Gene scissors find target for testicular cancer therapy
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Gene scissors find target for testicular cancer therapy

Cisplatin is used successfully in the chemotherapy of testicular cancer. However, patients who develop resistance to the cytostatic drug urgently need alternative therapy options. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) have now been able to elucidate a mechanism underlying…

Control hub for skin inflammation discovered
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Control hub for skin inflammation discovered

Study by the University of Bonn identifies new signaling pathway to combat UV damage and infections Inflammatory reactions in the skin can reduce damage from UV radiation or infections, but can also result in painful symptoms such as sunburn. A recent study at the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn has now identified…

Hemophilia: Training the immune system to be tolerant
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Hemophilia: Training the immune system to be tolerant

Study by the University of Bonn elucidates an important immune mechanism Hemophilia A is the most common severe form of hemophilia. It affects almost exclusively males. The disease can usually be treated well, but not for all sufferers. A study at the University of Bonn has now elucidated an important mechanism that is crucial for…

DNA guardians out of control
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DNA guardians out of control

Researchers at the University of Bonn discover mechanism that leads to ANCA-associated vasculitis Our own immune system can become the enemy when mechanisms that are actually protective get out of control. In ANCA-associated vasculitis, excessive inflammatory reactions lead to pulmonary hemorrhages that can be fatal if left untreated. Researchers at the University of Bonn, together…

Covid-19: New energy for flagging immune cells
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Covid-19: New energy for flagging immune cells

Immune cells do not receive sufficient suitable energy carriers in infected individuals, a study reveals In severe Covid-19 patients, the metabolism produces insufficient amounts of certain energy-rich compounds called ketone bodies. However, these energy carriers are needed by two important cell types in the immune system in order to fight the virus effectively. Perhaps this…

A cAMP signalosome in primary cilia drives gene expression and kidney cyst formation
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A cAMP signalosome in primary cilia drives gene expression and kidney cyst formation

The primary cilium constitutes an organelle that orchestrates signal transduction independently from the cell body. Dysregulation of this intricate molecular architecture leads to severe human diseases, commonly referred to as ciliopathies. However, the molecular underpinnings how ciliary signaling orchestrates…

New approach against chronic inflammation
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New approach against chronic inflammation

Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Sao Paulo have succeeded in mitigating chronic inflammation in mice using customized “mini-antibodies.” These nanobodies enabled them to dissolve molecular complexes in tissue that normally activate the immune system. The nanobodies produced may in future…

Immune cells in the brain share the work
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Immune cells in the brain share the work

This cooperation is impaired in mutations that can cause Parkinson’s disease To break down toxic proteins more quickly, immune cells in the brain can join together to form networks when needed. This is shown by a joint study of the University of Bonn, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Institut François Jacob…

Guidelines for the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting in immunological studies (second edition)
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Guidelines for the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting in immunological studies (second edition)

The European Journal of Immunology has published the second edition of the very comprehensive guide to flow cytometry  and cell sorting in immunological studies. And we contributed to that edition. Here is the information from the abstract: “These guidelines are a consensus work of a considerable number of members of the immunology and flow cytometry…

A comprehensive overview of all new devices of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility

A comprehensive overview of all new devices of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility

In 2018 the Flow Cytometry Core Facility was able to acquire five new instruments. A FACSAria Fusion cell sorter, a second LSRFortessa cell analyzer and an ImageStream  image cytometer were granted by the DFG through a large device application. (“Forschungsgroßgeräte” nach Art.91b GG) Special thanks goes to the excellence cluster “ImmunoSensation”and to the SFB TR57 .  A…

Flow cytometry guidelines
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Flow cytometry guidelines

The European Journal of Immunology has published a very comprehensive guide to flow cytometry in it’s October issue in which we were involved. 231 authors: experts in cytometry & immunology 214 pages 54 sections including: ◦  equipment set-up, data acquisition & handling ◦  barcoding, CyTOF, combinatorial & imaging cytometry ◦  complete immune cell cytometric  …

A Genome-wide CRISPR Screen Identifies NEK7 as an Essential Component of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation
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A Genome-wide CRISPR Screen Identifies NEK7 as an Essential Component of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation

The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 291, 103-109. The mechanisms of NLRP3 activation are still poorly understood. Jonathan Schmid-Burgk and colleagues present new data on the identification of NEK7, which specifically functions upstream of NLRP3 activation. NEK7 was identified in an unbiased genetic screening approach, which employed the CRISPR technology to identify macrophages that were rendered…