Molecular diversity and ecology of microbial plankton

The history of microbial evolution in the oceans is probably as old as the history of life itself. In contrast to terrestrial ecosystems, microorganisms are the main form of biomass in the oceans, and form some of the largest populations on the planet. Theory predicts that selection should act more efficiently in large populations. But whether microbial plankton populations harbour organisms that are models of adaptive sophistication remains to be seen. Genome sequence data are piling up, but most of the key microbial plankton clades have no cultivated representatives, and information about their ecological activities is sparse.     

A refined test for X-ray induced dominant lethals inDrosophila

Zusammenfassung Die nach Röntgenbestrahlung frisch abgelegter besamterDrosophila-Eier registrierbare Letalität kann nach verschiedenen Letalsyndromen aufgegliedert werden. Zur Auswertung stehen Computerprogramme zur Verfügung. Spezielle Tests zeigten, dass mit der beschriebenen Zuchtanordnung bestrahlte und unbestrahlte Populationen, von denen 25–30 Puppen (bzw. Fliegen) pro Zuchtglas überleben, ohne Beeinflussung durch ungünstige Zuchtbedingungen auf dominante Letalfaktoren geprüft werden können.

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Work supported by Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung and Jubiläumsfonds 1930 der ETH.     

Constant oxygen enhancement ratio during the mitotic cell cycle in X-rayedDrosophila melanogaster embryos

Zusammenfassung Drosophila-Embryonen zeigen eine mit dem Ablauf der Furchungsteilungen korrelierte Variation der Strahlenempfindlichkeit. Für alle Mitosestadien wurde eine Sauerstoff-Erhöhungsrate von rund 2 festgestellt. Dies zeigt, dass eine vermutete atmungsbedingte Variation des Sauerstofftgehaltes in den Zellen nicht am Zustandekommen der empfindlichkeitsvariation beteiligt ist.     

Molecular chaperones in protein folding and proteostasis

Most proteins must fold into defined three-dimensional structures to gain functional activity. But in the cellular environment, newly synthesized proteins are at great risk of aberrant folding and aggregation, potentially forming toxic species. To avoid these dangers, cells invest in a complex network of molecular chaperones, which use ingenious mechanisms to prevent aggregation and promote efficient folding. Because protein molecules are highly dynamic, constant chaperone surveillance is required to ensure protein homeostasis (proteostasis). Recent advances suggest that an age-related decline in proteostasis capacity allows the manifestation of various protein-aggregation diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Interventions in these and numerous other pathological states may spring from a detailed understanding of the pathways underlying proteome maintenance.     

Von Boltzmann zu Planck

Ohne Zusammenfassung Vorgelegt von S. Flügge     

Cadherin 23 and protocadherin 15 interact to form tip-link filaments in sensory hair cells

Hair cells of the inner ear are mechanosensors that transduce mechanical forces arising from sound waves and head movement into electrochemical signals to provide our sense of hearing and balance. Each hair cell contains at the apical surface a bundle of stereocilia. Mechanoelectrical transduction takes place close to the tips of stereocilia in proximity to extracellular tip-link filaments that connect the stereocilia and are thought to gate the mechanoelectrical transduction channel. Recent reports on the composition, properties and function of tip links are conflicting. Here we demonstrate that two cadherins that are linked to inherited forms of deafness in humans interact to form tip links. Immunohistochemical studies using rodent hair cells show that cadherin 23 (CDH23) and protocadherin 15 (PCDH15) localize to the upper and lower part of tip links, respectively. The amino termini of the two cadherins co-localize on tip-link filaments. Biochemical experiments show that CDH23 homodimers interact in trans with PCDH15 homodimers to form a filament with structural similarity to tip links. Ions that affect tip-link integrity and a mutation in PCDH15 that causes a recessive form of deafness disrupt interactions between CDH23 and PCDH15. Our studies define the molecular composition of tip links and provide a conceptual base for exploring the mechanisms of sensory impairment associated with mutations in CDH23 and PCDH15.