Published by the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine,Indianapolis, IN 46202-5122, USA for faculty, staff, students, and interested friends of the Department.

email pjenkins@iupui.edu

Biochemistry andMolecular Biology

NOTESVolume 14, No.9 December 2001

Here’sHoping

Your HolidaysTurn out to beTerrific!

December SeminarsBBBBBiochemistriochemistriochemistriochemistriochemistry Sy Sy Sy Sy Seminarseminarseminarseminarseminars

MMMMMondays 4 pm, MS 326ondays 4 pm, MS 326ondays 4 pm, MS 326ondays 4 pm, MS 326ondays 4 pm, MS 326

Biochemistry Student SeminarsWednesdays, 12 Noon, MS 311

12/3 Candidate for Chair ofthe Department of Pharmacol-ogy/Toxicology, Dr. Lynn R.Willis, Professor and AssociateChairman, Department ofPharmacology and Toxicology,Indiana University School ofMedicine, Indianapolis, IN.“The Effect of High-EnergyShock Waves on Renal Struc-ture and Function” 2:00 p.m.MS B26

12/3 Dr. Fred Regnier, Profes-sor, Department of Chemistry,Purdue University, WestLafayette, IN. "ComparativeProteomics and the Search forDisease Markers" 4:00 p.m.MS 326

12/10 Candidate for Chair ofthe Department of Pharmacol-ogy/Toxicology, Dr. James W.Putney, Chief, Calcium Regu-lation Section, Laboratory ofSignal Transduction, NationalInstitute of EnvironmentalHealth Sciences (NIEHS),National Institutes of Health(NIH), Research Triangle Park,NC. “Calcium Entry Mecha-nisms in Non-excitable Cells”2:00 p.m. MS B26

12/10 Dr. John D. Scott,Associate Investigator, HHMI,Senior Scientist, Volum Insti-tute, Portland, OR. "TheMolecular Architecture of

12/5 Mikael Rinne12/12 Beth Ann Spurlin

Kinase Phosphatase SignalingComplexes" 4:00 p.m. B26

12/17 Candidate for Chair of theDepartment of Pharmacology/Toxicology, Dr. Michael R.Vasko, Paul Stark Professor ofPharmacology, Department ofPharmacology and Toxicology,Indiana University School ofMedicine, Indianapolis, IN.“Prostaglandin Receptors onSensory Neurons: The Portal toSensitization?” 3:00 p.m. MSB26

12/5 4:00 p.m. “CommonPluripotential Stem Cells inMultiple Tissues.” EdwardSrour, Ph.D., Dept. of Medi-cine, IUSM. Cancer ResearchInstitute [R4] Auditorium 101.

12/6 2:00 p.m. Faculty candi-date for the Center for StructuralBiology and the BiochemistryDepartment., Dr. MillieGeorgiadis, Dept. of Chemistry,Rutgers University; Piscataway,NJ. “The Crystal Structure of aNovel DNA-Binding Domainfrom Ndt80, a TranscriptionalActivator Required for Meiosis inYeast.” MS 326.

Other Seminars of Interest

12/6 4:00 p.m. “MolecularPathogenesis of JC Virus-Induced CNS Disorders.”Kamel Khalili, Ph.D., Profes-sor and Director, College ofScience and Technology TempleUniversity, Center forNeurovirology and CancerBiology, Temple University;Philadelphia, PA. MS 326.

12/12 4:00 p.m. “Towardsthe Genetic Determinants ofMetastasis in Osteosarcoma.”Chand Khanna, D.V.M.,Ph.D., National Cancer Insti-tute, Pediatric OncologyBranch, National Institutes ofHealth; Bethesda, MD. Can-cer Research Institute [R4]Auditorium 101.

12/13 4:00 p.m. “PeptideLoading of MHC Class II-Molecules. Lisa K. Denzin,Ph.D., Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; NewYork, NY. VanNuys MedicalScience Building.

Important Dates12/11 Finals begin12/14 Christmas Party12/14 NIH Committed Continu-

ations12/25 CHRISTMAS

1/1/02 HAPPY NEW YEAR!1/4 American Heart Assn,

Naional (Scientist Devel-opment, Estab. Investiga-tor grants)

1/5 American Heart Assn,National (Grant-in-Aid)

1/7 Classes Begin1/14 American Heart Assn,

Midwest Affiliate(Grant-in-Aid, Fellow-ships)

1/15 JDF International Preapplication for 2/21deadline

1/24 American DiabetesAssn (Research, CareerDevelopment, JuniorFaculty, Clinical Researchawards)

1/24 JDF International1/24 NIH Research Grants,

Research Career Awards,Program Project CenterGrants, CommittedContinuations

2/1 NIH2/15 March of Dimes Fdn.2/1 American Diabetes

Assn.

3/1 American CancerSociety

3/1 NIH

Matt Grow, MS 4063, has anew phone in his lab. It is:274-1588.

Ed Harper has moved to anew office location, MS 1003.His phone remains the same:274-8732.

Biochem Briefs

Melissa Green (Ph.D. inBiochemistry and MolecularBiology, IUSM, 1999) ofKansas State University workedwith the Girls Researching OurWorld (GROW) Workshop.Fifty sixth-and seventh-gradegirls from across Kansas partici-pated in this workshop, drawnby their interests in science andengineering. The diverse groupof girls participated in 21different activities, ranging frommolecular biology to the physicsof heat and light.

Melissa, along with two under-graduate students and a researchassistant, designed and executed“DNA Detectives.” The partici-pants acted as detectives whoanalyzed DNA evidence that wascollected from a crime scene andfrom several suspects, in order todetermine “Who did it?” Duringthe 4-hour activity, the girls wereable to learn data analysis tech-niques, in addition to gaininghands-on experience with currentDNA applications.

“Personally, I had a great timeworking with the girls. Myparticipation in the GROWworkshop was important for me

as I continue to remain involvedin science education at the K-12level. In order to increase thenumber of students who pursuecareers in science and math, Ibelieve that we, as researchscientists and educators, mustspark interests in these fields veryearly in the education process.Programs such as GROWprovide participants with suc-cessful science experiences thatwill hopefully foster their interestsin scientific careers. Additionally,as a GROW instructor, the girlswere able to see a woman in arole that they might aspire tofill.”(Reproduced from the AmericanSociety for Cell Biology newsletter,Vol. 24, No 11)

Biochemistry Christmas Party!Please join us on Friday, December 14 at

12:00 noon in the first floor atrium of the MedicalScience Building annex.

The Department will provide awonderful catered buffet lunch ofgrilled chicken breast, vegetablepasta salad, Italian garden salad,glazed baby carrots, herbed redpotatoes, yeast rolls,iced tea, soft drinks,and coffee.

DESSERTS! WE NEED DESSERTS!Please feel free to bring any dessertyou’d like to share. We can never havetoo many!

Recent PublicationsHamilton, J.A. and Benson,M.D. (2001) Transthyretin: areview from a structural per-spective. Cell. Mol. Life Sci.58:1491-1521.

Aschenback, William G., Suzuki,Y., Breeden, Kristine, Prats,Clara, Hirshman, Michael F.,Dufresne, Scott D., Sakamoto,Kei, Vilardo, Pier Giuseppe,Stelle, Marcella, Kim, Jong-Hwa, Jing, Shao-liang, Goodyear,Laurie J., and DePaoli-Roach,Anna A. (2001) The Muscle-specific Protein PhosphatasePP1G/RGL (GM) is essential foractivation of glycogen synthase byexercise. JBC 276(43): 39959-39967.

Lanner, Carita, Suzuki,Yoichi, Bi, Chen, Zhang,Hong, Cooper, Lori D.,Bowker-Kinley, Melissa M.,

and DePaoli-Roach, Anna A.(2001) Gene structure andexpression of the targetingsubunit, RGL, of the muscle-specific glycogen-associatedtype 1 protein phosphatase,PP1G. Arch. Biochem.Biophys.388(1):135-145.

Suzuki, Yoichi, Lanner,Carita, Kim, Jong-Hwa,Vilardo, Pier Giuseppe,Zhang, Hong, Yang, Jie,Cooper, Lori D., Steele,Marcella, Kennedy, Andrew,Bock, Cheryl B., Scrimgeour,Angus, Lawrence, John C. Jr.,and DePaoli-Roach, Anna A.(2001) Insulin control of glycogenmetabolism in knockout micelacking the muscle-specificprotein phosphatase PP1G/RGL.Mol. Cell. Biol. 21(8):2683-2694.

Congratulations!

Recent Grant AwardsDan Spandau is the PI on aNational Institute of Environmen-tal Health Science award for"Ultraviolet B Irradiation ofHuman Keratinocytes".

James Vitale, ResearchTechnician in Dr. Grow’s lab

Huijun Tian, PostdoctoralFellow in Dr. Edenberg’s lab

Judy White, Assistant Scien-tist/Assistant Professor, part-

time in the BiotechnologyResearch Training Program

New Faces in Biochemistry

Melanie Thibodeaux, Re-search Technician in Dr.

Grow's lab

Jingpeng Li, Visiting Profes-sor with Roger Roeske

Mikael Rinne has been awardeda breast cancer predoctoralfellowship training grant from theDept. of Defense titled “DNAbase excision repair (BER) andcancer gene therapy: Use of thehuman n-methylpurine DNAglycosylase (MPG) to sensitizebreast cancer cells to low dosechemotherapy”.