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In the “South Hesse Oak Project” (SHOP), Frankfurt biologists explore how climate change is damaging indigenous trees
FRANKFURT. In the framework of the
“South Hesse Oak Project” (SHOP), researchers from the Institute of Ecology,
Evolution and Diversity at Goethe University are searching for new strategies
to counteract the formation of steppe habitats out of woodlands, which is to be
feared as a result of climate change in dry areas in South Hesse. They have now
presented first strategic recommendations.
They have now presented
first strategic recommendations:
The “Ecophysiology of
Plants” working group at Goethe University began studying Mediterranean oak species
as long ago as 2007. In 2009 at the start of the LOEWE “Biodiversity and Climate
Research Centre” (BiK-F), the project born out of it – “The Forest of the
Future” – was rewarded with the “Landmark in the Land of Ideas” innovation
prize. Out of this project, SHOP developed in 2011 in cooperation with external
partners.
The project is concerned
with the introduction of Mediterranean oaks as alternative tree species. “Here
in Germany, pedunculate oak is one of the ecologically most important forest trees,”
says Wolfgang Brüggemann, biology professor and head of SHOP. “However, it
frequently grows in extremely dry areas and will therefore be particularly
severely affected by climate change.” Alternative tree species must not only be
more resistant to drought than pedunculate oaks but also endure the winters
here, which today are still cold. An important aspect for the researchers is
that these tree species can also take on the ecological functions of the ones lost.
“In order not to weaken the ecosystems further, it’s important to maintain
biodiversity,” says Vera Holland, postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of
Ecology, Evolution and Diversity.
In the framework of SHOP –
and the “Futureoaks-IKYDA” collaborative project developed out of it in 2017
with partners from Italy and Greece – between 2009 and 2017 the researchers
planted more than 10,000 oaks at four sites in South Hesse as well as in Greece
and Italy. They have studied their growth, physiology, ecological potential and
molecular biology over many years. The results of their research work
substantiate that some Mediterranean oaks have excellent potential for being
planted as alternative tree species in strongly affected areas, for example the
downy oak (Quercus pubescens) or –
under certain conditions – the evergreen holm oak (Quercus ilex).
“On the basis of
model-assisted forecasts, a shift in the distribution ranges of Mediterranean species
in the direction of Central Europe as a result of climate change has already
been predicted for years,” says Vera Holland. “However, climate change is advancing
far more rapidly than the natural immigration of these varieties can firstly keep
pace with and secondly fill the holes quickly enough that are caused by extreme
weather events. The introduction of the Mediterranean species propagated by us
via assisted migration would bridge this process and thus preclude the loss of
woodland, a major drop in CO2 storage and accelerated soil erosion
in deforested areas,” she says.
Further information: Professor Wolfgang Brüggemann, Institute
of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Riedberg
Campus, +49(0)69-79842192, w.brueggemann@bio.uni-frankfurt.de
Researchers at Goethe University find sequences in the DNA of oaks that could make the trees more resistant to drought
FRANKFURT. Climate
change is leading to a decrease in soil moisture and an increase in severe droughts
in Europe that adversely affect its woodlands. For a long time now, forest
conservationists have been thinking very carefully about which trees they
should use for reforestation. Researchers from the Institute of Ecology,
Evolution and Diversity at Goethe University have now identified genes in oaks
which could make the trees more resistant to drought. Their results have been
published in the journal “Plant Gene".
In their
study, the biologists examined the genes of three different oak species:
The local pedunculate
oak and two southern European oaks – the downy oak and the holm oak. At the time of the study, the trees, which
were provided by Darmstädter Forstbaumschule GmbH, a local arboretum, were nine
years old. They were subjected to drought stress under controlled conditions in
Goethe University's Scientific Garden. When analysing their results, the
researchers paid particular attention to twelve genes that had been identified
in preceding studies as potentially important for drought resistance.
In contrast to
previous studies, where in most cases only one sample was analysed after a
short period of drought, the researchers examined the trees and their genes
over the course of two years. They took samples eight times, analysed them and
watched how actively the twelve genes were read and transformed into gene
products. In this way, they produced expression profiles for the individual DNA
sequences. In the case of some genes, they were able to verify previous
findings for herbaceous plants, which indicated that the genes are expressed more
frequently in periods of extreme drought. For other genes, this mechanism was
not previously known.
“If we know
how different tree varieties react to drought at molecular level, we can better
understand the impact of climate change on Europe's forests," says Peter
Kotrade, the study's first author and biologist from the Institute of Ecology,
Evolution and Diversity at the Faculty of Biological Sciences of Goethe
University. “Our study confirms previous results from model plants for the
first time in forest trees and also shows detailed expression profiles for the
selected genes. This helps us to understand the molecular reaction of oaks to
drought: Knowledge that could be used in the future to select which trees to use
for establishing forest plantations and for reforestation," he continues.
Publication: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352407319300265
Further information: Peter Kotrade, M.Sc., Institute of
Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Riedberg Campus,
+49(0)69-79842188, kotrade@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Researchers at Goethe University develop new protoeomics procedure
FRANKFURT. When cells are stressed, they initiate a complex and
precisely regulated response to prevent permanent damage. One of the immediate
reactions to stress signals is a reduction of protein synthesis (translation). Until
now, it was difficult to measure such acute cellular changes. As reported in
the latest online issue of the renowned journal Molecular Cell, researchers at Goethe University have now developed
a method overcoming this hurdle.
The team led by biochemist Dr. Christian Münch, who heads an Emmy Noether Group, employs a simple but extremely effective trick: when measuring all proteins in the mass spectrometer, a booster channel is added to specifically enhance the signal of newly synthesised proteins to enable their measurement. Thus, acute changes in protein synthesis can now be tracked by state-of-the-art quantitative mass spectrometry.
The idea emerged because the team wanted
to understand how specific stress signals influence protein synthesis. "Since
the amount of newly produced proteins within a brief time interval is rather
small, the challenge was to record minute changes of very small percentages for
each individual protein," comments group leader Münch. The newly developed
analysis method now provides his team with detailed insight into the molecular
events that ensure survival of stressed cells. The cellular response to stress
plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many human diseases, including cancer
and neurodegenerative disorders. An understanding of the underlying molecular
processes opens the door for the development of new therapeutic strategies.
"The method we developed enables highly
precise time-resolved measurements. We can now analyse acute cellular stress
responses, i.e, those taking place within minutes. In addition, our method
requires little material and is extremely cost-efficient," Münch explains.
"This helps us to quantify thousands of proteins simultaneously in defined
time spans after a specific stress treatment." Due to the small amount of material
required, measurements can also be carried out in patient tissue samples, facilitating
collaborations with clinicians. At a conference on Proteostatis (EMBO) in
Portugal, PhD student Kevin Klann was recently awarded with a FEBS journal poster
prize for his presentation of the first data produced using the new method. The
young molecular biologist demonstrated for the first time that two of the most
important cellular signaling pathways, which are triggered by completely
different stress stimuli, ultimately results in the same effects on protein
synthesis. This discovery is a breakthrough in the field.
The project is funded by the European Research
Council (ERC) as part of Starting Grant "MitoUPR", which was awarded
to Münch for studying quality control mechanisms for mitochondrial proteins. In
addition, Christian Münch has received funding within the German Research
Foundation's (DFG, Deutsche
Forschungsmeinschaft) Emmy Noether Programme and is a member of the Johanna
Quandt Young Academy at Goethe. Since December 2016, he has built up a group on
"Protein Quality Control" at the Institute for Biochemistry II at Goethe
University's Medical Faculty, following his stay in one of the leading
proteomic laboratories at Harvard University.
Further information:
Dr. Christian Münch, Institute for Biochemistry II, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe University, Tel.: +49 69
6301-6599, ch.muench@em.uni-frankfurt.de.
Publication:
Klann
K, Tascher G, Münch C. Functional translatome proteomics reveal converging and
dose-dependent regulation by mTORC1 and eIF2α. Molecular Cell 77, 1-13, Feb 20, 2020.
doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2019.11.010
Early career researcher Stephanie Döpper awarded funding by Gerda Henkel Foundation to study abandoned mud-brick settlements in Oman
FRANKFURT. Goethe
University is sending researchers to Oman: As the Gerda Henkel Foundation has
announced, Dr. Stephanie Döpper will receive funds of almost € 300,000 for the
duration of three years in the framework of its “Lost Cities" programme.
To this end, the archaeologists in the project will be
responsible over the coming years for mapping three mud-brick settlements in
Central Oman and documenting the history of their buildings. This will take
place in the framework of research visits lasting several months. In addition,
by examining the artefacts they find, such as ceramic shards, they will be able
to identify the former functions of the individual buildings in these
settlements. Of particular significance here are their later uses, for example
the repurposing of a house as a goat shed. The research team's hypothesis is
that the abandoned mud-brick settlements are not only the deserted backdrops of
a past way of life but instead still very lively and bustling places with a future.
Dr. Stephanie Döpper has been studying settlements and
settlement systems in Central Oman for several years now, starting from the
early Bronze Age in the 3rd millennium BC up until the mud-brick
settlements in the research project approved by the Gerda Henkel Foundation,
which were probably built in the 18th or 19th century AD
and are today abandoned. In the back of her mind is always the question of what
caused people in this region to settle and why such settlements were abandoned
again.
Funding from the Gerda Henkel Foundation will make it
possible to finance a doctoral scholarship and the research visits on site.
In total, the foundation has included 53
new research projects in its sponsorship programme, for which its committees
approved € 8.6 million at their autumn meeting. This means support for researchers
from almost 30 countries.
Pictures
can be downloaded under: http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/83770372
Captions:
Picture 1: House in the abandoned mud-brick settlement of Al-Mudhaybi. Photo: Stephanie Döpper
Picture 2: Ceramic
vessels in the abandoned mud-brick
settlement of Al-Mudhaybi. Photo:
Stephanie Döpper
Picture 3: House with collapsed ceilings in the abandoned mud-brick settlement
of Sinaw.
Picture 4: Abandoned mud-brick settlement of Sinaw. Photo: Stephanie Döpper
Picture 5: Abandoned mud-brick settlement of Sinaw. Photo: Stephanie Döpper
All pictures
courtesy of Stephanie Döpper.
Further information: Dr. Stephanie Döpper, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Archaeology,
Westend Campus, Norbert-Wollheim-Platz 1, D-60629 Frankfurt am Main, +49(0)69-798-32320,
doepper@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Prolongation of Collaborative Research Centre on selective autophagy led by Goethe University
FRANKFURT. Four years ago, Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1177 on selective autophagy was established under the leadership of Goethe University – now the German Research Foundation has given the green light for its further funding. A total of over € 12 million has been approved for the period up until 2023. Partners alongside Goethe University are the universities of Mainz, Munich, Tübingen and Freiburg, the Georg Speyer Haus and the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt as well as the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz.
Selective autophagy is part of the cell's waste disposal system. With its help, defective or potentially damaging cellular components are degraded and recycled. It plays a central role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and fulfils important functions in ageing and developmental processes. Errors in this system contribute to cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and infections. The objective of the research alliance is a better understanding of autophagy at molecular and cellular level in order to be able in future to counteract imbalances in the system. CRC 1177 is the first consortium in Germany to tackle this important topic systematically.
“This is very good news for Goethe University," said Professor Birgitta Wolff, President of Goethe University. Thanks to this CRC, Frankfurt has become a national hub for autophagy research over the past four years. Especially through the integration of new partners in Munich, Tübingen and Freiburg and at the MPI for Biophysics, it has been possible to substantially strengthen the existing partnership between Mainz (IMB/JGU) and Frankfurt (GSH/GU). We expect this research alliance to advance autophagy research significantly, which will help in the fight against many diseases," said the President.
Autophagy is found from simple organisms, such as yeasts, up to humans. The underlying molecular mechanisms are always similar: Cellular components that need to be removed are recognized in a highly specific manner, enveloped by membranes and degraded. This is how, for example, aggregated proteins are destroyed that would otherwise cause severe damage and trigger cell death. This can especially be observed in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, where toxic protein aggregates accumulate which then promote the massive destruction of nerve cells. Apart from proteins, autophagy can also target defective cell organelles and pathogens for removal. The cell can reutilize the recovered material as building blocks for synthesizing new components, which is why autophagy is also an important survival strategy in times of need.
Autophagy is a very complex process which must be precisely regulated and is greatly dependent on the cellular context. Its analysis requires state-of-the-art technologies, the integration of a wide variety of data and close collaboration between researchers from different disciplines. “We will focus on novel concepts in autophagy research and its impact on major biological processes as well as pathogenesis and therapy of human diseases," explains Professor Ivan Dikic, CRC spokesperson and Director of the Institute of Biochemistry II at Goethe University. “Our vision includes close interactions between basic and translational research via centrally supported technology platforms."
The platforms with their ultramodern equipment are a key factor in the research alliance's success: Since 2016, over 20 scientific publications have been produced in cooperation with the proteomics platform alone. In the second funding period, centrally available technologies will be significantly extended to include modelling and simulation methods, genomic and chemical high-throughput screening, and imaging methods to quantify autophagy in model organisms. Another equally important matter within the consortium is support for early career researchers. To this end, the Research Training Group set up in the first funding period will be continued. “Training the next generation of autophagy researchers is a matter close to our hearts and for this reason we've planned a diverse and advanced training programme," said Dikic.
Participating in the CRC on the part of Goethe University – in addition to its faculties of Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy, and Medicine – is the Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences.
Further information: Dr. Kerstin Koch, Institute of Biochemistry II, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe University, Tel.: +49(0)69- 6301-84250, k.koch@em.uni-frankfurt.de.