This is the twice-per-month electronic newsletter for basic, preclinical and translational research news related to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Please forward freely. Direct comments or questions to Joanna Downer, PhD, in the Office of Corporate Communications (4-5105, jdowner1@jhmi.edu).
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IN THIS ISSUE:
+ Membrane Fusion Protein To Blame in Mice with Hydrocephalus
+ Cheaper, Faster DNA Electrophoresis Possible with Common Cleanser
+ Patients Give Nod to Kidney Dialysis at Home
NEWS BRIEFS:
Diversity Award Nominations Due March 19
Capecchi to Give Fourth Annual Nathans Lecture May 6
AWARDS AND HONORS:
Young Investigators' Day Awardees Announced
Rose to Chair NIH Autoimmune Committee
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Do you have an interesting research finding about one month from publication or presentation? Send manuscripts to Joanna Downer at jdowner1@jhmi.edu or fax to 410-614-8951. Information about awards and honors received by laboratory personnel and others is welcomed also.
For more info on a story, click the accompanying hyperlink.
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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS:
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2/10/04
Membrane Fusion Protein To Blame in Mice with Hydrocephalus
Scientists from Johns Hopkins and Northwestern have uncovered the molecular basis of a spontaneous genetic mutation that causes mice to develop "water on the brain," or hydrocephalus, in addition to a hop-like gait.
Writing in the Feb. 10 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers report that reduced production of a protein involved in membrane fusion and recycling is to blame in the mice, known as hydrocephalus with hop gait, or "hyh" mice.
"This discovery shows that efficient transport of key molecules and membrane recycling during development is necessary for normal brain morphogenesis," says Aravinda Chakravarti, PhD, director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and a co-author of the report. "It's also a door to understanding congenital hydrocephalus in people."
Packets of molecules, such as neurotransmitters, are released from brain cells thanks to complex protein machinery that fuses the packet's membrane with that of the cell. One component of that machinery is alpha SNAP, or soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein-alpha, the gene the researchers discovered was mutated in the mice. Researchers suspect that alpha-SNAP and other SNAP proteins cause fused membrane segments to be taken apart, or recycled, essentially opening the packet and dumping its contents.
The instructions of the mutated alpha-SNAP gene is used in the mice, the researchers determined, but its protein isn't as abundant as the normal version. For this and other reasons, the researchers hypothesize that the genetic mutation probably affects the protein's stability.
PNAS Feb 10 2004;101(6):1748 1753. (published online Jan 27)
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/short/101/6/1748
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2/9/04
Cheaper, Faster DNA Electrophoresis Possible with Common Cleanser
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have found that substituting a simple, inexpensive bleach solution for more complex tools makes a DNA separation technique called electrophoresis five times faster and less costly.
In the February issue of BioTechniques, the scientists report that using sodium boric acid, instead of time honored stand-bys Tris-acetic acid-disodium EDTA (TAE) and Tris-boric acid-disodium EDTA (TBE), in DNA electrophoresis may speed genetic discoveries. While TAE and TBE work well for protein electrophoresis, which uses molecules' different charges to separate them, the solutions aren't ideal for separating DNA.
"In fact, TBE and TAE essentially short-circuit DNA gels by creating too much current and heat," says Scott Kern, MD, professor of oncology and pathology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
Kern and postdoctoral fellow Jonathan Brody conducted experiments that showed that TBE and TAE provide only some buffering -- which they say isn't important anyway for DNA separation -- and too much conductivity. By trial and error, sodium boric acid turned out to be a good substitute.
"It has great resolution at high voltages," says Brody. "I can now run a gel in 15 minutes using sodium borate as opposed to an hour and half with TBE or TAE."
Cost per gel of sodium boric acid is $0.07 as compared with TAE at $0.27 and TBE at $0.67. The scientists estimate industry savings of $37 million annually based on the total market for DNA gels in the U.S.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2004/02_09_04.html
BioTechniques Feb 2004;36:214-216.
(This journal is not available on the internet.)
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From the Clinic:
2/10/04
Patients Give Nod to Kidney Dialysis at Home
A first-of-its-kind patient satisfaction study suggests that many patients tethered to a blood-cleaning dialysis machine might have preferred home-based peritoneal dialysis if only they had been given a truly informed choice.
The Johns Hopkins researchers found that after several weeks of treatment, kidney disease patients who were given the option of peritoneal dialysis, which uses the lining of the patient's belly as a natural filter, were 1.5 times more likely than hemodialysis patients to rate their overall care as excellent. Their study appears in the Feb. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Peritoneal dialysis may be a better option for more patients than are receiving it in the U.S.," says Haya Rubin, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and director, Quality of Care Research at Johns Hopkins. "Our study suggests that the vast majority of patients who are undergoing hemodialysis could be making a decision on dialysis treatment on the basis of very inadequate information. Peritoneal dialysis patients are far more happy with their care than hemodialysis patients."
Neither treatment is clearly superior to the other with regard to mortality and overall complications. Currently, roughly 10 % of the 100,000 patients starting dialysis each year opt for peritoneal dialysis.
Peritoneal dialysis involves surgically and permanently placing a catheter into the lining of the belly. A sterile cleansing fluid is flushed through this catheter and allowed to dwell in the belly until wastes pass across the lining into the fluid. The fluid is then removed from the belly via the same tube.
Generally, peritoneal dialysis can be conducted in several short daily sessions at home or work using portable equipment, whereas hemodialysis requires multiple visits to a dialysis center each week for hours at a time.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2004/02_11_04.html
JAMA 2004;291:697-703.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/291/6/697
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Diversity Award Nominations Due March 19 -- The Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council is seeking nominations for its Diversity Recognition Award. These awards recognize exceptional contributions of faculty, staff and students in advancing and celebrating diversity and inclusiveness at Johns Hopkins. Faculty, staff and students from all divisions of The Johns Hopkins University and from the Johns Hopkins Health System are eligible. However, current members of the Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council are not eligible. Individuals may nominate themselves or be nominated by any Johns Hopkins community member. The awards ceremony will be held May 11.
http://www.insidehopkinsmedicine.org/news/news_detail_page.cfm?id=1726
http://www.jhu.edu/dlc/dlcaward.html
Capecchi to Give Fourth Annual Nathans Lecture May 6 -- Mario Capecchi, PhD, co-chairman of human genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine is scheduled to deliver the Fourth Annual Daniel Nathans, M.D., Lecture in Molecular Genetics on May 6 in the Wood Basic Science Auditorium. His lecture, entitled "Gene Targeting into the 21st Century: Mouse Models of Human Disease from Cancer to Neuropsychiatric Disorders," will follow a tea that begins at 3:30 pm.
Young Investigators' Day Awardees Announced -- Student awardees for the 27th annual Young Investigators' Day are: Shanoff recipient Harith Rajagopalan (MD/PhD candidate, CMM program, sponsor: Christoph Lengauer); Thekdi recipient Rowena McBeath (MD/PhD, CMM, Christopher Chen); Prochaska recipient Jason Pellettieri (PhD, BCMB, Geraldine Seydoux); David Macht recipient Hao Jiang (PhD, Immunology, Stephen Desiderio); Martin and Carol Macht recipient Sarah White (PhD, CMM, Antony Rosen); Reynolds recipient Joseph Lewcock (PhD, BCMB, Randall Reed); Strand recipient Timothy Hefferon (PhD, Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, Garry Cutting); and Ehrlich recipients Shih-Chun Lin (PhD, Neuroscience, Dwight Bergles), Daniel Southworth (PhD, BCMB, Rachel Green), and Gyanu Lamichhane (PhD, CMM, William Bishai).
Postdoctoral and clinical fellow awardees this year are: Taussig recipient Elizabeth Hunt, MD, MPH, (sponsor, Peter Pronovost); Wood recipient Hongbo Luo (Solomon Snyder); Nathans recipient Jeroen Pasterkamp, PhD, (Alex Kolodkin); Blalock recipient Alberto Bardelli, PhD, (Victor Velculescu); Lehninger recipient Samer Hattar, PhD, (King-Wai Yau); and Harvey recipient Khurran Nasir, MD, MPH, (Roger Blumenthal).
The Young Investigators' Day celebration, including a poster session and talks by awardees, is scheduled for April 8 in Mountcastle Auditorium, Pre-Clinical Teaching Building. A reception will follow in the Greenhouse Cafe.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2004/YoungInvestigators.html
http://www.insidehopkinsmedicine.org/young_investigators_day/2004_winners.cfm
Rose to Chair NIH Autoimmune Committee -- Noel Rose, MD, PhD, professor of pathology, molecular microbiology and immunology and director of the Center for Autoimmune Disease Research at Johns Hopkins, has been appointed chair of the National Institutes of Health's Autoimmune Disease Coordinating Committee (ADCC). In this role, he will serve as the principal adviser regarding coordination of federally sponsored autoimmune disease research to Health and Human Resources Secretary Tommy Thompson, assistant secretary for health Cristina Beato, and NIH director Elias Zerhouni. Rose will also provide advice on inter-agency activities to the directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
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--JHMI--
