Short CV

Research topic

Drosophila oenocyte as a functional homolog of human hepatocyte. 

My topic highlight on the role of cyclic AMP as a second messenger in the oenocyte–lipid accumulation during starve condition, and its relation with metabolic diseases ,including diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

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Research topic

I am working on the development and establishment of a lung cancer model in Drosophila. The aim is to understand the molecular and genetic basis of tumor formation and progression. Overexpression of cancer-associated genes (e.g. EGFR, Ras, MAPK) in the tracheal epithelium can induce cancer-like phenotypes like epithelial meta- and hyperplasia. I am investigating this phenotypes by microscopic analysis for differences on a cellular level (quantification of epithelial thickness, cell and nucleus size and number, cell connections and cell shape…) and by other methods (IHC, qPCR) to investigate the tumor formation on a translational and transcriptional level.

Publications

2015  Uliczka K, Bossen J, Pfefferkorn R, Heine H, Roeder T. Etablierung eines Drosophila-Lungenkarzinom-Modells. Pneumologie. 2015;69-A7

Short CV

Research topics

Based on results of my phD thesis I am investiganting the epithelial immune response in the fruit flys intestine. Especially the interaction between the microbiome and the host is not fully understood yet. Beside the classical antimicrobial peptide response via NF-kB pathways (Toll & Imd), I am interested in the DUOX response mechanisms that not only effects invading pathogens but even also the own microbiome. I want to understand how the host-microbiome-homeostatis is staying in balance.

Furthermore I am working with the airway epithelium of Drosophila. I am investiganting different epithelial phenotypes in the fly that model lifestyle diseases like  Asthma, COPD & lung cancer and try to investigate the underlying cell signalling mechanism that may cause the typical disease-like phenotypes. One major aspect is to test the influence of human suceptibility genes in the fly model to further investigate targets for a better treatment of this diseases.

Publications

2016  Li Y, Hoffmann J, Li Y, Stephano F, Bruchhaus I, Fink C, Roeder T. Octopamine controls starvation resistance, life span and metabolic traits in Drosophila. Scientific Reports, accepted for publication

2016  Fink C, Hoffmann J, Knop M, Li Y, Isermann K, Roeder T. Intestinal FoxO signaling is required to survive oral infection in Drosophila. Mucosal Immunol. advance online publication

2016  Fink C, Roeder T. How well do surrogate hosts serve as model systems for understanding pathogenicity. Advances in Environmental   Microbiology, Ed. CJ Hurst.

2015  El-Kholy S, Stephano F, Li Y, Bhandari A, Fink C, Roeder T. Expression analysis of octopamine and tyramine receptors in Drosophila. Cell &   Tiss Res 361(3):669-684

2015  Oldefest M, Düsterhoft S, Desel C, Thysen S, Fink C, Rabe B, Lories R, Grötzinger J, Lorenzen I. Secreted Frizzled‐related Protein 3 (sFRP3)‐  mediated suppression of Interleukin‐6   receptor release by A disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) is abrogated in the   osteoarthritisassociated rare double variant of sFRP3. Biochem J 468(3):507-518.

2015  Li Y, Fink C, El-Kholy S, Roeder T. The octopamine receptor octß2R is essential for ovulation and fertilization in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Arch Insect   Biochemistry & Physiology 88:168-178.

2014  Fink C, Schukies S, von Frieling J, Roeder T. Molekulare Analyse aminerger Signalwege im ZNS der Taufliege. Biospektrum 06.2014: 636-639.

2014  Faisal MN, Hoffmann J, El-Kholy S, Kallsen K, Wagner C, Bruchhaus I, Fink C, Roeder T. Transcriptional regionalization of the fruit fly’s airway epithelium. PLoS one 9:   e102534.

2013  Fink C, Staubach F, Kuenzel S, Baines JF, Roeder T. Non-invasive analysis of microbiome dynamics in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.  Appl Environ Microbiol. 79:6984-6988.

2013  Hoffmann J, Romey R, Fink C, Yong, L, Roeder T . Overexpression of Sir2 in the adult fat body is sufficient to extend lifespan of male and f  emale   Drosophila. Aging 5: 315-327.

Short CV

Research topic

I am interested in effects of malnutrition and caloric restriction on epithelia-microbe interactions in the intestinal tract of Drosophila melanogaster. In detail, I will elucidate the contribution of epithelial cell-type specific alterations of candidate gene (NF-kB (Relish, Dorsal), Duox and Upd3) expression levels for maintaining intestinal immune homeostasis during malnutrition and caloric restriction. Furthermore, I try to answer the question if and how the identified signaling events in the epithelium and the changed microbiota shape inflammatory-like responses and carcinogenesis at the intestinal barrier. Additionally, I am interested  in the hormonal and aminergic regulation of the gut.

Publications

2014 Christine Fink, Stella Schukies, Jakob von Frieling, Thomas Roeder. Molekulare Analyse aminerger Signalwege im ZNS der Taufliege. BIOspektrum Volume 20, Issue 6: 636-639

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Research topic

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is an intracellular signaling pathway ,associated with various neurodegenerative disorders, cancer and diabetes . My project is using Drosophila as a model , to study the role of three stress sensors in different UPR branches.

Interests: trachea,intestine,fat body/UPR signaling pathway ,ER-stress

Immunohistochemistry/Real-time PCR/ RNA isolation/Body fat quantification/Hypoxia treatment assay/Smoke treatment assay

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Research topic

Adopting the evolutionary-conserved genes/mechanisms between vertebrates and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to develop a translational model of human diseases with special interest in dysbiosis-associated inflammation in the gut.

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Research topic

I am interested in detecting aquatic xenobiotica of natural or anthropogenic origin via GFP tagged endogenously expressed Multi Drug Resistance transporters (MDR) of marine flatworms. I propose to develop a system using engineered aquatic flatworms for the detection of unknown substance classes that are present at very low concentrations.

Publications

Ma Y, Zheng X, Cheng R et al, 2014. The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Octopus conispadiceus (Sasaki, 1917) (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) . Mitochondria DNA. 27:1-2（IF=1.701, 2014）

Zheng X, Ma Y, Cheng R, 2014. Application of mitochondrial DNA in phylogenetic analysis of Cephalopods：A Review. Journal of Fisheries of China. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1231.2015.59518

Cheng R, Zheng X, Ma Y et al, 2013. The complete mitochondrial genomes of two Octopods Cistopus chinensis and Cistopus taiwanicus：revealing the phylogenetic position of Cistopus genus in octopoda order. PloS One, 8(12): e84216. (IF=3.534 , 2014)

Wang Y, Li P, Lu Y, Dai C, Wang Y, Yang H, Ma Y, 2011. Toxicity effects of compound fertilizer on erythrocytes micronuclei and nuclear anomalies of Bufo  raddei tadpoles.Chinese journal of ecology.

Ma Y, Zheng X, Cheng R, 2014. The complete mitochondrial genomes of two Octopus Cyanea. (In prep)

Short CV

Research topic

I am generally interested in the evolution of organ systems and regulatory mechanisms in metabolic pathways to match with changing environmental conditions. I am further interested in animal phylogeny and systematics.

For my PhD I am working on the dopaminergic system of the fruit fly. The focus of my research lies on the physiological role of dopamine receptors and the effects of Rotenone exposure on dopaminergic cells and their cellular processes.

To answer my research questions I am analysing the flies‘ behavioural and activity patterns, metabolic parameters and gene expression. I started working on my PhD in 2014 on the topic dopaminergic system of the fruit fly. 

Publications

2014  Fink C, Schukies S, von Frieling J, Roeder T. Molekulare Analyse aminerger Signalwege im ZNS der Taufliege. Biospektrum 06.2014: 636-639.

Short CV

Research topic

I am investigating the effect of nutrition on the development of intestinal cancer. The model I use induces uncontrolled stem cell proliferation due to an activation of the RAS/RAF/MAPK pathway. Additionally, I am researching the effect of cancer on the flys gut microbiota and vice versa.

The methods I use most frequently are: fluorescence microscopy, survival assays, luciferase assays, sequencing, statistics

Publications

2015   Jansen G, Crummenerl L, Gilbert F, Mohr T, Pfefferkorn R, Thänert R, Rosenstiel P, Schulenburg H. Evolutionary Transition from Pathogenicity to Commensalism: Global Regulator Mutations Mediate Fitness Gains through Virulence Attenuation. Mol Biol Evol. 2015 Nov;32(11):2883-96

2015  Uliczka K, Bossen J, Pfefferkorn R, Heine H, Roeder T. Etablierung eines Drosophila-Lungenkarzinom-Modells. Pneumologie. 2015;69-A/

2012  Chrobak M, Förster S, Meisel S, Pfefferkorn R, Förster F, Clos J. Leishmania donovani HslV does not   interact stably with HslU proteins. Int J Parasitol. 2012 Apr;42(4):329-39

Short CV

Research topic

My research interest lies in the activation of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) dependent signalling pathways in Drosophila. To apply Drosophila to cigarette smoke I am using a vacuum based method. After smoke exposure, the trachea of the flies must be dissected to further investigate potential COPD dependent activation motifs.

My mainly used methods to study the trachea of different fly strains are qRT-PCR and light/fluorescence microscopy. Moreover I am investigating the potential impact of myokines on the lifespan of smoke exposed flies. Myokines are secreted by a contracting muscle and are supposed to enhance the lifespan of other cells and therefore lead to longevity of a whole organism.

Due to the increasing mortality rate of this disease, the development of potential approaches to prevent or to milden the burden of COPD may become more and more important.

Publications

2016 Hans-Joachim Müller and Daniel Ruben Prange. PCR - Polymerase Kettenreaktion. Spinger-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

2016 Foitzik A., Prange R., Böttcher K., Schreiner A. Opera Phenix High Conten Screening System Technical Performance: Speed. Perkin Elmer Technical Note

Short CV

Research topics

For my PhD thesis, I work on the role of transcription factor FoxO in tissue homeostasis in Drosophila Melanogaster. My research mainly focus on plasticity of terminal tracheal cells and role of dFoxO in remodelling tracheal cells in response to hypoxia and nutrition.

Main experiments / skills : microscopy, immunohistochemistry, PCR based techniques,  Next Generation Sequence Analysis

Publications

2011 Kannan NN, Raveendran  R, Hari Dass S, Manjunatha T, Sharma VK. Temperature can entrain egg laying rhythm of Drosophila but may not be a stronger zeitgeber than light. Journal of Insect Physiology

CV

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Research topic

Analysis of the transciptome of neuronal tissue, involved in hormonal regulation, particularly diuretic hormone 44 (Dh44)-expressing neurons in pars intercerebralis of the Drosophila brain. Furthermore, the establishment and comparison of cell type specific RNA isolation methods: TU-tagging and translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) in the Drosophila brain.

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Resarch interest

I am interested in the molecular mechansims involved in COPD development using Drosophila melanogaster as model organism.

Publications

Wassim, N. M., Soliman, B. A., Yamani, D. F., I.M.A Nabi (2011). Rapid assay to differentiate the two forms of Egyptian Aedes caspius (Diptera: culicidae) using Acetylcolinesterase gene.J.Basic.Appl.Zool.66: 12–17.    

Short CV

Research topic

My research interest lies in the mechanism of the development of asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). That utilizing of the newly generated tools, CRISPR/Cas9, to experimentally induce asthma or COPD-like phenotypes in the airway epithelia of the fly will make our research flies more similar to the human in the exxpression of disease genes, precluding the chances of original genes influencing the result.