hancock named executive director of imm · the executive director of the medical school’s brown...

1 Integrative Biology & Pharmacology Fall 2012

Following a national search, Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo has announced Dr. John Hancock as the executive director of the Medical School’s Brown Foundation Institute of

Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM). “Dr. Hancock brings great leadership and expertise to this thriving institute and is committed to work closely with the IMM’s many outstanding center directors and faculty. I have every confidence that he will build upon the IMM’s successes to take it to even greater heights,” Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo said. Hancock had been serving as interim director of the IMM since January 2011. He also is vice dean for basic science research at the Medical School and holds the John S. Dunn Distinguished University Chair in Physiology and Medicine. He joined the Medical School in 2008 as chair of the Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, a position he still retains, and said he is looking forward to his new role. “I am excited and highly privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead and build the research enterprise of this outstanding institute,” Hancock said. “I look forward to working with all IMM faculty and our many enthusiastic supporters and donors as we continue to

grow and strengthen the IMM research centers and extend our strong collaborative scientific programs with the Medical School.” Hancock received his M.B. (bachelor of medicine) and B.Chir. (bachelor of surgery) degrees from the University of Cambridge and his Ph.D. from the University of London. Following his medical and surgical internships as a house physician and a house surgeon at St. Thomas’ Hospital Medical School, he entered the U.S. equivalent of a two-year medical residency rotation through major London teaching hospitals, obtaining general medical training in cardiology, neurology, hematology, oncology, and intensive care. Hancock was formerly deputy director of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, where he held chairs in molecular cell biology and experimental oncology. Before moving to Australia in 1995, he was research director at a biotech company in California. Hancock’s laboratory studies basic mechanisms of mammalian cell signaling, and his research interests include the function of Ras proteins. He is a fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians and a member of The Royal College of Physicians (UK). He has citizenship in Britain, Australia, and the United States.

~Darla Brown, Office of Communications, Medical School

Published in the Scoop July 19, 2012.

Hancock Named Executive Director of IMM

Fall 2012

CONTENTSDepartmental News &

Events SECC

Tour De Pink Safe Passage

Safe Evacuation Dr. Weisbrodt Honored

Welcome New Employees Welcome Drs. Levental

Page 2

Faculty Spotlight Grill DOD & MC Awards

Pochynyuk TSRC Recognition Levental CPRIT Award

Page 7

Graduate Student Awards & Activities

Graduate Program Student Accolades

1

Research Corner Deborah Brougher

Page 12

Calendar of Events Page 13

Chair, IBP Dr. John Hancock

Vice Chair, IBP Dr. Roger O’Neil

Director of Management Services

Monica Gardner

Editor—Anne Dybala

http://www.uthouston.edu/imm/

http://ibp.med.uth.tmc.edu/


IBP Team Participates in 8th Annual Tour de Pink

S hane Cunha, PhD, and Rebecca

Berdeaux, PhD, recently gathered a team of nearly 20 from UTHealth to ride in the Eighth Annual Tour de Pink, a bike ride that benefits breast cancer awareness and education. Team members were able to choose the number of miles they felt comfortable

riding, and the team biked 1,127 miles! Two members, Dhananjay Thakur and Ching On Wong, rode more than 100 miles each, while most of the team rode 63 miles. Twelve of the 19 members came from our own Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology. Cunha and Berdeaux arranged four training rides in preparation for the event and also designed a UT Health cycling jersey.

Dick Clark, PhD raised the largest sum of money, while Monica Gardner, DMO had the greatest number of people donate. In total, the team raised $3,800, enough for about 30 mammograms!

Cunha and Berdeaux hope to make this an annual tradition. If you are interested in joining with them next year, please contact Shane Cunha at 713-500-7433 or [email protected] or Rebecca Berdeaux at 713-500-5653 or [email protected].

Team Members:

Shane Cunha—Team Captain, Dmitry Akhmedov, Rebecca Berdeaux,

Ghislain Breton; Richard Clark, Catherine Denicourt, Sondra Faul, Monica Gardner, Jennifer Laine, Justin Lopez; Claire Mauvais, Francis Nguyen, Rebecca Pearson, Agi Schonbrunn, George Stancel, David Steffen,

Dhananjay Thakur, Ching On Wong, Gokay Yamankurt

R emember 1985? Michael Jackson and LionelRichie joined with forty of America’s top musical

superstars to create a charity single for hunger relief efforts in Ethiopia. They sang: We are the world We are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So let’s start giving…

UTHealth employees joined together on September 24th to change the lives of people in our own community and to make a brighter day. During the SECC campaign, you can choose the charities you want to help from the hundreds of options in the mini-directory. You can make a donation by making a pledge online using UTHealth Employee Self-Service or by filing out a pledge form. You can choose to make a onetime donation or use the convenience of payroll deduction to give a little with each pay period. We know that money is tight in this economy, but even small gifts help the SECC change lives. For as little as $2 a pay period, you can provide one days food and shelter for a homeless person, the cost of planting 100 tree saplings, three days of parenting classes that teach effective discipline and stress/conflict management, or hundreds of other worthwhile activities. It’s amazing to think what a difference you can make with small donations! The Campaign ends on Friday, October 12, 2012.

SECC~Together We Change Lives


W hen you travel do you think about what to do if you get

robbed or abducted?

These are a couple of the scenarios that were addressed in the presenta-tion ”Safe Passage” presented by UT Police Department. The presentation was about traveling, whether alone or out of the country, and what measures you can take to ensure your safety.

In today’s world, these are issues we need to be consider-ing. This presentation covered such things as having a throw away wallet, an emergency escape bag, or an alert code your family knows about.

The thought of being taken hostage seems far-fetched to me, but as times change, we need to be prepared. This presentation brought up some very real issues that I had never considered.

While in transit, such as at the airport, don’t discuss your itinerary or money issues.

You should keep a low profile, don’t draw attention to your-self. Don’t wear a lot of expensive jewelry or watches.

It covered issues we need to consider when traveling alone such as asking for help with bags. This keeps you from going to your hotel room alone. Paying attention to your surroundings at all times and not confronting some-one you think may be following you were also discussed. Also, think about what’s in your wallet. Do you have pin numbers, account numbers, information you wouldn’t want someone else to have?

If you are taken hostage, it is important to remember the three “C”s, stay Calm, Connect with your captors, and Capitalize on the relationship. They reminded us that most hostages survive.

The presentation was well done and very informative. I would recommend it for anyone considering traveling out of the country. After seeing it, I think I’ll just stay home.

Safe Passage

Safe Evacuation

Lisa Byrd

E ric Escobedo and Brian Farquhar of Environ-mental Safety and Health shared evacuation

procedures with the administrative staff during our August meeting. The discussion focused on retreat-ing with someone who is disabled. They brought along the evacuation vehicle to be used in these situ-ations. Step 1 was getting the person into the chair; step 2 was getting the person secured and step 3 was getting the person out.

We also reviewed chemical safety for which there is training available in the TRC. We discussed the need to review chemical inventories in our labs as well as to identify someone in each lab to deal with emergencies and getting people out if needed. We were invited to set up a field trip to visit “the bag,” pull stations, etc. as well as to schedule future trainings for the department.

~Anne Dybala

Secure the evacuee into the chair Ready to evacuate


Dr. Weisbrodt Honored

N orman Weisbrodt was recently recognized for

his contributions to the Medical School. He has been a member of the faculty since 1971 and an integral part of the Department of Integrative Biology & Pharmacology. In his tenure with UT, he has won dozens of awards for excellence in teaching. These include the Medical School’s Basic Sciences Teaching Award, the John Freeman Faculty Teaching Award, the Dean’s Teaching

Excellence Award and the President’s Scholar Award.

As part of that celebration, the IBP department implemented a new award for excellence in teaching named for Dr. Weisbrodt. The Norman Weisbrodt Education Award, NWEA,

recognizes outstanding contributions made by individual faculty to the Medical School’s and the Graduate School of Biomedical Science’s teaching and is planned to be given annually to two of the department’s faculty. The award itself recognizes Dr. Weisbrodt’s 40+ year involvement in undergraduate Medical school/Graduate school education while a faculty member

of IBP and specifically, acknowledges his commitment to student teaching. Awardees are deemed to be following in his footsteps

Four categories of award are recognized: Coach (someone who promotes terrific faculty /

student educational interactions and through great teaching performance, leads by example!)

Pitcher (someone who goes beyond great lecturing to sell an idea!)

Slugger (someone capable of continuous high performance while hitting home runs on a regular basis!)

Bat Boy (someone who while not currently hitting for the team, knows how to carry the bat!)

The 2012 NWEA inaugural baseball caps were awarded to to Dr. Norman Weisbrodt (Coach) and Dr. Rebecca Berdeaux (Pitcher).

Norman Weisbrodt

Welcome New Employees The Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology welcomes a number of new employees who have joined the department since June when the last newsletter was published.

Shawn Brisbay, Senior Research Assistant, Dr. Levental’s lab Yufang Chao, Senior Research Assistant, Dr. Venkatachalam’s lab Ilya Levental, Assistant Professor, new faculty member Kandice R. Levental, Assistant Professor, new faculty member Sai Medi, Research Assistant I, Dr. Berdeaux’s lab Sarah Riosa, Research Assistant II, Dr. Grill’s lab Aditi Thakkar, Research Assistant I, Dr. Loose’s lab Michael Tisza, Research Assistant I, Dr. Chang’s lab Yefei Wen, Research Associate, Dr. Li’s lab


Drs. Levental Join IBP

I lya Levental, Ph.D., joined the IBP department in late August

as an Assistant Professor and a CPRIT Scholar for Cancer Research. Dr. Levental received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008 and completed his postdoctoral work on a Humboldt Foundation Postdoctoral Research Award in the laboratory of Professor Kai Simons at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany just this year. His

research interests include the structure of eukaryotic membranes, post-translational mechanisms for targeting membrane microdomains, and functional diversity in protein transmembrane domains.

In Dr. Levental’s first month with the IBP, he has been working steadily to establish his lab. This includes the hire of Dr. Kandice Levental. She did her undergraduate work at UT-Austin as a chemical engineer, then received her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from University of Pennsylvania. There, under her advisor Valerie Weaver, she studied the influence of physical and mechanical factors on the progression of breast cancer. This work earned her a first author paper in Cell, which

has been cited over 300 times. She went on to a successful postdoc investigating advanced materials for tissue engineering and angiogenesis in Professor Carsten Werner's group in the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research in Dresden, Germany. Now she is focused on the differentiation of structure, composition, and function in plasma membranes of stem cells.

Shawn Brisbane has also joined the Levental Lab as a Senior Research Assistant. Shawn comes to IBP from MD Anderson where he worked for nearly 20 years.

Website:

http://www.levental-lab.com/index.html

Ilya Levental, Ph.D. Kandice Levental, Ph.D.

Shawn Brisbane

New Awards in IBP Awards received since our last publication this summer include: Gorfe, Alex. NIH R01. National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Nanoclusters of Lipid-anchored Proteins in Membrances: How and where they appear. 9/1/2012-08/31/2017. Grill, Ray. Mission Connect, Enhancing recovery of locomotor function in chronic SCI by combining COX/5LOX-inhibition with rehabilitation. 11/01/2012-10/31/2013.

Grill, Ray. United States Army Medical Research. Targeted riluzole delivery by antioxidant nanovectors for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 09/30/2012-09/29/2014. Grill, Ray. United States Army Medical Research. The blood-testis-barrier and male sexual dysfunction following spinal cord injury. 09/30/2012-09/29/2014. Levantal, Ilya. Cancer Prevention & Research Inst. of TX. Membrane Structure and Function in Oncogene Addiction. 9/1/2012-8/31/2017.

Lichtenberger, Lenard. NIH R03. National Cancer Institute. PC-NSAIDS for Chemoprevention of Colorectal Cancer. 09/03/2012-08/31/2014. Schonbrunn, Agi. R56 Bridge Award. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. Regulation of somatostatin receptor signaling. 7/2/2012-06/30/2013. Pochynyuk, Oleh. NIH R01. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. Aldosterone-Independent Regulation of ENaC by Systemic Salt. 09/05/2012-08/31/2017. Walters, Edgar. United States Army Medical Research. Novel Target for Ameliorating Pain and Other Problems after SCI: Spontaneous Activity in Nociceptors. 09/15/2012-09/14/2015. Yang, Qing. Mission Connect. Neuroprotective Effect of Targeting KCNQ/Kv7 Channel for Spinal Cord Injury. 11/01/2012-10/31/2013.

http://www.levental-lab.com/index.html


D r. Ray Grill was recently awarded three new

grants, one from Mission Connect and two from the Department of Defense. Enhancing recover y of locomotor function in chronic SCI by combining COX/5LOX-inhibition with rehabilitation. Despite many decades of research there remains no

effective treatment that will restore function to those who have sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI). As a result, individuals who have received such an injury move into what is called the “chronic” phase of SCI. This phase is characterized by a range of negative outcomes; key of which is a lifetime of motor loss (paralysis) that dramatically reduces one’s overall quality of life. We hypothesize that this lack of therapeutic success is largely a result of our relatively poor understanding of the pathological processes that shape this long-term period that follows the initial injury. One such area in which little information is currently available involves the role of inflammation in the chronic phase of SCI in shaping outcome. Inflammatory conditions are elicited early after injury and are known to drive secondary pathological processes such as neuronal cell death and the establishment of a non-permissive regenerative environment that contribute to permanent motor loss. It has been largely assumed that these inflammatory signals peak relatively early after injury but then rapidly decrease over a period of several weeks; resulting in a quiescent spinal environment in which function does not improve, however, nor is it thought to worsen. Work from our laboratory, however, suggests that inflammation may continue to play a role in SCI outcome long into the chronic phase of injury; if not for the rest of the subject’s life. In addition, we have detected evidence of reduced activity in several metabolic pathways involved in lipid production; pathways that are required for the maintenance of healthy cell membranes as well as the production of myelin, the insulation material needed to support the long distance passage of electrical signals from one area of the nervous system to the other. These data suggest that, rather than a static environment, the environment of the chronically-injured spinal cord exhibits active and ongoing pathological events that may act to

inhibit the types of repair that could lead to improvement in function. We hypothesize that reversing these SCI-induced pathological changes will promote endogenous repair processes such as enhanced remyelination, even when treatment is delayed until the chronic phase of SCI. We are currently developing a novel, dual inhibitor of multiple aspects of the inflammatory cascade as a potential therapeutic for both acute and chronic periods of SCI. In this study, funded by Mission Connect, a project of the TIRR Foundation, our goal is to determine whether such a therapy, when delayed until the chronic period of SCI, can suppress inflammatory conditions. Trauma to the spinal cord can produce a significant amount of tissue damage as well as loss of function. However it is rarely anatomically complete, meaning that spared axons may be present and bridge the site of injury. These spared pathways may be too few or demyelinated (or both), resulting in insufficient signal conduction to the motoneurons present below the level of injury. We will determine whether the targeted suppression of chronic inflammation promotes an environment that permits the remyelination of spared pathways. In addition, we will also combine this therapy with therapeutic exercise. Others have previously shown the promise of rehabilitative exercise in encouraging the “sprouting” of spared axons following SCI. This leads to a greater number of functionally-innvervated motoneurons by these spared axons; resulting in improved motor function. Our goal is to determine whether a combination of targeted anti-inflammatory treatment in conjunction with rehabilitative exercise will promote a significant restoration of function when applied during the chronic phase of SCI. Funding Source: Mission Connect

Ray Grill, Ph.D.

Mission Connect is a collabora-tive neurotrauma research pro-ject created to translate scien-tific knowledge, the product of research, into pioneering medical treatments to help people who have sustained a neurological injury.

Mission Connect

Dr. Grill Receives Multiple Awards


Targeted riluzole delivery b y antioxidant nanovectors for tre ating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Causes for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) range from genetic to environmental factors to the unknown, but it has been suggested that similarities exist in the actual pathological events that contribute to the progressive neuronal degeneration that characterizes ALS. These pathological mechanisms include progressive oxidative and inflammatory conditions that destroy central nervous system (CNS) tissues. There is currently no cure for ALS. Riluzole (Rilutek©) is the only treatment for ALS approved by the Food and Drug Administration, though it only prolongs life by a few months. The bioavailability of riluzole, however, has been shown to be reduced during the progression of the disease in animal models of ALS. New therapeutic approaches need to be developed that can: 1) improve the bioavailability and efficacy of riluzole, and 2) have novel efficacious properties that can work in tandem with riluzole. Recently the laboratory of James Tour, Ph.D. at Rice University has developed a novel nanoscale construct composed of hydrophilic carbon clusters (HCCs). HCCs exhibit potent antioxidant characteristics that may target oxidative stress mechanisms in ALS. HCCs can be further functionalized through the chemical addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to serve as “carrier” molecules to enhance penetration of therapeutics into the central nervous system (CNS). In a recently funded Department of Defense-funded Therapeutic Idea Award, Drs. Grill and Tour will test the efficacy of PEG-HCCs as a novel therapy in a mouse model of ALS. The project will examine whether sustained intravenous administration of PEG-HCCs can reduce ALS-like behavioral symptomatology, promote motor neuron survival, and prolong life. We will also test whether a combination of riluzole and PEG-HCCs can enhance riluzole’s bioavailability and efficacy as an ALS therapeutic. We hypothesize that the carrier capabilities of PEG-HCCs, in addition to their potent anti-oxidant characteristics, will allow the development of novel, combinatorial therapeutics to treat ALS. Funding Source: Department of Defense

The blood-testis-barrier and male sexual dysfunction following spinal cord injury. Traumatic injury to the spinal cord produces a well-known range of pathological consequences that include paralysis, loss of sensory function, neuropathic pain and bowel/bladder dysfunction, to name only a few. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is also known to produce significant deficits in sexual function in males; including erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction. In addition to these deficits in sexual function, males can exhibit a loss of fertility following SCI. This is characterized by a significant reduction in sperm production with the remaining sperm exhibiting aberrant function. While the loss of neural input is largely thought to underlie erectile and ejaculatory capabilities, the pathological mechanisms underlying the reduction in fertility remain poorly outlined. Our laboratory has recently published a study that describes a loss of blood-testis-barrier (BTB) integrity within the testis of rats that had received an SCI. The BTB is a specialized structure found within the testis that protects the compartments where new sperm cells are generated and undergo maturation. SCI induces an early, but sustained, failure of the BTB that can be detected as long as 10 months after injury. Such a loss of BTB integrity can open the testis to attack from the immune system, leading to the production of auto-antibodies against one’s own sperm. The goal of our recently funded Department of Defense-sponsored project is two-fold. First, we propose a careful and detailed assessment of the effects of SCI on the testis from early to chronic time points. These assessments, performed in collaboration with Dr. David Loose, will include studies on gene expression, metabolism, protein production, BTB integrity, and the presence of serum-carried anti-sperm antibodies. Secondly, we propose to test the efficacy of a novel anti-inflammatory compound, licofelone, as a treatment to protect the testis, and ultimately, fertility, in rats following SCI. Licofelone is a novel therapeutic with unique properties in that it targets multiple pathways in the inflammatory cascade. Preliminary studies conducted in our laboratory indicate that the testis exhibit both inflammatory and pro-oxidative conditions within hours of spinal trauma. We will determine whether early treatment with licofelone can protect the testis from SCI-induced pathological changes and prevent a subsequent loss of fertility; one of our most basic biological functions. Funding Source: Department of Defense

Dr. Grill Receives Multiple Awards~ Continued


Dr. Pochynyuk has received research recognition award at the Epithelial Physiology and Cell Biology Workshop (07/30/2012 - 08/03/20 12) at the Telluride Science Research Center (TSRC) for the presentation “New insights into mechanosensitivity of the distal nephron. Role of TRPV4.” The Telluride Science Research Center, located in a beautiful little village at the attitude of more than 9,000 feet in Colorado's

Rocky Mountains, is dedicated to providing numerous workshops and conferences for scientists. The goal of the annual Epithelial Physiology and Cell Biology workshop is to bring together experts to present recent findings and generate discussions in the areas of structure and regulation of epithelial ion channels, transporters and pumps as well as the mechanisms controlling protein trafficking in epithelia.

At the workshop, Dr. Pochynyuk presented new results from his and Dr. O’Neil’s laboratories about the relation between alterations in mechanosensitivity in the distal part of the renal nephron and cystogenesis during autosomal recessive form of polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). ARPKD is a devastating pathology characterized by multiple cyst formation in the distal nephron which typically leads to renal failure early in life. Accumulating evidence points to disrupted mechanosensitivity (i.e. inability to sense environmental stimuli, such as changes in tubular

flow) in cyst cells. Unexpectedly, disruption of mechanosensitivity in distal nephron cells upon genetic deletion of the TRPV4 channel does not trigger cyst formation. This suggests that the relation between disrupted ability to perceive mechanical clues and development of the disease is not as simple as was originally thought. Combined effort from Dr. Pochynyuk’s and Dr. O’Neil’s labs resulted in development of a novel approach which allowed isolation of single layer of cells within cystic kidney and compare their properties with those from non-transformed renal nephron cells. It appears that despite the genetic defect leading to development of ARPKD, mechanosensitivity is preserved in non-transformed distal nephron and disruption of this ability occurs specifically during cystogenesis. This suggests that manipulation with mechanosensitivity might be a potent way to interfere with ARPKD progression. Indeed, augmentation of mechanosensitive properties with pharmacological tools slowed cyst development in a rat model of ARPKD suggesting that this mechanism has possible clinical implications.

~Oleh Pochynyuk, Ph.D.

Telluride view from Main street.

Group photo of the Epithelial Physiology and Cell Biology Workshop

Dr. Pochynyuk Recognized by TSRC

Oleh Pochynyuk

Our mission is to inspire sub-stantive scientific inquiry, break-throughs, and discoveries by hosting scientific meetings in an open environment conducive to productive collaboration and positive contributions to re-search, policy, and education.

TSRC


MEMBRANE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN ONCOGENE ADDICTION Though the structure-function relationship of polypeptides is one of the core dogmas of molecular cell biology, the functional aspects of lipid structure have been little explored. The existence of lipid rafts, i.e. lateral membrane domains arising from preferential interactions between specific lipids, suggests that such structure could be an important contributor to cell function and

pathophysiology. The involvement of such domains in diverse cellular functions (e.g. growth factor signaling and membrane trafficking) and disease processes - including cancer, autoimmunity, and Alzheimer’s disease - has confirmed this potential and energized the field.

Although recent compelling evidence has definitively resolved the controversy about the existence of membrane domains, the mechanisms by which they regulate cell function remain speculative due to a lack of quantitative, robust tools for their investigation. Our primary research goals are to:

(1) investigate the physical principles behind the formation of membrane domains

(2) uncover the mechanisms by which these domains regulate cell signaling

(3) develop strategies to modulate these mechanisms for treatment of human disease

The future aims of our CPRIT-funded project are to use classical cell biology, biophysics, synthetic biology and computational modeling to characterize the role of

membrane structure in the regulation of cell function, specifically in the context of oncogene addiction in breast cancer cell signaling. We intend to elucidate the microdomain-dependent functions of oncogenic growth factor receptors and associated downstream second messengers. A related aim is to establish quantitative tools to measure post-translational protein modification by lipids, which is a central mechanism for regulation of membrane association and sorting. These tools will then be used to define the dynamics of protein lipidation in aberrant signaling of transformed epithelial cells. The ultimate goal of these research aims will be to develop small molecule agents to modulate microdomain association and post-translation lipidation of proteins involved in proliferative and anti-apoptotic signaling for therapeutic intervention in breast carcinomas.

~Ilya Levental

Dr. Levental Receives CPRIT Award

Ilya Levental, Ph.D.

CPRIT is charged by the Texas Legislature to: Create and expedite innovation in the area of cancer research Attract, create, or expand re-search capabilities of public or private institutions of higher edu-cation and other public or private entities that will promote a sub-stantial increase in cancer re-search and in the creation of high-quality new jobs Continue to develop and imple-ment the Texas Cancer Plan by promoting the development and coordination of effective and effi-cient statewide public and private policies, programs, and services related to cancer .

CPRIT

Dr. McMahon Named Distinguished Teaching Professor

Dr. Kenneth Shine, Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs recently appointed Dr. John McMahon Distinguished Teaching Professor of The University of Texas System. This honorific title is bestowed upon members of an institutional academy of distinguished educators to recognize significant contributions to education. This is a well-deserved recognition for all Dr. McMahon does for students, trainees, and educational programs at UTHealth.

John McMahon, Ph.D.


T his has been a busy few months for CRB – and for the

whole GSBS. Four students graduated in May, Jonathan Berrout, Ph.D., (Advisor: Roger O’Neil), Kedryn Baskin, Ph.D. (Advisor: Heinrich Taegtmeyer), Chris Morris , MS (Advisor: Jeff Frost), Katerina Byanova, MS (Advisor: Dianna Milewicz) and Lakiesha Debose MS

(Advisor: John Hancock) got her degree last month. Congratulations to all of them!

GSBS Orientation started August 18 and CRB’s Program Orientation was August 21. We had quite a crowd with 26 students (of the total of 80 new GSBS students) showing up. They worked hard for their lunch meeting with 19 Program Faculty with a “Speed Science” format that had everybody moving and talking. Thanks to all who participated.

The first awardees of the John Hancock Graduate Scholarship have started their rotations in CRB lab. They

are Lingxiao Tan, an International student from China who is doing a rotation with John Hancock, Kelsey Maxwell and Mariya Lu who are both doing a rotation with Catherine Denicourt. I hope everyone gets to meet these students as they move through IBP this year.

Just as these students start, so does the 2012-2013 Admissions season. GSBS applications are all done electronically (https://apply.embark.com/Grad/UTHealth/GSBS/49/) so expect another set of interviewees and recruitment dinners starting in January.

George Stancel “retired” as Dean of GSBS after 13 years but he is still working as Executive Vice President of UTHealth. Michelle “Shelley” Barton, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Mike Blackwell, Department of Biochemistry, UTHealth Medical School have been appointed as co-Deans of GSBS. The running joke is that it took two people to replace George! Shelley and Mike have been GSBS faculty for years and have already started making progressive changes in GSBS.

~David Loose

Cell and Regulatory Biology Graduate Program

David Loose

Student Accolades Dr. Abebe’s Lab: Zhenlong Li (postdoc), recently had a paper accepted in Journal of the American Chemical Society. Li, Z., Lorant, J., Gorfe, A. (2012) Formation and Domain Partitioning of H-ras Peptide Nanoclusters: Effects of Peptide Concentration and Lipid Composition, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Articles ASAP (As Soon As Publishable) Publication Date

(Web): September 20, 2012. Priyanka Srivasata (postdoc) was recently published in BBA Biomembranes. Prakash, P., Sayyed-Ahmad, A., Zhou, Y., Volk, D., Gorenstien, D., Dial, E., Lichtenberger, L., Gorfe, A. Aggregation behavior of ibuprofen, cholic acid and dodecylphosphocholine micelles Original Research. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta

(BBA) - Biomembranes, Volume 1818, Issue 12, December 2012, Pages 3040-3047 Nandini Maharaj won a scholarship to attend the NBCR (National Biotechnology and Computational Resource) summer institute La Jolla, California. As well, she won third place in a poster competition there. Nandini and Harrison Hocker attended the Protein society meeting in San Diego this summer.

Dr. Dessauer’s Lab:

We have published a series of papers this spring. Dr. Yong Li, research scientist in our lab, has published a paper in the Journal of Biological Chemistry detailing the unique role for type 9 adenylyl cyclase in cardiac myocytes. His work describes a complex between the IKs

Zhenlong Li

Priyanka Srivastava

Nandini Maharaj

https://apply.embark.com/Grad/UTHealth/GSBS/49/


channel, the A-kinase anchoring protein Yotiao, and type 9 adenylyl cyclase in heart. In addition, he shows that AC9 association can regulate PKA phosphorylation of the IKs subunit KCNQ1 which is a key event in the sympathetic stimulation of cardiac repolarization.

My student Cameron Brand has been involved in two high profile collaborations. The first was the result of Cameron’s help with a foreign exchange student to my lab, Kathrin Pieles from the University of Basel, Switzerland. Their work resulted in a PNAS paper detailing the ability of the pathogenic bacteria Bartonella henselae to stimulate adenylyl cyclase production of cAMP to circumvent the cells apoptotic pathways.

Pulliainen, A.T., Pieles, K., Brand, C.S., Hauert, B., Böhm, A., Quebatte, M., Wepf, A., Gstaiger, M., Aebersold, R., Dessauer, C.W., Dehio, C. (2012) Bacterial effector binds host cell adenylyl cyclase to potentiate Gαs-dependent cAMP production, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 109: 9581-9586.

The second project stemmed from a collaboration with Dr. Kirill Martemanov’s lab at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida. Cameron was able to show that RGS9-Gb5 inhibited adenylyl cyclase activity which may play a role in the sensitization of adenylyl cyclase in the striatum. This work was published in Science Signaling. Xie K., Masuho, I., Brand, C., Dessauer, C.W., and Martemyanov, K. (2012) Striatal G protein regulator RGS9-2/Gβ5 controls sensitization and temporal signaling of type 5 adenylyl cyclase. Science Signaling, 5:ra63

Dr. Venkatachalam’s Lab:

Wong., C.O., Li, R., Montell, C., Venkatachalam, K. Drosophila TRPML Is Required for TORC1 Activation. Current Biology. Volume 22, Issue 17, 11 September 2012, Pages 1616–1621.

Ching‐On Wong

Name

I n the last fiscal year, 18 projects were awarded to Integrative Biology & Pharmacology researchers, totaling over six million dollars.

~Data provided by Deborah Brougher, Sr. Grants and Contracts Specialist

RESEARCH HUMOR?

Awards Received Summary FY2012

# rec'd State Federal Non profit For profit Total

3 1,312,585.00 1,312,585.00

8 4,867,688.00 4,867,688.00

7 392,109.00 392,109.00

0 - -

18 1,312,585.00 4,867,688.00 392,109.00 - 6,572,382.00


Seminars are held on Mondays at 4:00 PM in MSB 2.135, unless otherwise noted. For information and questions, please contact Cordelia Conley at [email protected] or 713-500-7459.

October 15, 2012 Sunkuk Kwon, Ph.D. UTHSC-Houston “Near-infrared fluorescence imaging provides first glimpse of lymphatic (dys) function” Host– John Hancock

December 17, 2012 Stephanie Pangas, PhD Baylor College of Medicine TBD Shane Cunha, Ph.D.

October 29, 2012 Ke Ma, M.D., Ph.D. The Methodist Hospital Research Institute “Timing is Everything: Molecular Clock Regulation of Adipogenesis and Myo-genesis ”

January 14, 2013 Benjamin Tu, Ph.D. UT Southwestern TBD Host– Guangwei Du, Ph.D.

November 5, 2012 Michael Rudnicki, Ph.D. Ottawa Hospital Research Inst. “Molecular regulation of muscle stem cell function ” Host– Yi-Ping Li, Ph.D.

January 28, 2013 Alexander Staruschenko, Ph.D. Medical College of Wisconsin TBD Host– Oleh Pochynyuk, Ph.D.

December 3, 2012 Olivier Lichtarge, M.D., Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine “Sorting Genetic Variations and Out-comes: A Perturbative View of the Geno-type-Phenotype Relationship ”

February 4, 2013 Christine Lavoie, Ph.D. Sherbrooke University, Canada “Non-traditional aspects of Gαs: in-volvement in GPCR trafficking ” Host– Catherine Denicourt, Ph.D.

December 10, 2012 William Hahn, MD, PhD Harvard Medical School “TBD” Host– Agi Schonbrunn, Ph.D.

February 11, 2013 Mauro Costa-Mattioli, PhD Baylor College of Medicine TBD Host– Kartik Venkatachalam, Ph.D.

IBP Seminar Series~ Directed by Drs. Shane Cunha and Kartik Venkatachalam

hancock named executive director of imm · the executive director of the medical school’s brown...

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