B E E g r o u p

Personal data

Date of birth:  6. Mai 1943
Place of birth: Forst/Lausitz
Nationality:     German

Curriculum vitae

1954-1963  Lessing-Gymnasium Uelzen
1963-1969  Study of Biology at the “Free University” of Berlin
1970-1973  Graduate training at the University of Freiburg (Dr.rer.nat.)
                    “Genetics and gene expression of bacteriophages T3 and T7” Advisor: Prof. R. Hausmann
1974-1976  Research biochemist, Dept. of Biochem. and Biophys., UC Davis, USA
                    “Resistance response to viruses in plants” Advisor: Prof. George Bruening
1976-1980  Assistant professor, Dept. of Biology, University of Stuttgart
                    “Expression of plant viruses in vitro and in vivo”
Since 1981  Assistant professor, Dept. of Biochemistry, University of Würzburg
1985           Habilitation (Biochemistry)
1990           Nomination for professorship (Associate professor)
1985-2007  Research group leader, Dept. of Biochemistry, University of Würzburg
Since 2008  Member of the BEEgroup (University of Würzburg) as retired Professor 

Previous Research Topics

Gene expression of bacteriophages and RNA viruses; Natural suppressor tRNAs in plants and animals; RNA polymerase III transcription; pre-tRNA intron splicing; RNA ligases

Current Research Activities

Humoral and cellular immune reactions of honey bees; Viruses of bees (ABPV and SBV)

Fellowships and Awards

1974-1975           Postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Health (NIH, USA)
1975-1976           Postdoctoral fellowship from “Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft“ (DFG, Germany)
1.8.-30.10.1985   Japanese fellowship awarded by the „Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research“ (Japan)
1989                    Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande
1.3.-15.5.1991     Japanese fellowship awarded by the „Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research“ (Japan)
1.11.-30.11.2003 Japanese fellowship awarded by the “Japan Society for the Promotion of Science” (Japan)

Selected publications

Gätschenberger, H., Gimple, O., Tautz, J. and Beier, H. (2012). Honey bee drones maintain humoral immune competence throughout all life stages in the absence of vitellogenin production. J. Exp. Biol., im Druck.

Azzami, K., Ritter, W., Tautz, J. and Beier, H. (2012). Infection of honey bees with acute bee paralysis virus does not trigger humoral or cellular immune responses. Arch. Virol., DOI 10.1007/s00705-012-1223-0.

Fedorova, A.A.*, Azzami, K.*, Ryabchikova, E.I., Spitsyna, Y.E., Silnikov, V.N., Ritter, W., Gross, H.J., Tautz, J., Vlassov, V.V., Beier, H. and Zenkova, M.A. (2011). Inactivation of a non-enveloped RNA virus by artificial ribonucleases: honey bees and Acute bee paralysis virus as a new experimental model for in vivo antiviral activity assessment. Antiviral Res. 91, 267-277 (* beide Autoren trugen in gleichem Maße zur Publikation bei)

Tautz, J. and Beier, H. (2010). Ein Superorganismus mit vielen Facetten: Das Bienenvolk, S. 177-179. Biotechnologie für Einsteiger, 3. Auflage. Renneberg, R., Süßbier, D., Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg

Englert, M., Sheppard, K., Gundlapalli, S., Beier, H. and Söll, D. (2010). Branchiostoma floridae has separate healing and sealing enzymes for 5´-phosphate RNA ligation. Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.USA 107, 16834-16839.

Mori, T., Ogasawara, C., Inada, T., Englert, M., Beier, H., Takezawa, M., Endo, T. and Yoshihisa, T. (2010). Dual functions of yeast tRNA ligase in the unfolded protein response: Unconventional cytoplasmic splicing of HAC1 pre-mRNA is not sufficient to release translational attenuation. Mol. Biol. Cell 21, 3722-3734.

Randolt, K., Gimple, O., Geißendörfer, J., Reinders, J., Prusko, C., Mueller, M.J., Albert, S., Tautz, J., Beier, H. (2008). Immune-related proteins induced in the hemolymph after aseptic and septic injury differs in honey bee worker larvae and adults. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol 69, 155-167.

Englert, M., Latz., A., Becker, D., Gimple, O., Beier, H. and Akama, K. (2007). Plant pre-tRNA splicing enzymes are targeted to multiple cellular compartments. Biochimie 89, 1351-1356.

Wang, L.K., Schwer, B., Englert, M., Beier, H. and Shuman, S. (2006). Structure-function analysis of the kinase-CPD domain of yeast tRNA ligase (Trl1) and requirements for complementation of tRNA splicing by a plant Trl1 homolog. Nucleic Acids Res. 34, 517-527.

Yukawa, Y., Felis, M., Englert, M., Stojanov, M., Matoušek, J., Beier, H. and Sugiura, M. (2005). Plant 7SL RNA genes belong to type 4 of RNA polymerase III dependent genes that are composed of mixed promoters. The Plant Journal 43, 97-106.

Englert, M. and Beier, H. (2005). Plant tRNA ligases are multifunctional enzymes that have diverged in sequence and substrate specificity from RNA ligases of other phylogenetic origins. Nucleic Acids Res. 33, 388-399.

Akama, K. and Beier, H. (2003). Translational nonsense codon suppression as indicator for functional pre tRNA splicing in transformed Arabidopsis hypocotyl derived calli. Nucleic Acids Res. 31, 1197-1207.

Beier, H. and Grimm, M. (2001). Misreading of termination codons in eukaryotes by natural nonsense suppressor tRNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 29, 4767-4782. ("invited review")

Akama, K., Naß, A., Junker, V. and Beier, H. (1997). Characterization of nuclear tRNATyr introns: their evolution from red algae to higher plants. FEBS Letters 417, 213-218.

Zerfaß, K. and Beier, H. (1992). The leaky UGA termination codon of tobacco rattle virus RNA is suppressed by tobacco chloroplast and cytoplasmic tRNAsTrp with CmCA anticodon. EMBO J. 11, 4167-4173.

Stange, N., Gross, H. J. and Beier, H. (1988). Wheat germ splicing endonuclease is highly specific for plant pre-tRNAs. EMBO J. 7, 3823-3828.

Stange, N. and Beier, H. (1987). A cell-free plant extract for accurate pre-tRNA processing, splicing and modification. EMBO J. 6, 2811-2818.

Beier, H., Barciszewska, M. and Sickinger, H.-D. (1984). The molecular basis for the differential translation of TMV RNA in tobacco protoplasts and wheat germ extracts. EMBO J. 3, 1091-1096.

Beier, H., Issinger, O.-G., Deuschle, M. and Mundry, K.W. (1981). Translation of the RNA of cowpea severe mosaic virus in vitro and in cowpea protoplasts. J. Gen. Virol. 54, 379-390.

Beier, H., Golomb, M. and Chamberlin, M. (1977). Isolation of recombinants between T7 and T3 bacteriophages and their use in vitro transcriptional mapping. J. Virol. 21, 753-765.

Beier, H. and Bruening, G. (1976). Factors influencing the infection of cowpea protoplasts by cowpea mosaic virus RNA. Virology. 72, 363-369.

Beier, H. and Hausmann, R. (1974). T3 x T7 phage crosses leading to recombinant RNA polymerases. Nature 251, 538-40.