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 - 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
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 - 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 - 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
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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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
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 - 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
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
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
Press release - 15/11/2012 How bacteria attack their host cells with sticky lollipops Yersinia enterocolitica, a pathogenic bacterium, causes fever and diarrhea. By help of a protein anchored in its membrane, Yersinia attaches to its host cells and infects them. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen and the Leibniz-Institut fuer Molekulare Pharmakologie in Berlin have determined the structure of an important component of the membrane protein and have gained insight into its biogenesis. The…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-bacteria-attack-their-host-cells-with-sticky-lollipops
Press release - 29/06/2010 Biologist from Tübingen has been elected into the French Academy of Sciences The Académie des sciences de l’Institut de France in Paris is one of the oldest academies in the world and comprises the most outstanding French and foreign scientists. On the 15th of June this year, 18 new members accepted into the midst of the academy during a festive ceremony. Among them is Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, director at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/biologist-from-tuebingen-has-been-elected-into-the-french-academy-of-sciences
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
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
Article - 01/06/2008 Plants as soil remediators Max Planck scientists and researchers at the University of Heidelberg have discovered a gene that enables certain plants to grow on soils with high heavy metal concentrations and that even contributes to the soils remediation. The gene product is a transport protein in the cell membrane.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/plants-as-soil-remediators
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 - 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
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 - 26/04/2011 Green Light for Four New Centres of Health Research The decision has been taken: The German Centres of Health Research which are to be set up in the areas of infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases and cancer will involve more than 100 universities, university hospitals and non-university research institutions at 27 locations. Federal Research Minister Annette Schavan decided on the funding of four new centres on Friday after considering recommendations submitted by panels of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/green-light-for-four-new-centres-of-health-research
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