No pain in marine waters

Beneath the sea surface lies a gold mine ofchemicals that could have potential uses inthe therapeutic treatment of humandiseases. This treasure is found in marineorganisms, which contain molecules withunique structures. The quest for thesemarine natural products has alreadybrought positive results. One of theseresults was presented at the 2000International Chemical Congress of PacificBasin Societies (13–19 December 2000,Honolulu, HI, USA) by William Gerwick ofOregon State University (Corvallis, OR,USA). Gerwick reported the discovery ofseveral new neurotoxic lipopeptides,isolated from marine cyanobacteriacollected in the Caribbean Sea offVenezuela. Among the isolated compounds, one named kalkitoxinpossesses intriguing pharmacologicalproperties. Kalkitoxin appears to act byspecifically blocking the Na+ channels ofneurons, thus preventing the nerve cellsfrom firing off their electrical signals.Researchers hope to harness this property,not only to fight pain, but also to treatneurodegenerative diseases and nervedisorders such as epilepsy.(http://center.acs.org/applications/news)

A new phase for proteinstructuresStructural biologists determine the atomicstructure of a protein by blasting the crystalwith a beam of X-rays, followed by longweeks spent decoding the scattering patternthat results. However, physicist Veit Elser ofCornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA) is

developing new computer algorithms thatwill significantly speed up the analysis ofscattering data. The concept addresses theproblem of measuring the phases of X-raysemerging from a sample: current X-raydiffraction methods measure the amplitudeof the Fourier components of the electrondensity, but give no more information aboutthe phases. Phase information wouldgreatly help to decipher the pattern of thescattering data, and Elser hopes to find away to identify, with the aid of computers,the phase pattern that corresponds correctlyto the measured amplitudes.(http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicles)

EMBL increases technologytransfer activitiesDecisions were made at the last Councilmeeting of EMBL (European MolecularBiology Laboratory) that are strategicallyimportant to the development ofbiotechnology in the member states. TheCouncil has planned the construction of anInternational Technology Transfer Centre(ITTC) on the EMBL campus in Heidelberg(Germany) (due to be completed by June2002), to ensure that key research findingsand technological innovations from theinstitution can move to industry in anefficient way. A commercial investmentfund, named the Technology Transfer Fund,has also been established and is expected toprovide funding mainly for EMBL-associated biotech start-up companies.(http://www.embl-heidelberg.de/ExternalInfo/oipa/presscon/PCengl.html)

A transatlantic bridge forbioinformaticsA new and powerful software package forsimulating and analyzing biochemicalpathways is currently under development.The project, named COPASI (ComplexPathway Simulator), involvesbioinformatics experts at the Heidelberg-based European Media Laboratory (EML), aprivate research center for informationtechnology; and the Virginia BioinformaticsInstitute (VBI), a branch of VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University(Blacksburg, VA, USA). Project leadersUrsula Kummer (EML) and Pedro Mendes(VBI) are confident that the new researchprogram will significantly expand currentpossibilities for biochemists to simulate

complex metabolic processes. Whencompleted, the software package will befreely available for academic institutions.(http://www.vbi.vt.edu/archive/copasi_announce1.html)

A green light glows on copperdisorders researchThe complete genome of Arabidopsisthaliana – the first from the plant kingdom –is now in our hands. Expectations are thatthis discovery will also benefit fields notdirectly related to plant genetics and cropproduction. Human health could be one ofthese fields. This hope is fueled by thediscovery that many of the Arabidopsisgenes show a significant similarity to genesinvolved in human disease syndromes. Insome cases, the human genes are moresimilar to the Arabidopsis homologuesthan to the genes of yeast, Drosophila, orCaenorhabditis elegans. Included in thisgroup are the genes implicated in Wilson’sand Menkes diseases, two disorders ofcopper homeostasis [Nature (2000) 408,823–826]. The defective functioning of themembrane-bound copper-transporting P-type ATPases that are coded by thesegenes, leads to copper deficiency (Menkes)or copper accumulation (Wilson). Of thetwo conditions, Menkes is by far the worst,being usually fatal in childhood.Researchers at Deakin University(Burwood, Victoria, Australia) led by JulianMercer, together with colleagues fromMelbourne University (Melbourne, Victoria,Australia), are studying Menkes proteinstructure and function, and trying tounderstand why different mutations of theMenkes gene give rise to the diverse aspectsof the disease. Experimental efforts are alsodirected at understanding how deleteriousMenkes effects can be over-run on a geneticand molecular level. Study strategiesinclude the transfection of cells from Menkespatients with healthy Menkes genes, andthe manipulation of the Wilson’s gene(which is normal in Menkes patients), to actas a surrogate for the defective Menkes gene.(http://www.research.deakin.edu.au/research_stories)

TRENDS in Biochemical Sciences Vol.26 No.2 February 2001

http://tibs.trends.com 0968-0004/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

92 News&Comment

In Brief

Andrea Rinaldirinaldi@unica.it