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For Immediate Release

 

Contact: Robert Waggener, Editor

Phone: (307) 766-3571

E-mail: robertw@uwyo.edu

 

Date: Feb. 12, 2007

UW research lays important groundwork for human health studies

            University of Wyoming researchers are laying important groundwork for studies that could lead to a better understanding of diseases affecting human health and fertility.

            A paper by the research team led by David Fay, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Molecular Biology, appeared in the Feb. 6 edition of the journal Current Biology. Co-authors are Fay, molecular biology junior and Rock Springs High School graduate Katherine Rogers and post-doctoral researcher SaeYoull Cho.

            Current Biology (www.current-biology.com) is one of the top-tier journals of Cell Press, and the article represents the first research paper to appear in one of the journals from UW, Fay said.

            “Our paper can be described as something of a proof-of-principle study, which will help to lay the groundwork for future experiments,” Fay said. “In particular, we are excited about using genetic approaches, something our system is very good for, to try and learn totally new things about how an important family of proteins residing at the cell surface work at the molecular level.”

            In all animals, Fay explained, communication between cells is critical for normal development as well as the proper functioning of organ systems. Such communication typically requires receptor proteins, which can transmit signals from the outside to the inside of a cell, thereby leading to changes in how a cell functions. The category of receptors (“glycopeptide hormone”) that were the focus of the study is important to human reproductive health, development and general physiology.

            “We believe our future work will have direct relevance to understanding how these receptors function in humans and may also be useful in identifying effective treatments for patients who lack normal functioning of this signaling network,” Fay said.

            The team is using the nematode Caenorhaditis elegans (C. elegans), a microscopic roundworm having an unsegmented, cylindrical body, to carry out its research.

            “We’re optimistic our findings will ultimately be applicable to humans,” said Rogers, who earned fellowships from the Wyoming Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium.

            For example, she said, FSHR-1 is structurally very similar to three human proteins important in reproduction and metabolism. These are the receptors FSHR (follicle stimulating hormone receptor), LHR (luteinizing hormone receptor), and TSHR (thyroid stimulating hormone receptor).

            Both the FSH and LH receptors are important during reproductive development and for the generation of normal sperm and eggs in adults. A principle finding of the paper was to demonstrate similar biological functions for the closely related C. elegans FSHR-1 gene.

            Defects in these genes in humans can lead to a variety of health problems such as infertility and thyroid malfunction.

            “Our research should provide a better understanding of the molecular events that are triggered by these hormones and, hopefully, this knowledge will help lead to novel treatments for health problems associated with these pathways malfunctioning,” Rogers said.

            To obtain a more complete understanding of the universal molecular mechanisms underlying glycopeptide hormone receptor signaling, members of the team turned to C. elegans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caenorhabditis_elegans), which Fay describes as a “simple but powerful system for molecular, genetic and functional analysis.”

            Despite the outward simplicity of these nematodes, he said, they are very similar to mammals in many respects.

            “That’s useful because we can often learn new things about the underlying biology of humans through our studies,” Fay said. “Applying our work to human health is always our ultimate goal.”

            Rogers, who is advised by microbiology Professor Dale Isaak, started working in the Fay laboratory her freshman year (2005). “I was interested in a career in research, and I wanted to get experience working in a lab,” she said. “This experience has been invaluable, and I’m really grateful to have had this opportunity and support.”

            Fay said, “Katie is a great example of our many outstanding undergraduates and why we should continue to strongly support undergraduate research at the university. Giving students a complete educational experience that includes exposure to research is a key for their success down the road.” 

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