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Biomedical subjects

H Gröger

Publications and source records attributed to H Gröger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

The development of new monometallic bifunctional catalysts with Lewis acid and Lewis base properties, and their application in asymmetric cyanation reactions.

Bifunctional catalysts can drastically improve the efficiency of asymmetric processes with respect to enantioselectivity and/or conversion rate. A new type of chiral bifunctional catalyst has been developed recently in the Shibasaki group that contains both Lewis acid and Lewis base moieties. These monometallic and bifunctional phosphinoyl-containing catalysts are able to coordinate both nucleophilic and electrophilic substrates in the transition state. Several successful applications of this new catalytic concept in the field of asymmetric cyanation reactions have already been reported, for example, the asymmetric hydrocyanation of aldehydes and imines as well as the asymmetric Reissert reaction. The development and principle of this catalytic concept as well as main applications thereof are reviewed in this article.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

[Karl Landsteiner].

Karl Landsteiner received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1930. He worked in Vienna, The Hague and New York, making fundamental contributions in the field of immune hematology (blood groups and Rhesus factor), syphilis (visualising spirochetes in the dark field) and poliomyelitis (viral genesis). In particular, his findings in the general field of serology and immunology (haptens, specificity of antigens) have not lost any of their significance and are valid to this day.

Allergy and Immunology↗
PubMed2001

[Etiological research in medicine in Vienna circa 1900, at the time of Karl Landsteiner].

By the end of the 19th century theoretical etiological research became more and more important in medical science. Anton Weichselbaum focused on bacteriology in the field of pathological anatomy and Rudolf Paltauf founded an Institute of Serotherapy, thus taking account of this new development. Progress made in laboratory medicine due to the work of a number of scientists in Vienna was of both fundamental and practical significance for the advancement of medicine.

Austria↗
PubMed2001

Asymmetric synthesis of an (R)-cyanohydrin using enzymes entrapped in lens-shaped gels.

[structure: see text] A novel synthesis of (R)-cyanohydrins is described which is based on the use of cross-linked and subsequently poly(vinyl alcohol)-entrapped (R)-oxynitrilases. These immobilized lens-shaped biocatalysts have a well-defined macroscopic size in the mm range, show no catalyst leaching, and can be recycled efficiently. Furthermore, this immobilization method is cheap and the entrapped (R)-oxynitrilases gave similar good results compared with those of free enzymes. The (R)-cyanohydrin was obtained in good yields and with high enantioselectivities of up to >99% ee.

Aldehyde-Lyases↗
PubMed2001

Larval development in Cnidaria: a connection to Bilateria?

Among the basal animal phyla, the Cnidaria display many characteristics similar to the Bilateria (the higher Metazoa). However, the relation of that outgroup phyla to the Bilateria is still equivocal. Additionally to morphological and genetic data, studies on cnidarian embryogenesis are essential to clarify the Cnidaria-Bilateria relationship. We analyzed cellular differentiation during planula larvae development of the jellyfish Podocoryne carnea. Within 24 to 30 h postfertilization, the diploblastic body structure and all cell types found in polyps have already differentiated in the larva. Whereas the differentiating smooth muscles, RFamide-positive nerve cells, or nematocytes (stinging cells) express no axial polarity, a newly discovered tyrosine-tubulin-positive nervous system develops gradually in repetitive patterns from anterior to posterior. These data demonstrate that part of the cnidarian nervous system develops from anterior to posterior in serially repeated patterns. This developmental mechanism seems to follow the bilaterian pattern and would have antedated the Cambrian explosion.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

The mesoderm specification factor twist in the life cycle of jellyfish.

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor Twist is highly conserved from Drosophila to vertebrates and plays a major role in mesoderm specification of triploblasts. The presence of a Twist homologue in diploblasts such as the cnidarian Podocoryne carnea raises questions on the evolution of mesoderm, the third cell layer characteristic for triploblasts. Podocoryne Twist is expressed in the early embryo until the myoepithelial cells of the larva differentiate and then again during medusa development. There, the gene is detected first when the myoepithelial cells of the polyp dedifferentiate to form the medusa bud and later Twist is found transiently in the entocodon, a mesoderm-like cell layer which differentiates into the smooth muscle and striated muscle of the bell. On the other hand, in later bud stages and the medusa, expression is seen where non-muscle tissues differentiate. Experimental analysis of in vitro transdifferentiation and regeneration demonstrates that Twist activity is not needed when isolated striated muscle regenerate medusa organs. Developmental roles of Twist are discussed with respect to early animal evolution from a common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Catalytic concepts for the enantioselective synthesis of alpha-amino and alpha-hydroxy phosphonates.

The enantioselective synthesis of alpha-amino- and alpha-hydroxy phosphonates by catalytic processes has attracted considerable interest in the last few years, not least because of the pharmaceutical interest in such compounds. This article contains a compilation of the asymmetric synthesis methods developed to date. The described synthetic routes are based on different catalytic concepts, namely, hydrogenation, reductions, dihydroxylation, aminohydroxylation, and hydrophosphonylation.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2000

Characterization and expression analysis of an ancestor-type Pax gene in the hydrozoan jellyfish Podocoryne carnea.

We characterized a Pax gene from the hydrozoan Podocoryne carnea. It is most similar to cnidarian Pax-B genes and encodes a paired domain, a homeodomain and an octapeptide. Expression analysis demonstrates the presence of Pax-B transcripts in eggs, the ectoderm of the planula larva and in a few scattered cells in the apical polyp ectoderm. In developing and mature medusae, Pax-B is localized in particular endodermal cells, oriented toward the outside. Pax-B is not expressed in muscle cells. However, if isolated striated muscle tissue is activated for transdifferentiation, the gene is expressed within 1 h, before new cell types, such as smooth muscle and nerve cells, have formed. The expression data indicate that Pax-B is involved in nerve cell differentiation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Gene duplication and recruitment of a specific tropomyosin into striated muscle cells in the jellyfish Podocoryne carnea.

Cnidaria are the most basal animal phylum in which smooth and striated muscle cells have evolved. Since the ultrastructure of the mononucleated striated muscle is similar to that of higher animals, it is of interest to compare the striated muscle of Cnidaria at the molecular level to that of triploblastic phyla. We have used tropomyosins, a family of actin binding proteins to address this question. Throughout the animal kingdom, a great diversity of tropomyosin isoforms is found in non-muscle cells but only a few conserved tropomyosins are expressed in muscle cells. Muscle tropomyosins are all similar in length and share conserved termini. Two cnidarian tropomyosins have been described previously but neither of them is expressed in striated muscle cells. Here, we have characterized a new tropomyosin gene Tpm2 from the hydrozoan Podocoryne carnea. Expression analysis by RT-PCR and by whole mount in situ hybridization demonstrate that Tpm2 is exclusively expressed in striated muscle cells of the medusa. The Tpm2 protein is shorter in length than its counterparts from higher animals and differs at both amino and carboxy termini from striated muscle isoforms of higher animals. Interestingly, Tpm2 differs considerably from Tpm1 (only 19% identity) which was described previously in Podocoryne carnea. This divergence indicates a functional separation of cytoskeletal and striated muscle tropomyosins in cnidarians. These data contribute to our understanding of the evolution of the tropomyosin gene family and demonstrate the recruitment of tropomyosin into hydrozoan striated muscles during metazoan evolution. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 285:378-386, 1999.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Reversible inactivation of cell-type-specific regulatory and structural genes in migrating isolated striated muscle cells of jellyfish.

We have investigated, by RT-PCR and in situ hybridization, expression of genes encoding regulatory and structural proteins in migrating mononucleated striated muscle cells of the medusa Podocoryne carnea. Expression of the three homeobox genes Otx, Cnox1-Pc, and Cnox3-Pc; a specific splice variant of the myosin heavy chain gene (Myo1); and a tropomyosin (Tpm2) is stable in isolated and cultured striated muscle tissue. When grafted onto cell-free extracellular matrix (ECM), muscle cells of the tissue fragments leave their native ECM and migrate as a coherent tissue onto a host ECM until a stretched cell monolayer is formed. Shortly after the first cells of the grafted isolate have made contact with the host ECM, Otx and Cnox1-Pc expression is completely turned off in all cells of the graft, including those still adhering to their native ECM. Myo1 message disappears with a delay while the expression level of Tpm2 is strongly reduced. However, expression of the homeobox gene Cnox3-Pc, a msh-like gene, and of the ubiquitously expressed elongation factor 1 alpha is not affected by the migration process. All genes are reexpressed after 12-24 h, once migration of the cells has ceased. Our results demonstrate that the first few migrating cells induce a change in gene expression which is rapidly communicated throughout the entire tissue. Furthermore, we showed that commitment of striated muscle cells remains stable despite the transient inactivation of cell-type-specific regulatory and structural genes.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

A toxin homology domain in an astacin-like metalloproteinase of the jellyfish Podocoryne carnea with a dual role in digestion and development.

Metalloproteinases of the astacin family such as tolloid play major roles in animal morphogenesis. Cnidarians are thought to be evolutionary simple organisms and, therefore, a metalloproteinase from the marine hydrozoan Podocoryne carnea was analysed to evaluate the role of this conserved gene familiy at the base of animal evolution. Surprisingly, the proteinase domain of Podocornyne PMP1 is more similar to human meprin than to HMP1 from another hydrozoan, the freshwater polyp Hydra vulgaris. However, PMP1 and HMP1 both contain a small C-terminal domain with six cysteines that distinguishes them from other astacin-like molecules. Similar domains have been described only recently from sea anemone toxins specific for potassium channels. This toxin homology (Tox1) domain is clearly distinct from epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains or other cysteine-rich modules and terminates with the characteristic pattern CXXXCXXC with three out of six cysteines in the last eight residues of the protein. PMP1 is transiently expressed at various sites of morphogenetic activity during medusa bud development. In the adult medusa, however, expression is concentrated to the manubrium, the feeding organ, where the PMP1 gene is highly induced upon feeding. These disparate expression patterns suggest a dual role of PMP1 comparable to tolloid in development and, like astacin in the crayfish, also for food digestion. The Tox1 domain of PMP1 could serve as a toxin to keep the pray paralysed after ingestion, but as a sequence module such Tox1 domains with six cysteines are neither restricted to cnidarians nor to toxins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Increasing melanoma incidence: putatively explainable by retrotransposons. Experimental contributions of the xiphophorine Gordon-Kosswig melanoma system.

The worldwide accelerating increase of neoplasia in humans is difficult to explain. We use the Xiphophorus tumor model to approach this problem by melanoma provocation with X-rays. Melanoma develops following inappropriate expression of x-erb B-conducted developmental genes and their controllers. These oncodeterminants are inherited according to Mendelian rules. We detected a new type of oncodeterminants that, following a single treatment of embryos with X-rays, generates a self-generating non-Mendelian melanoma transmission and accelerating increase of its incidence in succeeding generations (e.g., 0-->18-->33-->52%). To localize these oncodeterminants, we crossed nonirradiated fish having half of their chromosomes irradiated with nonirradiated fish having none of, half of, or all of their chromosomes irradiated. Because tumor rate and expression in the following generations correspond to the rates of treated chromosomes, we conclude that the new oncodeterminants are distributed over the chromosomes of the fish, where they may increase in the changing generations. By means of xiphophorine-specific retroviral DNA, we isolated two retrotransposons that behave hereditarily like the new transgenerational oncodeterminants. Sequence analysis revealed three ORFs flanked by LTRs containing motives of regulatory sequences typical for known retroviral and retrotransposal LTRs. Pol- and env-resembling sequences are lacking. Southern and in situ hybridization showed their multiple and repetitive nature distributed throughout the chromosomes and indications for their capability to increase in number without further treatment. Their transcripts are expressed in concert with those of most of the other known xiphophorine tumor determinants. Their expression is extremely high in cell cultures from tumorous embryos derived from ancestors treated as embryos with X-rays.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Genetic and molecular approach for breeding and use of laboratory fish for the detection of agents with carcinogenic and/or promoting activity.

Xiphophorine fish from wild populations are insusceptible to develop neoplasia. In contrast, certain backcrosses of Xiphophorus maculatus (platyfish) with Xiphophorus helleri (swordtail) as the recurrent parent, produce offspring that develop neoplasia in a Mendelian fashion. We concentrated our research on melanoma. The starting signal for the development of melanoma comes from an accessory v-erbB-related oncogene, x-erbB*, which is highly homologous to the human EGF receptor gene, and is part of a platyfish-specific tumor gene-complex designated as Tu. Normally, the platyfish is protected from its own Tu by Tu-specific regulatory gene systems. The swordtail has neither evolved the Tu-complex nor the regulatory gene systems. Therefore, the backcross procedure dismantles the regulatory gene systems thus permitting Tu-directed melanoma formation. x-erbB* derived from the platyfish, together with the swordtail-derived oncogenes src, sis, pdgf-r, ras, myc, erbA are expressed or overexpressed in the melanoma, and inositol lipid turnover is considerably elevated. x-src and inositol lipid turnover have also been found elevated in the healthy tissues (eg brain) of the tumourous fish. To construct a fish strain which is highly susceptible to mutagenic carcinogens, we introduced a particular regulatory gene, ie an oncosuppressor gene (Bs), into the genome of the animals developing Mendelian inherited melanoma, by introgressive breeding. Bs prevents the strain from germ line-inherited melanoma but, following carcinogen-induced impairment in a somatic cell gives rise to the Tu-directed development of clonal melanoma in a particular fish, x-src activity and inositol lipid turnover are elevated in the tumor but, in contrast to the animals bearing the inherited melanoma, are not elevated in the brain. Promoting carcinogens (tumor promoters) do not induce melanoma in this strain. Similarly, in order to breed a fish strain susceptible to tumor promoters, we introduced a regulatory gene (the oncostatic gene g, golden) coding for a pre-transformational arrest of pigment cell differentiation in the stem cell stage of the fish that develop the Mendelian inherited melanoma. The new strain is incapable of developing melanoma. Its x-src activity and inositol lipid turnover is elevated in the brain indicating that the biochemical processes which were found to be correlated with the hereditary melanoma formation, are running in the new strain without the occurrence of melanoma. Following treatment with tumor promoters that overcome the arrest of pigment cell differentiation, melanoma develops within a very short latent period.

Animals↗