| 95-12-15: NOBELIST GILMAN HELPS INAUGURATE JORDAN HALL ADDITION Alfred G. Gilman, M.D., Ph.D., winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, was on Grounds last week to celebrate the opening of the Jordan Hall Conference Center and research addition. Dr. Gilman spoke about his prize-winning work on a class of molecules called G proteins, the first of which was purified almost 20 years ago at U.Va. Now at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Gilman was the first resident of Jordan Hall when he arrived at U.Va. as an assistant professor in 1971. Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the Jordan Hall addition Dec. 4, Dr. Gilman spoke as part of a conference entitled "Structure and Function of Signaling Pathways." Ironically, the talk had to be relocated from the new Jordan Hall conference center to McLeod Hall, which seats 500, because so many people wanted to hear Dr. Gilman. Before a capacity audience, Dr. Gilman described how his research of the past two decades has revolved around getting a step-by-step picture of G protein activities as they relay incoming information from the cell's membrane eventually to the nucleus. "What we'd like to create is a kind of movie of the protein's complete cycle of action," said Dr. Gilman. G proteins, so called because they bind to a substance containing guanine, are part of the cell's "second messenger" system. Second messengers act like runners in a relay race. They accept incoming messages, in the form of hormones, light or neurotransmitters, for example, and pass them off to other parts of the cell, where a response is eventually made. Despite its many steps, the G-protein system is marvelously efficient. Just one incoming signal can switch on many individual G proteins, each of which, in turn, stimulates activity in many more proteins further down the chain. Then the G proteins turn "off." Because the G proteins are vital switches, any malfunction can spell disaster for the cell. A toxin made by cholera-causing bacteria, for example, locks G proteins in the "on" position. Intestinal cells are stimulated to produce a substance called cyclic AMP continuously, causing them to lose fluid, leading to the often fatal diarrhea of cholera. G proteins are also thought to play a role in such common conditions as diabetes and hypertension. G protein breakdown also appears to be involved in cancer. Among the research groups at U.Va. studying cancer and signaling malfunction are ones led by Dr. Thomas W. Sturgill, who spoke at the conference, and microbiologist Michael J. Weber. Mr. Weber, for example, is studying the intricacies of the RAS protein signaling pathway. RAS, which is important in normal cell division, can convey a constant "divide" message, if it is mutated, to the cell's nucleus, which responds with the uncontrolled growth characteristic of cancer. Researchers in this field hope to learn enough about the precise interactions of growth signals and G proteins to be able to design drugs that will specifically interrupt the system if it goes awry. In addition to the new conference center, the 155,000 square- foot addition to Jordan Hall includes lab space for the School of Medicine. The building represents the largest single project among the University's General Obligation Bond projects. Approximately $14 million of the $23 million construction cost was funded by bond appropriations. WRITTEN BY ANNE OPLINGER | |
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