Let’s talk...

...about Life Sciences!

Approaches in Molecular Biology and

Experimental Medicine

Programm
ScieTalk Göttingen 2011
Von Studenten. Für Studenten.

ScieTalk Göttingen 2011

08. Juni 2011, 10.15 - 18.00 Uhr

ScieTalk
Hörsaal der Psychiatrie
Von-Siebold-Str. 5
 42 Commons – Daniel Schwen
© Creative ScieTalk – Göttingen
 Content

Greetings ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 5

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The btS - About us ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8

Keynote Speaker������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11

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Poster����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 25

Map of the area��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31

Sponsors and Mediapartners ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 32

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www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 3
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ScieTalk – Göttingen
 Greetings

„Dear participant“
Welcome to the ScieTalk in Göttingen 2011! We wish you a pleasant time at the
congress and hope you will enjoy many interesting new insights into various
research fields of Molecular Biology and Experimental Medicine.
The ScieTalk was established by the btS, Germany`s largest network of Life
Sciences students, as an innovative congress for and by students. We want to
give young scientists the chance to present their ideas and projects in a relaxed
atmosphere. The best talk and the best poster will be awarded with the
ScieAward from the Deutsche Bildung!
Giving a talk, presenting a poster or taking part in lively discussions about re-
sults, conclusions or new ideas makes YOU to be the most important part of the
ScieTalk!
If you have any questions, remarks or suggestions, please do not hesitate to ask
one of the many btS members within the congress area.
We are looking forward to a lively exchange, enjoy the day!

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 5
 41.666 Experten
weltweit verzweigt und tief verwurzelt.

In über 50 Ländern und über alle Kontinente hinweg vernetzen Mitarbeiter

von B. Braun täglich ihr Wissen und ihre Erfahrung zum Thema Gesundheit –
mit Kollegen und Kunden. Zum Beispiel in unseren „Centers of Excellence“.
Fachübergreifend entwickeln dort Teams aus Spezialisten die Produkte und
Technologien von morgen. Ein verlässlicher Stamm aus Know-how, auf den
wir jederzeit von jedem Ort zugreifen können. Zum Vorteil unserer Kunden.
Denn selbst unsere kleinste Einheit nutzt immer die Kraft der ganzen Familie.
Effizient. Leistungsstark. Und das seit mehr als 170 Jahren. Sharing Expertise,
made by B. Braun.

B. Braun Melsungen AG | 34209 Melsungen | Deutschland | www.bbraun.de

6 ScieTalk – Göttingen
Program

Time Program Speaker

10.15 - 10.30 ScieTalk-Opening Forum

10.30 - 11.00 Key-Note-Lecture Prof. Dobbelstein
11.00 - 11.30 StudTalk1: Vesicle recycling in vivo Annette Denker
11.30 - 12.00 Coffee Break
StudTalk2: A genome-wide screen
for modifiers of polyglutamine-
12.00 - 12.30 Hannes Voßfeldt
induced neurotoxicity in Drosophila
melanogaster
StudTalk3: Isolation of internalizing
anti-leukemic scFv-antibodies from naive
12.30 - 13.00 Jenny Fitting
Phage Display Libraries for targeted
immunotherapy
13.00 - 14.00 Lunch Break & Best Poster Voting
14.00 - 14.30 Key-Note-Lecture Dr. Guan
StudTalk4: Identification and further
characterization of pro-invasive
14.30 - 15.00 Kerstin Menck
microparticles in macrophage-induced
breast cancer invasion
StudTalk5: Antibody based cancer
15.00 - 15.30 therapy - inducing suicide program Franziska Hartung
selective in cancer cells
15.30 - 16.00 Coffee Break
StudTalk6: Molecular Predictors for the
Response to Nilotinib Treatment After
16.00 - 16.30 Mridul Agrawal
Acquired Imatinib Failure In Ph+ Chronic
Myeloid Leukemia
StudTalk7: Monocolonal Antibody
Fusion-Proteins for Diagnosis and
16.30 - 17.00 Pamela Bogner
Treatment of Mesangioproliferative
Glomerulonephritis
17.00 - 17.30 Key-Note-Lecture Dr. Rizzoli
17.30 - 17.45 Best Poster & Best Talk Award

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 7
 The btS - About us

Die btS-Idee
Let Life Sciences meet you!

„Was willst Du eigentlich nach Deinem Studium machen?“ Diese manchmal et-
was unangenehme Frage wurde wahrscheinlich jedem von Euch schon häufi-
ger gestellt. Eine klare Antwort wissen jedoch nur die wenigsten, da bei den
meisten nur recht vage Vorstellungen über die berufliche Zukunft existieren.
Genauso wie vielen von Euch erging es 1996 auch einer kleinen Gruppe von
Life Sciences Studenten und Doktoranden in Köln, die daraufhin beschlossen,
die btS zu gründen.

btS bundesweit
Die btS ist in 25 Städten vertreten.

Aus dieser Handvoll Studenten hat sich in den letzten 15 Jahren die größte
Studenteninitiative der Life Sciences entwickelt. Mittlerweile sind wir mit über
700 Mitgliedern in 25 deutschen Universitätsstädten aktiv. Unser Ziel ist, Euch
fernab von Vorlesungen und Seminaren einen Einblick in die reale Welt der Life
Sciences zu geben. Außerdem möchten wir Euch den Übergang vom Studium in
die Berufswelt erleichtern, indem wir jedes Semester verschiedenste Veranstal-
tungen organisieren, die Euch unter anderem einen Überblick über die zahlrei-
chen Karrieremöglichkeiten geben.

Unser vielfältiges Programm reicht von Vortragsreihen und Podiumsdiskus-

sionen über Exkursionen bis hin zu Workshops, in denen Ihr Eure Soft Skills
erweitern könnt. Aber auch zahlreiche Projekte auf europäischer Ebene sowie
außergewöhnliche Events wie zum Beispiel das jährliche ScieKickIn, ein
Fußballturnier zwischen Life Sciences Unternehmen und Forschungsinstituten,
gehören zu unserem Programm. Bei der ScieCon, Deutschlands ältester
Firmenkontaktmesse der Life Sciences, erhaltet Ihr spannende Einblicke in die
spätere Berufswelt und natürlich ist der ScieTalk, der kostenlose studentische
Wissenschaftskongress der btS, nicht zu vergessen! Diesen erlebst Du heute
live vor Ort!

8 ScieTalk – Göttingen
Your Life Sciences Career!

Let’s Start it!

Biowissenschaften I Chemie I Pharmazie I Medizin

Firmenkontaktmesse
Viele Firmen – Ein Weg – Dein Job

ScieCon NRW 2011

26. Oktober – Audimax
Ruhr-Universität-Bochum NRW 2011
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung von:

www.ScieCon.info
www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 9
10 ScieTalk – Göttingen
Keynote Speaker

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 11
 Prof. Dr. Matthias Dobbelstein
Molecular Oncology

Short Portrait:
Prof. Dobbelstein is the head of the Division of Molecular Oncology in Göttingen
since 2005. He received his Dr. med. 1993 in Munich and spent several years as
postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University (USA) before he became group leader
in Marburg and took up his first position as a Professor for Molecular Oncology
2004 at the University of Southern Denmark.

His major research interest is the cellular response of cancer cells to DNA damage,
e. g. upon chemotherapy. This includes the activation of the “guardian of the
genome”, the tumor suppressor p53, and its homologues. These transcription
factors prevent uncontrolled cell proliferation and can drive cells into apoptosis.
They are themselves regulated by a complex network of modulators.

In his presentation, however, Matthias Dobbelstein will not focus on specific

research topics, but on general aspects and specific steps of an academic career
in the life sciences. Participants are encouraged to bring up questions on whether
and how they would like to pursue such a professional development at universities
and academic research institutions.

12 ScieTalk – Göttingen
 Dr. rer. nat. Kaomei Guan-Schmidt
Cardiology / Stem cell research

Short Portrait:
Dr. Kaomei Guan-Schmidt studied Biology and Cell Biology in Peking and came
to Germany in 1995. Her research group is part of the Heart Research Center
Göttingen and the main focus of her research is the generation of pluripotent
stem cells (which can differentiate into all types of body cells) from somatic
(“normal”, finally differentiated) cells. These re-programmed stem cells could be
used in the future for stem cell-based therapies in cell death related diseases like
myocardial infarction. For this scientific purpose, her group established several
cell culture and animal models and she is one of the few German scientists who
are allowed to import human embryonic stem cells.

In 2006 Dr. Guan-Schmidt´s Nature publication “Pluripotency of spermatogonial

stem cells from adult mouse testis” attracted the attention of scientist all over
the world and she was honored with science awards for outstanding research.

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 13
 Dr. Silvio O. Rizzoli
STED Microscopy of Synaptic Function

Short Portrait:
Silvio Rizzoli obtained his PhD degree in the lab of William Betz at the Department
of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Colorado (USA). He came to
Göttingen in 2004 and worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Reinhard Jahn at the
Neurobiology Department of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry.
In 2007 he became group leader at the European Neuroscience Institute (ENI)
in Göttingen and his group “STED Microscopy of Synaptic Function” is part of the
Cluster of Excellence “Microscopy at the Nanometer Range”.

Dr. Rizzoli`s research is focused on the investigation of synaptic vesicle function,

especially synaptic vesicle recycling. For this purpose, his group takes advantage
of the increased imaging resolution provided by stimulated emission depletion
(STED) microscopy. He published numerous high impact papers in the field of
synaptic vesicles.

14 ScieTalk – Göttingen
Let’s talk...

...about Life Sciences!

Cutting-Edge Technologies in Molecular Life Sciences

Wissenschaftskongress
Von Studenten. Für Studenten.
Präsentiere Deine Forschung und gewinne tolle Preise!
Bewirb Dich jetzt unter www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de
Abstract Submission Deadline: 31. Juli

ScieTalk NRW 2011

23. November 2011
Schloß Münster
10.00 - 17.00 Uhr ScieTalk
www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de
www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 15
Zielgruppe mit Zukunft
STUDENTEN UND DOKTORANDEN
Die Studenten und Doktoranden von heute sind die wissenschaft-
lichen Fach- und Führungskräfte von morgen – das wichtigste Kapital
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16 ScieTalk – Göttingen
 Abstracts

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 17
 Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in vivo

Annette Denker, adenker@gwdg.de

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Abstract:
It has been assumed for decades that neurotransmitter release constitutes
the function of all synaptic vesicles. Strikingly however, although presynaptic
terminals can contain up to hundreds of thousands of vesicles, the majority fail
to release in vitro even under stimulation conditions well above the physiological
range. Vesicle use in vivo may therefore be rather limited.

To investigate this issue, a fluorescent marker was injected into living animals.
Upon injection, the animals were allowed to behave freely for a defined amount
of time. During this time, synaptic activity was monitored by dye uptake
into recycling synaptic vesicles. This was followed by dissection, fixation and
investigation by high-resolution microscopy to determine the number of vesicles
used in vivo. The preparations employed spanned nine species (e.g., insects,
nematodes, fish, amphibians, birds and mammals).

For all organisms and conditions tested, only a minority (~1-5%) of the vesicles
were recycled even over several hours. We therefore conclude that the majority
of vesicles might not function in neurotransmitter release in vivo.

18 ScieTalk – Göttingen
 A Genome-wide Screen for Modifiers of
Polyglutamine-induced Neurotoxicity in
Drosophila Melanogaster
Hannes Voßfeldt, hvossfeldt@ukaachen.de
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen/Universitätsklinikum Aachen

Abstract:
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) or Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) belongs
to the group of polyglutamine (polyQ) neurodegenerative diseases and is the
most prevalent autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia worldwide. A highly
variable polyglutamine tract is thought to confer toxicity upon the otherwise
unrelated proteins causing polyQ diseases. Apart from the glutamine extension,
the physiological function and cellular context of these proteins and their
interaction partners appear to be crucial for the specific pathogenesis and
course of the disorders. In order to elucidate the molecular disease mechanisms
triggered by trinucleotide repeats, we intended to identify genetic interactors
enhancing or suppressing polyQ toxicity. Therefore, we targeted expression of a
human Ataxin-3-derived polyQ transgene to the Drosophila compound eye. The
resulting photoreceptor degeneration induced a rough eye phenotype (REP) in
adult flies. Eye-specific silencing of specific genes (all fly genes with a human
homolog, ca. 8,000 genes) by RNAi was utilized to identify genetic interactors of
the REP. Changes in the observed REP are likely to originate from the knockdown
of the RNAi target. Thus, silenced candidate genes are capable of modifying
polyQ-induced neurotoxicity. The gene products we discovered in this manner
represent various biological pathways and molecular functions. We conducted
secondary investigations with this set of candidate genes to gain more insight
into the mode and quality of the interactions. Our results are likely to shed
further light on the molecular pathogenesis of Machado-Joseph disease and the
role of Ataxin-3 and its modulator proteins in this process.

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 19
 Isolation of Internalizing Anti-leukemic
scFv-Antibodies from Naive Phage Display
Libraries for Targeted Immunotherapy
Jenny Fitting, fitting@hia.rwth-aachen.de
RWTH, Aachen

Abstract:
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood
cells and is characterized by an uncontrolled overproduction of non-functional
blast cells in the peripheral blood. Standard chemotherapeutic treatment still
results in a therapy-associated mortality of more than 20% and a five-year
survival rate that ranges from 15% for the elderly to 50% for younger patients.
In addition, this treatment poorly discriminates between malignant and healthy
cells resulting in severe off-target effects. Thus, the need for specific therapies
that target the tumor cells through the recognition of tumor-specific surface
antigens is evidently given. Using the Phage Display Technology, we have gene-
rated a panel of highly-specific antibody fragments (scFv) to a human AML-de-
rived cell line without any cross reactivity to healthy blood cells. The identified
AML-binders were characterized in their binding affinity and tumor cell inter-
nalization behavior, providing the basis for antibody-based fusion proteins for
target-oriented leukemia therapy.

20 ScieTalk – Göttingen
 Identification and Further Characterization
of Pro-invasive Microparticles in
Macrophage-induced Breast Cancer Invasion

Kerstin Menck, kerstinmenck@gmx.de

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Abstract:
Solid human tumors are composed of neoplastic epithelial cells as well as the
surrounding tumor stroma. One of the stroma components are tumor-associ-
ated macrophages, which are known to play a role in tumor progression. We
could already show that the co-culture of human macrophages with the breast
cancer cell line MCF-7 increases tumor cell invasion. However, the molecular
mechanism behind this pro-invasive crosstalk could not be revealed so far.
Hence, recent research activities have focused on the possible role of plasma-
membrane derived microparticles (MP) for the intercellular communication.

Electron microscopy revealed that MCF-7 cells release intact MP (T-MP) into
the cell culture supernatant under basal conditions. It could be demonstrated
that T-MP were able to increase tumor cell invasion whereas stimulation with
platelet-derived MP (P-MP) did not show any effect. By fluorescent labeling, an
uptake of T-MP, but not P-MP, by the tumor cells could be visualized. Studies of
the T-MP uptake kinetic into human macrophages revealed an incorporation of
T-MP within the first hours after stimulation.

In order to identify possible candidate proteins which mediate their pro-inva-

sive phenotype, T-MP were characterized by Western Blot indicating an enrich-
ment of the glycoprotein EMMPRIN on T-MP. The results show that MP are a
part of both arms of the tumor cell-macrophage loop and mediate tumor cell
invasion. The pro-invasive phenotype of T-MP seems to be associated with the
enrichment of pro-invasive factors such as EMMPRIN as well as with a specific
recognition and uptake by their target cells.

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 21
 Antibody Based Cancer Therapy –
Inducing Suicide Program Selective in
Cancer Cells
Franziska Hartung, hartung@em.mpg.de
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Abstract:
Antibody-based cancer therapy uses the high specificity of antibodies to selec-
tively destroy cancer cells. Therefore, a chief factor for an efficient antibody-
based cancer therapy is the targeted antigen. The potassium channel KV10.1
(ether-á-go-go) seems to be a promising target. Outside of the CNS the chan-
nel is not detected in normal tissues, but more than 75 % of tumor cells from
different origins have been tested positive for KV10.1 expression. As a surface
protein KV10.1 can be easily targeted by blocking agents or specific antibodies.

We designed a single-chain antibody (scFv) which binds to the pore region

of KV10.1. ScFv antibodies offer several advantages in comparison to whole
antibodies, like better tissue penetration or easier production. We generated a
fusion construct consisting of KV10.1-specific scFv antibody and tumor necrosis
factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL). TRAIL is as part of the immu-
ne system and is involved in the elimination of transformed cells, e.g. cancer
cells. Binding of TRAIL to its death receptors induces the apoptotic signaling
cascade. The antibody-TRAIL fusion allows as tumor-specific targeting and se-
lective apoptosis induction in cancer cells.

KV10.1-specific scFv62-TRAIL fusion protein was expressed in CHO-K1 cells and

analyzed on cancer cells. After sensitization with cytotoxic drugs, scFv62-TRAIL
induced apoptosis only in KV10.1-positive prostate cancer cells, but not in non-
tumor cells nor in tumor cells lacking KV10.1 expression. In co-cultures scFv62-
TRAIL fusion protein also induced apoptosis in bystander KV10.1-negative cancer
cells in a paracrine manner, while normal prostate epithelia cells were not affected.

In summary, KV10.1 represents a novel therapeutic target for cancer. We could

design a strategy that selectively kills tumor cells based on a KV10.1-specific
antibody.

22 ScieTalk – Göttingen
 Molecular Predictors for the Response to
Nilotinib Treatment After Acquired Imatinib
Failure in Ph+ Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Mridul Agrawal, mridulagrawal@web.de

Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg

Abstract:
A switch to the 2nd generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) nilotinib has been
proven to be effective in case of resistance or intolerance to imatinib for the
majority of patients with Ph+ chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase
(CP). Besides mutations in the BCR-ABL kinase domain and various BCR-ABL-
independent mechanisms, TKI efficacy is dependent on intracellular drug levels,
which is influenced by the efflux transporter protein MDR1.

In order to allow risk stratification and prediction of treatment outcome, we

sought to elucidate molecular markers, e.g. MDR1 gene expression, BCR-ABL
transcript burden, BCR-ABL mutation status and common SNPs in the MDR1
gene regarding their potency to predict therapy-related endpoints, such as MMR,
complete cytogenetic response (CCyR), and progression-free survival (PFS) du-
ring second line therapy with nilotinib in imatinib-resistant CML-CP patients.

Imatinib resistant patients in chronic phase CML treated with nilotinib (n=83)
were investigated in a phase II study. BCR-ABL mutations were detected by D-
HPLC and direct sequencing. MDR1 and BCR-ABL mRNA expression levels were
determined by qRT-PCR using LightCycler™ technology, normalized against
beta-glucuronidase (GUS) expression and standardized according to the inter-
national scale (IS). MDR1 SNPs were analysed by direct sequencing. Log-rank
tests were performed to compare the time to MMR, CCyR, and PFS.

Our data reveal that high pre-treatment expression levels of MDR1 serve as a
favourable predictor for MMR, CCyR and PFS of imatinib resistant chronic phase
CML patients within the first two years of treatment with nilotinib. Further,
MDR1 SNPs at positions 1236 and 2677 were significantly associated with high-
er gene expression. These findings might allow prediction of treatment out-
come and therefore further tailor the individualized second line therapy in CML.

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 23
 Monoclonal Antibody Fusion-Proteins for
Diagnosis and Treatment of
Mesangioproliferative Glomerulonephritis
Pamela Bogner, bogner@hia.rwth-aachen.de
RWTH Aachen

Abstract:
Glomerulonephritis (GN) describes the most important group of chronic
inflammatory renal diseases, accounting for nearly 27 percent of all cases of
end-stage kidney failure. Mesangioproliferative GN, a chronic, slowly progressive
form of GN, is characterized by increased mesangial proliferation and/or matrix
accumulation in the glomeruli due to antibody-dependent activation of the
classical complement pathway. Because there is currently no specific therapy
available, further research into the immunopathology of mesangioproliferative
GN is absolutely desirable. A stable mouse model, corresponding to the well-
established anti-Thy 1.1 nephritis rat model could open up a large field of
therapeutic options in transgenic mouse models.

Using the Phage Display technology we generated a set of highly-specific single-

chain (scFv)-antibodies directed against murine mesangial cells and used
them as fusion partner for construction of scFv-Fc-fusion proteins. Detailed
characterization and cross-reactivity controls with other co-located cell types
underline the functionality of our antibodies as the first in vitro murine mesangial
cell markers. The in vivo application of the fusion proteins will provide detailed
insight into new therapeutic approaches against GN.

24 ScieTalk – Göttingen
 Poster

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 25
 Markus Döring

Tel. 0551/49702 - 517

Mobil 0151 / 145 348 61
markus.doering@tk.de

26 ScieTalk – Göttingen
 The Kinase MK2 in the DNA Damage
Response of Leukemic Cells to
Ara-C-treatment

Veena Jagannathan, veenaanjana@gmail.com

IMPRS, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Poster:
Nucleoside analogs represent one of the most commonly used class of chemo-
therapeutic agents for the treatment of various kinds of cancers. Ara-C is one
such example of a nucleoside analog, widely used for the treatment of acute
leukemia. After its incorporation in the DNA, Ara-C causes stalled replication
forks and activates the S-phase cell cycle checkpoint. However, little is known
about the role of different mediators involved in this checkpoint activated by
Ara-C. In a siRNA screen performed by our lab to identify kinases involved in
the UV induced damage response, MK2 came up as one of the strongest candi-
dates. Here we investigated the role of this kinase in the response of leukemic
cells to Ara-C treatment. Time course experiments performed indicate a criti-
cal role of this kinase in the later stages of the checkpoint activated by Ara-C.
Further studies performed with Ara-C and MK2 inhibition suggest that MK2
might regulate the activity of the checkpoint kinases Chk1 and Chk2. While
MK2 seems to positively regulate the activity of Chk2 and increase the levels of
its phosphorylated form, the opposite is observed for Chk1. In addition to this,
MK2 is also involved in controlling the cellular survival in response to the DNA
damage by Ara-C. Furthermore, results from similar inhibition experiments also
show that MK2 might mediate its actions by phosphorylating and thus inacti-
vating the Cdc25 phosphatases and cyclin- dependent kinases, thereby regu-
lating the cell-cycle progression. Based on our findings, we propose a model in
which MK2 activity connects apoptosis in response to Ara-C, via three possible
mechanisms: (a) inactivation of Cdc25 phosphatases and hence collapse of
replication forks due to enhanced incorporation of Ara-C; (b) activation of Chk2
and initiation of apoptotic pathways; and (c) inactivation of Chk1 and inhibition
of DNA repair pathways.

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 27
 Influence of Osmolality and Sodium/
Potassium Ratio on Morphology and
Productivity of Aspergillus Niger

Judith Mönch-Tegeder, judith.moench-tegeder@tu-braunschweig.de

Technische-Universität Braunschweig

Poster:
Aspergillus niger is an important organism for the biotechnological production
of organic acids and enzymes. One of the most startling and often uncont-
rollable characteristics of this filamentous organism is its complex morphology,
ranging from dense spherical pellets to viscous mycelia depending on culture
conditions.

It was reported for different organisms that elevated concentrations of salt can
induce several physiological responses like an altered morphology and enhanced
productivity. To investigate the effect of the Na+/K+ ratio on A. niger morphology
and productivity several experiments in shaking-flasks and 2L-bioreactors were
conducted. The shaking flask experiments indicated an enhanced productivity
for the model product β-fructofuranosidase at surplus of Na+-Ions. An optimum
for the osmolality and the sodium-potassium-ratio was determined. The results
of these experiments were validated by 2L-bioreactor-cultivations.

The morphology of A. niger was examined by microscope and an automated

image analytic methods using the open source software Image.

28 ScieTalk – Göttingen
 Reconstitution of Both Steps of
S. Cerevisiae Splicing with Purified
Components

Zbigniew Warkocki, zwarkoc@gwdg.de

Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie

Poster:
The spliceosome is a protein-rich ribonucleoprotein (RNP) machine that
catalyses intron removal from pre-mRNA in a two step reaction. To investigate
the catalytic steps of splicing, we established, for the first time, an in vitro
splicing complementation system using purified yeast spliceosomal components
of defined composition. Spliceosomes were stalled prior to step 1 using extract
from a temperature-sensitive mutant of Prp2, an essential DEAH box helicase
which acts prior to step 1 of splicing.

The composition of the prp2Δ spliceosome was defined by mass spectrometry and
RNA analyses and the complexes shown to catalyze both steps of splicing when
supplemented with native and/or recombinant proteins. Efficient catalysis of step
1 required purified recombinant Prp2, Spp2 and Cwc25 proteins, demonstrating
a previously unknown role for the latter in promoting step 1 of splicing. Our
data demonstrate that Prp2 facilitates catalytic activation of the spliceosome
by inducing rearrangements, including destabilization of SF3a/b proteins, that
likely expose the branchsite sequence prior to step 1. Our new approach paves
the way for future ultrastructural and biophysical studies to dissect spliceosome
activation and catalysis.

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 29
 The Same Synaptic Vesicles Drive Active
and Spontaneous Release

Benjamin Wilhelm, bwilhel@gwdg.de

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Poster:
Synaptic vesicles fuse with the neuronal plasma membrane to release their
neurotransmitter contents both upon the arrival of action potentials (active
release) and at rest (spontaneous release). It has been assumed for almost six
decades that identical vesicles exocytose in both cases. This assumption has been
used to generate the quantal (vesicular) release theory. However, several recent
studies report to find evidence for a seperate pool maintaining spontaneous
release. We tested here this controversial issue by combining several fluorescence
imaging assays (FM dye imaging, antibody labeling of synaptotagmin via both
conventional and super-resolution microscopy and pHluorin imaging) and we
suggest that the same vesicles participate in active and spontaneous release.

30 ScieTalk – Göttingen
Map of the area

Universitätsklinikum Göttingen
Von-Siebold-Str. 5
37075 Göttingen

ScieTalk Göttingen
Hörsaal der Psychiatrie

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 31
Sponsors

Fachgruppe
Molekulare
Medizin

Media Partners

32 ScieTalk – Göttingen
 Imprint

Biotechnologische Studenteninitiative e.V.

Organizer:
Biotechnologische Studenteninitiative e.V.
c/o BIOCOM Projektmanagement GmbH
Brunnenstr. 128
13355 Berlin
Telefon: 030/26492121
Vereinsregisternummer: VR12830 (Amtsgericht Köln)
www.btS-eV.de

Project Management/V.i.S.d.P.: Finances:

Bastian Behrens Christopher Nötzel
Bastian.Behrens@btS-eV.de Christopher.Noetzel@btS-eV.de

Federal Board: Graphic & Layout:

Hans Kleine-Brüggeney it’s FR!TZ / Heiko Fritz
Hans.Kleine-Brueggeney@btS-eV.de its_fritz@t-online.de

Marketing: Homepage:
Milena Schöneke Anna Cicholas
Milena.Schoenke@btS-eV.de Anna.Cicholas@btS-eV.de

Scientific Coordination:
Christian Veltkamp
Christian.Veltkamp@btS-eV.de

Disclaimer/Haftungshinweis:
Die Biotechnologische Studenteninitiative e.V. übernimmt weder Haftung noch Garantie
dafür, dass die in diesem Programmheft bereitgestellten Informationen vollständig, richtig
und in jedem Fall aktuell sind. Dies gilt insbesondere für alle Abstracts, die von den
Teilnehmern des ScieTalk 2011 eingereicht wurden. Für die wissenschaftliche Richtigkeit
und rechtlichen Konsequenzen sind ausschließlich die namentlich genannten Verfasser der
Abstracts verantwortlich. Nachdruck, auch auszugsweise, ist nur nach Zustimmung der
Redaktion und unter Quellenangabe frei.

www.ScieTalk.btS-eV.de 33
Notes

34 ScieTalk – Göttingen
43
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