Dossier - 27/08/2012 Evo-devo - the synthesis of developmental biology and evolution Evo-devo research has led to completely new ideas concerning the evolution of animals, their tissues and organs. The huge variety of animals on the planet is the result of changes in the activity of a limited number of master genes that control early embryonic development. These master genes have been highly conserved throughout evolution, which is why their analysis allows conclusions to be drawn concerning the evolution of multicellular animals…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/evo-devo-the-synthesis-of-developmental-biology-and-evolution
Press release - 26/01/2009 Parasites in the genome - A molecular parasite could play an important role in human evolution Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen Germany determined the structure of a protein L1ORF1p which is encoded by a parasitic genetic element and which is responsible for its mobility.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/parasites-in-the-genome-a-molecular-parasite-could-play-an-important-role-in-human-evolution
Article - 24/10/2011 Cadherins and Wnt signals – cell adhesion or growth and dispersion? The proteins of the cadherin family form a kind of molecular zip that binds cells closely together thereby preventing cancer cells from migrating for example. Prof. Dr. Doris Wedlich and her team from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT were involved in the discovery that cadherins are not only involved in cell adhesion but also have other functions.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cadherins-and-wnt-signals-cell-adhesion-or-growth-and-dispersion
Article - 29/03/2008 Artificial micro RNAs in plant breeding Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen and their colleagues from the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines succeeded in accelerating rice plant breeding by using artificial small RNA molecules.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/artificial-micro-rnas-in-plant-breeding
Article - 22/09/2008 Insight into the evolution of parasitism Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology together with American colleagues have decoded the genome of the Pristionchus pacificus nematode. It consists of a large number of genes. The scientists gain insight into the evolution of parasitism.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/insight-into-the-evolution-of-parasitism
Article - 27/08/2012 The discovery of homeotic genes Research into the genes that cause erroneous developments in fruit flies have led to one of the most exciting discoveries in the field of developmental biology: the same type of gene that controls early embryonic development in Drosophila, also controls early embryogenesis of other organisms, including humans. These homeotic genes are lined up on the DNA in exactly the same order as they are expressed along the body axis during embryogenesis. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-discovery-of-homeotic-genes
Press release - 11/11/2009 Deciphering the regulatory code Thanks to scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory EMBL in Heidelberg Germany it is now possible to accurately predict when and where different cis-regulatory modules CRMs will be active. The study published today in Nature is a first step towards forecasting the expression of all genes in a given organism and demonstrates that the genetic regulation that is crucial for correct embryonic development is more flexible than previously…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/deciphering-the-regulatory-code
Press release - 21/09/2011 Epigenetic changes don’t last First comprehensive inventory of epigenetic changes over several generations shows that these often do not last and therefore probably have limited effects on long-term evolution. The team around Detlef Weigel, director of the Department for Molecular Biology, focused on one of the most important epigenetic marks, methylation of DNA.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetic-changes-don-t-last
Press release - 14/01/2010 Evolution caught in the act Mutations are the raw material of evolution. Charles Darwin already recognized that evolution depends on heritable differences between individuals: those who are better adapted to the environment have better chances to pass on their genes to the next generation. A species can only evolve if the genome changes through new mutations, with the best new variants surviving the sieve of selection. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/evolution-caught-in-the-act
Article - 20/02/2008 Threadworms throughout time Threadworms are versatile research objects and are excellent models for investigating fundamental evolutionary principles. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology use the Caenorhabditis and Pristionchus threadworm genera to study the molecular mechanisms of biodiversity.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/threadworms-throughout-time
Press release - 17/08/2012 Max Planck scientist investigates the evolutionary model of Muller’s ratchet Especially in small asexual populations unfavourable mutations can accumulate. This process is known as Mullers ratchet in evolutionary biology. The ratchet predicts that the genome deteriorates irreversibly leaving populations on a one-way street to extinction. In collaboration with colleagues from the US Richard Neher from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology has shown mathematically how Mullers ratchet operates and he has…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/max-planck-scientist-investigates-the-evolutionary-model-of-muller-s-ratchet
Press release - 14/01/2009 Looking for the Achilles’ heel of parasites Researchers have identified a hormone that controls whether nematode larvae turn into parasites or not.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/looking-for-the-achilles-heel-of-parasites
Article - 26/10/2011 Simple nerve cells regulate swimming depth of marine plankton Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen Germany have identified some signaling substances in the nervous system of larvae of the marine annelid Platynereis regulating the swimming depth. These substances influence the ciliary beating and thus hold the larvae in the preferred water depth. The scientists discovered a very simple circuitry of nerve cells underlying this regulation reflecting an early evolutionary…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/simple-nerve-cells-regulate-swimming-depth-of-marine-plankton
Article - 14/03/2008 Elisa Izaurralde, a prominent RNA scientist, receives Leibniz Prize The directors of the Tübingen Max Planck Institute MPI for Developmental Biology are pleased to have a Leibniz prizewinner in their ranks for the second year running. Dr. Elisa Izaurralde and her colleague Dr. Elena Conti have both been awarded the 2008 prize for their outstanding work in the field of RNA research. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/elisa-izaurralde-a-prominent-rna-scientist-receives-leibniz-prize
Article - 31/03/2014 Lsd1 – a gatekeeper for differentiation onset of embryonic mouse stem cells Epigenetics is an emerging field of research that studies heritable changes in gene expression that are not caused by changes in the underlying DNA sequence. Prof. Dr. Roland Schüle, Director of Central Clinical Research at the Freiburg University Medical Centre, and his team are specifically focused on epigenetic modifiers that regulate the timely development of placental mouse tissue. Schüle and his team have discovered in mouse embryos that a…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/lsd1-a-gatekeeper-for-differentiation-onset-of-embryonic-mouse-stem-cells
Press release - 02/08/2011 How the modular structure of proteins permits evolution to move forward Changes in a short protein domain can alter a whole signaling network involved in organ development – this is the key result of a comparative study of the development of the egg laying organ in two species of nematodes. However, the outward appearance of the organ remains the same in both species. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-the-modular-structure-of-proteins-permits-evolution-to-move-forward
Article - 17/03/2014 Hox gene found to influence germline stem cell niche Prof. Dr. Ingrid Lohmann and her team at the Centre for Organismal Studies COS at the University of Heidelberg are studying the effect of Hox proteins on the early development of Drosophila using genomic genetic molecular and biochemical methods along with complex computer analyses and simulations. They have cast light on a basic regulatory mechanism of stem cell differentiation. They were able to show that the Hox transcription factor Abd-B is…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/hox-gene-found-to-influence-germline-stem-cell-niche
Article - 25/01/2010 The two sides of a cell Almost all cells are asymmetric – this is why for example the intestines, the brain and lungs function so well. Tumour diseases show why it is so important for a cell to have two different sides, a “head” and a “foot”. In cancer, genes that are responsible for the correct development of cell polarity are often defective. Dr. Felix Loosli from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology investigates epithelial cells in the retina of the small Japanese…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-two-sides-of-a-cell
Article - 05/05/2010 The Hydra genome The genome of the freshwater cnidarian Hydra, a model organism used in evo-devo research, was recently deciphered by an international group of researchers including Prof. Thomas Holstein’s group from the University of Heidelberg. The sequencing of the Hydra genome sheds light on the early evolutionary lines and the development of the complexity of multicellular animals.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-hydra-genome
Article - 10/06/2009 Dirk Linke - a vaccine is ready - just in case There is a well-known saying: travel broadens the mind. This is not the only consequence of travel – the biochemist Dr. Dirk Linke from Tübingen travelled to India on holiday and brought back an idea for a new scientific project. Since his return, his idea, the possibility of developing a vaccine with a wide-ranging effect against some of the most frequent diarrhoea pathogens, has even generated financial backing from prominent supporters.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/dirk-linke-a-vaccine-is-ready-just-in-case
Article - 27/08/2012 A worm that turned The body plan of vertebrates resembles an earthworm turned on its back. Unsurprisingly, this radical idea initially met with great criticism but modern evo-devo research supports this idea of inversion. An evolutionarily conserved gene cassette determines the dorsoventral axis in the developing embryo. It does so in both vertebrates and invertebrates. However, the body plans of vertebrates and invertebrates are dorsoventrally inverted with…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-worm-that-turned
Press release - 12/09/2012 Allegedly Useless Parts of the Human Genome Fulfil Regulatory Tasks The international ENCODE project aims to assemble an encyclopedia of all functional DNA elements in the human genome. The Heidelberg scientists were able to confirm in a showcase with the model organism Medaka fish that surprisingly many of the analysed elements in the non-protein-coding part of the DNA can actually regulate gene activity in a very specific way. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/allegedly-useless-parts-of-the-human-genome-fulfil-regulatory-tasks
Article - 05/06/2012 Max Planck Director Izaurralde honored for groundbreaking research Professor Dr. Elisa Izaurralde has made important contributions to the field of RNA biology in recent years. The managing director of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen explores the complex mechanisms of cellular gene regulation. For her work on mRNA regulation she has now been honored with the prestigious Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/max-planck-director-izaurralde-honored-for-groundbreaking-research
Article - 08/06/2015 New construction kit for designing new proteins Protein building blocks with well-defined properties that can be assembled into new molecules with desired structures and functions are highly sought after in biotechnology and medicine. Birte Höcker, a biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, is currently working on this in a project she calls “Protein Lego”.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-construction-kit-for-designing-new-proteins
Press release - 12/11/2012 Phosphate switch to fine-tune the protein production in cells MicroRNAs are essential regulators of the genetic program in multicellular organisms. Because of their potent effects the production of these small regulators has itself to be tightly controlled. That is the key finding of a new study performed by Tübingen scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology. They identified a new component that modulates the production of microRNAs in thale cress by the removal of phosphate residues…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/phosphate-switch-to-fine-tune-the-protein-production-in-cells