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• Solute transporters in the thylakoid membrane. As compared to
transporters in other plant membrane systems, the field of thylakoid transporters is largely unexplored. Our in silico analyses
have indicated the existence of approx. fifteen solute transporters
in the Arabidopsis thylakoid membrane. Main goal of this project
is to study the location, function and physiological role in thylakoid biogenesis and turnover of three types of solute transporters
from Arabidopsis: (i) the ATP/ADP carrier, (ii) two phosphate
transporters, and (iii) one K+-channel using the strategy illustrated in Fig. 3.
The Photosynthesis group has identified and characterized the first chloroplast member of ATP/ADP carrier family in
the Arabidopsis thylakoid membrane, and proposed to be involved in
the biogenesis and turnover of photosynthetic complexes. Important
progress has been made in elucidating the role of GTP binding to
the PsbO subunit of PSII complex, as well as in understanding the
functional differences between the two PsbO isoforms in Arabidopsis. These results have been published in 3 original research articles
(J. Biol. Chem., Plant J. and Biochim Biophys Acta). The LTP group
has identified and characterized the first plant GLTP. Significant
progress has been made in finding the biological function for plant
SCP-2.
• Research grants to Cornelia Spetea Wiklund (as principle investigator) from VR and FORMAS
• Senior research position from VR to Cornelia Spetea Wiklund.
Division of Zoology
Head of division: Assoc. prof. Jordi Altimiras
STAFF.
• Professors:
Mats Amundin (adjunct professor)
Per Jensen
Sverre Sjölander
Matthias Laska
• Associate professor:
Jordi Altimiras
3. Highlights.
• Assistant professors:
Lars Höglund
Thomas Östholm
• Junior lecturer:
Eva Mattson
• Guest lecturer:
Christer Blomqvist
• Post doc:
Richard Kirkden
4. Cooperation.
Biology
Fig. 3. Strategy in functional characterization of putative thylakoid solute transporters.
The research in the group headed by Johan Edqvist (Lipid Transfer
Protein (LTP) group), is focused on function, structure and evolution
of three classes of lipid transporting proteins, the non-specific lipid
transfer protein (ns-LTP), sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP-2) and glycolipid transfer protein (GLTP). The LTP-group is engaged in a systematic classification of evolutionary relationships and gene expression
patterns among the members of the large plant specific ns-LTP gene
family in order to identify the function of the enigmatic, extracellular ns-LTPs. SCP-2 is an intracellular, small, basic protein domain
that in vitro enhances the transfer of lipids between membranes. It
is expressed in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. The LTP-group
has recently published the first evidence hat plants express SCP-2.
A functional analysis suggests a role for SCP-2 in fatty acid degradation. GLTP is a ubiquitous, basic (pI 9), soluble protein of 23-24
kDa that enhances the in vitro transfer of glycosphingolipids (GSLs)
between membranes. GLTPs are specific for GSLs with sugar residues attached via β-linkages to the lipid hydrocarbon backbone, such
as glucosylceramide and galactosylceramide. We have started the
characterization of A. thaliana AtGLTP1, which is the first identi-
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2007
es. The main areas of research is feeding and learning in relation to
adaptation capacity, and social behaviour in the same perspective,
using the fowl as a model species. Here, the behaviour of the red
junglefowl (ancestor of all domestic chickens) and a selected White
Leghorn strain is compared. Using molecular genetics technology,
genomic regions of importance for the behavioural differences are
identified, and candidate genes are selected. By utilising genetic
crossing strategies, specific genetic strains can be created for further
studies of the gene effects.
Individual external collaborations:
• Cornelia Spetea Wiklund – Bengt L. Persson (Kalmar
­University), Benoit Schoefs (Université de Bourgogne, Dijon),
Eva-Mari Aro (Turku University), Iwona Adamska (Konstanz
University), David Kramer (Washington State University), and
Eric Beers (Virginia Tech).
• Johan Edqvist- Tiina Salminen (Åbo Akademi University), ­Peter
Mattjus (Åbo Akademi University), Tuomo Glumoff (Oulu
­University) Bing Song Zheng (Zhejiang Forestry University)
Matti Leino (Swedish Museum of Cultural History).
Collaborations within LIU:
• Cornelia Spetea Wiklund - Alexander Vener and Fredrik Elinder
(IKE Cellbiology), Bengt Persson (IFM Bioinformatics).
• Johan Edqvist- Maria Sunnerhagen (IFM Molecular
­Biotechnology)
The Photosynthesis group has participated
with three posters and one invited talk at the 14th International
Photosynthesis Congress (Glasgow, U.K.) and one poster at the VII
European Symposium of the Protein Society, Stockholm.
5. External activities.
6. Special events.
• Cornelia Spetea Wiklund was recruited in molecular genetics,
and moved together with her research group from Health University.
• PhD-students:
Annelie Andersson
Jennie Håkansson
Anna-Carin Karlsson
Christina Lindqvist
Isa Lindgren
Daniel Nätt
Anna Wirén
• Administrative staff:
Kerstin Johansson (Administrator)
Ingevald Abrahamsson (Engineer)
The research activities of the division
involve the study of fundamental and applied aspects of animal biology, animal physiology and animal behaviour with special emphasis
on birds and mammals. The division includes four research groups:
the Applied Ethology Group (ApE) led by professor Per Jensen, the
Sensory and Behavioral Physiology Group led by professor Matthias
Laska, the Animal Biology Group led by adjunct professor Mats
Amundin and the Cardiovascular Development Lab (CADE) led by
associate professor Jordi Altimiras.
Research in ethology studies the genetic basis of behavioural
changes due to domestication. Particular interest is paid to side-effects on behaviour and welfare of increased selection for production,
and to conservation aspects of captivity-induced behavioural chang-
RESEARCH AND PHD TRAINING.
Junglefowl chicks hatched in our facility are used for behavioural and physiological studies
Research in the Sensory and Behavioral Physiology Group focuses
on odor structure-activity relationships, that is, on determining the
properties of stimulus molecules that are critical for the interaction
with an olfactory receptor and thus for the odor quality they evoke. A
second research topic concerns correlations between chemosensory
performance and ecological niches. With both topics, a comparative
approach including human subjects and a variety of mammalian
animal models is employed.
Research in the Animal Biology Group focuses on the study of
communication in marine mammals. At Kolmårdens Djurpark,
adjunct professor Mats Amundin is exploring a new dolphin-human
interface, called ELVIS (Echolocation Visualization and Interface
System) in cooperation with the Electrical Measurement department
at Lund University. ELVIS uses a hydrophone matrix to measure the
pressure variations in the sonar beam click sounds of dolphins so it
can be configured as an acoustically operated “touch screen”. When
the dolphin aims its sonar beam at a symbol and increases the sonar
sound pressure above a set level, a reward signal is played and the
dolphin receives the fish chosen. A second area of work involves the
census of harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea using Porpoise Click
Loggers (PCL). A preliminary census was carried out between July
2006 and September 2007 in Southern Swedish waters in cooperation with the Swedish Board of Fisheries.
Research in the Cardiovascular Development Lab is concerned
with studying the genetic and physiological mechanisms of cardiac
growth and adrenergic regulation in a fast-growing chicken strain
prone to develop cardiac failure and hypertension. Because these
processes are altered by prenatal stress, the ultimate goal of the studies is to manipulate the cardiovascular phenotype and potentially
alleviate or delay the onset of dysfunction.
IF M Ac ti v it y R e p o r t
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Biology
Fig. 2. Working model of nucleotide transport and metabolism in the thylakoid membrane.
fied plant GLTP. Johan Edqvist is also involved in a research project
concerning the genetics of land race crops, seed bank propagation
and agricultural history, working with a 19th century seed collection
belonging to the Swedish Museum of Cultural History.
The group headed by Stefan Thor, are focused on studying the
embryonic development of the nervous system, using Drosophila
melanogaster as a model system. Neurons differ from each other
in many ways, including in the morphology of their axons and
dendrites and in the type of neurotransmitters they express. These
and other properties will together govern each neuron’s unique role
within the nervous system. We are addressing how a specific class
of Drosophila neurons, the apterous neurons (ap-neurons), is generated and specified during embryonic development. Although the
ap-neurons constitute a small subset of neurons, these neurons have
diverse morphologies, as well as diverse neuropeptide (FMRFa) and
transmitter-receptor (Dop-R) expression. Ongoing studies in the lab
are addressing how ap-neurons are generated and how these highly
specific combinatorial codes themselves are activated.
Matthias Laska was able to demonstrate that the olfactory sensitivity of some nonhuman primate species to putrefaction-associated
odorants is at least as high as that of species such as mice and rats
suggesting that the behavioral relevance of odorants rather than the
relative size of olfactory brain structures determines a species´ olfactory sensitivity (Journal of Experimental Biology 210: 4169).
Finally, Mats Amundin and colleagues from the University of Hawaii and the Russian Academy of Sciences reported in the Journal
of experimental Biology (210:1116) the first ever investigation of polar
bear hearing. Recordings of auditory evoked potential via small needle electrodes in the skin of the head showed a maximal sensitivity
between 11.2 and 22.5 kHz. Technical limitations prevented measurements at higher frequencies, so the upper hearing limit is yet to
be found.
PhD student Isa Lindgren spent 3 months studying the vascular
pharmacology of femoral and chorioallantoic arteries from chickens
incubated under chronic prenatal stress.
EXTERNAL ACTIVITIES. Members of the division have been heavily involved in external lecturing and committee advicing. The group has
been visible several times on national TV, radio and in several newspaper articles on various subjects relating to the research conducted.
Carolina Svärd studied diving metabolic rates of endangered Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus in Vancouver, Canada under the supervision of Dr.Andreas Fahlman
COOPERATION. The Applied Ethology Group is involved in a large
cooperative project with researchers from Uppsala University, SLU,
KTH and Karolinska institutet, aiming at studying different aspects
of the functional genomics of fowl. In total about 15 PhD-students,
5 postdocs and 6 principal investigators are involved. This is conducted within the framework of the so called Center for Functional
Genetics, where Per Jensen is vice chairman.
Prof.Mats Amundin and Joanna Stenback deploy Porpoise Click Loggers in the
Baltic Sea to estimate the population of harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena
The extensive research on chicken physiology and behaviour is
largely possible because of the excellent facilities for research in
domestic chickens inaugurated in 2006 (the chicken hatchery “Kruijt” on campus and the chicken house “Wood-Gush” at Vretagymnasiet).
Research funding for the division increased substantially in 2007 with support from VR and FORMAS, Carl Tryggers
Stiftelse för Vetenskaplig Forskning and Crafoordska Stiftelsen to
different research groups for new and continuing research projects.
In November, Per Jensen organized a new avenue of the BRAIN
seminars with the topic of Conservation Biology in focus. November
was also the time chosen by Jennie Håkansson to present her PhD
thesis entitled “Behavioural aspects of conservation breeding: Red
junglefowl (Gallus gallus) as a case study“. Elsbeth McPhee, from
Cornell University acted as opponent to the dissertation.
A few of the articles published by the Division in 2007 deserve to
be mentioned. A scientific article from the ApE group published in
PLoS ONE (PLoS ONE 10.1371/journal.pone.0000364) attracted a lot
of media attention. In collaboration with researchers from SLU and
KTH, Christina Lindqvist, Daniel Nätt and Per Jensen showed that
chickens raised under chronic stress developed impaired learning
abilities, which was associated with altered gene expression patterns
in the brain. In the offspring of the stressed domestic chickens, a
similar behaviour and gene expression difference was seen , showing that the acquired stress response in some sense was inherited.
The authors speculate that the effect could be important when populations adapt rapidly to stressful life conditions. Albin Gräns and
Jordi Altimiras demonstrated that chicken embryos respond to egg
cooling with increased body movements but not increased vocalizations (Physiology & Behaviour, 91:229). They speculate that such
information could be used by the incubating hen to increase heat
supply to the eggs. In collaboration with colleagues from Mexico,
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The first study of auditory sensitivity in polar bears was carried out in Kolmården
Animal Park by Prof.Mats Amundin and colleagues from the USA and Russia
The Division also hosted a few external master projects from the
International Master Program in Applied Biology. To name a few,
Caroline Svärd studied the diving physiology of Steller sea lions at
the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada under the
supervision of Dr.Andreas Fahlman. Paolo Di Giminiani studied
the behaviour and welfare of laboratory mice at the University of
Porto in Portugal under the supervision of Dr.Anna Olsson. Sofie
Sernekvist studied behaviour and human attachment of dogs at
Eötvös University in Hungary, under the supervision of Dr. Ádám
Miklósi and Dr. Márta Gácsi.
A spider monkey Ateles geoffroyi overlooks the team members of the chemosensory
performance stuy in 2007. From left to right: Oskar Persson, Prof.Matthias Laska,
Josefin Suorra, BSc Rosa M.Rivas Bautista and Dra.Laura T.Hernandez Salazar
The Sensory and Behavioral Physiology Group has a long-standing
collaboration with the Instituto de Neuro-Etologia of the Universidad
Veracruzana in Xalapa, Mexico. Josefin Suorra and Oskar Persson,
two students enrolled in the Master´s program “Applied Ethology”
performed the experimental part of their thesis work in Mexico and
collected data on chemosensory performance of spider monkeys.
Mats Amundin is collaborating with Sea World San Diego, the
USNavy, Lund Tekniska Högskola, the Swedish Board of Fisheries,
Aarhus university, Loughborough university, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and the Finish Ministry of Environment.
The CADE Lab is actively collaborating with Dr.Eduardo Villamor
from the Neonatology Unit at Maastricht University Hospital where
Biology
Biology
HIGHLIGHTS.
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