—The formation of pores by a particular protein, gasdermin D, plays a key role in inflammatory reactions. During its activation, an inhibitory part is split off. More than 30 of the remaining protein fragments then combine to form large pores in the cell membrane, which allow the release of inflammatory messengers.
As methods for studying these processes in living cells have so far been inadequate, the sequence of oligomerization, pore formation and membrane incorporation has remained unclear until now.
—Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children and poses a significant threat to health. The joint research project "EDI-4-ALL" (Early detection and interception for acute lymphoblastic leukemia) aims at the development of new analysis tools for the early detection of a genetic predisposition to ALL in newborns. The project is a joint endeavour by leading scientists from the Universities of Düsseldorf, Gießen and Bonn, the Charité Berlin and Zytovision, under participation of Prof. Alksandra Pandyra. The project is funded with a total of 2.6 million Euros by the BMBF.
—Researchers at the University of Bonn and the University of Cambridge have identified an important control circuit involved in the eating process. The study has revealed that fly larvae have special sensors, or receptors, in their esophagus that are triggered as soon as the animal swallows something. If the larva has swallowed food, they tell the brain to release serotonin. This messenger substance ensures that the larva continues to eat. The researchers assume that humans also have a very similar control circuit. The results were recently published in the journal “Current Biology.”
—The Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics (Cumming Global Centre) and the University of Bonn have today announced Bonn-Cumming Host-Directed Pandemic Therapeutics Research Program (“the partnership”) to fund groundbreaking research into early immunity to develop novel targets for therapeutics for pathogens of pandemic potential. The funding volume amounts to 6 million euros, with a perspective of up to 40 million euros. A large part comes from the philanthropic billionaire Geoff Cumming.
Effects of “Forever Chemicals” on the Immune System
—Dr. Lorenzo Bonaguro from the German Center of Neurodegenerative Dieseases (DZNE) has been awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) totaling about 1.5 million euros to investigate the influence of the ubiquitous PFAS chemicals on the immune system. His research will utilize so-called organoids and cutting-edge analysis methods.
—CRISPR gene scissors, as new tools of molecular biology, have their origin in an ancient bacterial immune system. But once a virus attack has been successfully overcome, the cell has to recover. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in cooperation with researchers from the Institut Pasteur in France, have discovered a timer integrated into the gene scissors that enables the gene scissors to switch themselves off. The results of the study have been published in the renowned journal "Nucleic Acids Research".
Anti-ageing and increased mental capacity through cannabis
—A low-dose long-term administration of cannabis can not only reverse aging processes in the brain, but also has an anti-aging effect. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn together with a team from Hebrew University (Israel) have now been able to show this in mice. They found the key to this in the protein switch mTOR, whose signal strength has an influence on cognitive performance and metabolic processes in the entire organism. The results are now presented in the journal "ACS Pharmacology & Translation Science".
—The innermost layer of blood vessels is formed by endothelial cells, which in turn play a role in the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Human endothelial cells are therefore required for the "in vitro" investigation of the causes of these diseases. Bonn Researchers have now established a highly efficient, cost-effective and reproducible way to generate functional endothelial cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for tests in cell culture dishes. The results of the study have now been published in the journal " Cardiovascular Research".
—Whether or not a person becomes seriously ill with COVID-19 depends, among other things, on genetic factors. With this in mind, researchers from Bonn, in cooperation with other research teams, investigated a particularly large group of affected individuals. They confirmed the central and already known role of the TLR7 gene in severe courses of the disease in men, but were also able to find evidence for a contribution of the gene in women. In addition, they were able to show that genetic changes in three other genes of the innate immune system contribute to severe COVID-19.
