"Orient in Berlin": Asien und Afrika in Kultur, Politik und Gelehrsamkeit gestern, heute und morgen

Im Folgenden dokumentieren wir die Rede von Prof. Dr. Ulrich Haarmann anlässlich der Eröffnung des Zentrum Moderner Orient im Mittelhof vor fünfzehn Jahren am 12. Juni 1998. Prof. Haarmann war im April desselben Jahres zum Direktor des ZMO berufen worden. Er behandelt hier die direkten Wurzeln des ZMO als Neugründung aus dem Bereich 'Geschichte der Entwicklungsländer' des Instituts für Allgemeine Geschichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR und stellt die Geschichte des ZMO in den Kontext der klassischen orientwissenschaftlichen Forschung seit Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts, die damals noch China, Indien, Japan, und das subsaharische Afrika einschloss. Die historischen Bezüge wie das institutionelle Selbstverständnis, die Prof. Haarmann hier nachzeichnet, sind auch heute von hoher Aktualität für das ZMO. Bis zu seinem frühen Tod im Juni 1999 widmete sich Prof. Haarmann unentwegt der Zukunft des Zentrums. Wir danken Dr. Maria Haarmann für ihre Unterstützung bei der Veröffentlichung der Rede in der Reihe Programmatic Texts des ZMO. [Sonja Hegasy

Plant-symbiotic fungi as chemical engineers: multi-genome analysis of the Clavicipitaceae reveals dynamics of alkaloid Loci

The fungal family Clavicipitaceae includes plant symbionts and parasites that produce several psychoactive and bioprotective alkaloids. The family includes grass symbionts in the epichloae clade (Epichloë and Neotyphodium species), which are extraordinarily diverse both in their host interactions and in their alkaloid profiles. Epichloae produce alkaloids of four distinct classes, all of which deter insects, and some—including the infamous ergot alkaloids—have potent effects on mammals. The exceptional chemotypic diversity of the epichloae may relate to their broad range of host interactions, whereby some are pathogenic and contagious, others are mutualistic and vertically transmitted (seed-borne), and still others vary in pathogenic or mutualistic behavior. We profiled the alkaloids and sequenced the genomes of 10 epichloae, three ergot fungi (Claviceps species), a morning-glory symbiont (Periglandula ipomoeae), and a bamboo pathogen (Aciculosporium take), and compared the gene clusters for four classes of alkaloids. Results indicated a strong tendency for alkaloid loci to have conserved cores that specify the skeleton structures and peripheral genes that determine chemical variations that are known to affect their pharmacological specificities. Generally, gene locations in cluster peripheries positioned them near to transposon-derived, AT-rich repeat blocks, which were probably involved in gene losses, duplications, and neofunctionalizations. The alkaloid loci in the epichloae had unusual structures riddled with large, complex, and dynamic repeat blocks. This feature was not reflective of overall differences in repeat contents in the genomes, nor was it characteristic of most other specialized metabolism loci. The organization and dynamics of alkaloid loci and abundant repeat blocks in the epichloae suggested that these fungi are under selection for alkaloid diversification. We suggest that such selection is related to the variable life histories of the epichloae, their protective roles as symbionts, and their associations with the highly speciose and ecologically diverse cool-season grasses

Individual and society in the muslim mediterranean world : general issues and transversa themes from a medievalist's perspective.

Donated by Klaus KreiserReprinted from : European Science Foundation Istanbul Plenary Session, July 5, 1998 (Moderner Orient)

Besprechung von Hillenbrand, Carole : A Muslim Principality in Crusader Times : The Early Artuqid State. Istanbul 1990.

Donated by Klaus KreiserReprinted from : Bibliotheca Orientalis 1/2.1994

Buchbesprechungen.

Donated by Klaus KreiserReprinted from : Der Islam 75 (1998

Heilszeichen im heidentum - Muhammad - Statuen aus vorislamischer zeit.

Donated by Klaus KreiserReprinted from : Die Welt des Islams 28 (1988)