Age-associated increase of the active zone protein Bruchpilot within the honeybee mushroom body.

In honeybees, age-associated structural modifications can be observed in the mushroom bodies. Prominent examples are the synaptic complexes (microglomeruli, MG) in the mushroom body calyces, which were shown to alter their size and density with age. It is not known whether the amount of intracellular synaptic proteins in the MG is altered as well.

Involvement of phosphorylated Apis mellifera CREB in gating a honeybee's behavioral response to an external stimulus.

The transcription factor cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) is involved in neuronal plasticity. Phosphorylation activates CREB and an increased level of phosphorylated CREB is regarded as an indicator of CREB-dependent transcriptional activation. In honeybees(Apis mellifera)we recently demonstrated a particular high abundance of the phosphorylated honeybee CREB homolog (pAmCREB) in the central brain and in a subpopulation of mushroom body neurons.

Abundance of phosphorylated Apis mellifera CREB in the honeybee's mushroom body inner compact cells varies with age.

Hymenopteran eusociality has been proposed to be associated with the activity of the transcription factor CREB (cAMP-response element binding protein). The honeybee (Apis mellifera) is a eusocial insect displaying a pronounced age-dependent division of labor. In honeybee brains, CREB-dependent genes are regulated in an age-dependent manner, indicating that there might be a role for neuronal honeybee CREB (Apis mellifera CREB, or AmCREB) in the bee's division of labor.

Differences in long-term memory stability and AmCREB level between forward and backward conditioned honeybees (Apis mellifera).

In classical conditioning a predictive relationship between a neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus; CS) and a meaningful stimulus (unconditioned stimulus; US) is learned when the CS precedes the US. In backward conditioning the sequence of the stimuli is reversed. In this situation animals might learn that the CS signals the end or the absence of the US.

Duration of the unconditioned stimulus in appetitive conditioning of honeybees differentially impacts learning, long-term memory strength, and the underlying protein synthesis.

This study examines the role of stimulus duration in learning and memory formation of honeybees (Apis mellifera). In classical appetitive conditioning honeybees learn the association between an initially neutral, conditioned stimulus (CS) and the occurrence of a meaningful stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus (US). Thereby the CS becomes a predictor for the US eliciting a conditioned response (CR).

Fractionated irradiation can induce functionally relevant multidrug resistance gene and protein expression in human tumor cell lines.

The molecular basis of radiotherapy-related multidrug resistance (MDR) is still unclear. Here we report on a study investigating the effect of fractionated irradiation on expression of the MDR-associated proteins P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), and lung resistance-related protein (LRP), the respective mRNAs, and the functional consequences. Cells of six colon and five breast cancer cell lines were irradiated with a total dose of 27 Gy, five fractions of 1.

Expression of Wilms' tumor gene 1 at different stages of acute myeloid leukemia and analysis of its major splice variants.

WT1 is a transcription factor involved in differentiation and proliferation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts and is expressed in 90% of cases, as determined by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). It is proposed to be a key molecule in leukemia promotion. To assess the relevance of WT1 expression, we analyzed blood and bone marrow samples from 58 AML patients (37 at diagnosis, 8 in hematological remission, and 13 at relapse) for the level of WT1 expression, using quantitative real-time RT-PCR.

Quantitative detection of circulating tumor cells in cutaneous and ocular melanoma and quality assessment by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

Purpose: Inconsistent reports on the detection of melanoma cells in peripheral blood by reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) have resulted in uncertainty on the prognostic value of circulating melanoma cells.

Experimental Design: We developed real-time RT-PCR assays for quantitation of tyrosinase, MelanA/MART1, and gp100 and for porphobilinogen deaminase housekeeping gene. Melanoma tissue (n = 18), peripheral blood samples from healthy donors (n = 21), and patients with cutaneous (n = 122) and uveal (n = 64) melanoma from our institution were analyzed.

Quantitative real-time RT-PCR for detection of disseminated tumor cells in peripheral blood of patients with colorectal cancer using different mRNA markers.

The detection of disseminated tumor cells in peripheral blood from colorectal cancer patients by RT-PCR could be an attractive method for selecting patients for adjuvant therapy. We here report on real-time RT-PCR assays (LightCycler) to quantitate potential mRNA markers. We investigated specimens from colon carcinoma and normal colon mucosa tissues, cell lines, blood samples from 129 patients with colorectal cancer (all stages) and 58 reference blood samples (healthy donors, persons suffering from inflammatory bowel or infectious diseases).

Possible regulation of Wilms' tumour gene 1 (WT1) expression by the paired box genes PAX2 and PAX8 and by the haematopoietic transcription factor GATA-1 in human acute myeloid leukaemias.

Overexpression of the embryonic transcription factor, Wilms' tumour protein 1 (WT1), is common in acute myeloid leukaemias (AML). Mutations of Wilms' tumour gene 1 (WT1) in AML are rare and WT1 expression may be increased by other transcription factors. PAX2, PAX8 and GATA-1 are known physiological regulators of WT1.