Die Virusresistenzforschung im Ehemaligen Institut Für Phytopathologie Aschersleben der Deutschen Akademie der Landwirtschaftswissenschaften zu Berlin

Plant virology was founded in the former Institute of Phytopathology Aschersleben by Maximilian Klinkowski. Research in the field of plant virology was undertaken there in three areas. The research started with the analysis of virus diseases in cultivated plants in the GDR; the second main area was the virus diagnosis: the third - virus resistance. An important prerequisite, which was very important for an effective research in this field, was the close cooperation within the institute as well as with other institutions of scientific research and practice within our country and abraoad. From 1970 to 1990, 36 host-virus-combinations were investigated with regard to virus resistance by the department 'Research on Virus Diseases' at the institute. A research task was considered being resolved when the results were confirmed in the breeding practice. Reliable methods and procedures of testing for virus resistance represent an important basis for the investigation of virus resistance. Such methods were developed for each of the investigated host-virus-combinations and summarized in a catalugue. Methods of evaluation of virus resistance were included in the procedures. Research of virus resistance and testing for virus resistance were carried out in parallel and closely connected. One of the first results of the investigations was the characterization of types of resistance. Two basic types were, in fact, classified, "qualitative or localizing virus resistance" and "quantitative or non-localizing virus resistance". In this connection the most important characteristics of resistance and influencing factors as well as their interactions were investgated. Practical result was the transfer of 37 genotypes of various virus-resistant cultivars giving high yields. Some of the genotypes showed multiple or complex resistance. Furthermore, extensive breeding material was selected which was destined for further use in breeding. When the Institute of Phytopathology Aschersleben was closed in 1991, the department 'Research of Virus Diseases' also had to finsh its work.     

State and minority in Israel: the case of ethnic state and the predicament of its minority

The connection between ethnicity and democracy has been the subject of much debate among scholars in various disciplines. This article deals with the ethnic divisions and the debate over democracy in Israel. How Israel should be defined, with regard to the democracy-ethnic affiliation nexus, has long been debated by scholars in the field. Some present Israel as a consociational democracy. Some Israeli scholars consider Israel to be a liberal democracy. Others define it as an 'ethnic democracy' that balances the ethnic and democratic components in its dealings with its Arab-Palestinian citizen. In this article I claim that Israel, like many other countries (Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Canada until the sixties, Malaysia) is not a democracy, if our criterion is the ethnic preference it shows for Jews. It is, instead, a textbook example of an ethnic state, applying sophisticated policies of exclusion and discrimination towards the Arab minority. In principle, it invites its Arab citizens to participate in its life; but under no circumstances does it offer them equality. It maintains Jewish superiority in all fields and grants them preference symbolically, structurally and practically.     

A Tight-binding Molecular Dynamics Study of the Dissociation of Boron Clusters in c-Si

Boron clusters with silicon self-interstitials have been implicated in the phenomenon of transient enhanced diffusion (TED) following ion implantation of boron and subsequent annealing steps. This paper explores possible dissolution mechanisms for boron-interstitial clusters during the simulation of a typical annealing process. Using tight-binding molecular dynamics (TBMD) and employing a Goodwin-Skinner-Pettifor sp-based TB model, we have been able to observe the complete dissolution of a B 4 I 4 cluster into the surrounding crystalline silicon matrix. Many unsuccessful attempts to observe dissolution are also presented, highlighting the effect of cluster stability, temperature and the role of vacancies in cluster dissolution. Though we can make no unambiguous statements on the definitive dissolution mechanism of boron-defect clusters based on one successful dissolution event, we can hint at key events that appear to be important, such as the diffusion of self-interstitials (presciently predicted by Pelaz et al. ), the "stranding" of boron atoms in their wake, and the importance of mobile boron-self-interstitial (B-I) pairs. The intrinsic diffusivity of boron in a c-Si lattice and its retardation of the diffusivity of Si self-interstitials is also discussed.     

Synthetic Phosphopeptides Enable Quantitation of the Content and Function of the Four Phosphorylation States of Phospholamban in Cardiac Muscle

We have studied the differential effects of phospholamban (PLB) phosphorylation states on the activity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA). It has been shown that unphosphorylated PLB (U-PLB) inhibits SERCA and that phosphorylation of PLB at Ser-16 or Thr-17 relieves this inhibition in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. However, the levels of the four phosphorylation states of PLB (U-PLB, P16-PLB, P17-PLB, and doubly phosphorylated 2P-PLB) have not been measured quantitatively in cardiac tissue, and their functional effects on SERCA have not been determined directly. We have solved both problems through the chemical synthesis of all four PLB species. We first used the synthetic PLB as standards for a quantitative immunoblot assay, to determine the concentrations of all four PLB phosphorylation states in pig cardiac tissue, with and without left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) induced by aortic banding. In both LVH and sham hearts, all phosphorylation states were significantly populated, but LVH hearts showed a significant decrease in U-PLB, with a corresponding increase in the ratio of total phosphorylated PLB to U-PLB. To determine directly the functional effects of each PLB species, we co-reconstituted each of the synthetic peptides in phospholipid membranes with SERCA and measured calcium-dependent ATPase activity. SERCA inhibition was maximally relieved by P16-PLB (the most highly populated PLB state in cardiac tissue homogenates), followed by 2P-PLB, then P17-PLB. These results show that each PLB phosphorylation state uniquely alters Ca²⁺ homeostasis, with important implications for cardiac health, disease, and therapy.     

血清中IL-17和Eotaxin水平检测在支气管哮喘患儿中的应用价值

摘要 目的：研究血清中白介素-17（interleukin,IL-17）和嗜酸性粒细胞趋化因子（Eotaxin）水平检测在支气管哮喘患儿中的应用价值。方法：选择2018年1月～2019年12月陕西省中医医院和西安市第一医院的60例支气管哮喘患儿为观察组,其中的18例缓解期患儿为缓解期组,42例急性发作期患儿为急性发作期组,且选择在我院体检的60例健康儿童为对照组。比较缓解期组、急性发作期组患儿和对照组儿童的血清IL-17和Eotaxin水平;比较缓解期组、急性发作期组患儿的一秒钟用力呼气量（forced expiratory volumeat 1st,FEV₁）以及最大呼气流量（peak expiratory flow,PEF）和生活质量评分;分析缓解期组、急性发作期组患儿的血清IL-17与Eotaxin的相关性;并分析缓解期组、急性发作期组患儿的血清IL-17、Eotaxin水平与PEF、FEV₁和生活质量评分的相关性。结果：缓解期组、急性发作期组患儿的血清IL-17和Eotaxin水平明显高于对照组（P<0.05）,且急性发作期组患儿的血清IL-17和Eotaxin水平明显高于缓解期组（P<0.05）;急性发作期组患儿的PEF、FEV₁和生活质量评分明显低于缓解期组（P<0.05）;缓解期组、急性发作期组患儿的血清IL-17与Eotaxin之间均呈明显的正相关性（P<0.05）;缓解期组患儿的血清IL-17、Eotaxin水平与PEF、FEV₁和生活质量评分均呈明显的负相关性（P<0.05）;急性发作期组患儿的血清IL-17、Eotaxin水平与PEF、FEV₁和生活质量评分均呈明显的负相关性（P<0.05）。结论：血清IL-17和Eotaxin在支气管哮喘患儿的发病过程中可以相互影响,共同参与患儿生理病理改变过程,血清IL-17和Eotaxin可作为评估支气管哮喘患儿病情严重程度和生活质量的客观指标。     

Independent evolution of song structure and note structure in American wood warblers

This study addresses the issue of how evolutionary convergence within shared environments shapes some features of bird song while leaving others unaffected, using as an example the songs of 51 North American wood warblers (Parulinae). I combined published information on breeding habitats and evolutionary relationships to show that the structure of warbler songs is correlated with habitat, whereas the structure of the notes that comprise the songs is relatively unaffected by habitat and more closely related to phylogenetic history. The results confirm known relationships between bird song and habitat, including correlations between song frequency and the type and density of canopy foliage, and between the number and arrangement of notes in the song and foliage density and moisture. More importantly, the results suggest that individual notes and whole songs are to some extent functionally independent, because the configuration of notes shows more evidence of evolutionary constraint than does the way notes are assembled into songs.     

How parasites can promote the expression of social behaviour in their hosts

Recent theory on the role of parasites in the evolution of social behaviour has emphasized the costs of social behaviour to hosts. However, parasites whose primary effect on host fitness is to reduce fecundity can favour the evolutionary origin or maintenance of social behaviour, including eusociality, under certain conditions. If the parasites are not readily transmitted among members of social groups, then other group members will not be selected to reject infected individuals as social partners, nor will adaptive suicide or avoidance of grouping be selectively favoured for infected individuals. Rather, total or partial parasitic castration may promote the expression of helping behaviour by infected individuals. Some parasites may therefore act to increase variance in direct reproductive value within populations or societies, and to promote reproductive division of labour. The necessary conditions of reduced host fecundity and low within-group transmission are met in some insect-parasite systems, and could occur in other host-parasite systems as well.     

Potential versus actual contribution of vertical transmission to pathogen fitness

Theory predicts that virulent parasites cannot be maintained at high prevalence if they are only vertically transmitted. However, parasites with high rates of vertical transmission that cause severe reduction in host fitness have been reported. Atkinsonella hypoxylon is a fungal pathogen capable of both vertical and horizontal transmission that drastically reduces its host''s fitness. In contrast with theoretical predictions, field and laboratory observations suggested that the primary mechanism of transmission was vertical. Using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA markers, we investigated the effective contribution of vertical and horizontal transmission to the genetic structure of three natural populations of A. hypoxylon. We found high genotypic diversity and low linkage disequilibrium, indicating that most established genotypes are derived from horizontally transmitted, sexual spores. The low contribution of vertical transmission to the parasite''s fitness despite its high potential might be due to lower establishment of cleistogamous seeds (through which vertical transmission occurs) or lower vigour of vertically transmitted fungal genotypes. Low establishment of vertically infected hosts might explain the persistence of virulent parasites with high apparent vertical transmission. Our results suggest that caution must be taken when using the potential for vertical transmission to make predictions about the evolution of parasite virulence.     

Nuclear Factor-κB-inducing Kinase (NIK) Contains an Amino-terminal Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP)-binding Motif (IBM) That Potentiates NIK Degradation by Cellular IAP1 (c-IAP1)

Activation of the noncanonical NF-κB pathway hinges on the stability of the NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK), which is kept at low levels basally by a protein complex consisting of the E3 ubiquitin ligases cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 1 and 2 (c-IAP1/2) proteins and the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors 2 and 3 (TRAF2/3). NIK is brought into close proximity to the c-IAPs through a TRAF2-TRAF3 bridge where TRAF2 recruits c-IAP1/2 and TRAF3 binds to NIK. However, it is not clear how the c-IAPs specifically recognize and ubiquitylate NIK in the complex. We have identified an IAP-binding motif (IBM) at the amino terminus of NIK. IBMs are utilized by a number of proapoptotic proteins to antagonize IAP function. Here, we utilize mutational studies to demonstrate that wild-type NIK is destabilized in the presence of c-IAP1, whereas the NIK IBM mutant is stable. NIK interacts with the second baculovirus IAP repeat (BIR2) domain of c-IAP1 via the IBM, and this interaction, in turn, provides substrate recognition for c-IAP1 mediated ubiquitylation and degradation of NIK. Furthermore, in the presence of the NIK IBM mutant, we observed an elevated processing of p100 to p52 followed by increased expression of NF-κB target genes. Together, these findings reveal the novel identification and function of the NIK IBM, which promotes c-IAP1-dependent ubiquitylation of NIK, resulting in optimal NIK turnover to ensure that noncanonical NF-κB signaling is off in the absence of an activating signal.     

Common MEFV gene mutations in Turkish patients with Behcet's disease

Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder whose etiology has not been fully established yet. The MEditerranean FeVer (MEFV) gene has been identified as the cause of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF). BD shows similarities with FMF, in terms of clinical findings and treatments, as well as their geographical and ethnic co-occurrence. In this study we investigated common MEFV gene mutation frequencies in Turkish patients with BD in an area of Turkey where both diseases are frequently encountered. We screened 207 BD patients who had no symptoms and family history for FMF and 200 healthy subjects for five common MEFV gene mutations (E148Q, M680I, M694V, V726A, P369S) and clinical features. Seventy-five patients were found to carry a single MEFV mutation, and six patients were compound heterozygous. The difference in the frequency of the MEFV mutation between the BD and control groups was statistically significant (p < 0.001, odds ratio [OR] 2.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.75–4.29). The frequencies of E148Q and M680I mutations were significantly higher in the BD group (p = 0.001, p = 0.046, respectively). The frequency of uveitis was significantly lower in patients with the mutation than in patients without the mutation (p = 0.029, OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.30–0.98). There was no statistical significance between carriers and non-carriers with respect to gender and other manifestations of BD. The frequency of the MEFV mutation was significantly higher in patients with BD compared to the healthy control group. Based on our results, MEFV mutations appear to have a role in the pathogenesis of BD.