Skip to main content
News Preiffer 06.2020
Prof. Dr. Alexander Pfeifer (left) and Dr. Thorsten Gnad (right) from the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University Hospital Bonn.
© Katharina Wislsperger/UKBonn

News categories: Publication

Receptor makes mice strong and slim

Study by the University of Bonn identifies molecule that regulates two side effects of aging

Increasing abdominal girth and shrinking muscles are two common side effects of aging. Researchers at the University of Bonn from the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation have discovered a receptor in mice that regulates both effects. Experiments with human cell cultures suggest that the corresponding signaling pathways might also exist in humans. The study, which also involved researchers from Spain, Finland, Belgium, Denmark and the USA, has now been published in the renowned journal "Cell Metabolism".

Publication

Thorsten Gnad, Gemma Navarro, Minna Lahesmaa, Laia Reverte-Salisa, Francesca Copperi, Arnau Cordomi, Jennifer Naumann, Aileen Hochhäuser, Saskia Haufs-Brusberg, Daniela Wenzel, Frank Suhr, Naja Zenius Jespersen, Camilla Scheele, Volodymyr Tsvilovskyy, Christian Brinkmann, Joern Rittweger, Christian Dani, Mathias Kranz, Winnie Deuther-Conrad, Holger K. Eltzschig, Tarja Niemi, Markku Taittonen, Peter Brust, Pirjo Nuutila, Leonardo Pardo, Bernd K. Fleischmann, Matthias Blüher, Rafael Franco, Wilhelm Bloch, Kirsi A. Virtanen, Alexander Pfeifer: Adenosine/A2B receptor signaling ameliorates the effects of ageing and counteracts obesity. Cell Metabolism, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2020.06.006

Related news

PM Immunity Nebeling

News categories: Publication

Study reveals dynamic interactions between brain tumors and immune cells

Glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults, is difficult to treat because this cancer can invade the surrounding brain tissue and spread far beyond the original tumor mass. Researchers from the DZNE, the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), and ImmunoSensation³ at the University of Bonn have observed this infiltration process in the living brain using high-tech microscopy. Their study is based on research in mice with a form of brain tumor that closely resembles human glioblastoma.
View entry
Nora Möhn

News categories: Publication

New Findings on Immunotherapy for a Rare Brain Infection

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare but very serious brain disease. It is caused by the reactivation of the widespread JC virus when the immune system is severely weakened. There is currently no targeted antiviral therapy available, which is why new treatment approaches are urgently needed. In recent years, so-called immune checkpoint inhibitors have been increasingly used; these “unlock” the immune system and reactivate the body’s own immune cells. The results were recently published in the journal JAMA Neurology.
View entry
Die künstlerische Abbildung zeigt Seeigel der Art Arbacia punctulata, die Spermien (weiße Wolke) und Eier (orangefarbene Wolke) ins Wasser abgeben. Von den Eiern freigesetzte Pheromone steuern die Synchronität des Laichens.

News categories: Publication

What Makes Sea Urchin and Salmon Sperm Swim

A recent study by the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences and the University of Bonn shows that pH plays a crucial role in sperm motility in sea urchins and salmon. A rise in pH activates the enzyme soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC), which produces the messenger molecule cAMP and thereby regulates sperm movement. This mechanism may be widespread in many marine invertebrates and fish. The findings have now been published in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
View entry

Back to the news overview