Research

Funding: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Panama, 18.000 EUR

Project Details:
The evolution of different forms of parental care is an important topic in behavioral ecology, and it involves complex suites of associated parental and offspring traits. For example, some parents provide nourishment or selection and protection of suitable nesting sites for offspring. Understanding how memory guides individuals to locate or return to a reproductive resource is one of the major challenges in studies of animal behavior. During parental care, poison frogs routinely transport their tadpoles from terrestrial clutches to suitable deposition sites, and some individuals return to supply their offspring with nutritive unfertilized eggs. Thus, these frogs rely on spatial memory to exploit resources important for successful reproduction. However, it is unknown how the spatial abilities are related to the parental care traits performed by an individual. The aim of this study is to investigate behavioral spatial strategies and their genetic basis in the strawberry poison-dart frog, Oophaga pumilio. To investigate the spatial strategies in the context of parental care we aim examining ability of females and males to find a goal in a plus maze under experimental conditions. Moreover, we will determine the possible genes involved in spatial learning through gene expression analysis (RNASeq) of the pallium, the brain region known to be involved in spatial learning. Since females perform most parental care duties involving navigation in large home ranges, we expect females to have better spatial abilities than males.

Cooperation Partners:

Dr. Roberto Ibañéz, Ph. D., Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Prof. Dr. Klaudia Witte, Universität Siegen

Project Details:
The aim of this study is to examine a possible association between the
concentration of IGFBP and IGF-1 in blood and follicular fluid and whether this is also reflected in differences in local gene expression in the immediate vicinity of the oocyte. The IGFBP pattern in blood and follicular fluid of the same animals will be measured by Western ligand blotting and the IGF-1 concentration by ELISA. The local gene expression of components of the IGF system in obtained granulosa cells will be detected by PCR. Thus, a possible transfer between the somatotropic axis and the local IGF-1 system will be investigated and visualized by in vivo experiments.

Results:

https://elib.tiho-hannover.de/receive/tiho_mods_00007881

Cooperation Partners:

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Funding: Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, 117.746 EUR

Project Details:
Limb and claw diseases belong to the most common production diseases and causes of culling. As a result they cause great economic damage as well as suffering to the cow. Alternative barn construction systems like compost bedded pack barns are discussed in literature as possibility to reduce lameness and promote animal welfare. As a subproject of the "IGG Project- Innovations for Healthy and Happy Cows", the aim of this study is to record claw health and lying behavior in German compost bedded pack barns to evaluate the influence of compost bedded pack barns as an alternative barn construction system on claw health and lying behavior.

Results:

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15091347

Cooperation Partners:

1. Forschungsinstitut für Nutztierbiologie (FBN) Dummerstorf

2. Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) Riems

3. Landwirtschaftliche Bildungszentrum (LBZ) Echem

4. Hochschule Neubrandenburg (HS NB)

5. Landesamt für Umwelt, Landwirtschaft und Geologie (LfULG)

Sachsen

6. Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (LfL) Grub

Funding: DFG, 310.150 EUR

Project Details:
The intermediate nuclei of the lateral lemniscus (INLL) is one of the three nuclei of the lateral lemniscus that process and relay auditory information between the cochlear nucleus, the superior olivary complex and the auditory midbrain. While the function of the other two lemniscal nuclei is at least partially understood the involvement of the INLL in sound processing is largely unknown. Moreover, the transmitter type of INLL neurons seem species specific, as rodents and bats are labelled for glutamatergic and glycinergic markers respectively. From animal models that hear well below and above 2 kHz, like humans, hardly any functional data from this auditory brainstem structure is available. The present anatomical and functional data of the INLL indicates that it might be involved in the integration of auditory information between different frequencies. Such a cross-frequency integration is key process for generating the neuronal representation of our auditory environment. To elucidate the filter functions and functional role of the INLL we propose to investigate the sound processing features of this auditory structure with in vivo single unit electrophysiology. Initially, we will record acoustically evoked responses elicited by a battery of sound stimulations ranging from pure tones to conspecific calls. This stimulation battery allows us to characterize the basic processing features of INLL neurons. In the next step, we will determine the temporal and frequency dependent integration characteristics of INLL neurons. Our preliminary in vivo single unit recordings highlight the temporal filter functions by analyzing modulation transfer functions of stimulated transposed tones. In agreement with existing data from bat, we find evidence for integration of sounds between different sound frequencies. Obtaining deeper insights into the filter functions and integration characteristics will allow us to postulate functional roles of the INLL in sound processing. Finally, we plan to perform whole-cell in vivo recordings to gain mechanistic insight how INLL neurons achieve their processing tasks. Thus, this application will illuminate the functional role of an auditory brainstem structure that is well connected but hardly understood and therefore the proposal will substantially add to our understanding of sound processing and how we generate our auditory world in our brain.

Funding: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), 48.000 EUR

Project Details:
Alphaviruses (family Togaviridae) are emerging and re-emerging small enveloped RNA viruses, which are transmitted from animal reservoirs to humans by mosquitoes and can cause debilitating joint pain or encephalitis. Depending on the reservoir species and the transmitting
mosquito vector they are found in different geographic regions. While Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and O’nyong’nyong virus (ONNV) were historically restricted to tropical and subtropical climates, Sindbis virus (SINV) and Ross River virus (RRV) are primarily found in Scandinavia and Australia, respectively. Adaptation of CHIKV to new mosquito vectors and global warming led to the occurrence of the virus in Europe, making it a potential public health problem in Germany and neighboring countries. An
introduction of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), which is circulating in the Americas and causing neurological symptoms in equids and humans, may also be possible in the future. No human vaccines or antiviral drugs against arthritogenic and neurotropic alphaviruses are on the market to date. This is reflected by a gap of knowledge of the molecular mechanism of the infection process and critical host factors involved in alphavirus infection and cross-species transmission.
Recently, our team found that the phosphatidylserine receptor T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 1 (TIM-1) is a CHIKV attachment factor. Another prominent group of phosphatidylserine receptors is the Tyro3, AXL, and MerTK (TAM) receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family comprising the three proteins Tyro3, AXL and MerTK. The physiological function of TIM and TAM receptors is to bind and internalize apoptotic
bodies, which expose phosphatidylserine on the outer membrane leaflet. We could show that TIM-1 but not AXL serves as host factor for CHIKV. Moreover, the TIM-1 phosphatidylserine binding domain termed metal ion ligand binding site (MILIBS) is critical for the host factor function of TIM-1 in the context of CHIKV infection. TIM-1 affects binding as well as internalization of CHIKV particles to human cells. Finally, TIM-1 also enhances CHIKV infection in keratinocytes, which are among the first target cells of the virus after mosquito bite.
We therefore hypothesize that alphaviruses including CHIKV will use phosphatidylserine receptors for cell attachment and entry in reservoir species such as non-human primates and in transmitting mosquito vectors. Moreover, we here aim to clarify if virus produced in insect cells also exposes phosphatidylserine and this aids in infection of human cells, i.e. in cross-species transmission. Lastly, we will elucidate, how
phosphatidylserine becomes exposed on the viral envelope.
Thereby the work will contribute to the understanding of the molecular composition of alphavirus particles, the function of alphavirus attachment factors and the role of apoptotic mimicry in cross-species transmission and consequently emergence of alphaviruses.

Funding: Verein der Förderer der Wildtierforschung e. V., 5.800 EUR

Project Details:
This dissertation project will first validate the non-invasive measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM) as a stress indicator in the common buzzard (Buteo buteo) living in permanent housing. Subsequently, stress levels as well as microbial metabolic fingerprint will be determined in captive buzzards during the rehabilitation process to investigate the relationship between anthropogenic stress and changes in microbial metabolic activity in captive birds of prey. In conclusion the rehabilitation procedures in captive birds of prey will be evaluated and recommendations to optimize animal welfare will be developed.

Cooperation Partners:

Chadi Touma, Abteilung Verhaltensbiologie, Universität Osnabrück

Project Details:
Equine asthma (EA) is the most important lung disease in adult horses. EA is characterised by airway hyperreactivity and chronic neutrophilic inflammation leading to irreversible lung damage
and breathing distress in disease progression. Research on EA endo- and phenotypes is lacking. The diagnosis of mild/moderate EA (mEA, formerly "inflammatory airway disease") and severe
EA (sEA, formerly "recurrent airway obstruction") is made by clinical history, symptoms and neutrophil granulocyte count in tracheobronchial (TBF) / bronchoalveolar (BALF) fluids. This
disregards disease heterogeneity that is present in EA cases, underlies examiner variances and does not provide determined therapy. The leading role of neutrophils in EA is still uncertain. We will investigate whether neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are part of the pathogenesis and whether valuable correlations to clinical symptoms and diagnosis finding can be made. Therefore, 24 horses are thoroughly examined and scored as to disease severity and phenotype. NET-formation from blood derived neutrophils will be investigated via NET-induction assay and quantified using immunofluorescence microscopy in diseased versus healthy horses. In addition,NETs in TBF, BALF and bronchial biopsies are investigated and quantification of NET- and inflammatory-markers will be performed.

Project Details:
Im Rahmen der Studien wird der Nachweis von Salmonellen im Rahmen des Mikrobioms untersucht, sowie der Einfluss externer und interner Faktoren auf die Ausscheidungsrate. Dabei wird auch der Einsatz von Phagen zur Beeinflussung der Salomonellenausscheidung geprüft.

Cooperation Partners:

RKI Wernigerode, Helmholtz-Institut Leipzig

Project Details:
The cat belongs to the most popular companion animal in Germany. Although cats have a long domestication history, our knowledge of their social and cognitive skills, their communication system as well as their social attachment to humans is limited. Several decades of research on dogs has shown a strong impact of domestication on their social behavior and cognitive skills, whereas our knowledge on the impact of domestication on cat behavior, especially towards humans, is in its infancy. It is generally believed that cats "domesticated themselves" by following their prey (rodents) into human settlements. It is assumed that especially the more bold cats lived closely together with humans, which benefited from their hunting abilities. This differs from the domestication of the dog, which was actively domesticated by humans. This different domestication history is likely to have an influence on social interactions between cats/dogs and humans. In this project, we aim to investigate human-directed communication in cats as well as social attachment between cats and their owners. We are interested in whether cats show a kind of "jealousy behavior" like dogs or if and how they compete for their owners. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of factors such as housing (indoor cats, outdoor cats), sex and hormonal status (neutered, not neutered) on social interactions between cats and between cats and humans.

Project Details:
Different types of glial cells are present in the nervous system. These cells perform many different functions. For example, microglial cells are involved in immune-responses and synapse formation, while oligodendrocytes are important for insulating axons supporting rapid, long-distance voltage signalling in neurons. During early and late postnatal development, the nervous system undergoes alterations in neuronal morphologies, connectivities and functions. From the various glial functions, it can be inferred that also their shape and function changes during this life span. The quantification of the developmental alterations in glial cells together with the knowledge about neuronal, developmental changes will therefore shed light on the functional interactions between neurons and glial cells. It is best to quantify the development of glial cells in a well-defined neuronal structure, because glial cell densities and orientation can be matched to a defined area and spatial axis. The superior olivary complex in the auditory system offers such a well-defined neuronal structure. Our project aims to determine the cell number of microglia and oligodendrocytes in distinct auditory nuclei during postnatal development. The microglial shape will be quantified and their spatial orientation determined. The number of oligodendrocyte-neuron connections will be analysed in a developmental manner. We will find out whether glial development is adapted to neuronal maturation in specific nuclei or follows an general time course.

Results:

Zacher AC, Hohaus K, Felmy F, Pätz-Warncke C.: Developmental profile of microglia distribution in nuclei of the superior olivary complex. J Comp Neurol. 2023 Oct 14. doi: 10.1002/cne.25547. Online ahead of print.