G Berns

Publications (2)4.27 Total impact

• Article: Chlamydia pneumoniae, herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus in symptomatic and asymptomatic high-grade internal carotid artery stenosis. Does infection influence plaque stability?

  B T Müller, R Huber, B Henrich, O Adams, G Berns, M Siebler, S Jander, W Müller, R Loncar, E Godehardt, W Sandmann
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  ABSTRACT: Current debates are focused on inflammatory processes in atherosclerotic lesions as a possible pathomechanism for destabilization and thrombembolism. In this prospective study the role of systemic and local infection in patients with high-grade internal carotid artery stenosis (ICA) was evaluated. Serum antibody titers of 109 consecutive patients, who underwent surgery for ICA stenosis (asymptomatic n = 40, symptomatic n = 69) were prospectively measured for Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) (IgA and IgG), Herpes simplex virus (HSV) (IgG, IgM) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) (IgG, IgM) respectively. 53 carotis plaques of this group (asymptomatic n = 17, symptomatic n = 36) could be analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Cpn-, HSV- and CMV-DNA presence. Seropositivity was found in 61,5% for Cpn, 91,7% for HSV and 72,5% CMV respectively. No significant relation was found between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients as well as no difference was seen for presence of IgA antibodies against Cpn comparing both groups. Plaque-PCR revealed Cpn in 7 cases (13,2%), HSV in 2 cases (3,8%) and no CMV had been detected. Again, no significant relationship was found concerning symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. All 9 PCR-positive plaques displayed lesions of "complicated atherosclerosis" as central fibrous necrosis and calcification or plaque bleeding and surface thrombosis. Our results do not support the hypothesis that systemic Cpn, HSV or CMV- infection or evidence of Cpn-, HSV- or CMV-DNA in carotid plaques causes plaque destabilization and cerebral thromboembolism. Plaque infection could only be observed in cases with advanced atherosclerosis.
  VASA.: Zeitschrift für Gefässkrankheiten. Journal for vascular diseases 09/2005; 34(3):163-9. · 1.31 Impact Factor
• Article: Cloning and expression of P60, a conserved surface-localized protein of Mycoplasma hominis, in Escherichia coli.

  B Henrich, G Berns, M Weinhold, A Kitzerow, H Schaal, U Hadding
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  ABSTRACT: The clp60 gene encoding P60, a conserved lipoprotein of Mycoplasma hominis, was cloned and sequenced from both the type strain PG21 and the isolate FBG. Both open reading frames were identical in length, comprising 1746 nucleotides. The deduced amino acid sequences differed in 16 out of 582 amino acids. As expected, none of these divergences mapped within the epitope that was recognized by mAb CG4 in all of the 198 isolates of M. hominis analyzed so far. This conserved epitope was narrowed down to amino acids 454 through 464 within the C terminus of P60. For the expression of the recombinant homolog P60, P60rec, in E. coli the TGA codons of clp60 were substituted for TGG codons prior to cloning of clp60 into the expression plasmid pQE41. The expression of P60rec as a fusion protein with dihydrofolate reductase carrying an N-terminal His-tag enabled the purification of large amounts of P60rec in a soluble form.
  Biological Chemistry 379(8-9):1143-50. · 2.96 Impact Factor