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8 Osaka Bioscience Institute: A World Leader in Scientific Research

11 JLR Looks at Systems Biology

12 Education and Professional Development

14 Judith Klinman to Receive ASBMB-Merck Award

15 Scott Emr Selected for ASBMB-Avanti Award

16 The Chromosome Cycle

17 Chemical Biology Theme

20 Remote Control for Human Growth Hormone GeneExpression

23 Scientists Reverse Evolution

24 Mitochondrial Protein Has Unusual Location

32 October MCP: a Special Issue on Clinical Proteomics

d e p a r t m e n t s3 From the Desk of the President

4 Washington Update

6 NIH News

22 Career Insights

26 Spotlight on Members

28 ASBMB BioBIts

30 Biotech Business

33 For Your Lab

34 Career Opportunities

36 Calendar


w w w . a s b m b . o r g

OCTOBER 2006Volume 5, Issue 7

23

BRONZE AWARD WINNER 2003

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE:MOST IMPROVED MAGAZINE

COLUMNS & EDITORIALS

DESIGN & LAYOUT

O N T H E C O V E R :Human growth hormoneresidues colored bycontribution to receptorrecognition: red, favorable;green, neutral; blue,unfavorable. The top leftview, obtained byquantitative scanning,encompasses views obtainedby conventional alanine (topright), serine (bottom left)or homolog (bottom right)scanning. See page 28.

http://www.asbmb.org

ASBMBToday OCTOBER 20062

ASBMB Todayis a monthly publication

of The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

OfficersHeidi E. Hamm PresidentJudith S. Bond Past-PresidentPeggy J. Farnham SecretaryMerle Olson Treasurer

Council MembersJoan W. Conaway CouncilorRobert A. Copeland CouncilorKuan-Teh Jeang CouncilorJohn D. Scott CouncilorWilliam S. Sly CouncilorKevin Struhl CouncilorSuzanne Pfeffer CouncilorLinda Pike Councilor

Ex-Officio MembersJ. Ellis BellChair, Education and Professional DevelopmentCommitteeLaurie S. KaguniChair, Meetings CommitteeGeorge HillChair, Minority Affairs CommitteeBenjamin F. CravattMichael Rosen Co-chairs, 2007 Program CommitteeWilliam R. BrinkleyChair, Public Affairs Advisory CommitteeRalph A. BradshawDeputy Chair, Public Affairs Advisory Commit-teeShelagh Ferguson-MillerChair, Publications CommitteeHerbert TaborEditor, JBCRalph A. BradshawAl BurlingameCo-Editors, MCPEdward A. DennisEditor, JLR

Editorial Advisory BoardIrwin FridovichRichard W. HansonBettie Sue MastersJ. Evan SadlerRobert D. Wells

ASBMB Today9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3996Phone: 301-634-7145; Fax: 301-634-7369

John Thompson [email protected]

Nicole Kresge [email protected] Editor

Nancy J. Rodnan [email protected] of Publications

For information on advertising contact FASEB AdNet at 800-433-2732

ext. 7157 or 301-634-7157, or email [email protected].

s scientists, we are engagedin research that will have animpact on human health, as

well as training the next generationof scientists that will maintain ourcompetitiveness in the world. Thus,activism and advocacy by biomedicalscientists to increase the NIH budgetare not issues of self-interest for sci-entists. As citizens, we need to takethis message to our local community.We recently sent a survey to allASBMB members asking for yourhelp in reaching your local congress-man or congresswoman at home. Itwas gratifying to see that 92% ofthose who responded are willing todo this, and 92% are willing to workwith ASBMB as issues related to bio-medical research funding are takenup by Congress.

Your comments fell into two cate-gories. Many of you are extremelysophisticated and have workedactively to educate your representa-tives. The most active of you alreadyhave long-standing relationships withyour congressional representatives.Many of you feel that your congress-men and congresswomen are strongadvocates of biomedical researchalready. But there were some mem-bers who are in districts of Bush con-servatives, who felt that nothingcould be done to get through tothem. I would suggest that those areexactly the most important people tokeep going after!! I am getting gradu-ate students involved in local meet-ings with members Congress, andthey are interested in being involved,as they are very uncertain about the

From the Desk of the Pres ident :

Afuture of biomedical research, whichis their future. They are also willing tobe challenged by the tough task ofconvincing those who opposeincreases in funding biomedicalresearch. Think about inviting yourcongressman or congresswoman toyour department or laboratory, andget students involved in that visit.They may accept your invitation andcome visit, as they are trying toincrease their visibility during thiselectoral campaign. Be sure that thereare professors who are long-term con-stituents in the group.

The majority of responses to thesurvey were from those would like toparticipate, but don’t really knowhow. It’s not as hard as you mightimagine, and you might really enjoyit! A detailed set of instructions forhow to find your congressionalrep[resentative, get in touch withhim or her, and make your case thatbiomedical research is a good invest-ment is found on a new web site that ASBMB has put together(www.faseb.org/asbmb/pa/advocacy/index.html). Your representative hasa local office, and you can set up ameeting with the local staff. You canprovide examples from your ownresearch of the breakthroughs thatmay result from it, and the benefitsto human health. You should thinkabout a concise message, and youshould expect to field hard ques-tions. Certain representatives feelthat the NIH budget is not properlydeployed. You can point to the factthat the NIH Reauthorization Act,the goal of which is to make sure the

The Erosion of Funding for Biomedical

OCTOBER 2006 ASBMBToday 3

struction sector, and those dollarsflow through the economy. In addi-tion, there are local tax benefits fromthese high-quality jobs. There aremany intangible returns from bio-medical research nationally as well aslocally. We are training the next gen-eration of creative scientists, andtheir innovations and breakthroughsin research and technology will helpto maintain our competitiveness inthe world. Research breakthroughscan prevent disease before it strikes,impacting positively on the costs ofhealth care.

Mary Wolley of Research!Americawrote this: Every stake-holder inresearch should ask themselveswhether their own elected representa-tives are on the record as active cur-rent supporters of research. If there isno active support of those whochampion research and no perceivedconsequence to voting to cutresearch, and if the voters at homeseem to be paying no attention, law-makers will not necessarily vote forresearch funding. We all must beclear about the political realities of anenterprise that is funded with publicdollars and regulated in the public’sinterest, but which remains nearlyinvisible to the public. So please, getto know your congressional represen-tatives, establish a relationship withthem and become someone they canturn to when they need informationabout your university, your medicalcenter, or biomedical research. Andeducate them about the best invest-ment for a higher quality of life inthe future: biomedical research!

Dr. Heidi E. Hamm

home, campaigning, and wants toreach out to his or her constituency.You have a great opportunity tomake the case with him or her thatthe inflow of NIH dollars locallyleads to a sizeable economic boost,the creation of many high-qualityjobs, and the generation of new,state-of-the-art biomedical researchbuildings. The multiplier effect ofNIH dollars flowing into a localeconomy can be substantial (studiesin different states have documentedeffects of anywhere from 1.6 to 4-fold) since the people who are hiredon new grants are consumers andspend locally, biomedical suppliesand equipment are bought, buildingsbeing built create jobs in the con-

NIH is as effective as it can be, is nowmaking its way through Congress. Beprepared to answer the question,“What have we gotten for doublingthe NIH budget?” According to NIHDirector Elias Zerhouni, “One of thethings that occurred during the dou-bling is we added another year to thelife expectancy for Americans.” Con-sider, too, that there are now 10 mil-lion cancer survivors living in the U.S.; these people and their fami-lies have been touched directly by research.

I think there is a common percep-tion among scientists that they haveto go to Washington to meet withtheir representatives. But especiallynow, your representative is often at

Research Wil l Not Change on i ts Own!

Breakdown of the 2006 NIH budget. The RPG portion, 53% this year, is down from a high of 56%in 2001. Other portions of the NIH budget are used in extramural research, such as the training, K awards, research centers and contracts; 10% goes to the intramural research program.

NIH 2006 Budget

F A S E B W A S H I N G T O N U P D A T E

research in concept is no longerenough.” The FASEB slide presen-tation can be accessed at:http://opa.faseb.org/pages/Advocacy/advocacyresources.htm

According to Wolinetz, FASEB isworking to create versions of the pre-sentation for every state. “We wouldlike to see researchers presenting thisto community groups, neighbors, col-leagues, and even their members ofCongress when they’re at home intheir districts.” She added that FASEBwill continue to produce additionaladvocacy material for use by scientists,all of which will be freely available onthe FASEB website. Currently, availableadvocacy resources include, but are notlimited to: a timeline of medicalresearch breakthroughs aimed atdemonstrating the span between basicresearch discovery and medicaladvancement; information on NIHfunding trends; illustrations and high-lights related to embryonic stem cellresearch; slides on the importance ofanimal research; and the Breakthroughsin Bioscience series. The Breakthroughsare colorfully illustrated articlesdescribing scientific breakthroughsthat have impacted society, includingthe most recent edition on breast can-cer, estrogen receptors and the devel-opment of tamoxifen. These articlescan be downloaded from the FASEBwebsite or requested as high-qualityhard copies at no cost from the FASEBOffice of Public Affairs.

As a pilot project in FASEB’s grass-roots program, a number of membersociety scientists recently met with thedistrict offices of the Minnesota Con-gressional delegation. Jon Retzlaff,Director of Legislative Relations,

arranged meetings with senior staff inthe home offices of Representatives GilGutknecht (R-MN) and Mark Kennedy(R-MN). Joining him at the Gutknechtmeeting were three researchers fromthe Mayo Clinic: Tom Spelsberg, Ph.D.,member of ASBMB and two otherFASEB societies; Sundeep Khosla, M.D.;and Virginia Miller, Ph.D. Partneringwith FASEB in this meeting was theAmerican Heart Association, who wasrepresented by Bradley Peterson,Senior Advocacy Director, Greater Mid-west Affiliate. Retzlaff also met sepa-rately with the Regional Affairs andPolicy Liaison staffer for Senator NormColeman (R-MN).

These meetings were in part to intro-duce FASEB and to demonstrate thatwe represent local researchers livingand working in their districts,” saidRetzlaff. “Another main topic of dis-cussion was our proposal for workingtogether to organize a public forum inMinnesota on advances in medicalresearch.” The forum would be anopportunity for the general public andhealth professionals to meet with sci-entists, clinicians and practitioners,and learn about the progress beingmade on a range of research initiatives.According to Retzlaff, this idea is beingmodeled after events that took place in2002 and 2003 when NIH Instituteand Center Directors traveled to dis-tricts in Wisconsin, Minnesota andOhio, to participate in communityhealth forums to discuss NIH activitiesand steps people can take to improvetheir health. Thus far, feedback fromCongressional staff and the membersfor which they work has been positive.

Carrie D. Wolinetz, Ph.D.FASEB Office of Public Affairs

During the August Congressionalrecess FASEB focused on a program torecruit scientists for a nationwide grass-roots campaign in support of medicalresearch. “It is time to reeducate Con-gress and the public about the criticalvalue of NIH,” said Leo Furcht, FASEBPresident. “There’s overwhelming sup-port for medical research—everyonelooks forward to the next breakthrough,the next new treatment. We just needto make the connection between life-saving advances and funding of theNational Institutes of Health.”

To kick-off the campaign, FASEB isunveiling a customizable slide presen-tation that scientists, departmentheads and deans can use locally todemonstrate NIH’s impact on humanhealth. “The truth is that we’ve maderemarkable advances in heart disease,cancer, infectious illnesses, just toname a few, and these can all be tracedback to NIH funded research,” statedCarrie Wolinetz, FASEB Director ofCommunications. “We wanted to pro-vide scientists with a tool to help themtell the stories behind medical break-throughs: how basic research is trans-lated; how NIH funds research in theirown community; and how our qualityof life has improved thanks to NIH-sponsored discoveries.”

“Nothing is more important thanthe health and well-being of the Amer-ican people. We are all only one diag-nosis away from needing the hope thatNIH embodies,” Furcht continued. “Itis our obligation, as a scientific com-munity, to explain how science isdone—to explain how continuedimprovements in human health aredependent on a sustained commit-ment to NIH. Supporting medical

FAS E B Grassroots Campaign StressesCrit ical Value of N I H-Funded Research


A joint meeting of the Biochemical Society, the British Pharmacological Society and The Physiological Society

8–12 July 2007, Glasgow, UK

THEMES:

● Cancer ● Cardiovascular Bioscience ● Central Nervous System● Education ● Exercise● GPCR ● Imaging ● Inflammation● Ion Channels ● Metabolism ● Signalling

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE:26 February 2007

EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE:27 April 2007

Sign up for Life Sciences 2007 email alerts — up-to-the-minute news direct to your desktop!

Bookmark the web address and put the date in your diary for 2007

www.LifeSciences2007.orgfor all the latest programme information

ders,” adds Dr. Ting-Kai Li, director ofthe National Institute on AlcoholAbuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). “Thefindings will open many new avenuesof research into common factors ingenetic vulnerability and commonmechanisms of disease.”

NIDA researchers found genetic vari-ations clustered around 51 definedchromosomal regions that may playroles in alcohol addiction. The candi-date genes are involved in many keyactivities, including cell-to-cell commu-nication, control of protein synthesis,regulation of development, and cell-to-cell interactions. For example, one geneimplicated in this study, the AIP1 gene,is a known disease-related geneexpressed primarily in the brain, whereit helps brain cells set up and maintaincontacts with the appropriate neigh-boring cells. Many of the nominatedgenes have been previously identifiedin other addiction research, providingsupport to the idea that commongenetic variants are involved in humanvulnerability to substance abuse.

The scientists, led by Dr. George Uhl,included Catherine Johnson, DonnaWalther, Dr. Tomas Drgon, and Dr.Qing-Rong Liu. Their team developed,validated, and applied a new geneticplatform that allowed them to gener-


ate the equivalent of more than 29million individual genotypes and toanalyze 104,268 genetic variationsfrom unrelated alcohol-dependent andcontrol individuals. The scientists usedDNA samples that were collected byinvestigators of the CollaborativeStudy on the Genetics of Alcoholism, astudy funded by NIAAA, that includedHoward Edenberg, Tatiana Foroud, andJohn Rice, who are coauthors of thepaper. These samples had been ana-lyzed previously to look for geneticassociations to alcoholism, but the res-olution and coverage achieved in thepresent study are unprecedented.

“The observations from this studyprovide a graphic display of the closerelationships between genetic vulnera-bility to alcoholism and genetic vul-nerability to other addictions,” says DrUhl. “Ongoing and future studies willhelp us to identify how the variationsin these candidate genes contribute todifferences in addiction vulnerability.”

“We know that vulnerabilities tosubstance abuse involve complex traitswith strong genetic influences,” addsDr. Volkow. “Finding ways to identifywho is most physiologically vulnerableto addiction will be a tremendous steptowards more effective prevention andtreatment approaches.”

N I H N E W S

esearchers at the MolecularNeurobiology Branch of theNational Institute on Drug

Abuse (NIDA), have completed themost comprehensive scan of thehuman genome to date linked to theongoing efforts to identify people mostat risk for developing alcoholism. Thisstudy represents the first time the newgenomic technology has been used tocomprehensively identify genes linkedto substance abuse. The study will bepublished in the December 2006 issueof the American Journal of MedicalGenetics Part B (NeuropsychiatricGenetics).

“Tools such as pooled data genomescanning give us a completely newway of looking at complex biologicalprocesses, such as addiction,” says NIHDirector Elias A. Zerhouni. “The abilityto pinpoint genes in the humangenome responsible for disease has thepotential to revolutionize our ability totreat and even prevent diseases.”

“Previous studies established thatalcoholism runs in families, but thisresearch has given us the most exten-sive catalogue yet of the genetic varia-tions that may contribute to thehereditary nature of this disease,” saysNIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow.“We now have new tools that willallow us to better understand the phys-iological foundation of addiction.”

“This is an important contributionto studies of the genetics of alcoholismand co-occurring substance use disor-

R

Genet ic Study May Help Ident i fy ThoseMost at Risk for Alcoholism

Scan of human genome may prov ide

important new too ls

for prevent ion and treatment


Applications are now being acceptedfor the 2007 sessions. The program willconsist of three 10-week sessions:Winter: January 8 through March 16Summer: June 4 through August 10Fall: September 17 through November 21

Graduate students, postdoctoralscholars, and those who have com-pleted graduate studies or postdoc-toral research within the last fiveyears are eligible to apply. Candi-dates should submit an applicationand request that a mentor/adviser fill out a reference form. Both

forms are available on the Web at http://national-academies.org/policyfellows.

The deadline for receipt of applica-tion material is November 1 for thewinter program, March 1 for the sum-mer program, and June 1 for the fallprogram. Candidates may apply to allthree programs concurrently.

Additional details about the pro-gram and a link to join the mailinglist are available on the Web site.Questions should be directed to: [email protected].

his Graduate Fellowship Pro-gram of the National Acade-mies of Science is designed to

familiarize graduate and postdoctoralstudents in science and technologypolicy with the interactions amongscience, technology, and government.As a result, students in the fields of sci-ence, engineering, medicine, veteri-nary medicine, business, and lawdevelop essential skills different fromthose attained in academia, which willhelp them make the transition fromgraduate student to a professional.

NAS Accept ing Applicat ions forGraduate Fel lowship ProgramT

A World Leader in Scient i f ic Research


ing a strict advisory system. An advi-sory committee consisting of two for-eign and three domestic scientistsmeets annually and is dedicated notonly to evaluating each research pro-ject, but also the programs of theinstitute as a whole and its individualresearch departments.

The institution has recorded manyscientific achievements over the past18 years. Best known example areidentification of the basic mechanismsof apoptosis by Dr. Shigekazu Nagataand the control mechanism of sleep-ing disclosed by Dr. Hayaishi. Thequality of OBI research was exempli-fied by a 2002 report from ISI Thomp-son, which ranked OBI at the topinternationally in the impact factorsof molecular biology and geneticspapers published during 1991-2001.As a result, OBI has garnered an arrayof awards worldwide, including the

Japan Order of Culture, Japan Acad-emy Prize, the Wolf Prize (Israel), theJimenez Diaz Memorial Award (Spain),the Albert Lasker Basic MedicalResearch Award (USA), Howard TaylorRicketts Award (USA), Sloan Prize(USA), Le Prix Antoine Lacassagne(France), Koch Prize (Germany),Boehring Prize (Germany), LuigiMusajo Award (Italy) and Bristol-Myers Squibb Award (USA).

OB I ResearchAct iv it ies

OBI has four departments and twolaboratories with about thirty-five reg-ular faculty members and severalactive emeritus members. About 80 sci-entists are currently working in a vari-ety of mutually related fields ofbioscience and medical science. Mostof them are young researchers, bothfrom Japan and abroad, and include

he Osaka Bioscience Insti-tute (OBI) was established in1987 as part of the centen-

nial commemoration of the City ofOsaka. OBI is a non-profit organiza-tion with support and cooperationfrom the city, the Japanese govern-ment, academia, and industry. Theprincipal goal of the institute is to pursue academic research withinternationally acclaimed quality in the fields of bioscience and medical science.

OBI’s first director was Dr. OsamuHayaishi (1987-1998) who is cur-rently dean of OBI. He was succeededby Dr. Hidesaburo Hanafusa (1998-2005), and last year Dr. ShigetadaNakanishi was appointed as the thirddirector. OBI’s policy, which is uniqueamong Japanese research institutions,is to encourage the flow of researchby setting time limits and maintain-

T

Osaka Bioscience Inst i tute:


remarkable advances in molecularbiology have shown that the transfor-mation of normal cells to cancer cellsis mediated by two kinds of genesthat play key roles in oncogenesis:oncogenes, which promote aggressivecell proliferation, and tumor suppres-sor genes, which are associated withinhibition of abnormal cell growthand apoptosis. This laboratory hascontinued to explore the basic mech-anisms of cancer through research ononcogenes. It is focusing on the keyoncogenes encoding Crk adaptor pro-tein and trying to elucidate how thisoncogene product generates the sig-nals leading to oncogenic transforma-tion. In addition, the lab isextensively studying human celltransformation mediated by onco-genes such as Ras and Src.

Hisataka Sabe heads the Depart-ment of Molecular Biology and isstudying mechanistic principles of

cell adhesion, migration and tumorinvasion. This lab originally identifiedseveral ArfGAP molecules that arebinding partners for paxillin, an inte-grin signaling and scaffolding protein.Extensive analysis on paxillin and itsrelated molecules led them to askhow actin-cytoskeletal remodeling iscoordinated with the process of mem-brane remodeling, and how cells per-ceive their collision with targetsubstances in order to stop moving orto change the direction of movementduring the contact inhibition.

Yoshihiro Urade heads the Depart-ment of Molecular Behavioral Biol-ogy and revealed that naturalisticsleep is induced by the endogenousprostaglandin D2 (PGD2), the princi-pal prostaglandin produced in thecentral nervous system (CNS). Thelab’s aim is to continue to investigatethe function of this enzyme and the

postdoctoral fellows, researchers fromindustry, and graduate students fromaffiliated universities. There is activecollaboration domestically and inter-nationally, and the exchange of scien-tific information is facilitated byfrequent lectures and seminars pre-sented by outstanding scientists, fromboth Japan and abroad.

Dr. Nakanishi heads the Depart-ment of Systems Biology and isworking on regulatory mechanismsof the neural network. His group previously elucidated the mole-cular nature of G protein-coupledmetabotropic and NMDA glutamatereceptors by developing a novelfunctional cloning that combinedXenopus oocyte expression systemsand electrophysiology. They dis-closed many novel synaptic mecha-nisms, not only by applyingmultidisciplinary approaches butalso by developing new techniquesthat allowed selective and condi-tional ablation of specific neuronalcell types in the neural network, andreversible blocking of synaptic trans-mission in the specified neural cir-cuit. The projects in this departmentare currently directed toward howthe functional cerebella network isestablished in an activity-dependentmanner during development, howthe cerebella network controls motorcoordination and motor learning,and how the basal ganglia networkconcertedly controls motor balance and induces addiction ofabusive drugs.

Director Emeritus Hanafusa is thehead of the Laboratory of MolecularOncology and is working on the basicmechanism of cancer. In recent years,

Set in front of the OBI building andsymbolizing the institute’s mission is “TheGate of Hope,” a sculpture by the famousJapanese artist Yasuo Mizui.

OBI has had a number of young scientists from abroad and promotes international and mingledatmosphere. From right to left, Dr. Sergei Dzyuba (USA), Mr. Jihwan Myung (graduate student)

(Korea); Dr. Maria Allhorn (Sweden); Dr. Mei-Hong Qiu (China).

Continued on next page


ficient for the cell fate determinationof retinal photoreceptors. Thisdepartment is currently studying themechanisms of cell proliferation ofretinal progenitor cells and the mech-anisms of neuronal cell polarity for-mation in the retina.

The OB I AtmosphereOBI promotes an international

atmosphere, and the research staffsin OBI have had many foreignresearchers. For example, Dr. Freder-ick Tsuji, currently a professor at theUniversity of California, was thehead of one of the departments, andDr. Kubata Bruno Kilunga, who wasengaged in sleep-inducible sub-stances in Trypanosome at OBI as aresearch associate, has returned toAfrica and international work asNetwork Director of Bioscience East-ern and Central Africa based inNairobi, Kenya. Dr. Zhi-Li Huangfrom China is presently the vice-head of the Department of MolecularBehavioral Biology. He says, “OBI iscreating an international atmospherefor the scientists coming from theworld. Education on scientific moti-vation, competitive systems and niceexperimental facilities let researchersgrow to be good scientists.”

The aim of OBI is to foster youngresearchers. All department and labo-ratory heads hold joint appointmentsin the graduate schools of Kyoto,Osaka, or Osaka City Universities. OBIalso accepts research fellows, includ-ing postdoctoral fellows selectedunder either domestic or internationalscholarships, and from industry. Morethan 30 such fellows and graduate stu-dents are currently working in OBI.OBI seeks to promote internationalexchange through study with foreign

researchers and has a number ofyoung scientists from the USA,Europe, and Asia.

Dr. Sergei Dzyuba (JSPS fellow) whocame from Columbia University inNew York says, “It has been a greatexperience being here at OBI. I wastrained as a chemist, but here I havelearned a lot in bioscience and med-ical science. I hope to continue a col-laborative research and come back toOBI in the future.”

Another JSPS fellow, Dr. Maria All-horn from Lund University, Sweden,says, “OBI gives a great opportunity toreach a highly qualified scientificworld under the most exciting andsatisfactory conditions one can expe-rience. Once you become a memberof this Institute, you will feel thatthere is no limit to expanding yourresearch area. There is a nice collabo-ration with colleagues at OBI, dailyexchange of knowledge and interest-ing discussions.”

Jihwan Myung from Korea (a visitinggraduate student) says, “The Instituteitself is a self-contained research pow-erhouse. I was surprised to see a gradu-ate student having easy access tostate-of-the-art (and often very expen-sive) equipment. OBI is also often vis-ited by famous oversea investigatorswho I am familiar with only throughpapers. I have been able to be in touchwith the world.”

Dr. Samuel Colman introduced OBIin his book, Japanese Science fromthe Inside, (Routledge, London andNew York, 1999). He stated that“Japan needs far more OBI-like insti-tutions to promote career develop-ment.” In fact, many of the leadinguniversities in Japan are now adaptingtheir programs along the lines of theOBI system.

cellular changes caused by PGD2 dur-ing sleep. PGD2 is also known to be amediator of allergic response, but thisPGD2 is synthesized by the action ofan enzyme different from theenzyme in the CNS. The lab suc-ceeded in crystallizing both enzymesand analyzed their structures. Theseachievements are vital to designingand assessing new anti-doze drugsand anti-allergic drugs with low ratesof adverse reactions.

Toru Takumi heads the Laboratoryof Neuroscience. Using cutting-edgeES technology, researchers are seekingto make model mice with human bio-logical abnormalities, such as chromo-somal aberrations, based on clinicalresults. The mice will be the foundersfor forward genetics and a target forsystems biological approaches.Another approach is reverse genetics, amethod that finds candidate genesusing the transcriptome and pro-teome. This approach has led to thestudy of neuronal dendrites and den-dritic spines. The output of the circa-dian clock includes variousphysiological phenomena such as asleep-wake cycle, hormonal secretion,and even mental states. Using theestablished systems of the circadianrhythm consisting of the canonicalclock genes, this laboratory alsoapproaches mental states in light ofbiological clocks.

Head of the Department of Devel-opmental Biology is TakahisaFurukawa. One of the goals in thisdepartment is to understand the mol-ecular mechanism of photoreceptorcell development in mammals. Thelab demonstrated that Otx2 and Crxplay critical roles in retinal photore-ceptor development. Moreover, theyshowed that Otx2 is essential and suf-


a system. A key concept in systemsbiology is that of “emergent proper-ties,” or important features of biologicsystems that can best be identified byexamining the system as a whole. Inthese experiments, studies of the indi-vidual components of the systemwould not provide mechanistic under-standing of the overall dynamics ofthe system.

“The goal of this series of reviews isto illustrate how systems-based

approaches can complement tradi-tional approaches to the biology oflipids and diseases involving lipids,”explains Lusis in his September editor-ial. “The most elegant systems biologystudies to date have been in modelorganisms, such as bacteria, yeast,Caenorhabditis elegans, and flies. How-ever, a number of studies involvingvarious global data sets for mammalshave already contributed importantlyto our understanding of metabolic andcardiovascular diseases.”

There will be a total of sevenreviews in the series, with a new arti-cle appearing in the Journal eachmonth. In the first review, Karen Reueand Laurent Vergnes discuss the inte-gration of genomic resources for theidentification and functional analysisof genes involved in lipid metabo-lism. In the second article in theseries, Andrew Watson will review“lipidomics,” a systems-based study ofall lipids, the molecules with whichthey interact, and their functions. Inthe third review, Jim Weiss will lookat studies of the dynamics of cardiacand smooth muscle metabolism.Next, Eric Schadt will discuss how sys-tems-based approaches can be used todefine targets for therapeutic inter-vention of the yeast genetic interac-tion network. In the fifth article,Peipei Ping and Thomas Drake willreview the various levels of proteomicinvestigation as they apply to meta-bolic and vascular diseases. Then,Irwin Kurland will focus onmetabolomics, the systematic profil-ing of metabolites using nuclear mag-netic resonance, tandem massspectrometry, calorimetry, and stableisotopes. And in the final review,Johan Bjorkegren and Jesper Tegnérwill look at multi-organ profiling inrelation to coronary artery disease.

he September issue of theJournal of Lipid Research (JLR)marked the beginning of a

new thematic review series for theJournal. The series, coordinated byAssociate Editor Aldons J. Lusis, focuseson systems-level approaches to meta-bolic and cardiovascular disorders.

“Systems-level” refers to a kind ofbiologic analysis that looks beyondindividual genes, proteins, or lipids tothe ensemble of multiple elements of

J LR Looks at Systems Biology T


SAVE THE DATE Apr i l 28 - May 2 , 2007 in Wash ington , DC

workshops organized by the EPD com-mittee. One featuring outreach andservice learning activities, was orga-nized by Neena Grover, Colorado Col-lege, and the other on the use ofmolecular models in teaching, TactileTeaching: Exploring Protein Struc-ture/Function Using Physical Modelswill be run by Tim Herman. In addi-tion to Saturday’s UndergraduatePoster competition, the meeting willfeature an NSF-sponsored sessionwhere undergraduate faculty and stu-dents present their research. Severalhighly successful faculty, Lisa Gentile,University of Richmond; Teaster Baird,SFSU; and Mark Wallert and JoeProvost from Minnesota State Univer-sity at Moorhead will present theirresearch. Undergraduate studentsselected from submitted abstracts willalso be featured.

Transitions from Graduate Studentto Post Doc to Faculty Member will behighlighted and accompanied by apresentation from MCB Program Offi-cer Parag Chitnis on NSF fundingopportunities. The undergraduatecommunity will have a designatedworkshop on funding opportunitiesspecifically for undergraduate institu-tions, particular NIH area grants, andNSF RUI grants run by Jean Chin, NIH(Area grants program) and Ellis Bell,Biomolecular Systems Cluster programofficer at NSF.

The final session , Preparing for aSuccessful Career in Industry, will high-light preparation for careers in industry.This session will be chaired by ASBMBCouncil Member Bob Copeland fromGlaxoSmithKline, and will include talksby Manuel Navia, Oxford BiosciencePartners, and EPD Committee memberGregory Bertenshaw.

UndergraduateStudent and Facu ltyTrave l Awards NowAdmin istered throughthe UAN

As always, ASBMB offers a numberof travel awards aimed at studentsand faculty from Primarily Under-graduate Institutions (PUI). This yearthese awards will be administered bythe Undergraduate Affiliates Network,and details can be found on the UANpage of the ASBMB Education andProfessional Development website.While preference will be given to fac-ulty and students affiliated withASBMB through the UAN program,which has automatic student travelawards for affiliated programs, allundergraduate students and PUI fac-ulty are encouraged to join the net-work and apply. Affiliation with thenetwork costs $200 per group, andeach group (program, laboratory, etc.with five or more undergraduates)qualifies for an automatic travelaward of $400 and may submit anapplication for a Faculty TravelAward. This year, as last, a number ofundergraduate travel awards are basedupon presentations at Fall regionalUAN meetings, where students pre-sent their research in a competitivesetting with winners in four thematiccategories being selected. At theposter competition, thematic judgingwill focus on four broad areas of themolecular life sciences: Protein Struc-ture and Function, Signal Transduc-tion, Gene Expression andRegulation, and a General Biosciencescategory. Students will be able to indi-cate the category in which they wishto be considered when they submittheir abstracts.

uture issues of ASBMB Todaywill contain articles aboutEducation and Professional

Development (EPD) activities spon-sored by the Society. This month wehighlight the 2007 Meeting inWashington, DC, and the activitiesof the Undergraduate Affiliates Net-work (UAN).

The Educat ion andProfess iona lDeve lopment ThemeMeet ing in 2007

The Education and ProfessionalDevelopment theme at the 2007Annual Meeting will feature bothsomething old and something new.Continuing last year’s highly successful“Classroom of the Future” theme, themajor symposium focusing on class-room teaching will highlight a numberof exciting initiatives in the field of lifescience education.

Cathy Drennan, MIT, will addressissues related to combining chemistryand biology education in introductorycourses for science majors. Carla Mat-tos, North Carolina State University, anNSF PECASE Award winner, will tellhow she involves undergraduates insophisticated structural biologyresearch, in both a formal class and thelab, while Ellis Bell, University of Rich-mond, will discuss ways to engagefreshman chemistry students in realresearch activities that cross the disci-plinary boundaries between chemistry,physics and biology.

On the meeting’s opening day lastyear, over 150 undergraduates partici-pated in a session featuring a widerange of research activities, and thisyear undergraduate research will againbe highlighted. There will be two

FEducat ion and Professional


ASBMB Annual MeetingApr i l 28 - May 2 , 2007 in Wash ington , DC

DC,” said Provost. One of last year’sposter winners, Jennifer Taves, a three-year UAN member, who presented aposter at the 2006 ASBMB meeting iscurrently preparing a manuscript onher work with proteases. For travelaward winner Eun Hyuk Chang, hisexperience at the ASBMB meetinghelped him obtain a summer intern-ship at Harvard. This meeting is a won-derful opportunity for students topresent their summer work and getready for the 2007 ASBMB meeting.Details for the event can be found at:www.mnstate.edu/provost/asbmb.html

V irg in iaCommonwea lthUn ivers ity ’sB iochemistryDepartment to HostReg iona l Meet ing forUndergrads

On Friday, October 20, and Saturday,October 21, VCU’s Department of Bio-chemistry will host its fourth annualUndergraduate Research Symposium.This event is a forum for the presenta-tion of research projects performed bystudents enrolled in colleges and uni-versities throughout the Southeast. Par-ticipants have the opportunity topresent research posters to a diverseaudience of graduate students, postdoc-toral researchers, and faculty from VCUand other participating universities.

Students will also have an opportu-nity to view presentations in the Sig-naling and Metabolism of BioactiveLipids (SMBL) Research Retreat. Thisevent (held concurrently with theUndergraduate Research Symposium)features poster presentations by pre-and post-doctoral scientists whoseresearch interests focus on such areas

as phospholipases and lipid metabo-lism, the regulation of gene expressionby lipids and their metabolites, boneand mineral metabolism, lipoproteinstructure and function, and the bio-chemical pathways elicited throughinteractions between bioactive lipidsand neuronal cells.

The event starts with a KeynoteAddress on Friday, October 20, by Dr.Jerome Strauss, Dean, VCU School ofMedicine, He will present a seminarabout his exciting research into geneticvariations that predispose African-American mothers to premature deliv-ery. Poster presentations will beSaturday, October 21, from 10:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m.

Details of the meeting can be found at:www.vcu.edu/biochem/department/news-sym06.shtml

The UndergraduateAffi l i ates Network

The UAN continues to grow, withover 40 chapters now established.Each chapter receives an automatictravel award to help a student presenthis or her research at the NationalMeeting. It is not too late to affiliateyour program and receive a travelaward to the Washington, DC, meet-ing. Any School or program affiliatedby the end of October will receive atravel award, provided that the stu-dent has submitted an abstract forthe DC meeting. If you want your pro-gram affiliated with the network,please visit the ASBMB website andnavigate to the Education link, whereyou can join the network or renewyour program’s affiliation on line.

Next month we will feature “InsideEPD” and focus on the faces and activi-ties of EPD members.

This year there will be three Fallregional meetings featuring undergrad-uate presentations. These meetingsplay a key role in the development ofyoung scientists, offering a venue tobring together summer research and“practice” in a formal presentation.This can pay off: last year in San Fran-cisco, two of the winners receivedtravel awards to attend the meeting asa result of their participation inregional meetings. Two other partici-pants in the San Francisco Meetingwent on to win awards at the ProteinSociety Meeting.

Northwest Reg iona lUAN to Host SecondReg iona l ASBMBMeet ing

The northwest regional UAN MSUMoorhead chapter is gearing up for itssecond annual Regional ASBMB meet-ing. “We are very excited about this”said Joseph Provost, Co-Director of theNorthwest UAN. “Last year’s meetingwas much bigger than we expectedand the students were all fullyinvolved.” This year’s meeting willcontinue the theme of serving indus-trial needs and research interests. MarkWallert, Co-Director of the NorthwestUAN said, “One of our key speakerswill be from Minnesota BioBusiness.This will provide an opportunity forthose attending to visit with a keyleader in the biochemistry/biotechnol-ogy industry, and learn about will hearabout the skills needed and career pos-sibilities in that industry.” The meetingwill include both a poster session andan oral presentation. “I expect a verydifficult time judging the posters foreach of the four travel awards to the2007 ASBMB meeting in Washington,

Development



result from properties of the surround-ing protein environment.

Klinman proposed that the dynamicproperties of the enzyme were impor-tant for tunneling. This connectionbetween tunneling and the motionalproperties of proteins then extendedthe importance of tunneling as a meansof obtaining insight into the fundamen-tal dynamic properties of proteins.There are now computational groups,in addition to experimental enzymolo-gists, basing their efforts to understandthe fundamental chemical property oftunneling and the fundamental physi-cal property of protein dynamics ondata from the Klinman lab.

While the models and ideas havedeveloped over the years, Klinman hasbeen both icon and leader. And shehas led most effectively, not trying tocontrol or garner credit, but insteadfostering interactions, asking hardquestions of herself and others, andemphasizing what she doesn’t under-stand, instead of seeking to impresswith the strength of her work. Herrespect for, and fostering of, the ideasand contributions of others is to begreatly admired and represents a traitthat is important to recognize andreward in the scientific community.

Hydrogen Tunne l ing Prior to Klinman’s work, it was well

established that electron tunneling wasprevalent in enzymatic reactions, andthat hydrogen tunneling could occurat very low temperatures. In 1989,Klinman and coworkers providedstrong experimental evidence forhydrogen tunneling in an enzymaticreaction at room temperature.Although this work was greeted withskepticism, further work from Klinmanand others have left no doubt that

hydrogen tunneling is extensive, if notuniversal, in enzymatic hydrogentransfer (including hydride and protontransfer). This work established thefundamental chemical basis forenzymes that catalyze or use hydrogentransfer in their reactions.

The studies Klinman and her cowork-ers designed to explore tunneling behav-ior on enzymes revealed anomalousbehaviors. Most simply, dependences oftunneling (or isotope effects) on temper-ature were explored with thermophilicenzymes. Behaviors different from thosepredicted in chemical theory led to thesuggestion that the reaction barrier wasnot rigid, thereby introducing the impor-tance of dynamics in enzymatic tunnel-ing. Subsequent experimental work fromKlinman, including differential tunnel-ing contributions caused by mutationsin residues ‘behind’ the active site withdifferent steric effects, have providedadditional support for this view. Cur-rently, several labs are exploring, bothcomputationally and experimentally, theconnection between tunneling and pro-tein dynamics. In essence, hydrogen tun-neling, important and interesting in itsown right, has provided insight into, andexperimental guidance for, another,evenmore pervasive problem in biology, thatof protein dynamics.

Enzyme Cofactors Dr. Klinman’s work on hydrogen

abstraction mechanisms also led to thegroundbreaking 1990 discovery ofnovel cofactors that facilitate redoxreactions. By studying copper amineoxidases, her lab discovered the 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanyl quinone(TPQ) cofactor. Not only did Klinmanand coworkers establish the structureof this new cofactor, they also showed

udith Klinman, Professor ofChemistry and of Molecularand Cellular Biology at the Uni-

versity of California/Berkeley, has beenselected to receive the ASBMB-MerckAward, in recognition of her outstandingcontributions to research in biochemistryand molecular biology . The Award con-sists of a plaque, and transportation andexpenses of the recipient and spouse toASBMB’s 2007Annual Meeting, atwhich Dr. Klinmanwill present a lec-ture. Nominationsmust be originatedby Society members,but the nomineesneed not be ASBMB members.

Dr. Klinman has made deep andextensive contributions to under-standing the mechanism of enzymeaction throughout her career and hasbeen an exemplary scholar, teacher,and colleague. She fits well within thegroup of highly select and accom-plished recipients of theASBMB/Merck Award in stature andaccomplishments. Furthermore, shewill be the first woman scientist toreceive this highly prestigious award.

She was the first to propose thathydrogen tunneling plays a role inenzyme catalysis. Many were initiallyskeptical of this proposal, but she per-sisted, carrying out extensive experi-ments on multiple systems to showclearly and broadly that tunneling iscentral to many biological processes.This seminal discovery led her to probefurther into the behavior of enzymesthat exhibit tunneling. She foundquite complex behavior and, althoughit was not clear initially what the ori-gin of this behavior was, she recog-nized that this complex behavior must

JJudith Klinman to Receive AS BM B-Merck Award

Dr. Judith Klinman




contributions to the lipid field by pur-suing his interests in the regulation ofintracellular vesicle trafficking usingthe power of yeast genetics and molec-ular biology. These accomplishmentshave played a major role in the recog-nition of lipids as important bioeffec-tors and not merely structuralmolecules. This recognition hasincreased activity in the lipid field,which has in turn stimulated the dis-covery of other important roles oflipids in cell regulation and control.

Emr recognized over 10 years ago thatthe VPS34 gene encoded a phos-phatidylinositol 3-kinase that isrequired for proper targeting of a subsetof proteins to the vacuole. This unex-pected finding, and the demonstrationof a lipid product as being central to avesicle mediated targeting event, led tothe studies by Emr and others character-izing the lipid-dependent coding ofcargo vesicles. Emr and coworkers haveplayed a central role in systematicallyuncoding the information residing inthe multiple phosphate derivatives ofphosphatidylinositol that regulate and

target transportvesicles from theirsource to their des-tination. His workhas had an enor-mous influence onour understandingof trafficking eventsand placed phosphorylated lipids at thecenter of the regulation of this process.

A key aspect of Emr’s approach hasbeen to begin with genetic manipula-tion to gain clues as to which processesshould be characterized, and then tocharacterize them biochemically. Themaximum benefit of each approach isusually derived when they are com-bined. Emr has done an excellent job inunravelling important lipid-dependentmembrane facilitated processes thatwould not have been uncovered byother means. He has also made impor-tant contributions to characterizing theendosomal sorting complex requiredfor essential budding of vesicles into thelumen of the endosome. Again, compo-nents of this process involve phospho-rylated phosphatidylinositols.

cott Emr, an HHMI Investiga-tor and Professor in theDepartment of Cellular and

Molecular Biology, University of Cali-fornia, San Diego, School of Medicinehas been selected to receive the AvantiAward in Lipids. The Award recognizesoutstanding research contributions inthe area of lipids, and consists of aplaque, stipend, and transportationand expenses to present a lecture at the2007 ASBMB Annual Meeting, April 28–May 2 in Washington, DC. Past recipi-ents include Dennis Vance in 2006,William Dowhan in 2005, William L.Smith in 2004, Robert Bittman in 2003,and Christian R.H. Raetz in 2002.

Dr. Emr is a highly accomplishedmolecular biologist who has alreadyreceived extensive recognition for hismany contributions by election to theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sci-ences, and the recent award of theHansen Foundation Gold Medal forelucidating the intracellular sortingand transport of proteins. Althoughnot generally considered a lipid scien-tist, he has made many significant

Scott Emr Selected for AS BM B-Avant i AwardC

that it is derived from an amino acidside chain of the folded protein. Thesediscoveries overturned previous mod-els for metal catalyzed oxygen activa-tion in these and other enzymes, inwhich the copper center was assumedto be the redox catalyst.

This discovery showed that complexderivatization of aromatic side chainscan occur in natural proteins, generat-ing new redox cofactors with uniqueproperties. Subsequent work from hergroup showed that the extracellular pro-tein Iysyl oxidase, responsible for colla-gen and elastin cross-linking, contains alysine cross-linked variant of TPQ.

Other investigators identified new struc-tures based on post-translational modi-fications of tryptophan. This workopened up the new and currently activefield of protein-derived cofactors.

Molecu lar Oxygen inEnzymat ic React ions

Many of the redox enzymes thathave been pursued in the Klinman lab-oratory use molecular oxygen as sub-strate. Klinman provided theexperimental methods and back-ground for applying 18-0 isotopeeffects to processes involving molecu-lar oxygen. This was accomplished bycomparing isotope effects and struc-

tural properties for a series of oxygenbinding proteins. This analysis andadditional work allowed Klinman todevelop a powerful set of experimentalprobes for determining the mechanismof oxygen activation. These probes areshedding light on how proteins canreductively activate molecular oxygento free radical intermediates whileavoiding oxidative damage. Under-standing reactions involving molecularoxygen has fundamental implicationsfor chemistry, for evolution during thetransition from an anaerobic to aerobicenvironment, and, ultimately, forlearning how these reactions can bemanipulated and engineered.

Dr. Scott Emr

Continued from previous page



Molecular Pathol-ogy); (3) Cen-tromeres andK ine tochore s(Chair: Don Cleve-land, UC SanDiego); and (4)Chromosome Seg-regation and Aneuploidy (Chair:Hongtao Yu, UT Southwestern).

The structure and remodeling ofchromatin impact all biologicalprocesses that use chromatin as tem-plate, including transcription, DNAreplication, DNA repair, and sister chro-matid cohesion. Considering the tightpackaging of chromosomal DNA innucleosomes and the further com-paction of linear nucleosome arraysinto chromatin, it is truly remarkablethat the large protein machineriesinvolved in transcription or DNA repli-cation can access chromosomal DNA ina regulated and timely manner. Thetalks in the Chromatin Structure andRemodeling session will provideinsight into the fascinating process ofchromatin remodeling. This session willbe chaired by Dr. Geeta Narlikar (UCSan Francisco). She will discuss themechanisms of action for a class of ATP-dependent nucleosome remodelingprotein complexes. Dr. Song Tan (Penn-sylvania State University) will discusshow chromatin-modifying enzymesrecognize their nucleosome substrates.Prof. Jeffery Hayes (University ofRochester Medical Center) will presenthis recent findings on the roles of his-tone tail domains in the structure, fold-ing, and dynamics of chromatin fibers.

The Chromosome Duplication andCohesion session will focus on the regu-lation of DNA replication and sister chro-matid cohesion during the cell cycle. Dr.Jan-Michael Peters (RIMP) will chair thissession. He will speak about the cell-cycle

regulatory mechanisms of sister chro-matid cohesion in mammalian cells. Dr.Camilla Sjögren (Karolinska Institutet)will discuss the functions of SMC proteincomplexes in mediating sister chromatidcohesion and DNA repair in the buddingyeast. Dr. Johannes Walter (HarvardMedical School) will present his work onthe mechanisms that restrict DNA repli-cation to once-and-only-once per cellcycle in Xenopus egg extracts.

Centromeres and kinetochores notonly provide the landing pads for spin-dle microtubules to capture chromo-somes during mitosis, but also are theoriginating sites of important check-point signals that ensure proper mitoticprogression. The Centromeres andKinetochores session will focus on thestructure and function of centromeresand kinetochores. This session will bechaired by Prof. Don Cleveland (UC SanDiego). He will speak about the structureof the mammalian centromeres and thefunctions of kinetochores in mitoticspindle checkpoint signaling and themaintenance of chromosomal stability.Prof. Gary Karpen (UC Berkeley) willdescribe his recent studies on thesequence and epigenetic determinantsof centromeres in Drosophila. He willalso discuss the functions of centromericproteins in regulating mitotic events. Dr.Huntington Willard, Nanaline H. DukeProfessor and Director of Institute forGenome Sciences and Policy at DukeUniversity, will describe the recent find-ings from his laboratory on the molecu-lar organization of the humancentromeric DNA and the assembly ofhuman artificial chromosomes.

Chromosome segregation occurs ina highly synchronous fashion and isone of the most beautiful cell biologi-cal events. Errors in chromosome seg-regation leads to aneuploidy, a

he eukaryotic genomes areorganized into chromosomesthat consist of long strands of

DNA molecules wound around his-tones and other chromosomal pro-teins. The genetic stability of anorganism relies on the accurate dupli-cation of its chromosomes and thesubsequent equal partition of theduplicated chromosomes during eachcell division. Chromosomal DNA isreplicated in a semi-conservative fash-ion in S phase. The original and thereplica copies of each chromosome arephysically tethered together throughcohesion to form a pair of sister chro-matids. In mitosis, the centromeres ofchromosomes nucleate the assemblyof large protein complexes to formkinetochores that are captured bymicrotubule fibers of the mitotic spin-dle. After all pairs of sister chromatidsachieve proper attachment to themitotic spindle, sister chromatid cohe-sion is dissolved. The two sets of sepa-rated chromatids are pulled to theopposite poles of the dividing cell.After the completion of cytokinesis,each daughter cell inherits an identicalset of chromosomes. In the past severalyears, intensive efforts from many lab-oratories around the world have signif-icantly advanced our understanding ofmolecular mechanisms that governthe chromosome cycle and its coordi-nation with the cell division cycle.Recent discoveries in this exciting areawill be highlighted in the Chromo-some Cycle theme at the 2007 ASBMBmeeting in Washington D.C.

The Chromosome Cycle theme con-sists of the following four sessions: (1)Chromatin Structure and Remodel-ing (Chair: Geeta Narlikar, UC SanFrancisco); (2) Chromosome Duplica-tion and Cohesion (Chair: Jan-Michael Peters, Research Institute of

T

The Chromosome CycleOrgan izer : Hongtao Yu

Dr. Hongtao Yu




ties in complex biological networks andpoint the way toward innovative thera-peutics. The ASBMB crew of ChemicalBiologists will show how small mole-cules can do big things.

The Chemical Biology theme is orga-nized into four sessions: Chemical Biology of Cell Death

(Chair: Paul Hergenrother, Univer-sity of Illinois)

Fragment-Based Drug Discovery(Chair: Dan Erlanson, Sunesis Phar-maceuticals)

Antibiotics for the 21st Century(Chair: Floyd Romesberg, ScrippsResearch Institute)

Chemical and Cell Biology of Nat-ural Products (Chair: Jack Taunton,UC San Francisco)The Chemical Biology of Cell Death

session will feature small molecules thatreveal the multitude of mechanisms bywhich cells die. Craig Crews (Yale Univer-sity) will present recent studies of a nat-ural product from Chinese herbalmedicine that triggers a calcium-depen-dent cell death pathway by an unprece-dented mechanism. Junying Yuan(Harvard Medical School) will discuss hergroup’s discovery of small molecules thatmodulate pro-apoptotic signals emanat-ing from the stressed endoplasmic reticu-lum. Paul Hergenrother (University ofIllinois) will describe novel small mole-cule activators of caspase signaling. Thesecompounds are selectively cytotoxic tocancer cells with elevated caspase levels.

The Fragment-Based Drug Discoverysession will feature cutting-edge talks onhow to make drug discovery more effi-cient (and exciting). Despite their smallsize, drug-like molecules (with molecularweights of ~500 Daltons) can derivefrom a nearly infinite number of discretestructures. Because there aren’t enoughatoms (or medicinal chemists) in theuniverse to synthesize all of the possible

structures, a majorchallenge in drugdiscovery is to fig-ure out which onesto make for a giventarget or therapeuticarea. The three talksin this session willreveal divergent solutions to the problemof identifying initial fragment hits thatform specific interactions with their tar-gets but necessarily bind with low-affin-ity. Harren Jhoti (Astex Pharmaceuticals)will discuss a high-throughput x-ray crys-tallography and chemoinformatics routeto identifying fragment hits. Jon Ellman(UC Berkeley) will present a novelapproach to fragment identification thatexploits enzymatic catalysis to report aspecific binding event. Session chair DanErlanson (Sunesis Pharmaceuticals) willdiscuss a completely different approach,in which small fragments are tethered tospecific cysteines on a protein target byreversible disulfide bonds; fragment hitsare identified by high-throughput mass spectrometry.

Resistance of disease-causingpathogens to 20th century antibioticsis spreading at a frightening pace, andfew novel antibiotics have entered theclinic to meet this threat. The Antibi-otics for the 21st Century session willpresent exciting recent studies inwhich small molecules target previ-ously unexplored signaling pathwaysin pathogenic microorganisms. Debo-rah Hung (Broad Institute and HarvardMedical School) will describe smallmolecules that target bacterial viru-lence pathways that are essential forgrowth in their mammalian hosts butwhich are not essential for growth inculture. Floyd Romesberg (ScrippsResearch Institute) will discuss a novelsignaling pathway that mediates resis-

hemical approaches and con-cepts permeate modern celland molecular biology

research and thus will be on displaythroughout ASBMB. The Chemical Biol-ogy theme puts the spotlight on smallmolecules, including small moleculesthat were designed and synthesized byintelligent humans, as well as secondarymetabolites that evolved by naturalselection. The smallish molecules fea-tured in the Chemical Biology themerange in size and complexity, from thesimple fragments that jumpstart drugdiscovery, to the structurally ornate nat-ural products assembled by protein fac-tories in bacteria, fungi, and plants. Inall cases, they elicit profound changesin the behavior of proteins, cells, orwhole organisms. Small molecules canthus reveal previously unknown mech-anisms in cell biology and physiology,as well as new ways to modulate proteinstructure and function. Even if theynever make it to the clinic, small mole-cules often show us hidden vulnerabili-

Chemical Biology Theme Organ izer : Jack Taunton , UCSF

Dr. Jack Taunton

hallmark of cancer cells. The molecu-lar mechanism of chromosome segre-gation will be the main topic of theChromosome Segregation and Ane-uploidy session. Dr. Hongtao Yu (UTSouthwestern) will chair this sessionand will discuss the molecular basis ofthe mitotic spindle checkpoint, a cell-cycle surveillance system that ensuresthe fidelity of chromosome segrega-tion. Dr. Jan van Deursen (MayoClinic) will present his novel findingson the role of nuclear transport factorsin chromosome segregation. Prof.Gary Gorbsky (OMRF) will discusshow the spindle checkpoint senses thelack of tension across sister kineto-chores and how chromosome move-ment is regulated during mitosis.

Continued from previous page

Continued on page 21

C

April 28 – May 2, 2007 • Washington, Organized by: Benjamin F. Cravatt, The Scripps Research Institute, Michael K. Rosen, University

Anthony Hunter, The Salk Institute:

Tyrosine phosphorylation: from discovery to the

kinome and beyond

Anthony Pawson, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute:

Phosphotyrosine signaling: A prototype for

modular protein-protein interactions

Angelika Amon

HHMI/Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sarah C. Elgin

Washington University

Judith P. Klinman

University of California, Berkeley

Scott D. Emr

HHMI/University of California, San Diego,

School of Medicine

Ronald M. Evans

The Salk Institute

To Be Determined

Christopher B. Burge

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

From Genome to Epigenome – Modification and Repair

Gregory L. Verdine**, Harvard University

Methylating and De-methylating DNA

Timothy Bestor*, Robert Fisher, Tomas Lindahl

Recombining and Modifying DNA

William S. Reznikoff, David G. Schatz*, Gregory Van Duyne

Making and Re-making DNA

Lorena Beese*, Gregory L. Verdine, Graham C. Walker

Telomeres and Telomerase

Elizabeth Blackburn, Kathleen Collins*, Carol Grieder

The Chromosome Cycle

Hongtao Yu**, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Centromeres and Kinetochores

Donald W. Cleveland*, Gary H. Karpen, Huntington F. Willard

Chromatin Structure and Remodeling

Jeffrey J. Hayes, Geeta Narlikar*, Song Tan

Chromosome Duplication and Cohesion

Jan-Michael Peters*, Camilla Sjögren, Johannes Walter

Chromosome Segregation and Aneuploidy

Jan van Deursen, Gary J. Gorbsky, Hongtao Yu*

RNA

Kristen W. Lynch**, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

Molecular Recognition and Enzymology of RNA

Robert T. Batey, Anna Marie Pyle*, Scott Strobel

RNA-Based Gene Regulation

Kristen W. Lynch*, Joel D. Richter, David Spector

Small RNAs

Witold Filipowicz*, Thomas Tuschl, E. Gerhart H. Wagner

RNA Modification: Mechanism and Function

Ronald Emeson, Kazuko Nishikura, Robert Reenan*

Protein Synthesis, Folding and Turnover

James R. Williamson**, The Scripps Research Institute

Molecular Mechanisms of Protein Biosynthesis

Rachel Green*, Daniel Herschlag, Timothy W. Nilsen

Co- and Post-Translational Folding

Elizabeth Craig, F. Ulrich Hartl, Jonathan S. Weissman*

Protein Modification and Turnover

Christopher P. Hill*, Christopher D. Lima, Tom Rapoport

Ribosome and Translation

Joseph D. Puglisi, James R. Williamson*, Nahum Sonenberg

Macromolecular Structure and Dynamics

Joseph P. Noel**, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Conformational Transitions and Protein Aggregation

Jeffery W. Kelly, Beat Meier, Roland Riek*

Experimental and Computational Dynamics

Lewis E. Kay*, J. Andrew McCammon, Sunney Xie

Protein-Lipid Interface

Susan Buchanan, John Bushweller, Charles R. Sanders*

Structural and Mechanistic Evolution

Antony M. Dean, Joseph P. Noel*, Rama Ranganathan

Enzymes – Mechanism and Design

Dorothee Kern**, Brandeis University

Structural Enzymology

Karen Allen, Perry A. Frey, Gregory A. Petsko*, Dagmar Ringe

The Role of Dynamics in Enzyme Catalysis

Gordon G. Hammes, Dorothee Kern, Judith P. Klinman,

Peter E. Wright*

Computational Studies of Mechanistic and Dynamical Aspects

of Enzymes Reactions

Jiali Gao, Sharon Hammes-Schiffer*, Kenneth M. Merz, Jr.

Enzyme Design

Homme W. Hellinga, Kenneth N. Houk, Stephen L. Mayo*

Extracellular Matrix at Multiple Biological Scales

Vito Quaranta**, Vanderbilt University

Extracellular Matrix at the Cellular Scale

Viola Vogel*, Alissa Weaver, Peter D. Yurchenco

Extracellular Matrix at the Molecular Scale

Billy G. Hudson, Vito Quaranta*, Timothy A. Springer

Extracellular Matrix at the Organism Scale

Nick Brown, Uli Mueller*, Mary Zutter

Extracellular Matrix at the Tissue Scale

Elaine Fuchs*, Raghu Kalluri, Jeffrey H. Minor

Chemical Biology

Jack Taunton**, University of California, San Francisco

Chemical Biology of Cell Death

Craig Crews, Paul Hergenrother*, Junying Yuan

Fragment Based Drug Discovery

Jon Ellman, Daniel A. Erlanson*, Harren Jhoti

Chemistry and Cell Biology of Natural Products

Jun Liu, Jack Taunton*, Christopher Walsh

Antibiotics for the 21st Century

Heike Brotz-Oesterhelt, Deborah T. Hung, Floyd Romesberg*

Susan S. Taylor

HHMI/University of California, San Diego• 11th Annual Undergraduate Student Poster Competition

• ASBMB Business Meeting

• ASBMB Social Event

• Graduate and Postdoctoral Networking Reception

• Graduate and Postdoctoral Travel Award Symposium

• How to Publish in the JBC Workshops

DC • Held in conjunction with EB 2007 of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the 2007 ASBMB Program Planning Committee

**denotes thematic meeting chair / *denotes session chair

MetabolismJared Rutter**, University of Utah School of Medicine

Metabolic Sensing and Signaling

David Carling, Michael Hall, Jared Rutter*

Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Metabolic Disease

Morris Birnbaum, Marc Montminy*, Craig B. Thompson

Mitochondria in Health and Disease

E. Dale Abel*, Nika N. Danial, Antonio Vidal-Puig

Aging and Metabolism

Andrew Dillin, Stephen L. Helfand, Pere Puigserver*,

Richard Weindruch

Organelle DynamicsMatthew Shair**, Harvard University

Golgi Structure and Biogenesis

Matthew Shair*, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Graham Warren

Membrane Biogenesis

Daniel E. Kahne*, Natividad Ruiz, Hajime Tokuda

Mitochondrial Dynamic

David Chan, Jodi Nunnari*, Richard Youle

Nuclear Dynamics

Ueli Aebi, Katherine S. Ullman, Yixian Zheng*

Systems BiologyTobias Meyer**, Stanford University School of Medicine

Modeling of Cell Systems

James Ferrell*, Rustem Ismagilov, Wendell Lim

Molecular Profiling of Cell Systems

Tobias Meyer*, Elizabeth Winzeler

Proteomics of Cell Systems

Reudi H. Aebersold*, Anne-Claude Gavin, Michael Snyder

Mathematical Biology

Mark Chaplain, Ravi Iyengar, Edwin Munro, Vito Quaranta*

Minority Affairs Committee Sponsored SymposiaGeorge Hill**, Vanderbilt University

Best Practices in Program Assessment

Taketa Felder*, A. James Hicks, John Matsui, J. Lynn Zimmerman

Infectious Diseases in Minority Populations – Hepatitis C

Craig E. Cameron*, Antonio Estrada, Kouacou Donan,

Gerond Lake-Bakaar

Genetic Diseases in Minority Populations - Sickle Cell Anemia

Jane Hankins, Phillip A. Ortiz*, William P. Winter, Steven N. Wolff

Infectious Diseases in Minority Populations - Tuberculosis

Bavesh Kana, Ujjini Manjunatha, Marcos Milla*, Harvey Rubin

Biochemistry and Signaling of LipidsHugh Rosen**, The Scripps Research Institute

Biogenesis, Transport and Compartmentalization of Lipids

Christoph Benning, Joost C.M. Holthuis, Dennis R. Voelker*

Chemical Probes of Lipid Systems

Doreen Cantrell, Benjamin F. Cravatt, Hugh Rosen*

Lipids as Transcriptional Regulators

Joseph L. Goldstein, Steven Kliewer*, Peter Tontonoz

Specific Protein-Lipid Interactions

Michael H. Gelb*, Tamir Gonen, Stephen White

Signaling Pathways Controlling Cell Structure and FateMichael B. Yaffe**, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cytokine and Growth Factor Signaling

Carl-Henrik Heldin, Mark Lemmon, Joseph Schlessinger*

DNA Damage Signaling

Wade Harper, Michele Pagano, Michael B. Yaffe*

Cell Cycle

Susan Biggins, Rebecca Heald*, Tim Stearns

Signaling to the Cytoskeleton

Sandrine Etienne-Manneville, Dyche Mullins*, Michael K. Rosen

Public Affairs Advisory Committee Sponsored SymposiumSponsored by EB participating societies

NIH at the Crossroads: How Diminished Funds Will Impact

Biomedical Research and what Scientists Can Do About it

Education and Professional Development Committee Sponsored SymposiaJ. Ellis Bell**, University of Richmond

Classroom of the Future II

J. Ellis Bell*, Catherine L. Drennan, Carla Mattos

Science at Undergraduate Institutions

Teaster Baird, Lisa Gentile, Joseph J. Provost*, Mark A. Wallert*

Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Starting Faculty Transitions

Jessica Bell, Parag Chitnis*, Ann L. Miller

Preparing for a Successful Career in Industry

Gregory Bertenshaw*, Robert A. Copeland*, Manuek Navia

• Minority Scientists’ Mixer

• Opening Reception

• Research Funding by the American Cancer Society

• Women Scientists’ Networking Reception

• Meet the Speakers

• Thematic Receptions

Application Deadline: November 30, 2006

• Graduate Students / Postdoctoral Fellows

• Minority Graduate Students

• Systems Biology Workshop Teams

two non-coding regions on the activa-tion of the hGH gene. They describedtheir findings in the August issue ofMolecular Cell.

Synthesized by the pituitary gland,human growth hormone activatesgrowth and cell reproduction. In addi-tion to serving as a major contributorto height increase during childhood,hGH plays a role in strengtheningbones and increasing muscle massthroughout life. While mutations tothe hGH gene often lead to abnormalgrowth in children and adults, thesemutations have provided researcherswith key clues regarding the genomic

areas that appear to control expressionof the hGH gene.

Previous work in the Cooke and Lieb-haber laboratories found that the hGHgene is controlled by a non-codingDNA region, or locus control region.Remarkably, this region is located morethan 14,000 base pairs away from thehGH gene. At the genomic level, a14,000 base-pair separation is equal tothe size of 10 growth hormone geneslined end to end. “The effects of thelocus control region on human growthhormone expression is as if you turn akey in the lock of a house at one end ofyour street and find that this action

esearchers at the Universityof Pennsylvania School ofMedicine recently discov-

ered a novel mechanism that worksover an extensive genomic distanceand controls the expression ofhuman growth hormone (hGH) inthe pituitary gland. This mechanisminvolves a newly discovered set ofnon-coding RNAs expressed in thevicinity of the hGH gene.

Using a genetically modified mousemodel, Nancy E. Cooke, M.D.,Stephen A. Liebhaber, M.D., Professorsof Genetics and Medicine, and col-leagues demonstrated a critical role of

R

Remote Control for Human GrowthHormone Gene Expression


Nancy E. Cooke is a Professor ofMedicine in the Division ofEndocrinology, Diabetes, and Metab-olism at the University of Pennsylva-nia. She received her B.S. inChemistry from Wellesley Collegeand Case Western Reserve Univer-sity, and her M.D. from Case West-ern Reserve University School ofMedicine. Before coming to the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania in 1982 shewas a resident in Medicine at BarnesHospital, Washington University; aClinical Fellow in Endocrinologyand Metabolism at Washington Uni-versity School of Medicine; aResearch Associate in the HowardHughes Medical Institute, Depart-ment of Biochemistry, University ofCalifornia San Francisco, and anAssistant Professor in the Depart-ment of Medicine, University of Cal-ifornia San Francisco.

In addition to numerous textbookcontributions and lecture invitations,Cooke has authored or co-authored

over 70 publica-tions. Research in her laboratoryfocuses on mole-cular endocrinol-ogy. Specifically,her lab studiesthe mechanismsinvolved in the regulation of growthhormone gene expression.

Stephen A. Liebhaber is a Professorof Genetics and Medicine at the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania. He alsoserves as Chair of the OversightCommittee of the DNA Sequencingand Analysis Core and Co-director(with Cooke) of the School of Medi-cine’s Transgenic and ChimericMouse Facility. Liebhaber receivedhis B.A. in Chemistry from BrandeisUniversity in 1968 and his M.D.from Yale University in 1972. Prior tojoining the faculty of the Universityof Pennsylvania in 1982, Liebhaberdid an internship in Internal Medi-cine at Cleveland Metropolitan Gen-

eral Hospital andwas a Resident atthe University ofColorado Med-ical Center andBarnes Hospitalin St. Louis, Mis-souri. He also

held fellowships at Washington Uni-versity in St. Louis, Missouri, and theUniversity of California, San Fran-cisco, where he eventually becamean Assistant Professor.

Liebhaber has been active onnumerous academic committees atthe University of Pennsylvania andhas held several editorial positions,including serving on the EditorialBoard of The Journal of BiologicalChemistry. He is currently studyingthe roles of chromatin structure andepigenetic controls in eukaryoticgene activation, and the roles ofmRNA-protein interactions in con-trolling eukaryotic mRNA stabilityand expression.

Dr. Nancy Cooke Dr. Stephen Liebhaber


served a function, the researchersinserted a segment of human DNAthat included hGH, the hGH locuscontrol region, and CD79b into agroup of mice. As a result, the trans-genic mice expressed high levels ofhuman growth hormone in the pitu-itary, as well as, mouse growth hor-mone. To test whether thetranscription of the locus controlregion and CD79b played a signifi-cant role in hGH expression in trans-genic mice, they then inserted apiece of DNA into the locus controlregion. This DNA insertion specifi-cally blocked the copying of theCD79b gene into RNA in the pitu-itary. This blockade led to the five-fold repression of hGH geneexpression. These findings confirmthat the CD79b non-coding DNAactively contributes to hGH expres-sion. The relationship betweenCD79b, the hGH locus controlregion, and the hGH gene may aidresearchers in the development oftreatments for patients sufferingfrom hGH deficiency.

opens the lock and door of a house ablock away,” notes Liebhaber.

By carefully analyzing the 14,000base pairs separating the hGH geneand its locus control region, co-authorsYugong Ho, Ph.D., an Instructor ofGenetics at Penn and a Cooke/Lieb-haber lab member, and Felice Elefant,Ph.D., Assistant Professor at DrexelUniversity and former member of theCooke/Liebhaber lab, found that thelocus control region was copied intoRNA, and discovered a gene calledCD79b within this region. Remarkablythis CD79b gene was also copied intoRNA in the pituitary. While the CD79bgene normally codes for a protein inblood lymphocytes, researchers discov-ered that CD79b appears to play a verydifferent role in the pituitary gland.Here, CD79b was actively transcribedinto mRNA, but this mRNA failed totranslate into a functional protein.Instead, the non-coding RNA was sus-pected to play a role in hGH gene regulation.

In order to determine whether theCD79b RNA in the pituitary gland

tance to several classes of antibiotics.Heike Brötz-Oesterhelt (AiCuris Phar-maceuticals) will describe a naturalproduct that kills bacteria by allosterichyperactivation of a bacterial protea-some-like machine, an unprecedentedmechanism for an antibiotic.

Natural products, the structurallycomplex secondary metabolites foundthroughout phylogeny, have longbeen exploited as drugs and as tools forcell biologists. What is the extent of“protein target space” accessible tosmall molecule natural products, giventhe constraints of evolution by naturalselection? Several talks throughout theChemical Biology theme, includingtwo in the Chemical and Cell Biologyof Natural Products session, expandthe known protein target space of nat-ural products in exciting ways. Jun Liu(Johns Hopkins Medical School) willdiscuss a natural product that blockstranslation not by targeting the ribo-some, but by allosterically modulatingan initiation factor, which leads to theassembly of stalled initiation com-plexes. Jack Taunton (UC San Fran-cisco) will describe a cyclic peptide thatblocks secretion of a small subset ofhuman proteins. It does so by prevent-ing certain secretory proteins fromopening the translocation channel inthe endoplasmic reticulum membrane,an unprecedented mode of proteinregulation. Finally, Christopher Walsh(Harvard Medical School) will describehow natural products, in all theirornate glory, are biosynthesized. Histalk will illuminate not only the majorassembly steps, but also the key tailor-ing chemistries that are essential forbiological activity. Knowledge of thischemistry will enable the rational pro-gramming of “unnatural” naturalproducts with superior pharmacologi-cal properties.

Continued from page 17

Chemical cont inued

Renew Your Membership OnlineASBMB 2007 dues renewal notices have beenmailed to all members. You can now makepayment online at the ASBMB website:www.asbmb.org, by clicking on “member-ship” and then “renew your dues now.”

Your membership includes a free subscription to our monthly magazine, ASBMB Today, plus free subscriptions to JBC Online andMCP Online. You also receive special member rates for The Journal ofLipid Research and Trends in Biochemical Sciences, as well as the printversions of JBC and MCP.

ASBMB members may also register for the Annual Meeting at discounted rates. In addition, you can order your 2007 edition ofthe Annual Review of Biochemistry through ASBMB.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

cular clinical practice were required todo a rotation in this lab. Therefore, itallowed me to experience a transla-tional environment – new drugs thatdemonstrated positive results in the labcould be transferred to the clinic. Thiswas my first encounter with the drugdiscovery process. This was a few stepsbeyond mapping a gene to a particulardisease locus; it was closer to the clinic.

Now it was becoming clear to methat medical school was not my only

option and that a Ph.D. was a viablealternative. A major deterrent to goingto medical school was the cost. Theprospect of paying off student loansyears after I finished school was notappealing to me. I was even more con-vinced that a Ph.D. was the way to gowhen I learned that I would be paid togo to graduate school. But I still hadthe desire to do something related tomedicine, something translational. Idecided to do my Ph.D. at The Univer-sity of Massachusetts Medical School.Enter my mentor, Allan Jacobson. Allanhas a unique style. He’s not pushy, buthe’s certainly interested. “What do youwant to be when you grow up?” hewould ask me. I knew I wanted to pur-sue a career in industry, as opposed tothe University Professor basic sciencecareer path and, at this point in mycareer, my image of “Big Pharma” did

not include the word “cutting-edge.” Ienvisioned this particular industrial sec-tor as more like working for an airlineor for the Army; in other words, I wor-ried about being pigeonholed into oneaspect of the drug discovery processand not being exposed to the entireprocess. For me, this was not a viableoption. I needed to be in an environ-ment that was fast paced, and I neededto work on something that could trans-late into the clinic.

Now the $64,000 question: Was Iable to find a job that satisfied mycriteria? Surprisingly enough, I did!I now work at a small biotech com-pany, PTC Therapeutics, discover-ing new drugs that will someday beused to treat people with a numberof different genetic disorders. It’scutting-edge and small enough toallow a scientist like myself to beinvolved throughout the entiredrug discovery and developmentprocess. I reflect back on thechoices that got me to where I am

now, and I realize that what ultimatelyinfluenced me the most was just decid-ing to do what interests me.

Ellen Welch, Ph.D. is a Group Leader inthe Biology Department at PTC Therapeu-tics, Inc. in South Plainfield, New Jersey,where she identifies new drugs for thetreatment of genetic disorders caused bynonsense mutations. In addition, Dr.Welch’s group is identifying new drugs forthe treatment of Duchenne muscular dys-trophy and spinal muscular atrophy. Dr.Welch earned a B.S. in Biology at North-eastern University in Boston and a Ph.D.in Molecular Biology at the University ofMassachusetts Medical School in Worces-ter, MA in Dr. Allan Jacobson’s laboratory.She was a postdoctoral researcher in thelaboratory of Dr. Stuart Peltz before join-ing PTC. She can be contacted [email protected].

“What do you want to bewhen you grow up?” is aquestion that is common

and, depending on the stage of one’sacademic development, often fre-quent. As a young child, my responsewas always, “A doctor.” My mothersays that when I was about 4 years old,I was at the hospital with my brotherand a boy, probably 12 years old, witha prosthetic leg, was pushed past me ina wheel chair. I stared at the boy, thenturned to my mother and said,“When I grow up I will find a wayto fix that boy.” Clearly, from anearly age I had an interest in med-icine and a desire to help people.By high school, after an excep-tional elementary and middleschool curriculum filled withphysiology and small animal dis-sections, “A cardiac surgeon”became my new answer to thefamiliar question. I was luckyenough to have a close familyfriend and physician, Dennis Dev-ereaux, take me under his wing. Hebrought me to see a number of differ-ent surgeries in order to assess myinterest. I remember these times well,standing for over 8 hours in the surgi-cal theater of the Brigham andWomen’s Hospital in Boston, watchinga mitral valve replacement procedure.It was captivating. I remember think-ing, “This is the job for me!”

But I was young, and when I got tocollege things changed. I took a genet-ics class that would alter my “age-old”view that physiology was the key tohelping people and make me realizethat one could identify the underlyingcauses of diseases – mutations in ourgenome. I immediately went out andgot a part-time job as a technician in alab involved in cardiovascular research.The unique aspect of this lab was thatthe M.D.s associated with a cardiovas-

“WWhat Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?


C A R E E R I N S I G H T S

Dr. Ellen Welch

occurred many times in evolution, butno one has put it back together again,”Tvrdik says. “We are first to reconstructan ancient gene…We have proven that,from two specialized modern genes, wecan reconstruct the ancient gene theysplit off from. It illuminates the mecha-nisms and processes that evolution uses,and tells us more about how MotherNature engineers life.”

The study involved Hox genes,which function in patterning the bodyaxis during development. Until some-time between 530 million and 480 mil-lion years ago, early animals had 13Hox genes. Then, in jawed fish – thelast common ancestors of modern ver-tebrate animals – each Hox gene splitinto four, so 13 became 52. Later,duplicate Hox genes either mutated ina way that proved useful, or vanishedbecause they were redundant, so todayin humans and other mammals thereare 39 instead of 52 Hox genes.

Capecchi’s study focused on twomodern Hox genes, the Hoxa1 gene,

niversity of Utah scientistshave shown how evolutionworks by reversing the

process, reconstructing a 530-million-year-old gene by combining key por-tions of two modern mouse genes thatdescended from the archaic gene.

“It provides further evidence at themolecular level of how evolution hasoccurred and is occurring, and thusmakes the process less mysterious,”says Mario Capecchi, DistinguishedProfessor and Co-Chairman of HumanGenetics at the University of UtahSchool of Medicine and an investigatorwith the Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute.“ We’ve shown some of theelements involved in the process ofevolution by reversing this process andreconstructing a gene that laterbecame two genes,” he adds.

The study by Capecchi and postdoc-toral fellow Petr Tvrdik was publishedin the August issue of the journalDevelopmental Cell.

The process of one gene splitting intomultiple genes, which then mutate, “has

Scient ists Reverse Evolut ionU

ASBMB member Mario R. Capec-chi is Professor of Biology at theUniversity of Utah and Professor ofHuman Genetics, Adjunct Professorof Oncological Sciences, and Co-chairman of the Department ofHuman Genetics at the Universityof Utah School of Medicine. He isalso an investigator at the HowardHughes Medical Institute. Heearned his B.S. from Antioch Col-lege in 1961 and his Ph.D. fromHarvard University in 1967. After afellowship at Harvard University, hejoined the Harvard staff as AssistantProfessor in 1969. In 1971 hebecame Associate Professor.

A member of numerous societiesand editorial boards, including theNational Academy of Sciences andthe American Academy of Microbiol-ogy, Capecchi has authored or co-authored over 141 publications. Heis especially known for developingtechnology of gene targeting inmouse embryo-derived stem (ES)cells, allowing scientists to manipu-late the DNA sequences in thegenome of living mice. Capecchi hasreceived many honors and awardsfor his work. These include the 1998Baxter Award for DistinguishedResearch in the Biomedical Sciences,the 2001 National Medal of Science,and the 2005 March of Dimes Prizein Developmental Biology.

OCTOBER 2006 ASBMBToday 23ASBMBToday OCTOBER 2006

Mice in which the Hoxb1 gene has been disabled are unable to blink their eyes when air is blowninto their faces (top). This effect is reversed by inserting a key piece of the Hoxb1 gene into the

Hoxa1 gene (bottom). Photo Credit: Petr Tvrdik

Continued on page 25


putative membrane anchor loop.Introduction of the mutations intoTaz1p altered its association with themembrane. “Three of the mutationswere mislocalized to the mitochondrialmatrix; the fourth mutation we char-acterized localized normally but wasassembled inappropriately,” Claypoolsaid. “The mislocalization or misas-sembly of these mutants disturbed the

dance of biology and inactivatedtafazzin’s function.”

Three years ago, when Claypooljoined Koehler’s laboratory after earn-ing his Ph.D. in immunology fromHarvard, almost nothing was knownabout the tafazzin protein.

Koehler and Claypool believe thetafazzin protein may be associatedwith cardiolipin, the signature lipid of

cientists at the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles havediscovered that the putative

acyl transferase, tafazzin, is lodged inboth the inner and outer mitochondr-ial membranes without poking fullythrough either one. They also foundthat point mutations that cause mislo-calization of the protein within mito-chondria or alter its macromolecularinteractions cause Barth syndrome, arare condition that damages the heart,immune system and mitochondria of young boys.

Carla Koehler, a UCLA associate pro-fessor of chemistry and biochemistry,and Steven Claypool, a UCLA postdoc-toral scholar in chemistry and bio-chemistry, report their findings in apaper published in the July 31 issue ofthe Journal of Cell Biology.

Koehler and Claypool are the first toelucidate the location of tafazzin innormal cells and in cells from patientswith Barth syndrome. Using the yeasttafazzin protein (Taz1p), the authorsfound that normally, Taz1p localizes tothe inner and outer membranes of themitochondria, but only to the leafletsthat face the intermembrane space. Acentral loop in the Taz1p proteininserts into the membranes but doesnot extend all of the way through themembrane. The bulk of Taz1p pro-trudes into the intermembrane space.

“We have shown that tafazzin nor-mally associates with both the outermembrane and the inner membrane,always facing the intermembrane space,”Claypool said. “Tafazzin protrudes intothe intermembrane space from both theouter and inner membranes.”

The authors also looked at the effectsof four of the disease-causing pointmutations in tafazzin that lay in the

SMitochondrial Protein Has

Carla M. Koehler is an Associate Pro-fessor in the Department of Chemistryand Biochemistry at the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles and memberof the Molecular Biology Institute, theBrain Research Institute, and the Jons-son Comprehensive Cancer Center.She received her B.S. in Biochemistry,M.S. in Bio-chemistry andMolecular Biol-ogy, and Ph.D.in Biochemistryand MolecularBiology fromIowa State Uni-versity in 1986,1989, and 1995,respectively. After a four-year post-doc-toral fellowship in Switzerland, shejoined the faculty of UCLA as Assis-tant Professor.

Koehler has authored or co-authored over 43 publications and isa member of several professional soci-eties. She is also the recipient ofmany fellowships and awards,including a Burroughs WellcomeFund Young Investigator Award inToxicological Sciences and a ScholarAward from the Damon RunyonCancer Research Fund, and has par-ticipated in various scientific confer-

ences and workshops. Her researchfocuses on protein import into mito-chondria, as well as the role of mito-chondrial biogenesis in cellularfunctions and disease.

Steven Michael Claypool is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department ofChemistry and Biochemistry at the

University ofCalifornia, LosAngeles. Hereceived his B.A.in Biological Sci-ences and M.A.in Molecular,Cellular, andDevelopmentalBiology from the

University of California, Santa Barbarain 1995 and 1996, respectively. In 2003Claypool earned his Ph.D. inimmunology from Harvard Universityand started work at UCLA. A memberof several societies, Claypool is an avidlecturer and is a recipient of the West-ern States Affiliate Research Committeeof the American Heart AssociationPostdoctoral Fellowship award. Hisresearch focuses on the mitochondrialcomponents of lipid metabolism, andseeks an understanding of lipid bio-genesis and the transport that occursin the mitochondria.

Dr. Carla Koehler and Dr. Steven Claypool


this process; if it becomes damaged,the mitochondria become leaky anddo not function as well. Tafazzin maybe important in repairing lipids,including cardiolipin, but we have notshown that yet.”

mitochondria, which has been impli-cated in other diseases, including thoseof the heart.

“In cardiac disease, mitochondriaoften malfunction,” Koehler said.“Cardiolipin is an important lipid in

An electron micrograph with Taz1 labeled by immunogold. Figure credit: J. Michael McCaffery.

which helps control how an embryo’sbrain stem develops and is compart-mentalized into seven sections calledrhombomeres, and the Hoxb1 gene,which orders the formation of particu-lar nerve cells in rhombomere 4—nerves that ultimately control facialexpressions in animals.

A key question was whether theHoxa1 and Hoxb1 genes are differentbecause their protein-coding regionshave changed or their regulatorysequences have changed. So the scien-tists switched the two genes’ coding

regions. Each gene then produced theother gene’s protein. Mice born withthe switched genes were essentiallynormal, showing that the codingregions were interchangeable, and thatevolution changed each gene’s regula-tory sequence.

Next, Tvrdik and Capecchi took asmall portion of the regulatory sequencefrom the Hoxb1 gene (which controlsfacial expressions) and put it into Hoxa1,(which allows mice to breathe and sur-vive after birth). They then inserted thisgene into mice whose Hoxb1 had beendisabled. To their surprise, the researches

discovered that the new gene performedthe jobs of both genes. Mice born withthe combined gene still were able tobreathe and survive thanks to the Hoxa1gene, and they could move their facialmuscles, thanks to the small bit of theHoxb1’s regulatory sequence.

Capecchi says that by combiningparts of both Hoxa1 and Hoxb1, heand Tvrdik reversed evolution. “Whatwe have done is essentially go back intime to when Hox1 did what Hoxa1and Hoxb1 do today,” he says. “It givesa real example of how evolution worksbecause we can reverse it.”

Continued from page 23

Scient ists Reverse Evolut ion cont inued…

Unusual Locat ion Important Deadlines

for the Upcoming

AS BM B Annual Meet ing

❖Abstract Submission:November 8, 2006

❖Early Registration:March 2, 2007

❖Housing: March 23, 2007

Ap r i l 28 - Ma y 2 ,2007Wa sh ing ton D .C . ,C onvent ion C ent e r

For more informationplease visitwww.asbmb.org


E. Richard StanleyReceives 2006 E.Donnall Thomas Prize

E. Richard Stanley, Professor and Chairof Developmental and Molecular Biol-ogy at Albert Einstein College of Medi-cine of Yeshiva University, has beenselected to receive the 2006 E. DonnallThomas Prize, presented annually by theAmerican Society of Hematology.

The Prize, which was established in1992, recognizes a researcher whoseground-breaking work has contributedsignificantly to the field of hematology.

In conjunction with receiving thehonor, Stanley will present the E. Don-nall Thomas Lecture at the Society’sannual meeting in December inOrlando, Florida.

For more than a quarter-century, Dr.Stanley has pioneered studies of thebiology and action of the growth fac-tor called Colony Stimulating Factor-1(CSF-1). He isolated and identifiedCSF-1 as the primary regulator of tissuemacrophage and osteoclast produc-tion. He defined its receptor, physiol-ogy and roles in development andcancer. He identified and elucidatedthe function of several intracellular sig-

naling moleculesthat act down-stream of the CSF-1receptor. He andhis colleaguesestablished severalmouse models toinvestigate theroles of CSF-1 and the CSF-1 receptorin development and in diseases thatinclude leukemia, solid tumors, osteo-porosis, nephritis and atherosclerosis.His studies also have furthered generalunderstanding of the role of growthfactors in regulation of cell prolifera-tion, differentiation and function.

Austral ian Socie ty forMedical Science HonorsBil l Brinkley

The Australian Society for MedicalResearch (ASMR) selected Dr. William R.Brinkley, Senior VP and Dean of theGraduate School of Biomedical Sci-ences, Baylor College of Medicine, as its2006 Medalist. Each year, in celebrationof Medical Research Week, the ASMRrecognizes one individual, worldwide,who has contributed significantly to thepromotion of health and medicalresearch. Brinkley, a member of ASBMB,received the medal and presented anationally televised lecture at the Aus-tralian National Press Club in Canberraon June 8. The lecture was attended by

members of the government and lead-ers of the medical research communitythroughout Australia, and was televisednationwide. During the visit, he lec-tured in Australia’s major cities includ-ing Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra,Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

Dr. Brinkley, a member of the Boardof Directors of Research!America andChairman of ASBMB’s Public AffairsAdvisory Committee, was honored forhis tireless efforts as an advocate andspokesman for the promotion of bio-medical research funding in America.He was selected for his leadership inthe advocacy for legislation in the U.S.Congress supporting a 5-year cam-paign to double the research budget forthe National Institutes of Health (NIH),which was completed in 2003. Inrecognition of Australia’s successfulcampaign to double its own Healthand Medical Research funding thisyear, Brinkley’s lecture was entitled“Celebrating Health and MedicalResearch in Australia: A Renaissance forDiscovery and Opportunity.”

Dr. Brinkley addressing Australian NationalPress Club in Canberra.

Jack Dixon to Join H H M IThe Trustees of the Howard Hughes

Medical Institute have elected Jack E.Dixon as Vice President and Chief Sci-entific Officer. His appointment iseffective February 1, 2007.

Dixon, currently a member of theInstitute’s Medical Advisory Board, willplay major roles both in HHMI’s flag-ship investigator program and in identi-fying new opportunities that capitalizeon the Institute’s expertise in biomed-ical research and science education.

“I have done dis-covery research forbetter than 30years,” said Dixon.“The opportunityto work for anorganization thatcan affect scienceand science education around theworld is really appealing.”

Dixon is currently Dean of ScientificAffairs at the University of California,San Diego, School of Medicine. He willcontinue to maintain a laboratory at

UCSD, where he is also Professor ofPharmacology, Cellular and MolecularMedicine, Chemistry, and Biochemistry.“I think you can be a better scientificleader if your feet are on the groundand you are dealing with the samethings as the investigators,” he said.

Throughout his career, Dixon hasbeen actively involved in the AmericanSociety for Biochemistry and MolecularBiology. In 1996 he served as Presidentof the Society and in 2005 he receivedthe American Society for Biochemistryand Molecular Biology-Merck award.

S P O T L I G H T O N A S B M B M E M B E R S

Dr. Jack Dixon

Dr. E. Richard Stanley


S P O T L I G H T O N A S B M B M E M B E R S

Robert K. Yu SelectedPresident-Elect ofBioscient ists Socie ty

Robert K. Yu, director of the Instituteof Molecular Medicine and Geneticsand the Institute of Neuroscience at theMedical College of Georgia, has beenelected president-elect of the Society ofChinese Bioscientists in America. Yu,who is the Georgia Research AllianceEminent Scholar in Molecular and Cel-

lular Neurobiology, will assume thepresidency of the 2,800-member orga-nization in January 2008.

Yu is founding president of the Soci-ety for Chinese Neuroscientists inAmerica and former president of theAmerican Society for Neurochemistry.He is a lifelong academician of Acade-mia Sinica, the Republic of China’s pre-mier academic institution, and amember of the advisory board of theAcademy’s Institute of Biological Chem-istry. He was recently appointed to

Georgia’s Commis-sion for NewbornUmbilical CordBlood Research andTreatment.

Yu has beenactively involvedin ASBMB affairs.He is an AssociateEditor and a member of the EditorialBoard of the Journal of Lipid Researchand a member of the Editorial Board ofthe Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Harel Weinstein toBecome President ofBiophysical Socie ty

Harel Weinstein has been electedPresident-elect of the Biophysical Soci-ety. He will assume the office of presi-dent-elect at the Society’s 2007Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Mary-land, and begin his term as Presidentduring the 2008 Annual Meeting inLong Beach, California.

Weinstein is the Maxwell Upson Pro-fessor of Physiology and Biophysics,

Chairman of theDepartment ofPhysiology andBiophysics, andDirector of theInstitute for Com-putational Biomed-icine at WeillMedical College ofCornell University. He is also a Tri-Insti-tutional Professor at Rockefeller Univer-sity, Sloan-Kettering Institute andCornell University. Weinstein receivedhis B.Sc. in Chemistry, his M.Sc. inQuantum Chemistry, and his D.Sc. in

Theoretical Physical Chemistry at theTechnion-Israel Institute of Technology.

The Biophysical Society, founded in1956, is a professional, scientific soci-ety established to encourage develop-ment and dissemination of knowledgein biophysics. The Society promotesgrowth in this expanding fieldthrough its annual meeting, monthlyjournal, and committee and outreachactivities. Its members are locatedthroughout the world, where theyteach and conduct research in colleges,universities, laboratories, governmentagencies, and industry.

Dr.Harel Weinstein

Dr. Robert K. Yu

Department Heads Take Note:

AS BM B Offers FreeMembership to New Ph.D.s

ASBMB is now offering a free one-year Associatemembership to all students who have, within thepast year, earned a Ph.D. degree in the molecularlife sciences or related areas.

Membership in ASBMB brings with it a freesubscription to the online versions of the Journal of Biological Chemistry andMolecular and Cellular Proteomics, and ASBMB Today.

In addition, we are asking department chairs to provide ASBMB with thenames and addresses of each new Ph.D. recipient from their institutions, so that we can congratulate them on their accomplishment and offer them the free one-year membership in ASBMB.

Please email to: [email protected] or visit www.asbmb.org for more information.

AS BM B WelcomesNew Ph.D.s

ASBMB extends its congratula-tions to these individuals whorecently received their Ph.D.degrees. In recognition of theirachievement, ASBMB is presentingthem with a free one-year mem-bership in the Society. The newPh.D.s are listed below with theinstitution from which theyreceived their degree.

Rhonda Clark, Oklahoma Univer-sity Health Sciences Center

Udayan Dutta, University of Massachusetts Medical School


S c i e n c e fr o m A S B M B J o u r n a l sBy N ico le Kresge , Sc ience Ed i tor

AS BM B Bio Bits

Using Model Proteins to Quantify the Effects ofPathogenic Mutations in Ig-like ProteinsLucy G. Randles, Ilkka Lappalainen, Susan B. Fowler, Benjamin Moore, Stefan J. Hamill, and Jane Clarke

J. Biol. Chem. 2006 281: 24216-24226.

Comprehensive and Quantitative Mapping of EnergyLandscapes for Protein-Protein Interactions byRapid Combinatorial ScanningGábor Pál, Jean-Louis K. Kouadio, Dean R. Artis, Anthony A. Kossiakoff, and Sachdev S. Sidhu

J. Biol. Chem. 2006 281: 22378-22385.Protein-protein interactions are often characterized by a striking structural plasticity that allows contactpoints to adapt to conformational changes and multiple amino acid substitutions. As a result, the biophysics governing pro-tein-protein interactions is extremely complex, and an area of extensive investigation is concerned with establishing a detailedknowledge base that will enhance our understanding of protein-protein associations and enable the development of predictivecriteria for engineering novel protein functions. To aid this effort, theauthors of this paper have developed a novel combinatorial quantitativesaturation scanning strategy that enables rapid assessment of the struc-tural and functional effects of all possible mutations across a large pro-tein-protein interface. The researchers applied their scan to theinteraction between human growth hormone and its receptor. Theyfound that the human growth hormone binding interface is highlyadaptable to mutations, but that the nature of the tolerated mutationschallenges generally accepted views about the evolutionary and biophys-ical pressures governing protein-protein interactions. Quantitative saturation scan library design.

Is it possible to predict how changes in sequence will affect the bio-physical properties of a protein? In this study, the authors attempt toanswer this question by using stable, well characterized model pro-

teins to predict the properties of disease-associated proteins in the same structural fam-ily. Using related model proteins in which identical or equivalent mutations had beenintroduced, Randles et al. analyzed 37 different disease-causing mutations located inthe L1 and IL2Rγ proteins. Their results show an extremely strong correlation betweenprotein instability and disease. However, there are a few exceptions, which clearly indi-cate the limitations of the approach. The correlation is obtained by relating thesequence variability to the energies of interaction rather than to sequence entropy. Thisestablishes the importance of protein energetics and strikes down the sequence entropyas a measure of stability. The paper leads to the conclusion that sequence entropy as ameasure of sequence variability is not useful for relating to protein structure. Structures of model Ig and fnIII proteins.


S c i e n c e fr o m A S B M B J o u r n a l s

Vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols) is a lipid-soluble antioxidant that helps to pre-vent oxidative damage to cellular lipids. α−Tocopherol is absorbed by the intestine and istaken up and retained by the liver. It is widely believed that α−tocopherol is then pack-aged in newly assembled Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) and secreted in thisform, whereupon it is delivered to peripheral tissues. To determine whether VLDL secre-tion is truly important for the delivery of α−tocopherol to peripheral tissues, the authorsexamined α−tocopherol metabolism in mice that cannot secrete VLDL. They found thatα−tocopherol levels in the plasma were lower in the mutant mice than in controls,whereas hepatic α−tocopherol stores were higher. However, α−tocopherol levels in theperipheral tissues of the genetically altered mice were nearly identical to those of controlmice, suggesting that VLDL secretion is not critical for the delivery of α−tocopherol toperipheral tissues. Thus the authors conclude that the absence of VLDL secretion has lit-tle effect on the stores of α−tocopherol in peripheral tissues, at least in the mouse.

Increased numbers of lipid droplets (red) in hepatocytes of mice unable to secrete VLDL.

Absence of VLDL secretion does not affect α-tocopherol content in peripheral tissuesKaori Minehira-Castelli, Scott W. Leonard, Quinn M. Walker, Maret G. Traber, and Stephen G. Young

J. Lipid Res. 2006 47: 1733-1738.

Traditional methods of identifying novel targets involved in cancer progression have beenbased on studies of individual genes. Now, the use of DNA microarrays permits the analysis ofthe expression of tens of thousands of genes simultaneously and rapidly. In this article, theauthors investigated the feasibility of expressing soluble proteins corresponding to up-regu-lated genes in cancer patients with surgically resected colon polyps and tumors. They usedcDNA microarrays to identify differentially expressed genes in malignant versus normal sam-ples isolated from individual patients with colorectal cancer. They then investigated differentsources of cDNA clones for protein expression, as well as the influence of the protein size andthe different tags with respect to protein expression levels and solubility in E. coli. From 29selected genes, 21 distinct proteins were finally expressed as soluble proteins. In addition, sevenof these potential markers were tested for antibody production and/or validation. Six of theseven proteins were confirmed to be overexpressed in colorectal tumoral tissues.

Tissue microarray analysis of selected targets in colorectal cancer.

Proteomics-based Validationof Genomic Data: Applicationsin Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis

Juan Madoz-Gúrpide, Paula López-Serra, Jorge Luis Martínez-Torrecuadrada, LydiaSánchez, Luis Lombardía, and J. Ignacio Casal

Mol. Cell . Proteomics 2006 5: 1471-1483.

B I O T E C H B U S I N E S S N E W S


California, is working to turn switchgrass, a Prairie States native, into anenergy crop.

Developing energy crops could meannew applications of genetic engineer-ing, which poses a concern to someenvironmentalists who worry thataltered plants will cross-pollinate in thewild, resulting in forests that practicallydroop for want of lignin. However, pro-ponents of designer fuel crops arguethat the risks are small compared withthose of dependence on foreign oil.

So far, much of the attention onbioenergy has focused on improvingthe chemical processes for turningcrops into ethanol. But experts saythat, if biofuels are to make a signifi-cant dent in the nation’s petroleumconsumption, the crops themselvesmust be improved to provide moreenergy per acre. Even if the nation’sentire corn crop were diverted to

That is the new mission of crop sci-entists, according to an article by BrianRay in the September 8, New YorkTimes. In an era of $3-a-gallon gasolineand growing concern about globalwarming from fossil fuels, seed andbiotechnology companies see apromising opportunity in developingcorn and other crops tailored for use inethanol and other biofuels.

Syngenta, for instance, hopes in2008 to begin selling a geneticallyengineered corn designed to help con-vert itself into ethanol. Each kernel ofthis self-processing corn contains anenzyme that must otherwise be addedseparately at the ethanol factory. Andjust last month, DuPont and Bungeannounced that their joint venture toimprove soybeans for food would alsostart designing beans for biodiesel fueland other industrial uses. MeanwhileCeres, a plant genetics company in

Redesigning Crops to Harvest Fuel and Get More Miles to the Bushel

“Political officials” allege that thePharmaceutical Research and Manu-facturers of America (PhRMA) gavemoney to the U.S. Chamber ofCommerce to support an advertisingcampaign that praised senators andHouse members who voted for the2003 Medicare law, according to theAP/San Jose Mercury News reports.

The $10 million campaignlaunched in July and includes radioand television ads. According to theAP/Mercury News, “officials whodescribed PhRMA’s involvementsaid they did not know whether theindustry had given the Chambermoney to cover the entire cost of

the ads and other elements of anelection-year voter mobilizationeffort or merely a portion.” As oflate August, the campaign ads wereairing in 10 states or congressionaldistricts and had been removed inother areas because of errors. An adsupporting Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) was removed because hevoted against the 2003 Medicarelaw, and ads supporting Reps.Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), MikeSodrel (R-Ind.) and Dave Reichert(R-Wash.) were removed afterDemocrats noted that the lawmak-ers were not in Congress when thelaw passed.

PhR MA Reportedly Funded Ads Tout ingMedicare Prescript ion Drug Benefi t

by John D . Thompson , Ed i tor

ethanol production, it would replaceonly about 15% of petroleum use, according to an Energy Depart-ment report.

Not all of the work will involvegenetic engineering. Monsanto’s bio-fuel development will focus on con-ventional breeding, which it says isquicker. The company has tested itsexisting corn varieties to determinewhich ones are better for ethanol pro-duction. Pioneer Hi-Bred International,the DuPont subsidiary that is Mon-santo’s rival in the corn-seed business,is doing the same.

Regardless of what is done to corn,some experts say that starch alonewill not provide enough ethanol. Thenew frontier is to produce ethanolfrom cellulose, the fibrous material inall plants.

While some of the cellulose for bio-fuels could come from agriculturalresidue like corn stalks, there will prob-ably be a need for other crops grownspecifically for energy production — inparticular, perennial plants like grassesthat require far less energy-consumingirrigation and fertilization than cropslike corn that have to be replantedeach year.

Ceres, based in Thousand Oaks, Cali-fornia, is collaborating with theSamuel Roberts Noble Foundation inArdmore, Okla., a leading researchinstitute on forage grasses. The part-ners are testing conventionally bredswitch grass varieties that yield eight tonine tons of biomass an acre, com-pared with about five tons for typicalswitch grass.

Another cellulose candidate ispoplar, which recently became thefirst tree to have its entire genomesequenced, an effort led by theEnergy Department.

pany had acted more responsibly.“This again points out why, if we don’tdo this, you’re going to have . . . indi-vidual companies out there trying tohype things up,” he said.

Robert Lanza, the company’s vicepresident for research, defended how itannounced the development, saying,“We have developed a technique andwe have indeed shown it does work.”

A company that claimed it devel-oped a way to harvest stem cells fromdays-old human embryos withoutharming the embryos was accused lastmonth at a Senate hearing of misrepre-senting its work. Advanced Cell Tech-nology Inc. of Alameda, California,drew fire from Senators Arlen Specter,R-Pa., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.,authors of a bill vetoed by PresidentBush that would have expandedembryonic stem cell research throughgovernment funding.

Supporters of such research say itcould lead to treatments and cures fora wide variety of ailments, includingAlzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseaseand spinal cord injuries. Bush andabortion foes, however, have opposedembryonic stem cell research becausethe embryos die in the process of har-vesting the stem cells from them.

Advanced Cell Technology said lastmonth it had developed a technique forremoving from an embryo a single stemcell that can be developed into a stemcell line without destroying the embryo.The company’s claim was echoed in aninitial e-mail to reporters from Naturemagazine. Later, however, it was dis-closed that the company had removedmore than one stem cell from theembryos it used, killing the embryos.

Senators Cri t ical of Firm’s Stem Cell Research Claim

B I O T E C H B U S I N E S S N E W S

OCTOBER 2006 ASBMBToday 31ASBMBToday OCTOBER 2006

Specter, Chair of the Senate Subcom-mittee on Labor, Health, and HumanServices, told officials of the companythat it had not accomplished “whatyou told the world … We have repre-sentation which created a lot of hopes… and now they appear to be dashed.”

Harkin, the top Democrat on thesubcommittee, said the confusioncould have been avoided if the com-

The Chinese government willincrease investment in the develop-ment of new drugs and encourageinnovation in domestic pharmaceu-tical companies, according to ZhangGuobao, Deputy Director of the StateDevelopment and Reform Commis-sion. He said that insufficient fund-ing for research and developmentand a lack of innovation has ham-pered development of China's phar-maceutical industry, and announcedthat the commission, which set goalsfor the nation’s 2006-2010 five-yearplan, has issued guidelines for thedevelopment of the medical andpharmaceutical industries

The guidelines require at least 5% ofincome from pharmaceutical sales tobe reinvested in research and develop-ment of medical equipment andmajor companies, and 3% to be spenton general products. The key areas fordeveloping new drugs will be cancers,cardiovascular and cerebrovascularsystems, viral infections, nervous andpsychological systems, blood sugarreduction, and senile illnesses.

In addition, the government willestablish five large pharmaceuticalgroups with sales of at least five billionyuan ($625 million U.S.) each and 10others with sales of three billion yuan($375 million U.S.) each by 2010.

China Seeking to Increase Support for Drug Research, Product ion

The University of Utah’s researchfunds have decreased by more than$18 million this year, according to theschool’s paper The Daily Utah Chronicle.In particular, the university’s College ofMedicine research income is down bymore than $11 million and its Collegeof Engineering experienced a $7 mil-lion drop. “The humanities, education,business and social and behavioral sci-ence colleges also have had sharp

decreases in research awards,” thepaper noted.

Raymond Gesteland, the univer-sity’s Vice President for Research,told the Chronicle that research dol-lars have been harder to come by forseveral years, but the situation hasbeen worse this year. “Money forresearch has been decreasing for afew years now,” he said. “However,this year is a dip for sure and is

becoming a general problem acrosscampus.” To compete more effec-tively for research funds, the univer-sity is emphasizing interdisciplinaryresearch and developing ‘pumppriming’ programs. “We are creatingnew programs, including one in thehealth sciences and the other cam-pus-wide, to help attract moreresearch dollars from outside organi-zations,” Gesteland said.

University of Utah Sees Research Funding Fall by $18 mil l ion


ease biomarkers complemented by animproved understanding of the patho-physiology of disease, has the potentialto significantly aid the development ofnew strategies for the diagnosis andtreatment of human disease. Ulti-mately, this new discipline is expectedto lead to a predictive, individualizedapproach to patient care, and to facili-tate the selection of treatment modali-ties that are most likely to benefit theindividual patient,” explain Carr andCelis in their editorial.

The two guest editors believe thatmass spectrometry and array-based pro-tein and antibody approaches are at thecore of a rapidly expanding worldwideeffort to find clinically useful proteinbiomarkers in human tissues and bodyfluids. However, this effort will involvemany challenges that will have to bemet by research scientists, clinicians,statisticians, and developers of newtechnologies. Carr and Celis compiledthe October issue of MCP in the hopeof stimulating this process.

he October 2006 issue of Mol-ecular and Cellular Proteomics(MCP) will focus specifically

on biomarker discovery and clinicalproteomics. This is the fourth specialclinical issue produced by the Journal,and it is available FREE to ASBMBmembers on the MCP webs i te(www.mcponline.org).

The issue, which was compiled byguest editors Steven A. Carr and Julio E.Celis, contains many invited contribu-tions, derived in part from presentationsat the 2005 Asilomar Conference on“Biomarker Discovery and Validation:from Bench to Bedside” organized bySteve Carr and Leigh Anderson. Fourresearch reports selected from direct sub-missions to the Journal are also included.

The issue is divided into three majorsections: Biomarkers of Disease andConditions; Proteomic Data Analysis;Resources; and Methodologies. Thepapers address a broad sweep ofadvances in technologies, samplepreparation methods, data analysisapproaches, and applications for dis-ease detection and prognosis. Alsoincluded is a meeting report on theNational Cancer Institute’s attempt tostimulate a community effort aroundproduction, characterization, and cata-loging of antibody reagents useful forearly detection, treatment and moni-toring of cancer.

Some of the titles that appear in thespecial issue include: Guilt By Associa-tion: The Nuclear Envelope Proteomeand Disease; Novel Differential Neuro-proteomics Analysis of Traumatic BrainInjury in Rats; Proteomics in ClinicalTrials and Practice: Present Uses andFuture Promise; and A Platform ForExperimental Pattern Recognition.

“Proteomics in its clinical embodi-ment is poised to become an impor-tant medical discipline in the nearfuture, as identification of novel dis-

TOctober MCP: a Special Issue on Clinical Proteomics


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ASBMBToday OCTOBER 200634 OCTOBER 2006 ASBMBToday

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

Tenure-track Assistant Professor

in Molecular Biology

The Brandeis Biology Department isseeking to fill a tenure-track position inthe broad area of eukaryotic geneexpression, beginning fall 2007. We areparticularly interested in candidateswho study mechanistic aspects of tran-scriptional regulation, with a focus onnucleic acids or chromatin. We are look-ing to complement existing strengths atBrandeis in post-transcriptional generegulation, development and functionof the nervous system, chromosomestructure and function, biophysics andstructural biology. We expect that theappointment will be made at theAssistant Professor level, although amore advanced appointment for candi-dates with exceptional qualificationsmay be considered. Candidates shouldhave a Ph.D., M.D. or both, as well aspostdoctoral experience. First considera-tion will be given to applicationsreceived by 10/15/06. Candidates cansubmit initial information online at:http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/facultySearch/appFormMB.php.

Applicants should submit a CV,research plan and arrange for three let-ters of recommendation to be submittedpreferably by email [email protected] or inhard copy to:

Molecular Biology Search Committee Department of Biology, MS 008Brandeis University415 South StreetWaltham, MA 02454-9110

Brandeis University is an equal opportunityemployer, committed to building a cultural-ly diverse intellectual community andstrongly encourages applications fromwomen and minorities.

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO SCHOOL OF

MEDICINE

Chair, Department of Biochemistry

and Molecular Genetics

The University of Colorado School ofMedicine seeks applicants for Chair ofthe Department of Biochemistry andMolecular Genetics. The Departmentconsists of 17 primary faculty as well asmore than 20 secondary faculty mem-bers. The Department currently occupiesover 35,000 square feet of state-of-the-art research and office space, primarilyon the 9th and 10th floors of the newlyoccupied Research Complex at the newUCHSC Fitzsimons campus. Details areavailable at the departmental web site:www.uchsc.edu/sm/bbgn/

Research programs include chromatinstructure, gene transcription and transla-tion, RNA structure and enzymatic activi-ty, protein structure, protein degradation,signal transduction, cell cycle regulation,bioinformatics and cell fate determina-tion. Department faculty, currently withover eight million dollars in federal fund-ing, houses both the Molecular Biologyand the Biochemistry graduate programs.In addition, department faculty drawgraduate students from several other pro-grams including: MSTP, ComputationalBiosciences, Biomolecular Structure andBiomedical Sciences.

The Chair of the Department ofBiochemistry and Molecular Geneticsreports to the Dean of the School ofMedicine and participates with his staffand other departmental chairs in pro-gram development, administration, andbudgetary planning and implementation.The position requires excellence in teach-ing, demonstrated administrative leader-ship and ability, and, in particular, lead-ership in research and scholarly activity.

The University of Colorado is commit-ted to the recruitment and employmentof a diverse faculty. We encourage appli-cations from women and minorities.Review of applications will continueuntil the position is filled. Applicantsshould respond by sending a letter ofinterest and curriculum vitae to:

John C. Cambier, Ph.D.Ida and Cecil Green Professor andChairman of the Department of

Immunology,Chair, Department of Biochemistryand Molecular Genetics SearchCommitteeUniversity of Colorado School ofMedicine and National Jewish Medicaland Research Center, Room K8031400 Jackson Street, Denver CO 80206FAX: [303] 270-2325Email: [email protected]

The University of Colorado is committed todiversity and equality in education andemployment.

THE RADCLIFFE INSTITUTE FOR

ADVANCED STUDY AT HARVARD

UNIVERSITY

FellowshipsThe Radcliffe Institute for Advanced

Study at Harvard University awards fullyfunded fellowships each year. RadcliffeInstitute fellowships are designed tosupport scientists of exceptional promiseand demonstrated accomplishment.Scientists, in any field, with a doctoratein the area of the proposed project byDecember 2005 are eligible to apply.Only scientists who have at least onepublished article or monograph are eli-gible to apply.

The stipend amount of $60,000 ismeant to compliment sabbatical leavesalaries of faculty members. Fellowsreceive office space, computers and highspeed links, and access to libraries andother resources of Harvard University dur-ing the fellowship year, which extendsfrom early September 2007 through June30, 2008. Residence in the Boston area isrequired as is participation in the Institutecommunity. Fellows are expected to pre-sent their work-in-progress and to attendother fellows’ events.

For more information, including listsof present and past fellows, visit ourWeb site at www.radcliffe.edu.Applications are due by December 4th,2006. Apply on-line or write, call, or e-mail for an application:

Radcliffe Application Office34 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138617-496-3048 - [email protected] -www.radcliffe.edu

Fox Chase Center

Scientific Technician II. Desgn & per-form molecular & biological experi-mental protocols in genetics & proteinexpression. Req. M.S. in Biochem or rel+ 2yrs exp. Must have knowl of proteinexpression & purification techniques &glycosilation & DNA polymerase activi-ty determination techniques. Send CVto Holly Molle, Fox Chase Cancer Ctr,333 Cottman Ave, Philadelphia, PA19111. EOE

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND

BIOCHEMISTRY, CALIFORNIA STATE

UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON

Tenure-track Positions in

Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITYFULLERTON, DEPARTMENT OF CHEM-ISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY seeksapplicants for tenure track faculty posi-tions in biochemistry and in analyticalchemistry, preferably at the AssistantProfessor level, to begin August, 2007.Post-doctoral or equivalent researchexperience is preferred; women andunder-represented minority applicantsare particularly welcome. A willingnessto engage in collaborative research inrelated fields is desirable.

Successful applicants must have aPhD in biochemistry or chemistry andhave the potential to develop vigorousresearch programs involving undergrad-uate and graduate (MS) students thatattract external funding and lead to ref-ereed publications. Successful candi-dates must be committed to excellencein teaching a diverse population of stu-dents. Primary teaching responsibilitieswill be in the core lecture and laborato-ry courses of the discipline at theundergraduate level, and in graduatecourses.

Information about the university anddepartment, as well as full informationon the advertised positions is availableonline at http://chemsrvr2.fullerton.edu/.

Applicants should send a detailedcurriculum vitae (including names ofreferences), a summary of proposedresearch, and a summary of teachingphilosophy and preferences, and


C a r e e r O p p o r t u n i t i e s


V i s i t w w w . a s b m b . o r g a n d c l i c k o nN o w O p e n ! A S B M B C e n t e n n i a l S t o r e

u n d e r o u r W h a t ’ s N e w s e c t i o n .

considered. Excellent interpersonal skills,leadership and commitment to mentor-ing junior faculty and trainees are essen-tial. Credentials appropriate for the rankof tenured Professor are required.Current research focus in the depart-ment includes molecular and cellular sig-naling; more information is available at:http://southmed.usouthal.edu/com/biochem/. Opportunities for collabora-tion and program development existwithin the institution, including theCenter for Lung Biology, the MitchellCancer Institute and other departmentsin the College of Medicine. The depart-ment contributes to medical educationand to the training of graduate studentsthrough the interdisciplinary Ph.D. pro-gram in Basic Medical Sciences. TheUniversity is located in Mobile onAlabama’s Gulf Coast.

Interested applicants should submit acurriculum vitae, names and contactinformation for at least three references,a statement of research interests andacademic vision, and a summary ofadministrative experience either elec-tronically ([email protected]) orby mail: Dr. Mary Townsley, Chair,Biochemistry Chair Search Committee,Dean’s office, CSAB 170, University ofSouth Alabama, College of Medicine,Mobile, Alabama 36688. Review ofapplications will begin October 16, 2006and continue until the position is filled.

The University of South Alabama is anAffirmative Action/Equal OpportunityEmployer.

arrange for three letters of recommenda-tion from individuals familiar with theirteaching and research potential. Pleasesend these to:

Dr. Maria C. LinderChair, Department of Chemistry andBiochemistryCalifornia State University, FullertonP.O. Box 6866Fullerton, CA 92834-6866Phone: 714-278-3621FAX: 714-278-5316Email: [email protected]

Review of applications will begin onOctober 1, 2006 and continue until thepositions are filled.

Cal State Fullerton is an AffirmativeAction/Equal Opportunity/Title IX/ADAEmployer

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Chair, Department of Biochemistry

and Molecular Biology

The University of South AlabamaCollege of Medicine is seeking a Chairfor the Department of Biochemistry andMolecular Biology. The successful candi-date will be an outstanding, nationally-recognized scientist and academicianwho will recruit new faculty and set thefuture direction for the department’sresearch and educational missions.Candidates with a strong record ofresearch in any area related to biochem-istry and/or molecular biology will be

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C a l e n d a r o f S c i e n t i f i c M e e t i n g s


43rd Japanese Peptide Symposium/4th Peptide

Engineering Meeting

November 5–8 • Yokohama, Japan www.peptide-soc.jp/43JPS4PEM.html E-mail: [email protected]

Fall Workshop: The Present and Future of Quadrupole

Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry

November 9-10 • Catamaran Resort, San DiegoProgram Chairs: Victor Ryzhov and Richard VachetFor information contact: ASMS505-989-4517; [email protected]; www.asms.org

NIH 4th Symposium — Functional Genomics of Critical

Illness and Injury

Surviving Stress: Organ Systems to Molecules

November 13-14 • Bethesda, Maryland, Preliminary agenda and detailed guidelines for abstracts areavailable at: www.strategicresults.com/fg4Register online through Thursday, October 19. There will beno on-site registration.Deadline for abstract submission is September 8.

Annual meeting of the Society for Glycobiology

November 15-18 • Los AngelesContacts: Linda Baum, President; [email protected] Moremen, Secretary; [email protected]: www.glycobiology.org

The 19th Annual Tandem Mass Spectrometry Workshop

November 29–December 2 • Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada www.csms.inter.ab.ca/louise.htm E-mail: [email protected]; Ph: 403-335-3707

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6

Second ISN Special Neurochemistry Conference: Neural

Glycoproteins and Glycolipids

December 1-5 • Antigua, West IndiesFor information contact:www.isnantigua2006.org/

19th World Diabetes Congress

December 3–7 • Cape Town, South Africa www.idf2006.org/

American Society for Cell Biology 46th Annual Meeting

December 9-13 • San DiegoPh: 301-347-9300; Email: [email protected]: www.ascb.org

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6

4th Euro Fed Lipid Congress

October 1–4 • Madrid, Spain www.eurofedlipid.org/meetings/madrid/index.htm Email: [email protected]

International Conference of Immunogenomics and

Immunomics

October 8–12 • Budapest, HungaryA joint meeting of 2nd Basic and Clinical Immunogenomicsand 3rd Immunoinformatics (Immunomics) ConferencesEmail: [email protected]; www.bcii2006.org

3rd Annual Scientific Forum of the Midwest Lipid

Association

October 20–22 • Kansas City, MO www.lipid.org/chapters/mwla; Email: [email protected]

Asilomar Conference on Mass Spectrometry

October 20-24 • Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CAFundamentals of Gas Phase Ion Chemistry: Experiment and TheoryProgram Chairs: Frantisek Turecek and Thomas MortonFor information contact: ASMSPh: 505-989-4517; Email: [email protected]; www.asms.org

FEBS Special Meeting: European Lipidomics Initiative

October 21–25 • Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands www.febslipid2006.chem.uu.nl/

4th International Conference on Structural Genomics

October 22–26 • Beijing, ChinaWebsite: www.sino-meetings.com/icsg2006/

NHUPO 5th Annual World Congress

October 28–November 1 • Long Beach, CA www.hupo2006.com; E-mail: [email protected] Ph: 514-398-5063

The Liver Meeting 2006— 57th Annual Meeting of the

American Association for the Study of Liver Disease

October 27–31 • Boston, MA www.aasld.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=2006_AnnualMeeting

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6

Transcriptional Regulation by Chromatin and RNA

Polymerase I I

November 2–6 • Kiawah Island, South CarolinaOrganizer: Ali Shilatifard, Saint Louis, University School ofMedicine, Email: [email protected]

M A Y 2 0 0 7

7th International Symposium of the Protein Society

May 12–16, 2007 • Stockholm-Uppsala, CA Sweden www.proteinsociety.org/pages/page02b.htm E-mail: [email protected] Tel.: 301-634-7277

J U N E 2 0 0 7

55th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry

June 3-7 •IndianapolisFor information contact: ASMS, [email protected]; www.asms.org

76th Annual EAS Congress

European Atherosclerosis Society

June 10-13 • Helsinki, FinlandThe Congress aims to create a stimulating atmosphere forexchange of the latest scientific and clinical knowledge in thefield of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.Deadline for submission of abstracts: November 30, 2006For more information contact:Kenes International, EAS 200717, rue du Cendrier; P.O. Box 1726CH-1211 Geneva 1, SwitzerlandPh: +41 22 908 0488; Fax: +41 22 732 2850Email: [email protected]: www.kenes.com/eas2007

Mitosis Spindle Assembly and Function

A FASEB Summer Research Conference

in Honor of Dr. B. R. Brinkley

June 9 -14 •Hyatt Grand Champions Resort and Spa, IndianWells, CaliforniaApplications from students and post-docs are especially wel-come! For additional information contact the organizers:Dr. Conly L. Rieder, [email protected] orDr. Robert E. Palazzo, [email protected].

J U LY 2 0 0 7

XXIst Congress of the International Society on

Thrombosis and Haemostasis

July 6–12, 2007 • Geneva, Switzerland www.isth2007.com

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 7

48th International Conference on the Bioscience of

Lipids

September 4–8, 2007 • Turku, Finland www.icbl2007.abo.fi

J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 7

Sanibel Conference

January 19-22 • Sundial Beach Resort, Sanibel Island, FloridaImaging Mass SpectrometryProgram Chairs: Richard Caprioli, Ron Heeren, and MarkusStoeckli, For information contact: ASMS505-989-4517; [email protected]; www.asms.org

M A R C H 2 0 0 7

U.S. HUPO 2007

March 4-8 •SeattleFor information contact:www.ushupo.orgEmail: [email protected]; Ph: 505-9899-4876

Association for Biomolecular Resource Facilities

Mar 31-April 3 •Tampa Convention Center, FloridaFor information contact:www.faseb.org/meetings/default.htmEmail: [email protected]; Ph: 301-634-7010

A P R I L 2 0 0 7

Second Workshop on Biophysics of Membrane-active

Peptides

April 1–4 • Lisbon Science Museum, PortugalThe Lisbon Science Museum includes a 19th century lab and lec-ture room. Conference call for papers: special theme issue of J PepSci. Symposia: Membrane-translocating peptides / Cell penetrat-ing peptides, Membrane-permeabilizing peptides / Antimicrobialpeptides, Fusogenic peptides, and Structure and Dynamics in pep-tide-membrane interaction, Plenary lectures: Jöel Schneide: Bio-active properties of peptide surfaces. Robert Hancock:Antimicrobial peptides. Stuart McLaughlin: Electrostatic interac-tion of basic peptides with acidic lipids in membranes. Abstract submission, January 15, 2007, Early registration,January 15, 2007, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon,Miguel Castanho, Ph.D.www.biophysicsmap.com; E-mail: [email protected]

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular

Biology Annual Meeting in Conjunction with EB2007

April 28–May 2 • Washington, DCContact: ASBMB 2007, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD20814-3008Ph: 301-634-7145Email: [email protected]: www.asbmb.org/meetings

2nd International Congress on Prediabetes and the

Metabolic Syndrome

April 25–28, 2007 • Barcelona, Spain www.kenes.com/prediabetes2007; Email: [email protected]

• Challenges in biomarker discovery.

• Protein biomarkers in amousemodel of extremes in trait anxiety.

• Novel differential neuropro-teomics analysis of traumaticbrain injury in rats.

• Proteomics in clinical trials andpractice: present uses and futurepromise.

• Proteomics of breast cancer:principles and potential clinicalapplications.

• Proteomic based developmentof biomarkers in cardiovasculardisease: Mechanistic, clinical andtherapeutic insights.

• A platform for experimentalpattern recognition.sn

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Biomarker Discovery and

Clinical Proteomics

www.mcponline.org

IssueDate:October2006

Molecular &Cellular Proteomics (MCP) is pleased to announce the 4th special issue dedicated to

Proteomics is a powerful, cutting-edge discipline

that has enormous potential for diagnosis and

treatment of human diseases.

This special issue will include articles from

presentations at the 2005 Asilomar Conference

on “Biomarker Discovery andClinical Proteomics”

organized by Steven Carr and Leigh Anderson,

several invited contributions, as well

as four research reports selected from

direct submissions to the journal. The

issue is organized in three sections

coveringthe followingtopics:1)biomarkers

of disease and conditions, 2) proteomic data

analysis, and 3) methodologies.

If you are in the field of Proteomics or a Clinician interested in biomarkers

you cannot afford to miss this issue! s p

ecia

lclin

ical

issu

e

Guest editors: Steven A. Carr and Julio E. Celis

see biobits page 28.€¦ · ings with members congress, and they are interested in being involved,...

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