Importin α is involved in the nuclear import of proteins. It also contributes to spindle assembly and nuclear membrane formation, however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we studied the function of importin α7 by gene targeting in mice and show that it is essential for early embryonic development. Embryos lacking importin α7 display a reduced ability for the first cleavage and arrest completely at the two-cell stage. We show that the zygotic genome activation is severely disturbed in these embryos. Our findings indicate that importin α7 is a new member of the small group of maternal effect genes.

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Background: Administration of anti-CD38 antibodies is a state-of-the-art therapy for patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM). However, this treatment frequently leads to pan-agglutination of red blood cells (RBCs) in patients' serological testing making accurate blood typing and timely transfusion of compatible blood a challenging effort. The antigen masking indirect antiglobulin test (AMIAT) is an approach to address this diagnostic challenge.Study Design and Methods: A new reagent, called DaraEx plus, uses anti-CD38 Fab fragments to mitigate the anti-CD38 antibody interference in serological assays by masking CD38 on the cell surface. Its performance is extensively examined with commercial sera as well as with patient samples, and compared to the current standard method using dithiothreitol (DTT), which denatures the CD38 antigens on test panel erythrocytes.Results: In the Bio-Rad ID System, DaraEx plus effectively mitigated the interference caused by anti-CD38 antibodies in 86% of patient samples tested while DTT was successful in only 68%. Moreover, there was no negative influence on DTT-sensitive blood group systems such as KEL upon DaraEx plus treatment. The agglutination reactions of all tested anti-CD38 antibodies (Daratumumab, Felzartamab, and Isatuximab) were inhibited by DaraEx plus. The treatment was successful only if DaraEx plus was added to the test cells before the sample. Some of the other gel card systems tested showed background reactions with DaraEx plus-treated cells. Conclusion: DaraEx plus treatment is straightforward and quick to perform.In the Bio-Rad ID System, it is superior to DTT treatment in the prevention of anti-CD38 antibody interference.

A genetic system to study the nuclear pore complex permeability barrier of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dissertation for the award of the degree "Doctor rerum naturalium" (Dr. rer. nat.