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THE BIOCENTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG

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JMU flags. (Photo: Daniel Peter)

A great success for the University of Würzburg in the first round of the Excellence Strategy: expert committee approves three draft proposals for Excellence Clusters in the fields of physics, chemistry and medicine.

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Dr. Elmar Wolf

One specific gene is overexpressed in many human tumours. This particular gene is the centre of Elmar Wolf’s research activities. The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded him a "Starting Grant" worth €1.5 million for this purpose.

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JMU's main building. (Photo: Daniel Peter)

The prestigious Shanghai Ranking has placed the University of Würzburg among the world’s top 200 universities – as one of four Bavarian and 15 German universities.

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3D model of the proventriculus, a special organ of the tsetse fly: The distribution of the trypanosomes based on the fluorescent cell nuclei is shown in yellow. (Picture: Chair of Zoology I / eLife)

Such detailed images of the pathogen that causes sleeping sickness inside a host are unique so far: They illustrate the manifold ways in which the parasites move inside a tsetse fly.

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A: The enzyme RFWD3 helps target other proteins on single-stranded DNA for degradation. B: Cells lacking RFWD3 show DNA repair defects.

Fanconi anemia is a rare genetic disease characterized by high cancer risk. Researchers of the University of Würzburg now have revealed a new Fanconi anemia gene that is involved in complex DNA repair processes and may also play a relevant role in cancer prevention.

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Distribution of endothelial cells (red) and neuronal cells (green) in the brain of adult mice.

The blood-brain barrier is a unique mechanism to shield the brain. Scientists from the University of Würzburg have now uncovered details of how it evolves. This finding offers new chances for modification and regulation.

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The researchers studied three mason bee species (from left): the European orchard bee (Osmia cornuta), the red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) and Osmia brevicornis.

Global warming changes the flowering times of plants and the moment when bees hatch – sometimes with severe consequences for the bees. This was shown by a new study conducted by ecologists from the University of Würzburg.

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PTTH neurons (green) connect the circadian clock (magenta) of the brain with the peripheral clock in the prothoracic gland.

Multiple biological clocks control the daily rhythms of physiology and behavior in animals and humans. Whether and how these clocks are connected with each other is still a largely open question. A new study now shows that a central clock governs the circadian rhythms in certain cases.

 

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A Matabele ant carries an injured mate back to the nest after a raid.

Ants operate a unique rescue system: When an insect is injured during a fight, it calls for help. Its mates will then carry it back to the nest for recovery.

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Colonies of colon cancer cells cultured in absence of glutamine for 48 hours. The cells die in presence of high exogenous levels of MYC (middle, MYC-ER) compared to the control (EV, left).

Many tumors are thought to depend on glutamine, suggesting glutamine deprivation as therapeutic approach, but a new study shows that this effect might have been overestimated.

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African flies show active phases limited to the time around dusk and dawn; finnish dipterans in contrast have their activity peak in the early afternoon and stay active until nightfall, mostly without taking a siesta.

Fruit flies from warm regions have a siesta, whereas their Nordic counterparts do not. Biologists from the University of Würzburg reset the circadian clock of African flies in an experiment. As a result, these insect also reduced the length of their siesta.

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Symmetric larva, just before metamorphosis and ...

Scientists have long been puzzled by the flounder's asymmetrical physiology. The mechanism that triggers the unusual asymmetry has now been identified by comparing the genomes of two related fish species.

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Synapses of brain cells made visible using conventional fluorescence tagging based on antibodies: The pre-synapses (red) and the post-synapses (green) appear slightly out of focus; the synaptic cleft is not fully resolved.

Advance in biomedical imaging: The Biocenter of the University of Würzburg in close collaboration with the University of Copenhagen has developed an alternative approach to fluorescent tagging of proteins. The new probes are practicable and compatible with high-resolution microscopic procedures.

 

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Spectral karyotype of a metaphase of a macrophage treated with a synthetic bacterial lipoprotein. A normal cell contains exactly two copies of each of the chromosomes dyed in different colours.

An international team of researchers has unravelled how the highly inflammatory giant cells arise. Researchers of the Würzburg Institute for Human Genetics participated in the project. Their findings will help develop more efficient therapies for immune diseases that are difficult to treat.

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The function of the plant hormone ABA and the OST1 kinase regulated by ABA during the evolution of land plants (modified according to McAdam et al., 2016, PNAS).

Sex determination, dormancy, water balance: The phytohormone abscisic acid has branched out in the process of evolution. An international research team presents new insights on this subject in the science journal PNAS.

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