Wat is het en waarvoor dient het?

Rede, uitgesproken bij de aanvaarding van het ambt van bijzonder hoogleraar, vanwege de Prof. dr H.J. Flieringa Stichting in de faculteit der geneeskunde met de leeropdracht electro-ophthalmologie, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam 18 april 198

Inhibition of IRE1α-mediated XBP1 mRNA cleavage by XBP1 reveals a novel regulatory process during the unfolded protein response

Background: The mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER) continuously adapts to the cellular secretory load by the activation of an unfolded protein response (UPR).  This stress response results in expansion of the ER, upregulation of proteins involved in protein folding and degradation, and attenuation of protein synthesis.  The response is orchestrated by three signalling pathways each activated by a specific signal transducer, either inositol requiring enzyme α (IRE1α), double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase-like ER kinase (PERK) or activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6).  Activation of IRE1α results in its oligomerisation, autophosphorylation and stimulation of its ribonuclease activity.  The ribonuclease initiates the splicing of an intron from mRNA encoding the transcription factor, X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), as well as degradation of specific mRNAs and microRNAs. Methods: To investigate the consequence of expression of exogenous XBP1, we generated a stable cell-line expressing spliced XBP1 mRNA under the control of an inducible promotor. Results: Following induction of expression, high levels of XBP1 protein were detected, which allowed upregulation of target genes in the absence of induction of the UPR.  Remarkably under stress conditions, the expression of exogenous XBP1 repressed splicing of endogenous XBP1 mRNA without repressing the activation of PERK. Conclusions: These results illustrate that a feedback mechanism exists to attenuate Ire1α ribonuclease activity in the presence of XBP1

Der Bologna-Prozess: ein Anstoß zu leistungsfähigeren Hochschulen?

Im Zuge des so genannten Bologna-Prozesses soll nach dem Willen zahlreicher europäischer Regierungen ein System vergleichbarer Abschlüsse und vereinheitlichter Leistungspunkte geschaffen und ein zweistufiges System von Studienabschlüssen eingeführt werden. Wird diese politisch administrative Entscheidung zu Transparenz und leistungsfähigeren Strukturen an den Hochschulen Europas führen? --

Het spektakel van het socialisme: naar een sociale en architecturale biografie van Europese volkshuizen

The spectacle of socialism. A social and architectural biography of European People’s Houses At the turn of the century, numerous European cities witnessed the birth of a new type of building: the so-called ‘Maisons du Peuple’ or ‘People’s Houses’. These monumental buildings, often founded by the (socialist) labour movement, were meant to give ordinary people a place of their own within the urban space by means of impressive architecture. In order to grasp the remarkable individual life stories of the People’s Houses as well as their rich variety, this article proposes a multi-layered biographical approach. Four different phases in the biography of the People’s Houses each highlight another dimension of the building. The biographical framework is illustrated using the Brussels ‘Maison du Peuple (1899-1964) as an empirical case study