During sperm production, an enormous amount of DNA has to be packed into a very small space without breaking anything. A central role is played by certain proteins around which the DNA thread is wrapped - the protamines. A recent study by the University of Bonn provides new insights into this important mechanism. The results have been published in the journal PLoS Genetics.

A study led by the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn has identified a molecule - the purine inosine - that boosts fat burning in brown adipocytes. The mechanism was discovered in mice, but probably exists in humans as well: If a transporter for inosine is less active, the mice remain significantly leaner despite a high-fat diet. The study, which also involved researchers from the University of Leipzig and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, has now been published in the journal Nature.
 

NeurotechEU, the European University of Brain and Technology, has invited its members to attend its semi-annual Board of Rectors meeting at Iuliu Hațieganu Medical and Pharmaceutical University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In May a delegation from the University of Bonn Rectorate attended this meeting of the top governance board of the consortium to which the former is a member, called to inaugurate the second project phase.

Redness, swelling, pain - these are signs of inflammation. It serves to protect the body from pathogens or foreign substances. Researchers from the Universities of Bonn and Cologne were able to show that inflammatory reactions of an important sensor protein proceed in a specific spatial direction. This finding has the potential to conceivably stop inflammation at the "growing end", and thus bring chronic inflammatory diseases to a halt. The study has now been published in the journal "Science Advances".

The Universitätsgesellschaft Bonn (UGB) presented its prestigious prizes for superlative doctoral theses and its Initiative Award for student involvement during its spring matinée. The ceremony returned to being held in person in the Arithmeum.

The brain has the ability to modify the contacts between neurons. Among other things, that is how it prevents brain activity from getting out of control. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn, together with a team from Australia, have identified a mechanism that plays an important role in this. In cultured cells, this mechanism alters the synaptic coupling of neurons and thus stimulus transmission and processing. If it is disrupted, diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia or autism may be the result. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports.

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 help to slow down unwanted inflammatory reactions that cause diseases such as arthritis or neurodegeneration. The study is published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

It is well known: Healthy food promotes healing. Nevertheless, many hospitals pay little attention to nutrition. A nationwide unique teaching project at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) now aims to bring together medical students in their internship year (PJler) and nutritionists in their master's studies. The goal of the interprofessional training series, which started on April 13: Healthy food - as well as the prescribed medication - is an important therapy factor. Furthermore, nutritional medicine is to become an interprofessional subject at the UKB.