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The Centre for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience (CMBN) (Senter for molekylærbiologi og nevrovitenskap) is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence at the University of Oslo and Rikshospitalet, Oslo University Hospital. CMBN shall take on a leading role in elucidating the role of DNA repair and genome maintenance mechanisms in preventing neurological disease and brain ageing.

Recent news and upcoming events
Fredrik Lauritzen's trial lecture and PhD defense

Announced 25 April 2012

Fredrik Lauritzen will give his trial lecture with the title

The influence of physical activity on brain function. Metabolic and health-related aspects

on Thursday 26 April 2012 at 1030, in Auditorium A1.1001, Domus odontologica.

He will defend his PhD thesis with the title

Monocarboxylate transporters in temporal lobe epilepsy

on Thursday 26 April 2012 at 1330, in Auditorium A1.1001, Domus odontologica.

  Fredrik Lauritzen
CMBN guest lecture by Tore Eid
Announced 25 April 2012

CMBN is pleased to invite you to a guest lecture by Tore Eid, Director, Human Brain Microdialysis Program, Assistant Director, Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, Yale School of Medicine - New Haven Hospital, with the title:

Astrocytic Regulation of Glutamate Homeostasis in Epilepsy

on Friday 27 April 2012 at 12:00 in the Anatomy lunch room, Domus medica.

Tore Eid is a Guest Professor at the CMBN.

Welcome!

 

Tore Eid

Third Erling Seeberg Symposium on DNA Repair

Announced 23 April 2012

The Third Erling Seeberg Symposium on DNA Repair is held in Trondheim and Ørland on 19-24 June 2012.

Please visit the symposium website for more information.

Vacant position as PhD candidate in biochemistry

Announced 16 March 2012

A three-year position as PhD Candidate (SKO 1017) on project: "Mitochondrial Epigenetics & DNA damage" is available at Department of Medical Biochemistry, University in Oslo.

Application deadline: 1 May 2012

For details see the full announcement.

Fourth Genome Dynamics in Neuroscience meeting (GDN4)

Announced 15 February 2012

The Fourth Genome Dynamics in Neuroscience meeting (GDN4) is organized at Rica Holmenkollen Park Hotel, Oslo, Norway, 19-22 September 2012.

Please visit the GDN4 website for more information.

Publication in Nature Protocols on pull-down of the 6th base in genomic DNA
Announced 30 January 2012

Adam Robertson, John Arne Dahl and colleagues at CMBN have published a protocol for identification of the novel 6th DNA base in genomic DNA. The base, 5-hydroxymethylCytosine (5-hmC), was discovered over 30 years ago. At that time, the 5-hmC modification was suggested to be a rare and nonmutagenic DNA damage lesion and therefore was given little attention. In early 2009, 5-hmC was identified again; however, at that time the importance of 5-hmC in epigenetics was realized, as two independent groups began the initial characterization of the 5-hmC modification. Although the function of the 5-hmC modification remains unclear, it has become clear that identifying genomic regions that contain 5-hmC will help to elucidate the function of this base. The protocol described here is based on the procedure developed to isolate 5-hmC–containing DNA in two steps (i) glucosylation of 5-hmC and (ii) the subsequent pull-down of β-glu-5-hmC by JBP1-coated magnetic beads.

Robertson AB, Dahl JA, Ougland R, Klungland A (2012)
Pull-down of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine DNA using JBP1-coated magnetic beads
Nat Protoc, 7 (2), 340-50

Publication in Nature Communications on structure-based mutagenesis of an albumin binding site
Announced 9 January 2012

Scientists in CIR and CMBN published a paper in Nature Communication that reveals the intermolecular interactions of the FcRn-albumin complex.

Albumin is the most abundant protein in blood where it has a pivotal role as a transporter of fatty acids and drugs. Like IgG, albumin has long serum half-life, protected from degradation by pH-dependent recycling mediated by interaction with the neonatal Fc receptor, FcRn. Although the FcRn interaction with IgG is well characterized at the atomic level, its interaction with albumin is not. Here we present structure-based modelling of the FcRn–albumin complex, supported by binding analysis of site-specific mutants, providing mechanistic evidence for the presence of pH-sensitive ionic networks at the interaction interface. These networks involve conserved histidines in both FcRn and albumin domain III. Histidines also contribute to intramolecular interactions that stabilize the otherwise flexible loops at both the interacting surfaces. These results may guide the development of novel albumin variants with altered serum half-life as carriers of drugs.

Andersen JT, Dalhus B, Cameron J, Daba MB, Plumridge A, Evans L, Brennan SO, Gunnarsen KS, Bjørås M, Sleep D, Sandlie I (2012)
Structure-based mutagenesis reveals the albumin-binding site of the neonatal Fc receptor
Nat Commun, 3, 610
PubMed 22215085

Publication in Brain on an Angelman-like neurological disorder affecting children
Announced 9 January 2012

CMBN scientists have contributed to a translational study investigating Slc9a6 knockout mice. The project was lead by Prof. Petter Strømme, Department of Clinical Neurosciences for Children, Ullevål Hospital. Mutations in the corresponding human gene, the solute carrier family 9 isoform 6 on chromosome Xq26.3 encoding sodium–hydrogen exchanger 6, a protein mainly expressed in early and recycling endosomes are known to cause a complex and slowly progressive degenerative human neurological disease. The project is a collaboration between OUS and Steven U. Walkley, Rose F. Kennedy Centre, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.

Strømme P, Dobrenis K, Sillitoe RV, Gulinello M, Ali NF, Davidson C, Micsenyi MC, Stephney G, Ellevog L, Klungland A, Walkley SU (2011)
X-linked Angelman-like syndrome caused by Slc9a6 knockout in mice exhibits evidence of endosomal-lysosomal dysfunction
Brain, 134 (Pt 11), 3369-83
PubMed 21964919

Enzymmangel gir sykdom
Forskningsaktuelt, Det medisinske Fakultet, Universitetet i Oslo
5 January 2012

Mind gap
Announced 05 September 2011

mindgap

Utstillingen Mind gap handler om hjernen og hjerneforskning. Den åpnet 16. april, og skal stå på Teknisk museum ut 2012. Universitetet i Oslo er hovedsamarbeidspartneren, og utstillingen inngår som en hovedattraksjon i universitetets 200-årsjubileum.

Mind gap's forskere finnes her

Media coverage
Enzymmangel gir sykdom
Forskningsaktuelt, Institutt for klinisk medisin, Det medisinske fakultet, UiO
5 January 2012
Melkesyre beskytter hjernen
forskning.no
30 December 2011
  Melkesyre beskytter hjernen
Forsknings-aktuelt, Institutt for medisinske basalfag, Det medisinske fakultet, UiO
21 December 2011
  Et hjernekraftverk
A-magasinet
15 April 2011

More media coverage...

Latest publications

Ormel L, Stensrud MJ, Chaudhry FA, Gundersen V
A distinct set of synaptic-like microvesicles in atroglial cells contain VGLUT3
Glia (in press)
PubMed 22573606

Leergaard TB, Hilgetag CC, Sporns O (2012)
Mapping the connectome: multi-level analysis of brain connectivity
Front Neuroinform, 6, 14
PubMed 22557964

Bliksrud YT, Brodtkorb E, Backe PH, Woldseth B, Rootwelt H
Hereditary tyrosinaemia type I in Norway: Incidence and three novel small deletions in the fumarylacetoacetase gene
Scand J Clin Lab Invest (in press)
PubMed 22554029

Holmseth S, Dehnes Y, Huang YH, Follin-Arbelet VV, Grutle NJ, Mylonakou MN, Plachez C, Zhou Y, Furness DN, Bergles DE, Lehre KP, Danbolt NC (2012)
The Density of EAAC1 (EAAT3) Glutamate Transporters Expressed by Neurons in the Mammalian CNS
J Neurosci, 32 (17), 6000-13
PubMed 22539860

Lauritzen F, Heuser K, de Lanerolle NC, Lee TS, Spencer DD, Kim JH, Gjedde A, Eid T, Bergersen LH (2012)
Redistribution of monocarboxylate transporter 2 on the surface of astrocytes in the human epileptogenic hippocampus
Glia, 60 (7), 1172-81
PubMed 22535546

Meza TJ, Moen MN, Vågbø CB, Krokan HE, Klungland A, Grini PE, Falnes PO
The DNA dioxygenase ALKBH2 protects Arabidopsis thaliana against methylation damage
Nucleic Acids Res (in press)
PubMed 22532610

Folseraas T, Melum E, Rausch P, Juran BD, Ellinghaus E, Shiryaev A, Laerdahl JK, Ellinghaus D, Schramm C, Weismüller TJ, Gotthardt DN, Hov JR, Clausen OP, Weersma RK, Janse M, Boberg KM, Björnsson E, Marschall HU, Cleynen I, Rosenstiel P, Holm K, Teufel A, Rust C, Gieger C, Wichmann HE et al.
Extended analysis of a genome-wide association study in primary sclerosing cholangitis detects multiple novel risk loci
J Hepatol (in press)
PubMed 22521342

Søberg K, Larsen AC, Diskar M, Backe PH, Bjørås M, Jahnsen T, Laerdahl JK, Rognes T, Herberg FW, Skålhegg BS (2012)
Identification and Characterization of Novel Mutations in the Human Gene Encoding the Catalytic Subunit Calpha of Protein Kinase A (PKA)
PLoS One, 7 (4), e34838
PubMed 22514673

Schmeisser MJ, Baumann B, Johannsen S, Vindedal GF, Jensen V, Hvalby OC, Sprengel R, Seither J, Maqbool A, Magnutzki A, Lattke M, Oswald F, Boeckers TM, Wirth T (2012)
IκB Kinase/Nuclear Factor κB-Dependent Insulin-Like Growth Factor 2 (Igf2) Expression Regulates Synapse Formation and Spine Maturation via Igf2 Receptor Signaling
J Neurosci, 32 (16), 5688-703
PubMed 22514330

Hofmann B, Moldestad O (2012)
[In Process Citation]
Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen, 132 (7), 856-9
PubMed 22511107

Centre for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience (CMBN)
PO Box 1105 Blindern, NO-0317 Oslo, Norway. Tel: +47 22851528. Fax: +47 22851488