University of Marburg

About: University of Marburg is a education organization based out in Marburg, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 23195 authors who have published 42907 publications receiving 1506069 citations. The organization is also known as: Philipps University of Marburg & Philipps-Universität.

Growth parameters ( K s , μ max , Y s ) of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

Abstract: Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum was grown on a mineral salts medium in a fermenter gassed with H2 and CO2, which were the sole carbon and energy sources. Under the conditions used the bacterium grew exponentially. The dependence of the growth rate (μ) on the concentration of H2 and CO2 in the incoming gas and the dependence of the growth yield ( $$Y_{CH_4 }$$ ) on the growth rate were determined at pH 7 (the pH optimum) and 65° C (the temperature optimum). The curves relating growth rate to the H2 and CO2 concentration were hyperbolic. From reciprocal plots apparent K s values for H2 and CO2 and μmax were obtained: app. $$K_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} }$$ = 20%; app. $$K_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }$$ = 11%; μ = 0.69 h-1; t δ (max)=1 h. $$Y_{CH_4 }$$ was 1.6 g mol-1 and almost independent of the growth rate, when the rate of methane formation was not limited by the supply of either H2 or CO2. The yield increased to near 3 g mol-1 when H2 or CO2 were limiting. These findings indicate that methane formation and growth are less tightly coupled at high concentrations of H2 or CO2 in the medium than at low concentrations. The physiological significance of these findings is discussed.

A genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies new childhood obesity loci

Abstract: Multiple genetic variants have been associated with adult obesity and a few with severe obesity in childhood; however, less progress has been made in establishing genetic influences on common early-onset obesity. We performed a North American, Australian and European collaborative meta-analysis of 14 studies consisting of 5,530 cases (≥95th percentile of body mass index (BMI)) and 8,318 controls (<50th percentile of BMI) of European ancestry. Taking forward the eight newly discovered signals yielding association with P < 5 × 10(-6) in nine independent data sets (2,818 cases and 4,083 controls), we observed two loci that yielded genome-wide significant combined P values near OLFM4 at 13q14 (rs9568856; P = 1.82 × 10(-9); odds ratio (OR) = 1.22) and within HOXB5 at 17q21 (rs9299; P = 3.54 × 10(-9); OR = 1.14). Both loci continued to show association when two extreme childhood obesity cohorts were included (2,214 cases and 2,674 controls). These two loci also yielded directionally consistent associations in a previous meta-analysis of adult BMI(1).

Oscillation and noise determine signal transduction in shark multimodal sensory cells

Abstract: OSCILLATING membrane potentials that generate rhythmic impulse patterns are considered to be of particular significance for neuronal information processing1–4. In contrast, noise is usually seen as a disturbance which limits the accuracy of information transfer5–8. We show here, however, that noise in combination with intrinsic oscillations can provide neurons with particular encoding properties, a discovery we made when recording from single electrosensory afferent of a fish. The temporal sequence of the impulse trains indicates oscillations that operate near the spike-triggering threshold. The oscillation frequency determines the basic rhythm of impulse generation, but whether or not an impulse is actually triggered essentially depends on superimposed noise. The probability of impulse generation can be altered considerably by minor modifications of oscillation baseline and amplitude, which may underlie the exquisite sensitivity of these receptors to thermal and electrical stimuli. Additionally, thermal, but not electrical, stimuli alter the oscillation frequency, allowing dual sensory messages to be conveyed in a single spike train. These findings demonstrate novel properties of sensory transduction which may be relevant for neuronal signalling in general.