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THE BIOCENTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG

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Commander in the cell's production room

10/14/2022
Cells probably require up to 50 percent of their energy reserves for ribosome production. Under nutrient deficiency, the LARP1 protein ensures that protein production is reduced.

How do cells manage to quickly adapt their growth to changing environmental conditions? A new study by a research team from Würzburg provides an answer to this question.

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Extreme Salt Stress Triggers Leaf Movement

10/06/2022
Flooding the intercellular spaces with salt causes the leaf to sink temporarily (1 -> 2). After disposal of the salt in the vacuole (3), the leaf resumes its initial position (1). The application of salt causes a decrease in the cytoplasmic calcium ion and proton concentration in the leaf, but an increase in calcium ions in the root.

Plant leaves can cope with much higher salt concentrations than roots. The underlying mechanism may help to develop more salt-tolerant crops.

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How many ants are there?

09/19/2022
Ants are usually found in large numbers. But how many of them are there in total on earth?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? A team led by Würzburg biologists Dr. Patrick Schultheiss and Dr. Sabine Nooten now has the answer. In addition to the number, the distribution was also determined.

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The medicine of ants

09/15/2022
A Matabele ant treats the wound of a conspecific with an antimicrobial substance.

Biologist Dr. Erik Frank is researching how an African ant species treats its wounded. To continue his work, the German Research Foundation (DFG) has now granted him an Emmy Noether group.

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Cacao: Multiple interactions in its cultivation

09/14/2022
A bird found in cacao agroforests in Northern Peru, the groove billed ani.

In the cultivation of organic cacao, many factors determine the yield. An international research team has now identified important players and their combined effects.

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New agents to combat a dangerous pathogen

08/01/2022
Smallpox viruses - here seen under the microscope - are among the deadliest pathogens in human history. Not quite as dangerous, but still worrying, is the current outbreak of monkeypox.

Poxviruses pose a threat to humanity that should be taken seriously, as the current outbreak of monkeypox shows. A research team from the University of Würzburg is now working on the development of new drugs.

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Shaping up the Genome for Cell Division

06/03/2022
Artist’s representation of how the condensin complex (yellow) creates DNA loops (blue) to form X-shaped chromosomes during cell division.

Researchers from Heidelberg and Würzburg have uncovered the inner workings of the molecular machinery that shapes chromosomes during cell division.

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Great progress thanks to mini organs

05/13/2022
Image of patient-derived endocervical columnar (red) ectocervical stratified squamous organoids (Green) of female reproductive tract, and diagram depicting their genetic manipulation and infections.

Life-like organ replicas - so-called 3D organoids - are a good way to research disease processes. A team from the University of Würzburg has now presented a kind of blueprint for such a model of the cervix.

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What Grasshoppers Feed On

05/12/2022
Photos of the grasshopper species Gravel Grasshopper, Green Mountain Grasshopper, and the Wart-biter.

Little is known about the food webs of herbivorous insects. A team from the Würzburg Biocenter is investigating, in Lower Franconia as well as in the Berchtesgaden Alps.

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The forest as a shelter for insects in warmer climates?

05/06/2022
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Insect diversity is declining in Bavaria. Land use is a major driver, but the impact of climate change is still unknown. A study by the University of Würzburg has now investigated how both factors interact.

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How Herpesviruses Awaken

05/04/2022
Microscopy showing the fragmentation of mitochondria

Dormant herpesviruses induce their reactivation via a previously unknown cellular mechanism mediated by a viral microRNA. Würzburg researchers show this in the journal "Nature".

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When male bees don’t get lucky

04/25/2022
Ein Forschungsteam hat untersucht, ob Fungizide beim Paarungsverhalten der Mauerbiene (Osmia cornuta) eine Rolle spielen könnten.

Do pesticides have anything to do with the decline in bee populations? A research team led by the University of Würzburg has investigated - and found a connection between fenbuconazole and the insects' mating behavior.

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What Makes Plants Electrically Excitable

03/03/2022
3-Dimensional sketch of the TPC1 channel protein looking at the vacuolar pore entrance from above.

In humans, only nerves and muscle cells are electrically excitable, whereas in plants almost all cells are. This is due to a sophisticated mechanism in an ion channel of the vacuole.

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Cancer: When viruses and bacteria cooperate

02/24/2022
Image of patient-derived ectocervical stratified squamous organoids (Green) infected with Chlamydia trachomatis (red).

Infections with several pathogens simultaneously increase the risk of cervical cancer—these results from a study conducted on artificial 3D tissue models.

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Plants Under Anaesthesia

02/18/2022
An anaesthetised Venus flytrap (above) can no longer close when stimulated (ant). Reason for this is that ether prevents the propagation of a calcium signal from the sensory hair into the trap (right).

The carnivorous Venus flytrap can be anaesthetised with ether. Some surprising parallels to anaesthesia in humans emerge.

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