University of Würzburg

About: University of Würzburg is a education organization based out in Wurzburg, Bayern, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 31437 authors who have published 62203 publications receiving 2337033 citations. The organization is also known as: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg & Würzburg University.

Expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in primary human breast cancer and breast cancer cell lines: New findings and review of the literature

Abstract: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of structural and functional related endopeptidases. They play a crucial role in tumor invasion and building of metastatic formations because of their ability to degrade extracellular matrix proteins. Under physiological conditions their activity is precisely regulated in order to prevent tissue disruption. This physiological balance seems to be disrupted in cancer making tumor cells capable of invading the tissue. In breast cancer different expression levels of several MMPs have been found. To fill the gap in our knowledge about MMP expression in breast cancer, we analyzed the expression of all known human MMPs in a panel of twenty-five tissue samples (five normal breast tissues, ten grade 2 (G2) and ten grade 3 (G3) breast cancer tissues). As we found different expression levels for several MMPs in normal breast and breast cancer tissue as well as depending on tumor grade, we additionally analyzed the expression of MMPs in four breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-468, BT 20, ZR 75/1) commonly used in research. The results could thus be used as model for further studies on human breast cancer. Expression analysis was performed on mRNA and protein level using semiquantitative RT-PCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry. In summary, we identified several MMPs (MMP-1, -2, -8, -9, -10, -11, -12, -13, -15, -19, -23, -24, -27 and -28) with a stronger expression in breast cancer tissue compared to normal breast tissue. Of those, expression of MMP-8, -10, -12 and -27 is related to tumor grade since it is higher in analyzed G3 compared to G2 tissue samples. In contrast, MMP-7 and MMP-27 mRNA showed a weaker expression in tumor samples compared to healthy tissue. In addition, we demonstrated that the four breast cancer cell lines examined, are constitutively expressing a wide variety of MMPs. Of those, MDA-MB-468 showed the strongest mRNA and protein expression for most of the MMPs analyzed. MMP-1, -2, -8, -9, -10, -11, -12, -13, -15, -19, -23, -24, -27 and -28 might thus be associated with breast cancer development and tumor progression. Therefore, these MMPs are proper candidates for further functional analysis of their role in breast cancer.

4π-periodic Josephson supercurrent in HgTe-based topological Josephson junctions.

Abstract: The Josephson effect describes the generic appearance of a supercurrent in a weak link between two superconductors. Its exact physical nature deeply influences the properties of the supercurrent. In recent years, considerable efforts have focused on the coupling of superconductors to the surface states of a three-dimensional topological insulator. In such a material, an unconventional induced p-wave superconductivity should occur, with a doublet of topologically protected gapless Andreev bound states, whose energies vary 4π-periodically with the superconducting phase difference across the junction. In this article, we report the observation of an anomalous response to rf irradiation in a Josephson junction made of a HgTe weak link. The response is understood as due to a 4π-periodic contribution to the supercurrent, and its amplitude is compatible with the expected contribution of a gapless Andreev doublet. Our work opens the way to more elaborate experiments to investigate the induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional insulator.

Toward the blood-borne miRNome of human diseases

Abstract: In a multicenter study, we determined the expression profiles of 863 microRNAs by array analysis of 454 blood samples from human individuals with different cancers or noncancer diseases, and validated this 'miRNome' by quantitative real-time PCR. We detected consistently deregulated profiles for all tested diseases; pathway analysis confirmed disease association of the respective microRNAs. We observed significant correlations (P = 0.004) between the genomic location of disease-associated genetic variants and deregulated microRNAs.

Thymoma and thymic carcinoma. Relation of thymoma epithelial cells to the cortical and medullary differentiation of thymus.

Abstract: Based on the light microscopical features of normal thymic epithelial cells, human thymoma was divided in different types, namely cortical, medullary, and mixed ones, according to the epithelial cell (EC) type. Lymphoid cell populations with morphological features of either cortical or medullary thymocytes were found according to different types of EC in thymoma. The histological variation of the different types of thymoma are demonstrated. In a retrospective study of 58 thymomas and 13 thymic carcinomas, malignant invasive character as well as the occurrence of myasthenia gravis were both found to be related to the neoplastic proliferation of the cortical epithelial cells, whereas in the usual mixed type of thymoma and the medullary type no gross invasion or metastases were noticed. These results are discussed in view of recent concepts and immunological findings of thymus microarchitecture.

Raman Spectroscopy—A Prospective Tool in the Life Sciences

Abstract: Although the physics of Raman spectroscopy and its application to purely chemical problems is long established, it offers a noninvasive, nondestructive, and water-insensitive probe to problems in the life sciences. Starting from the principles of Raman spectroscopy, its advantages, and methods for signal enhancement, the bulk of the review highlights recent applications. Structural investigations of a hormone receptor, testing the biocompatibility of dental implants, probing soil components and plant tissue alkaloids, and localization of single bacteria are just four problems in which Raman spectroscopy offers a solution or complements existing methods.