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Science
Cancer-stem cellsInterwiew with Otmar D. Wiestler Scientific director of the German Cancer Research Centre Cancer-stem cells are currently the focus of concentrated discussion – at every level from major oncology conferences to the mass media. The reason: in recent years, experiments have shown that mutated tissue-stems have high tumorigenic potential. More and more scientific data is accumulating to suggest that these immature cells are implicated in the development of solid tumours. There is also an increasing evidence that a small number of cells similar to stem cells are responsible for the growth and continuing development of carcinomas and for their metastasis. So it is very important for future cancer research and cancer treatment that these special cells should be studied in detail. In this interview with B.I.F. FUTURA, Otmar D. Wiestler, scientific director of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ; German Cancer Research Centre) in Heidelberg, Germany, explains the significance of cancer-stem cells and describes the scientific progress achieved so far.  Download PDF of the Article (150 KB)
ReviewsThe daily up and down of genes, cells, and organisms. Genes and mechanisms driving biologigal rhythms
Ueli Schibler Department of Molecular Biology, Sciences III, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Light sensitive organisms – from cyanobacteria to humans – contain circadeian clocks that produce – 24-hour cycles in the absence of external time cues. In various systems, clock genes have been identified and their functions examined. Negative feedback loops in clock-gene expression were initially believed to be control circadian rhythms in all organisms. However, recent experiments with cyanobacteria and the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa tend to favour protein phosphorylation cycles as the basic timekeeper principle in these species. The study of clock genes in mammals has led to a further surprise; practically all body cells were found to harbour self –sustained circadian oscillators. These clocks are co-ordinated by a central pacemaker in the animal, but they keep ticking in a cell-autonomous fashion when maintained in tissue culture. Download PDF of the Article (416 KB)
Taking detection to the limit. Label-free, high-sensitivity detection of biomolecules using optical resonance
Frank Vollmer
The Rowland Institute at Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Optical methods are used to study the interaction of molecules in fields ranging from genomics to biophysics. For example, high-throughput DNA and protein microarrays are now standard tools in biology. Furthermore, highly sensitive state-of-the art optical biosensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) are a mature and widely used technique for the analysis of label-free molecules in real time. However, to reach ultimate single-molecule sensitivity in combination with label-free, high-throughput approaches in real-time, new methods are required to boost current detection limits. The following article describes a novel, emerging technique for the label-free analysis of biomolecules using optical resonances in microsphere sensors. This new method enables with an unprecedented sensitivity the quantitative analysis of such molecular properties as molecular weight, binding kinetics, affinity, and conformation. It is suitable for high-throughput approaches. This combination of features renders micro-optical resonators promising tools for a wide range of applications in the life sciences.
Download PDF of the Article (316 KB)
The pouch advantage. Cross-fostering for the conservation of rat-kangaroos
Beate Sterneberg
School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia
A large number of species is currently on the verge of becoming extinct. To improve breeding rates in the remaining population of an endangered species, a number of assisted reproduction techniques have been developed for mammals. This is a report on a study which investigated the potential of the cross-fostering technique for the conservation of rat-kangaroos (Marsupialia: Potoroidae). In cross-fostering, a pouch young of an endangered or target species is transferred into the pouch of a closely related, common species to continue its development. The applicability of cross-fostering in rat-kangaroos was tested using the Tasmanian bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) and the Long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus) as model species. A total of 32 young were transferred and their development monitored. Special attention was paid to the age difference of transferees. Whilst this difference did not essentially affect the milk composition of recipient mothers, it did have an impact on growth and development of the young. Most importantly, transferees developed species-specific behaviour and reproduced successfully upon reaching maturity. The non-invasiveness and simplicity of cross-fostering make it stand out from other artificial breeding techniques. Incorporated into an interdisciplinary approach, cross-fostering could therefore prove to be a powerful tool in conservation management. Download PDF of the Article (600 KB)
Research Articles of B.I.F. Fellows (Results)In these final accounts, B.I.F. scholarship holders present a brief summary of the research results and publications of their PhD project.
Regulating transcription: lessons from evolutionHo-Ryun Chung, Diplom-Biologe Abteilung Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Germany
Covalent labelling and chemical-induced dimerization of fusion proteins
Susanne Gendreizig, Diplom-Chemikerin
Laboratory of Protein Engineering, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne, Switzerland
The role of Chromatin Assembly Factor-1 in human cells
Arman Nabatiyan, Biologist, M.Sc.
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Information processing in olfaction: the role of inhibition and oscillations
Andreas Schäfer, Diplom-Physiker
Abteilung Zellphysiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für medizinische Forschung, Heidelberg, Germany
Role of Cajal bodies in spliceosomal U snRNP biogenesis
Nina Schaffert, Diplom-Biologin
Abteilung Zelluläre Biochemie, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Germany
Establishing polarity in neurons
Jens Christian Schwamborn, Diplom-Biochemiker
Abteilung Molekularbiologie, Institut für Allgemeine Zoologie und Genetik, Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
Biogenesis of mitochondrial outer membrane proteins
Thomas Waizenegger, Diplom-Biochemiker
Adolf-Butenandt-Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany
DNA-PKcs function is regulated by protein phosphatase PP5
Thomas Wechsler, Diplom-Biologe
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
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