University of Kiel

About: University of Kiel is a education organization based out in Kiel, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 27816 authors who have published 57114 publications receiving 2061802 citations. The organization is also known as: Christian Albrechts University & Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

Functional properties of spinal visceral afferents supplying abdominal and pelvic organs, with special emphasis on visceral nociception

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the functional and the morphological properties of the spinal visceral afferent neurons, supplying the abdominal and pelvic organs. These neurons are involved in the regulation of the visceral functions, in sensations and in various spinal and supraspinal reflexes. Special emphasis has been placed on the visceral nociception and pain. The spatial resolution of the sensations that can be elicited from the viscera is relatively vague and can be fully explained, by the segmental width of the afferent inflow from each viscus. Most spinal visceral afferent units have various common functional properties: they are silent or display a low rate of ongoing activity; their axons are unmyelinated or thinly myelinated (conduction velocity below 2 m/second and mostly below 20 m/second, respectively); their receptive fields consist of from 1-9 mechanosensitive sites located in the mesenteries on the serosal surface or on the walls of the organs; local pressure in their receptive fields elicits slowly adapting responses; they respond to distensions and contractions of the viscera and to stretching of their mechanosensitive endings; they respond to various chemical stimuli applied in their receptive fields.

The apoplast and its significance for plant mineral nutrition

Abstract: It has only recently become apparent that the apoplast plays a major role in a diverse range of processes, including intercellular signalling, plant–microbe interactions and both water and nutrient transport. Broadly defined, the apoplast constitutes all compartments beyond the plasmalemma – the interfibrillar and intermicellar space of the cell walls, and the xylem, including its gas- and water-filled intercellular space – extending to the rhizoplane and cuticle of the outer plant surface. The physico-chemical properties of cell walls influence plant mineral nutrition, as nutrients do not simply pass through the apoplast to the plasmalemma but can also be adsorbed or fixed to cell-wall components. Here, current progress in understanding the significance of the apoplast in plant mineral nutrition is reviewed. The contribution of the root apoplast to short-distance transport and nutrient uptakes is examined particularly in relation to Na+ toxicity and Al3+ tolerance. The review extends to long-distance transport and the role of the apoplast as a habitat for microorganisms. In the leaf, the apoplast might have benefits over the vacuole as a site for short-term nutrient storage and solute exchange with the atmosphere.

Regulated cell death and inflammation: an auto-amplification loop causes organ failure

Abstract: In this Opinion article, the authors discuss how the induction of regulated cell death and inflammatory pathways may lead to an auto-amplification loop that causes tissue damage and organ failure. They propose that targeting both processes could be useful for treating a broad range of clinical conditions with an inflammatory basis.

Maintenance of Pluripotency in Human Embryonic Stem Cells Is STAT3 Independent

Abstract: The preservation of "stemness" in mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells is maintained through a signal transduction pathway that requires the gp130 receptor, the interleukin-6 (IL-6) family of cytokines, and the Janus Kinase-signal transducer and activator (JAK/STAT) pathway. The factors and signaling pathways that regulate "stemness" in human embryonic stem (hES) cells remain to be elucidated. Here we report that STAT3 activation is not sufficient to block hES cell differentiation when the cells are grown on mouse feeder cells or when they are treated with conditioned media from feeder cells. Human ES cells differentiate in the presence of members of the IL-6 family of cytokines including leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and IL-6 or in the presence of the designer cytokine hyper-IL-6, which is a complex of soluble interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) and IL-6 with greatly enhanced bioactivity. Human ES cells express LIF, IL-6, and gp130 receptors, as well as the downstream signaling molecules. Stimulation of human and mouse ES cells with gp130 cytokines resulted in a robust phosphorylation of downstream ERK1, ERK2, and Akt kinases, as well as the STAT3 transcription factor. Loss of the pluripotency markers Nanog, Oct-4, and TRA-1-60 was observed in hES cells during gp130-dependent signaling, indicating that signaling through this pathway is insufficient to prevent the onset of differentiation. These data underscore a fundamental difference in requirements of murine versus hES cells. Furthermore, the data demonstrate the existence of an as-yet-unidentified factor in the conditioned media of mouse feeder layer cells that acts to maintain hES cell renewal in a STAT3-independent manner.