Publications by authors named "Daniela Indenbirken"
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers examined the microbiome of the macroalga Fucus vesiculosus over 25 days, finding that Pseudomonadota, particularly Marinomonas and Vibrio, dominated the microbial community, while Bacteroidota showed the highest potential for cell wall degradation despite being less abundant.
- * Two α-L-fucosidase enzymes (FUJM18 and FUJM20) were cloned and characterized, showing high activity at elevated temperatures, suggesting they could be used to create a synthetic enzyme cocktail for large-scale degradation of algae.
Article Synopsis
- Drug-based antiretroviral therapies (ART) effectively control HIV replication but can't eliminate the virus since it remains as integrated proviral reservoirs in cells.
- Genome editing tools like the HIV-1 LTR-specific designer-recombinase Brec1 show promise in removing these integrated HIV genomes, indicating potential for curative therapies.
- A comprehensive preclinical study of Brec1 demonstrated it has minimal safety risks, including no harmful immune responses, making it a suitable candidate for future clinical trials aimed at eradicating HIV-1.
Article Synopsis
- - Biofilms can resist traditional antibiotics, prompting the search for new antimicrobials from unique sources like aquatic microorganisms, leading to the analysis of microalgae-bacteria communities for potential antimicrobial enzymes.
- - A promising enzyme candidate called Dlh3 was found to inhibit biofilm development of the fish pathogen Edwardsiella anguillarum by up to 54.5% and showed positive effects on self-defense genes in response to its application.
- - Dlh3 demonstrates biotechnological potential for aquaculture because it effectively inhibits harmful biofilms without negatively affecting the health or growth of a relevant fish cell model (CHSE-214).
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates microbial ecosystems at recently discovered deep-sea hydrothermal vents along the Central and South-East Indian Ridge, focusing on various samples from six vent fields.
- A significant number of uncultured and unspecified bacterial species were found in hydrothermal fluids and massive sulfides, while sediments lacked chemosynthetic bacteria and were dominated by low-abundance bacterial groups.
- The research highlights the need for further studies on the metabolic functions of these uncultured microorganisms to understand their ecological roles and predict the impacts of future mining activities on these ecosystems.
Article Synopsis
- Infections in newborns trigger different immune responses compared to adults, particularly affecting NK cells during murine cytomegalovirus infection.
- The infection leads to a significant reduction in NK cell maturation and functionality, primarily due to inflammatory responses disrupting key transcription factors.
- Ultimately, perinatal infections result in lasting impairments in NK cell function, including decreased IFN-γ production and reduced bone marrow capacity to produce new NK cells.
Article Synopsis
- * Focus is on Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, which forms harmful biofilms on medical devices, and how a supernatant from stony coral can reduce biofilm formation by 40%.
- * Researchers identified metalloproteases in the supernatant that contribute to the anti-biofilm effects, highlighting their potential as new antimicrobial agents in health care.
Article Synopsis
- Scientists found a special group of immune cells called RORγt Tregs that help control the immune response in kidney diseases, particularly glomerulonephritis (GN).
- When they studied mice without these cells, they discovered that kidney damage got worse, showing that RORγt Tregs are important for protecting the kidneys.
- The research showed that RORγt Tregs are good at reducing inflammation and might be useful for new treatments for kidney diseases in humans.
Article Synopsis
- Human activities are rapidly changing the ocean environment, leading to issues like ocean warming and deoxygenation, which negatively impact biodiversity and natural processes.
- * In coastal areas, the breakdown of organic matter produces harmful gases like hydrogen sulfide and methane, which can have serious environmental and socio-economic impacts.
- * At the Boknis Eck site in the Baltic Sea, researchers found that rising temperatures and low oxygen conditions increase the production and consumption of these gases, indicating a shift in the microbial community that helps manage these compounds.
Article Synopsis
- - The tumor microenvironment is crucial in cancer progression, but its role in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is not well understood; this study analyzes cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in MCC patient-derived xenografts.
- - The research demonstrates that injecting CAFs along with MCC cells into mice accelerates tumor growth and spread, showing that CAFs cluster around blood vessels in rapidly growing tumors.
- - Findings reveal that the activity of MCC-derived CAFs is driven by the aminopeptidase A/angiotensin receptor signaling pathway, suggesting aminopeptidase A could be a valuable biomarker for MCC prognosis and potential treatment target.
Article Synopsis
- Iron (Fe) is a crucial trace element for life, but its availability in the ocean can be very limited or extremely high, which affects microbial communities differently.* -
- Experiments show that while certain microbes like Campylobacterota thrive at lower Fe concentrations, a high concentration of 10 mM leads to dominance by the SUP05 clade, which is adapted to high-Fe environments.* -
- The study highlights that hydrothermal microbes can produce Fe-binding ligands that help with Fe uptake in low concentrations and detoxification in high concentrations, suggesting their role in maintaining Fe in solution despite toxic conditions.*
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effects of a missense genetic variant in the ACTN2 gene, linked to various forms of cardiomyopathy, particularly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
- Using CRISPR/Cas9, researchers created two types of human stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte lines to compare the normal and mutated ACTN2 genes.
- Results showed that the mutated ACTN2 led to structural and functional issues in cardiomyocytes, including increased multinucleation and protein aggregation, and activated proteolytic systems to manage these problems, suggesting a link to cardiac diseases.
Article Synopsis
- Microalgae, like Scenedesmus quadricauda, have a specialized microbiota consisting of less than 10 distinct bacterial species, primarily including Variovorax, Porphyrobacter, and Dyadobacter.
- Dyadobacter plays a crucial role in promoting algal growth by producing polysaccharide-modifying enzymes and expressing important proteins, while also showing higher levels of quorum-quenching proteins and vitamin biosynthesis compared to the other bacteria.
- This study enhances our understanding of the mutualistic relationship between microalgae and their associated bacteria, emphasizing their interactions and the sharing of vital resources like vitamins and carbon.
Article Synopsis
- NK cells are crucial for fighting viral infections and use a variety of receptors, with HLA-C being the main ligand for Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs), influencing NK cell activity.
- The study shows that HIV-1 can evade the immune response by adapting to host genetics, particularly through the Vpu protein that downregulates HLA-C, which helps the virus escape detection by NK cells.
- Researchers found that HIV-1 infection leads to changes in the NK cell receptor profile, including an increase in specific NK cell populations and a genotype-dependent expansion of KIR2DL1, indicating a complex relationship between the immune response and HIV-1 evolution.
Article Synopsis
- Early exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) disrupts lung development processes, increasing the risk of chronic respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD later in life.
- Using Drosophila melanogaster larvae, researchers found that CS activates specific genes that respond to stress and affects various biological pathways related to immune response and development in both sexes, with some effects being gender-specific.
- CS exposure also led to higher mortality rates and decreased growth metrics in male larvae compared to controls, highlighting the significant impact of early environmental stressors on lung health and development.
Article Synopsis
- * An epidemiological and molecular analysis was conducted, using advanced sequencing techniques to identify and understand the viral strains involved in the outbreak.
- * The successful containment of the outbreak relied on strict infection control measures, early PCR screening, and genomic analysis, highlighting the need for improved monitoring and prevention strategies for future respiratory virus outbreaks.
Integration of Sequencing and Epidemiologic Data for Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infections in a Tertiary-Care Hospital.
Manja Czech-Sioli Thomas Günther Alexis Robitaille Hannes Roggenkamp Henning Büttner Daniela Indenbirken
Clin Infect Dis
February 2023
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on understanding the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a German hospital during the second and third pandemic waves, highlighting the burden on healthcare systems due to COVID-19.
- Researchers analyzed 284 samples from patients and staff, using full-length viral genome sequencing to identify infection sources and transmission patterns, while integrating various types of data for a comprehensive understanding.
- Findings indicate that while traditional epidemiological methods can identify most healthcare-associated infections, genomic surveillance is essential to uncover hidden transmission routes and improve response measures, thereby reducing infections despite high community transmission levels.
Article Synopsis
- * The study explores how sT affects metastasis by altering selectin ligand binding and modifying surface molecules on MCC cells, impacting their immune recognition and ability to evade macrophage phagocytosis.
- * Targeting CD47, a surface antigen regulated by sT, shows promise in enhancing immune response against MCC cells, suggesting that combining CD47 blockade with existing immunotherapy strategies could improve treatment outcomes for MCC patients.
Article Synopsis
- * A study examined wastewater from a large hospital, identifying a diverse range of resistant bacteria including various strains of Escherichia coli and others, with a notable presence of carbapenemase genes.
- * Analysis showed that some wastewater strains matched clinical isolates, suggesting a link between hospital wastewater and patient infections, emphasizing the need for monitoring and managing MRE in healthcare settings.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how osmotic stress affects the DNA damage response in the epidermis, particularly focusing on keratinocytes, which make up the outer layer of skin.
- It highlights that osmotic stress influences gene transcription related to both osmotic stress and UV-induced DNA damage, showcasing the complex interaction between different cellular stress responses.
- Researchers found that keratinocytes under osmotic stress showed lower levels of γH2AX, a marker of DNA damage, suggesting that osmotic stress may help modulate the severity of DNA damage caused by UV exposure or oxidative stress.
Article Synopsis
- * The first outbreak involved a non-variant of concern strain linked to a superspreading event, while the second outbreak was caused by the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), both originating from childcare workers, with children playing a significant role in transmitting the virus to households.
- * Results revealed that infections from B.1.1.7-infected children led to more frequent secondary transmissions than those from non-VOC infections, emphasizing the need for rigorous testing and contact screening in daycare centers to prevent further spread, especially with the
Article Synopsis
- Microbial contamination of fuels, caused by various bacteria and fungi, negatively affects fuel quality and equipment performance due to biofouling and corrosion.
- The study involved analyzing six metagenomes, one transcriptome, and over 1,200 samples from fuel sources to monitor and understand microbial contamination.
- Findings revealed metabolic relationships between bacteria and fungi, with significant gene activity related to kerosene degradation and biofilm formation, highlighting a range of enzymes involved in both polymer degradation and bio-corrosion processes.
Article Synopsis
- Viral vectors, particularly Cytomegalovirus (CMV), are promising tools for vaccines as they can effectively stimulate both strong cellular and humoral immunity, with modifications allowing improved immune responses.
- In a study, a modified CMV vector (RAE-1γMCMV) demonstrated a stronger CD8 T cell response and better protection against tumors and bacterial challenges compared to control vectors, despite being engineered to be less harmful.
- Analysis of the immune response showed differences in the characteristics and functions of CD8 T cells induced by RAE-1γMCMV, indicating that their ability to respond to tumors is influenced by factors like the context of latent infection and cell populations.
Article Synopsis
- Developing the central nervous system relies on tightly regulated gene expression, with Brg1 being crucial for transcription as part of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex.
- Research found that the absence of Brg1 in neural stem cells (NSCs) between embryonic days 7.5 and 12.5 led to abnormal structures in the brain areas and significant changes in a part of the eye called the neural retina (NR).
- Furthermore, Brg1 loss resulted in decreased cell survival and altered gene expression, indicating its specific and essential role in NSCs for proper brain and eye development.
Article Synopsis
- Aberrant levels of the transcriptional modulator ZNF423 are linked to the development of B-cell leukemia, specifically investigating its role in various acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) subtypes using data from 1354 samples.
- Analysis of a pro-B ALL model using CRISPR-Cas9 showed that removing ZNF423 led to decreased cell viability and improved survival in mice, highlighting its importance in leukemia progression.
- The study uncovered a complex relationship where ZNF423 binds to EBF1 target sites, repressing gene activity and disrupting EBF1's functions, which contributes to altered transcriptional regulation and influences B-cell development and leukemogenesis.
Article Synopsis
- Congenital human cytomegalovirus (cHCMV) infection in the brain leads to various neurocognitive issues, and using a mouse model helps study its effects and underlying mechanisms.
- Researchers found that infection caused increased levels of chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10, which attract certain immune cells (NK and ILC1) into the brain.
- These immune cells failed to control the viral infection and instead contributed to harmful inflammation that delayed brain development, but this effect could be countered with anti-IFN-γ antibodies.