Researchers from the University Hospital of Bonn and the University of Bonn have succeeded in dramatically rejuvenating human cells in a test tube. To do so, they directly reprogrammed red blood cell precursors into stem cells from which neurons can be derived. During this process, the molecular clocks that indicate a cell’s age were reset. For example, blood cells from an 80-year-old were transformed into stem cells with a molecular age of less than 20 years. Since this rejuvenation process occurred very slowly, it is well-suited for a more detailed investigation of the underlying mechanisms. The results have been published in the journal Aging Cell.

Microplastics appear capable of significantly impairing the function of phagocytes in the liver, at least in mice. In turn, this disrupts the metabolism of this vital organ and increases the build-up of fat inside it. These are the key findings from a joint German-Austrian study led by the University of Bonn, details of which have now been published in the journal “Nature Metabolism.”

Eine Gruppe angeborener Immunzellen, die lymphoiden Zellen der Gruppe 2 (ILC2), sind im Fettgewebe für die Aufrechterhaltung eines stabilen Stoffwechsels unerlässlich. Adipositas beeinträchtigt die Anzahl und Funktion der ILC2-Zellen erheblich, was zum Fortschreiten stoffwechselbedingter Entzündungen führt. Wie ILC2-Zellen bei Adipositas gestört werden, ist bislang unbekannt. Forschende des Universitätsklinikums Bonn (UKB) und der Universität Bonn stellten nun bei Mäusen mit Adipositas fest, dass das Schrittmacher-Enzym der Fettsäurebiosynthese, die sogannnte Acetyl-CoA-Carboxylase 1 (ACC1), ein entscheidender Regulator für den Erhalt und die Funktion von ILC2-Immunzellen im Fettgewebe ist. Die Bonner Forschenden liefern so eine Erklärung für die nachteiligen Auswirkungen einer Hemmung der Acetyl-CoA-Carboxylase bei Adipositas. Ihre Ergebnisse sind jetzt im Fachjournal Cell Metabolism veröffentlicht. 

Neurons receive thousands of signals via tree-like extensions called dendrites. Until now, these dendrites were thought to be relatively smooth cables that conduct electrical signals to the cell body. An international research team led by the University Hospital of Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, and the DZNE has now determined that this picture is incomplete. Using various advanced microscopy techniques, it has identified tiny, previously overlooked constrictions along the dendrites. These newly discovered structures, which the researchers call dendritic shaft constrictions, are only a few hundred nanometers wide – about 500 to 1,000 times thinner than a human hair – and occur in various types of neurons in both mouse and human brains. The study results have now been published in the journal Science Advances.

We are delighted to announce that our new Sony ID7000 Spectral Analyzer has finally arrived and is now part of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility in Bonn. With this addition, the ID7000 becomes the third Sony ID7000 instrument in our facility, further expanding our analytical capacity and ensuring better instrument availability for our users.

Macrophages formed in the bone marrow can only assume the function of embryonal phagocytes, or “scavenger cells,” to a certain degree according to a study by the University of Bonn and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne. The researchers have demonstrated that malaria infection causes permanent damage to resident CD163 macrophages in the spleen, which are responsible for cleaning the blood, recycling iron and communicating with other cells involved in the body’s immune response. Their findings could harbor potential not only for more effective malaria vaccines but also for developing drugs and treatments to combat other infectious diseases. The paper is to be published in the journal “Immunity” but can already be accessed online.

A team from the University of Bonn and the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center (FZB) has discovered a previously unknown mechanism of action for a synthetic peptide that mitigates excessive inflammatory responses in allergic asthma. This mechanism specifically inhibits a key inflammatory switch in the immune system and opens up new avenues for treating chronic inflammatory diseases. The findings have now been published in the journal Advanced Science.

Interferon alpha is an inflammatory mediator that can cause Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease. This is revealed in a recent study carried out by the University Hospital Bonn together with the University of Bonn, the University of Edinburgh and Newcastle University. Their findings, which have been published in the journal “Lancet Rheumatology,” could make it easier in the medium term to develop drugs to fight this chronic condition.