ReviewsGrowth factor receptors and tumour development. Are they more than just stimulators of tumour growth?
Jeffrey B. Wyckoff, John Condeelis, Jeffrey E. Segall
Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Two members of the EGF receptor family, ErbB1 (EGF receptor) and ErbB2 (HER2/neu), have been major targets of drug development for cancer therapy. However, in clinical trails, inhibitors targeting these molecules have had limited success in reducing tumour growth. In studies using mouse models for measuring tumour-cell invasion and metastasis, we observed that increased expression of these molecules can lead to increases in metastasis without altering tumour-growth rate. We propose that EGF receptor family members, besides influencing tumour growth, can contribute to tumour malignancy by stimulating tumour-cell motility and intravasation. Clinical trails evaluating these drugs (or other drugs targeting growth-factor pathways) should evaluate their possible use as inhibitors of tumour invasiveness.
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Synapses are not all the same. Exploring synaptic diversity in the central nervous system
Zoltan Nusser
Laboratory of Cellular Neurophysiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
Understanding how information is processed in the brain requires identification of the nerve cells comprising a neuronal network, definition of the intrinsic properties of the neurons, their synaptic connectivity pattern and knowledge about how the synapses between the individual neurons operate. Revealing the mechanisms of neurotransmission at chemical synapses of the brain is central to our understanding of all neuronal functions and has therefore been in the spotlight of intense scientific research. Here I review recent experiments designed to determine the precise operation of glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses, with special reference to spillover of neurotransmitter between synapses, occurrence of multi-vesicular transmitter release, and heterogeneity in transmitter release probability and postsynaptic quantal size.
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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.
Structure and mechanism of the RNA polymerase II CTD phosphatase Scp1Tomislav Kamenski, Diplom-Chemiker
Abteilung Chemie und Biochemie, Genzentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
NKT cells between innate and acquired immunity: function and specificity
Marcus Niemeyer, Diplom-Biologe
Abteilung Immunologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Infektionsbiologie, Berlin, Germany
Floor plate and ventral spinal cord formation in zebrafish
Matthias Schäfer, Diplom-Biologe
Physiological Chemistry I, Biocenter, Universität of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
Ribosome association with translocation sites at the ER membrane
Julia Schaletzky, Diplom-Biochemikerin
Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
The role of haematopoietic plasticity for normal mouse development
Matthias Stadtfeld, Diplom-Biologe
Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA
Membrane dynamics of the yeast vacuole upon starvation
Andreas Uttenweiler, Diplom-Biochemiker
Institut de Biochimie, Université de Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
New ProjectsThe Board of Trustees of the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds meets 3 times annually to decide upon the allocation of Ph.D. scholarships. On June 30 to July 1, 2006, they discussed 64 applications – preselected from the original 191 applications sent to the secretariat – in Boston, MA, USA. Once again, the limited resources available meant that a considerable number of convincing applications had to be turned down. The following 13 projects and scholarship holders were selected.
Dissection of the B-cell response in T-cell-deficient mice
Dirk Baumjohann, Diplom-Molekularmediziner
Cellular Immunology Laboratory, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Bellinzona, Switzerland
Molecular mechanisms controlling migration of primordial germ cells in zebrafish
Bijan Boldajipour, Biotechnologist, M.Sc.
Arbeitsgruppe Keimzellentwicklung, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Germany
Neuronal circuits encoding reward in Drosophila melanogaster
Sebastian Busch, Diplom-Biologe
Lehrstuhl für Genetik und Neurobiologie, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
Pharmacological tagging of AMPA receptors
Barbara Cokic, Diplom-Biologin
Arbeitsgruppe Synaptic Receptor Trafficking, Max-Planck-Institut für Neurobiologie, Martinsried, Germany
Let-7 microRNA mode-of-action in vivo
Xavier Ding, Diplom-Biologe
Abteilung Epigenetik, Friedrich Miescher Institut, Basel, Switzerland
Characterization of a novel type of protein – DNA interaction in DNA-damage recognition
Sebastian Eustermann, Bio-Technologist, M.Sc.
Structural Studies Section, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
Transcriptional mechanisms underlying oligodendrocyte precursor specification
Laura Galinanes-Garcia, Biomedizinerin
Department of Molecular Neurobiology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK
The interplay of microtubules and actin filaments in axon growth
Dorothee Neukirchen, Diplom-Biologin
Arbeitsgruppe Axonales Wachstum und Regeneration, Max-Planck-Institut für Neurobiologie, Martinsried, Germany
Structural characterization of the G-protein-coupled receptor CCR5 by NMR
Lydia Nisius, Diplom-Chemikerin
Abteilung Strukturbiologie, Biozentrum, Universität Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Unravelling the functions of lysosomal integral membrane proteins type 1 and 2 (LIMP1, LIMP2)
Jenny Schröder, Diplom-Biochemikerin
Unit for Molecular Cell Biology and Transgenic Research, Biochemisches Institut, Universität Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Glial cell migration and autonomous control of glial cell differentiation in Drosophila
Marion Silies, Diplom-Biologin
Abteilung Neurobiologie, Institut für Neuro- und Verhaltensbiologie, Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
Functional brain repair in songbirds: role of neurogenesis and FoxP2
Kirill Tokarev, Biologist, M.Sc.
Abteilung Verhaltensbiologie, Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
The role of the Sec6/8 complex in antigen presentation
Annemarthe van der Veen, Biologist, M.Sc.
Ploegh Laboratory, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
B.I.F. Internal