University of Düsseldorf

About: University of Düsseldorf is a education organization based out in Düsseldorf, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Diabetes mellitus. The organization has 25225 authors who have published 49155 publications receiving 1946434 citations.

Fungal endophytes: unique plant inhabitants with great promises

Abstract: Fungal endophytes residing in the internal tissues of living plants occur in almost every plant on earth from the arctic to the tropics. The endophyte–host relationship is described as a balanced symbiotic continuum ranging from mutualism through commensalism to parasitism. This overview will highlight selected aspects of endophyte diversity, host specificity, endophyte–host interaction and communication as well as regulation of secondary metabolite production with emphasis on advanced genomic methods and their role in improving our current knowledge of endophytic associations. Furthermore, the chemical potential of endophytic fungi for drug discovery will be discussed with focus on the detection of pharmaceutically valuable plant constituents as products of fungal biosynthesis. In addition, selected examples of bioactive metabolites reported in recent years (2008–2010) from fungal endophytes residing in terrestrial plants are presented grouped according to their reported biological activities.

Long term exposure to ambient air pollution and incidence of acute coronary events: prospective cohort study and meta-analysis in 11 European cohorts from the ESCAPE Project

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of long term exposure to airborne pollutants on the incidence of acute coronary events in 11 cohorts participating in the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE). DESIGN: Prospective cohort studies and meta-analysis of the results. SETTING: Cohorts in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Italy. PARTICIPANTS: 100 166 people were enrolled from 1997 to 2007 and followed for an average of 11.5 years. Participants were free from previous coronary events at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Modelled concentrations of particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5), 2.5-10 μm (PMcoarse), and <10 μm (PM10) in aerodynamic diameter, soot (PM2.5 absorbance), nitrogen oxides, and traffic exposure at the home address based on measurements of air pollution conducted in 2008-12. Cohort specific hazard ratios for incidence of acute coronary events (myocardial infarction and unstable angina) per fixed increments of the pollutants with adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle risk factors, and pooled random effects meta-analytic hazard ratios. RESULTS: 5157 participants experienced incident events. A 5 μg/m(3) increase in estimated annual mean PM2.5 was associated with a 13% increased risk of coronary events (hazard ratio 1.13, 95% confidence interval 0.98 to 1.30), and a 10 μg/m(3) increase in estimated annual mean PM10 was associated with a 12% increased risk of coronary events (1.12, 1.01 to 1.25) with no evidence of heterogeneity between cohorts. Positive associations were detected below the current annual European limit value of 25 μg/m(3) for PM2.5 (1.18, 1.01 to 1.39, for 5 μg/m(3) increase in PM2.5) and below 40 μg/m(3) for PM10 (1.12, 1.00 to 1.27, for 10 μg/m(3) increase in PM10). Positive but non-significant associations were found with other pollutants. CONCLUSIONS: Long term exposure to particulate matter is associated with incidence of coronary events, and this association persists at levels of exposure below the current European limit values.

Characterization of a human preadipocyte cell strain with high capacity for adipose differentiation

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To develop and to characterize a human preadipocyte cell strain with high capacity for adipose differentiation serving as a model for studying human adipocyte development and metabolism in vitro. METHODS: Cells were derived from the stromal cells fraction of subcutaneous adipose tissue of an infant with Simpson–Golabi–Behmel syndrome (SGBS). Adipose differentiation was induced under serum-free culture conditions by exposure to 10 nM insulin, 200 pM triiodothyronine, 1 µM cortisol and 2 µM BRL 49653, a PPARγ agonist. RESULTS: During the differentiation process SGBS cells developed a gene expression pattern similar to that found in differentiating human preadipocytes with a characteristic increase in fat cell-specific mRNAs encoding lipoprotein lipase (LPL), glycero-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), GLUT4, leptin and others. Differentiated SGBS cells exhibited an increase in glucose uptake upon insulin stimulation and in glycerol release upon catecholamine exposure. SGBS adipocytes were morphologically, biochemically and functionally identical to in vitro differentiated adipocytes from healthy subjects. However, while preadipocytes from healthy control infants rapidly lost their capacity to differentiate after a few cell divisions in culture, SGBS cells maintained their differentiation capacity over many generations: upon appropriate stimulation 95% of SGBS cells of generation 30 developed into adipocytes. A mutation in the glypican 3 gene was not detected in the patient. Thus, it remains unclear whether the molecular alteration in SGBS cells is also responsible for the high differentiation capacity and further investigations are required. CONCLUSION: The human cell strain described here provides an almost unlimited source of human preadipocytes with high capacity for adipose differentiation and may, therefore, represent a unique tool for studying human fat cell development and metabolism.

Multiple independent variants at the TERT locus are associated with telomere length and risks of breast and ovarian cancer

Abstract: TERT-locus SNPs and leukocyte telomere measures are reportedly associated with risks of multiple cancers. Using the Illumina custom genotyping array iCOG, we analyzed similar to 480 SNPs at the TERT locus in breast (n = 103,991), ovarian (n = 39,774) and BRCA1 mutation carrier (n = 11,705) cancer cases and controls. Leukocyte telomere measurements were also available for 53,724 participants. Most associations cluster into three independent peaks. The minor allele at the peak 1 SNP rs2736108 associates with longer telomeres (P = 5.8 x 10(-7)), lower risks for estrogen receptor (ER)-negative (P = 1.0 x 10(-8)) and BRCA1 mutation carrier (P = 1.1 x 10(-5)) breast cancers and altered promoter assay signal. The minor allele at the peak 2 SNP rs7705526 associates with longer telomeres (P = 2.3 x 10(-14)), higher risk of low-malignant-potential ovarian cancer (P = 1.3 x 10(-15)) and greater promoter activity. The minor alleles at the peak 3 SNPs rs10069690 and rs2242652 increase ER-negative (P = 1.2 x 10(-12)) and BRCA1 mutation carrier (P = 1.6 x 10-14) breast and invasive ovarian (P = 1.3 x 10(-11)) cancer risks but not via altered telomere length. The cancer risk alleles of rs2242652 and rs10069690, respectively, increase silencing and generate a truncated TERT splice variant.