Université de Fribourg

Drosophila germ-line modulation of insulin signaling and lifespan

Flatt, Thomas ; Min, Kyung-Jin ; D'Alterio, Cecilia ; Villa-Cuesta, Eugenia ; Cumbers, John ; Lehmann, Ruth ; Jones, D. Leanne ; Tatar, Marc

In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2008, vol. 105, no. 17, p. 6368–6373

Ablation of germ-line precursor cells in Caenorhabditis elegans extends lifespan by activating DAF-16, a forkhead transcription factor (FOXO) repressed by insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling (IIS). Signals from the gonad might thus regulate whole-organism aging by modulating IIS. To date, the details of this systemic regulation of aging by the reproductive system are not...

Université de Fribourg

Functional body composition and related aspects in research on obesity and cachexia: report on the 12th Stock Conference held on 6 and 7 September 2013 in Hamburg, Germany

Müller, M. J. ; Baracos, V. ; Bosy-Westphal, A. ; Dulloo, Abdul G. ; Eckel, J. ; Fearon, K. C. H. ; Hall, K. D. ; Pietrobelli, A. ; Sørensen, T. I. A. ; Speakman, J. ; Trayhurn, P. ; Visser, M. ; Heymsfield, S. B.

In: Obesity Reviews, 2014, vol. 15, no. 8, p. 640–656

The 12th Stock Conference addressed body composition and related functions in two extreme situations, obesity and cancer cachexia. The concept of ‘functional body composition’ integrates body components into regulatory systems relating the mass of organs and tissues to corresponding in vivo functions and metabolic processes. This concept adds to an understanding of organ/tissue mass and...

Université de Fribourg

Cytosolic pH is a second messenger for glucose and regulates the PKA pathway through V-ATPase

Dechant, Reinhard ; Binda, Matteo ; Lee, Sung Sik ; Pelet, Serge ; Winderickx, Joris ; Peter, Matthias

In: Embo Journal, 2010, vol. 29, no. 15, p. 2515-2526

Glucose is the preferred carbon source for most cell types and a major determinant of cell growth. In yeast and certain mammalian cells, glucose activates the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA), but the mechanisms of PKA activation remain unknown. Here, we identify cytosolic pH as a second messenger for glucose that mediates activation of the PKA pathway in yeast. We find that cytosolic pH is...

Université de Fribourg

Orchestration of gene expression and physiology by the circadian clock

Albrecht, Urs

In: Journal of Physiology-Paris, 2006, vol. 100, no. 5-6, p. 243-251

In mammals, the master circadian clock that drives many biochemical, physiological and behavioral rhythms is located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus. Generation and maintenance of circadian rhythms rely on complex interlaced feedback loops based on transcriptional and posttranscriptional events involving clock genes and kinases. This clock serves the purpose to organize an...

Université de Fribourg

Life time—circadian clocks, mitochondria and metabolism

Langmesser, Sonja ; Albrecht, Urs

In: Chronobiology International, 2006, vol. 23, no. 1-2, p. 51–157

A functional circadian clock has long been considered a selective advantage. Accumulating evidence shows that the clock coordinates a variety of physiological processes in order to schedule them to the optimal time of day and thus to synchronize metabolism to changes in external conditions. In mitochondria, both metabolic and cellular defense mechanisms are carefully regulated. Abnormal clock...

Université de Fribourg

A guideline for analyzing circadian wheel-running behavior in rodents under different lighting conditions

Jud, Corinne ; Schmutz, Isabelle ; Hampp, Gabriele ; Oster, Henrik ; Albrecht, Urs

In: Biological Procedures Online, 2005, vol. 7, p. 101-116

Most behavioral experiments within circadian research are based on the analysis of locomotor activity. This paper introduces scientists to chronobiology by explaining the basic terminology used within the field. Furthermore, it aims to assist in designing, carrying out, and evaluating wheel-running experiments with rodents, particularly mice. Since light is an easily applicable stimulus that...