A5052344603- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Immune Cell Function and Interaction
- Fungal Infections and Studies
- T-cell and B-cell Immunology
- Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques
- Cell Image Analysis Techniques
- Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
- Microbial Inactivation Methods
- Click Chemistry and Applications
- Microfluidic and Bio-sensing Technologies
- Retinal Development and Disorders
- Multiple Myeloma Research and Treatments
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
- Cell Adhesion Molecules Research
- Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
- Entomopathogenic Microorganisms in Pest Control
- Molecular Communication and Nanonetworks
- Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies
- Biofuel production and bioconversion
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
- Neutrophil, Myeloperoxidase and Oxidative Mechanisms
- Infections and bacterial resistance
University of Würzburg
2015-2024
Max Planck Institute of Biophysics
2007-2012
Max Planck Society
2006-2007
Abstract Aspergillus ( A .) fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal mold inducing invasive aspergillosis (IA) in immunocompromised patients. Although antifungal activity of human natural killer (NK) cells was shown previous studies, the underlying cellular mechanisms and pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) are still unknown. Using flow cytometry we were able to show that fluorescence positivity surface receptor CD56 significantly decreased upon contact. To visualize interaction site NK . used...
Rhodopsins are membrane-embedded photoreceptors found in all major taxonomic kingdoms using retinal as their chromophore. They play well-known functions different biological systems, but roles fungi remain unknown. The filamentous fungus Fusarium fujikuroi contains two putative rhodopsins, CarO and OpsA. gene carO is light-regulated the predicted polypeptide conserved residues required for proton pumping. We aimed to elucidate expression cellular location of fungal rhodopsin CarO, its...
Over the last decade, communication between immune cells by extracellular vesicle-associated miRNAs has emerged as an important regulator of coordinated response. Therefore, a thorough understanding conversation occurring via miRNAs, especially during infection, may provide novel insights into both host reaction to microbe well microbial
Abstract Super‐resolution microscopy requires small fluorescent labels. We report the application of genetic code expansion in combination with bioorthogonal click chemistry to label NR1 domain NMDA receptor. generated mutants incorporating an unnatural amino acid at various positions order attach organic fluorophores such as Cy5‐tetrazine site‐specifically extracellular Mutants were optimized regard protein expression, labeling efficiency and receptor functionality tested by fluorescence...
Super-resolution microscopy has evolved as a powerful method for subdiffraction-resolution fluorescence imaging of cells and cellular organelles, but requires sophisticated expensive installations. Expansion (ExM), which is based on the physical expansion structure interest, provides cheap alternative to bypass diffraction limit enable super-resolution conventional microscope. While ExM shown impressive results magnified visualization proteins RNAs in tissues, it not yet been applied fungi,...
Plants, as sessile organisms, gained the ability to sense and respond biotic abiotic stressors survive severe changes in their environments. The change our climate comes with extreme dry periods but also episodes of flooding. latter stress condition causes anaerobiosis-triggered cytosolic acidosis impairs plant function. molecular mechanism that enables cells acidity convey this signal via membrane depolarization was previously unknown. Here, we show acidosis-induced anion efflux from...
Invasive aspergillosis causes significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Natural killer (NK) cells are pivotal for antifungal defense. Thus far, CD56 is the only known pathogen recognition receptor on NK triggering potent activity against Aspergillus fumigatus . However, underlying cellular mechanisms fungal ligand of have remained unknown. Using purified cell wall components, biochemical treatments, ger mutants with altered composition, we herein found that interacts...
Fungi possess diverse photosensory proteins that allow them to perceive different light wavelengths and adapt changing conditions in their environment. The biological physiological roles of the green light-sensing rhodopsins fungi are not yet resolved. rice plant pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi exhibits two rhodopsins, CarO OpsA. was previously characterized as a light-driven proton pump. We further analyzed pumping behavior by patch-clamp experiments. Our data show activity is strongly...
The dynamics of early fungal development and its interference with physiological signals environmental factors is yet poorly understood. Especially computational analysis tools for the evaluation process spore germination germ tube formation are still lacking. For time-resolved conidia filamentous ascomycete Fusarium fujikuroi we developed a straightforward toolbox implemented in ImageJ. It allows processing microscopic acquisitions (movies) conidial starting drift correction data reduction...
Interactions of structurally dissimilar anionic compounds with the plasma membrane HEK293 cells were analyzed by patch clamp and electrorotation. The combined approach provides complementary information on lipophilicity, preferential affinity anions to inner/outer leaflet, adsorption depth transmembrane mobility. species studied here included well-known lipophilic dipicrylamine (DPA−), tetraphenylborate (TPB−) [W2(CO)10(S2CH)]−, putative anion $$ {\text{B}}{\left( {{\text{CF}}_{3} }...
In fungi green light is absorbed by rhodopsins, opsin proteins carrying a retinal molecule as chromophore. The basidiomycete Ustilago maydis, fungal pathogen that infects corn plants, encodes three putative photoactive opsins, called ops1 (UMAG_02629), ops2 (UMAG_00371) and ops3 (UMAG_04125). UmOps1 UmOps2 are expressed during the whole life cycle, in axenic cultures well planta, whereas UmOps3 was recently shown to be absent but highly plant infection. Here we show expression of induced...
Expansion microscopy (ExM) enables super-resolution fluorescence imaging on standard microscopes by physical expansion of the sample. However, investigation interactions between different organisms such as mammalian and fungal cells ExM remains challenging because cell types require protocols to ensure identical, ideally isotropic both partners. Here, we introduce an method that super-resolved visualization interaction NK Aspergillus fumigatus hyphae. 4-fold in combination with confocal...
The basidiomycetous fungus Wallemia ichthyophaga grows between 1.7 M and 5.1 NaCl is the most halophilic eukaryote described to date. Like in other fungi, W. ichthyophaga, changes environmental salinity are detected mainly by evolutionarily conserved high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling pathway. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, HOG pathway has been extensively studied connection osmotic regulation, with a valuable knock-out strain collection established. present study, we reconstructed...
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are difficult to diagnose and treat and, despite several available antifungal drugs, cause high mortality rates. In the past decades, incidence of IFIs has continuously increased. More recently, SARS-CoV-2-associated lethal have been reported worldwide in critically ill patients. Combating requires a more profound understanding pathogenicity facilitate development novel strategies. Animal models indispensable for studying develop new antifungals. However,...
Aureobasidium pullulans is a black fungus that can adapt to various stressful conditions like hypersaline, acidic, and alkaline environments. The genome of A. exhibits three genes coding for putative opsins ApOps1, ApOps2, ApOps3. We heterologously expressed these in mammalian cells Xenopus oocytes. Localization the plasma membrane was greatly improved by introducing additional trafficking signals at N-terminus C-terminus. In patch-clamp two-electrode-voltage clamp experiments, all proteins...
Fungal infections caused by the ancient lineage Mucorales are emerging and increasingly reported in humans. Comprehensive surveys on promising attributes from a multitude of possible virulence factors limited so far, focused Mucor Rhizopus. This study addresses systematic approach to monitor phagocytosis after physical enzymatic modification outer spore wall Lichtheimia corymbifera, one major causative agents mucormycosis. Episporic modifications were performed their consequences...
Delayed natural killer (NK) cell reconstitution after allogeneic stem transplantation (alloSCT) is associated with a higher risk of developing invasive aspergillosis. The interaction NK cells the human pathogen Aspergillus (A.) fumigatus mediated by fungal recognition receptor CD56, which relocated to interface contact. Blocking CD56 signaling inhibits chemokine secretion MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and RANTES reduces activation, indicating functional role in recognition. We collected peripheral blood...
An optochemokine tandem was developed to control the release of calcium from endosomes into cytosol by light and analyze internalization kinetics G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) electrophysiology. A previously constructed rhodopsin re-engineered combine light-gated Ca2+-permeable cation channel Channelrhodopsin-2(L132C), CatCh, with chemokine receptor CXCR4 in a functional protein tCXCR4/CatCh. The GPCR used as shuttle displace CatCh plasma membrane intracellular areas. As shown...
Functional access to membrane proteins, for example, ion channels, of individual cells is an important prerequisite in drug discovery studies. The highly sophisticated patch-clamp method widely used electrogenic but demanding the operator, and its automation remains challenging. dielectrophoretically-accessed, intracellular membrane–potential measurement (DAIMM) a new technique showing high potential electrophysiological data recording whole-cell configuration. A cell suspension brought...