 expression

Genome-wide association identifies nine common variants associated with fasting proinsulin levels and provides new insights into the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Proinsulin is a precursor of mature insulin and C-peptide. Higher circulating proinsulin levels are associated with impaired β-cell function, raised glucose levels, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies of the insulin processing pathway could provide new insights about T2D pathophysiology. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We have conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association tests of ∼2.5 million genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and fasting proinsulin levels in 10,701 nondiabetic adults of European ancestry, with follow-up of 23 loci in up to 16,378 individuals, using additive genetic models adjusted for age, sex, fasting insulin, and study-specific covariates. RESULTS: Nine SNPs at eight loci were associated with proinsulin levels (P < 5 × 10(-8)). Two loci (LARP6 and SGSM2) have not been previously related to metabolic traits, one (MADD) has been associated with fasting glucose, one (PCSK1) has been implicated in obesity, and four (TCF7L2, SLC30A8, VPS13C/C2CD4A/B, and ARAP1, formerly CENTD2) increase T2D risk. The proinsulin-raising allele of ARAP1 was associated with a lower fasting glucose (P = 1.7 × 10(-4)), improved β-cell function (P = 1.1 × 10(-5)), and lower risk of T2D (odds ratio 0.88; P = 7.8 × 10(-6)). Notably, PCSK1 encodes the protein prohormone convertase 1/3, the first enzyme in the insulin processing pathway. A genotype score composed of the nine proinsulin-raising alleles was not associated with coronary disease in two large case-control datasets. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified nine genetic variants associated with fasting proinsulin. Our findings illuminate the biology underlying glucose homeostasis and T2D development in humans and argue against a direct role of proinsulin in coronary artery disease pathogenesis

A new strategy to dissolve long-chain surfactants in water at low temperatures

Surfactants find widespread use in daily life for cleaning purposes and form a vital part of many industrial formulations. So far, their application has been limited to amphiphilic structures with relatively short alkyl chains (typically up to C14 or C16) due to the poor solubility of longer-chain homologues under relevant conditions. Here we introduce a concept that eventually allows octadecyl sulfates and carboxylates to be effectively solubilised in water at room temperature. Through synthesis of alkoxylated derivatives of choline - an abundant molecule of natural origin - we have designed a new class of counterions preventing the precipitation of long-chain surfactants, as commonly observed with alkali ions or unmodified choline. The resulting amphiphilic systems show superior properties with respect to surface activity, which directly translates into enhanced cleaning performance in lab-based washing tests. Studies on the cytotoxicity and biodegradability of the alkoxylated choline derivatives highlight their potential for sustainable surfactant development. In the end, our approach could pave the way towards the use of hitherto unleveraged raw material resources in tailoured surfactant formulations for cleaning applications and beyond

Idiotype vaccination strategies against a murine B-cell lymphoma: Dendritic cells loaded with idiotype and bispecific idiotype X anti-class II antibodies can protect against tumor growth

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe