Though Bruce Alberts is well known for his work on the biochemistry of DNA replication and as the editor-in-chief of Science, he is also recognizable as the author of the seminal biology textbook Molecular Biology of the Cell. Alberts served as the president of the National Academy of Sciences for over a decade and is currently a professor at University of California, San Francisco. This year, his dedication to advancing science policy and education was recognized with the Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award. JCI’s editor-at-large Ushma Neill sat down with Alberts to talk about how his background in science shaped his later work as an educator and leader in science policy. They also discuss the challenges of improving science education through writing, editing, and policy making.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a heterogeneous genetic disorder that is characterized by a progressive loss of photoreceptors that results in deterioration of vision. While gene therapy has shown promise for some forms of RP, over 60 genes have been implicated in this disorder; therefore, non-gene-targeted therapies are of great interest. In this episode, Stephen Tsang and colleagues discuss their study, which shows that upregulation of glycolytic flux, via targeted downregulation of sirtuin 6, in rod photoreceptors improves photoreceptor survival and preserves vision in a mouse model of RP. As this strategy is not gene-specific, it may be beneficial for a range of neurodegenerative disorders.
Cancer cells have a different response to nutrient limitation than healthy cells; therefore, targeting nutrient acquisition pathways has potential as a therapeutic strategy for limiting cancer cell growth. In this episode, Aimee Edinger discusses a recent study from her group, which describes the effects of a sphingolipid-based compound, SH-BC-893, in multiple pre-clinical cancer models. SH-BC-893 simultaneously disrupts both glucose and amino acid transporters and was effective against both rapid- and slow-growing tumors without affecting normal tissues. The results of this study support further exploration of the therapeutic potential of this compound.
There is substantial crosstalk between tumor cells and surrounding stromal cell populations, and the specific microenvironment of a tumor greatly influences progression, malignancy, metastasis, plasticity, and therapeutic response. In this episode, Michael Stürzl, Elisabeth Naschberger, and Andrea Liebl discuss their study, which identifies endothelial cell secretion of the protein SPARCL1 as an important regulator of colorectal cancer aggressiveness. SPARCL1 expression was increased in endothelial cells from normal colon and in tumor endothelial cells that were isolated from patients with a favorable prognosis and dramatically reduced in tumor endothelial cells from patients with aggressive colorectal carcinoma. Together, the results of this study indicate that endothelial cell-derived SPARCL1 promotes an antitumorigenic microenvironment by inducing cell quiescence and limiting angiogenesis.