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THE BIOCENTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG

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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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Contrary to the conventional view, the ribosome does not release individual proteins directly into the cystol after synthesis (left). Instead, it holds the protein back until chaperones deliver the matching counterparts (right).

The formation of macromolecular machines within cells is often a complicated endavour. Biochemists of the University of Würzburg and Göttingen have now unravelled new details of these processes. They show that cells invest a great deal of effort into preventing production errors.

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The larva of chrysopidae with its prey, a potato aphid; biological pest control using natural predators boosts yields and benefits additionally from reduced tillage and landscapes of great structural diversity.

Putting a halt to the profound changes affecting agricultural landscapes: With this goal in mind, scientists, farmers and official representatives teamed up to look into ecological intensification as a potential solution.

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Model of a Sclerostin-fragment (green) bound to the antibody AbD09097 (heavy and light chain in cyan and red, respectively; surface representation in grey)

Inhibiting a protein called Sclerostin could probably help treating the bone-loss disease osteoporosis. New findings at the university of Würzburg could stimulate this research.

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As its concentration increases, the protein Myc activates an increasing number of genes in cells. Beyond a certain level, this causes the cell to transform into a tumour cell.

Why do healthy cells become malignant and proliferate uncontrollably? Scientists of the University of Würzburg have investigated the role of a special protein in this process and settled and old controversy.

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Model of chloride avoidance on salt-affected soils

The increasing salinisation of soils is a major problem for farmers worldwide. Scientists of the University of Würzburg have now examined how plants regulated their salt intake. Their results could be significant to breed more salt-tolerant species.

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The functional potassium channel TPC1 consists of two identical subunits (left in the picture).

An international group of researchers has pinpointed the sensor plants use to sense electric fields. A beneficial side effect: Their work could contribute to the understanding of how the Ebola virus enters human cells.

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Aphids puncture the phloem vessels of plants. They can be used as biosensors for measuring electrical signals.

Do plants have some kind of nervous system? This is difficult to establish as there are no suitable measurement methods around. Plant researchers from Würzburg used aphids for this purpose – and discovered that plants respond differently to different kinds of damage.

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Unique: Nine different cell structures were fluorescence labelled at once to become distinguishable under the microscope.

Advance in biomedical imaging: The University of Würzburg's Biocenter has enhanced fluorescence microscopy to label and visualise up to nine different cell structures simultaneously.

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