Biochemists discover link between protein and lung disease

In a development that could lead to a novel approach to the treatment of a devastating lung disease, Medical School biochemists report they are the first to link the osteopontin protein to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Findings appear online and will be in the January 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the journal of The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

More than 12 million Americans are currently diagnosed with this incurable illness, which is the fourth leading cause of death, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute reports. In the United States, the term COPD includes two main conditions: emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis.

The researchers were able to prevent COPD features in a mouse model by genetically removing osteopontin. To gauge the applicability of their findings to humans, the investigators analyzed the airways of people with COPD and found elevated levels of the protein.

“This is an important crossover study,” said Dr. Michael Blackburn, the study's senior author and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. “Because we can show osteopontin is elevated in people with COPD, this suggests that osteopontin could serve as both an indicator of disease progression and a therapeutic target.”

In the study, researchers induced COPD features in mice and then compared symptoms experienced by mice with osteopontin and those without. The mice without the protein had less inflammation and lung disease. “The lack of osteopontin in the mice prevented the COPD features,” said Daniel Schneider, the study's lead author and an M.D./Ph.D. candidate.

“This paper reveals exciting new information on the pathogenetic mechanisms involved in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema,” said Dr. Richard Castriotta, professor and director of the Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Division and medical director of the Sleep Disorder Center at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

The study stems from research in Blackburn's laboratory involving a signaling molecule named adenosine, which can orchestrate the process of inflammation in wound healing. Adenosine can also activate a cell surface receptor associated with COPD named A2B and produce osteopontin.

Blackburn's decade-long research has focused on blocking the A2B receptor. With the new study linking osteopontin to COPD, Blackburn believes his laboratory may have uncovered a protein that could lead to a more targeted approach to treating emphysema.

“As a physician scientist, one goal of drug development is to offer more specific drug targets to treat the disorder, and osteopontin provides a specific target that may be associated with fewer side effects,” Schneider said.

“This paper adds a new element, osteopontin, to the mix by discovering its significant role in the development of COPD with emphysema. It's still too early to be used clinically, but there may be a place for osteopontin in the future as an indicator of lung disease in progress that leads to COPD and emphysema,” Castriotta said.

Blackburn is director of the Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Medical School.

Schneider is a graduate research assistant at The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston and is a recipient of a T32 training grant from the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences.

The study is titled “Adenosine and osteopontin contribute to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.” Other contributors from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology were graduate students Janci Lindsay and Yang Zhou, as well as senior research assistant Jose Molina.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Research Resources.

— Rob Cahill, Office of Institutional Advancement, Media Relations

Research retreat set for Oct. 6

Online registration is now open for the 10th annual Medical School Faculty Research Retreat, which will be held 8 a.m. – 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Institute for Molecular Medicine.

The retreat is hosted by the Research Committee of the Medical School and seeks to highlight the Medical School research enterprise in the spirit of collaboration and interaction. The general platform for the event will include a new investigator series to highlight the work of both junior and senior faculty who are new to the Health Science Center. Also, there will be a data blitz session where presenters are given 5 minutes to present a topic, which takes the place of a traditional poster/abstract review.

Antonio Scarpa from the Centers for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health will deliver the keynote address, “Challenges and Opportunities Facing Peer Review: A Vision for Ensuring Its Strategic National Value.”

See the Web site for full details.

NIH seeks nominations for Pioneer, Innovator awards

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is accepting applications for two awards designed to support exceptionally creative scientists — and often unconventional — approaches to major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research. The five-year, $2.5 million NIH Director’s Pioneer Award is open to any scientist; the five-year, $1.5 million NIH Director’s New Innovator Award is open only to those who have not yet obtained an NIH R01 or similar grant. The application periods are Sept. 20 to Oct. 20 for the 2010 Pioneer Award and Sept. 27 to Oct. 27 for the New Innovator Award.

For more information on these awards, visit the respective Web sites: Pioneer Award, New Innovator Award.

— AAMC

Fun Fest 2009 theme — Rodeo Carnival

Mark your calendar for Fun Fest — the major fall event for the entire health science center community — from 2–6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23, at Texas Medical Center-Grant Faye Park. The UT Health Science Center Community will observe a “skeleton holiday” for Fun Fest so everyone has a chance to attend. The committee members have been working all year to bring you fun and excitement to show the university’s appreciation for all you do.

This year’s rodeo carnival theme will feature music, dancing, free food, giveaways, and our popular Chili Cook-Off and Hot Salsa Contest. All faculty, staff, students, individual departments, and “interdisciplinary” teams are eligible to compete. Be sure to dust off your boots and shape your cowboy hat to enter the Western Wear Competition. Visit Fun Fest 2009 to learn more.

To volunteer for Fun Fest, contact Rose Betancourt-Trevino at 713.500.3209.

In remembrance