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For many people, remembering to take a daily medication can be the difference between life and death. Yet, people forget all the time. Now a landmark study from North Carolina State University has found that changes in daily behavior have a significant effect on whether we remember to take our medication – and that these changes influence older and younger adults differently. That’s good news, because it means there’s something we can do about it. Continue Reading »

A Brazilian scorpion has provided researchers at North Carolina State University and East Carolina University insight into venom’s effects on the ability of certain cells to release critical components. The findings may prove useful in understanding diseases like pancreatitis or in targeted drug delivery.

A common result of scorpion stings, pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. ECU microbiologist Dr. Paul Fletcher believed that scorpion venom might be used as a way to discover how pancreatitis occurs – to see which cellular processes are affected at the onset of the disease. Fletcher pinpointed a protein production system found in the pancreas that seemed to be targeted by the venom of the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatus and then contacted NC State physicist Dr. Keith Weninger, who had studied that particular protein system.

“This particular protein system has special emphasis at two places in the body – the pancreas and the nervous system,” Weninger says. “In the pancreas, it is involved in the release of proteins through the membrane of a cell.”  The pancreas specializes in releasing two kinds of proteins using separate cells: digestive enzymes that go into the small intestine and insulin and its relatives that go into the bloodstream, yet this same release mechanism is important in all of our cells for many processes.

Cells move components in and out through a process called vesicle fusion. The vesicle is a tiny, bubble-like chamber inside the cell that contains the substance to be moved, stored and released – in this case, proteins like enzymes or hormones. The vesicle is moved through the cell and attaches to the exterior membrane, where the vesicle acts like an airlock in a spaceship, allowing the cell membrane to open and release the proteins without disturbing the rest of the cell’s contents. The proteins that aid in this process are known as Vesicle Associated Membrane Proteins, or VAMPs.

Weninger provided Fletcher with two different VAMP proteins found in the pancreas, VAMP2 and VAMP8. They were engineered to remove the membrane attachments so they could be more easily used for experiments outside cells and tissues. Fletcher’s team demonstrated that the scorpion venom attacked the VAMP proteins, cutting them in one place and eliminating the vesicle’s ability to transport its protein cargo out of the cell.

The results were published in the March 5 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

“We found that a particular enzyme in the scorpion’s venom removes a peptide, or small protein, that allows the vesicle to fuse with the cell membrane,” Fletcher says. “If you remove a pancreatic cell’s ability to absorb or release components, you end up with pancreatitis.”

“Viruses often exploit the same mechanism of vesicle fusion, but in reverse, in order to invade cells and replicate,” Weninger adds. “This work furthers our understanding of a basic cellular process and may lead to treatments for viruses and advances in treatments like chemotherapy, by allowing targeted drug delivery only to cancer cells.”

The Department of Physics is part of NC State University’s College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

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Note to editors: An abstract of the paper follows.

“Vesicle-associated Membrane Protein (VAMP) Cleavage by a New Metalloprotease from the Brazilian Scorpion Tityus serrulatus*”
Authors: Paul L. Fletcher, Jr., Maryann D. Fletcher, East Carolina University; Keith Weninger, Trevor E. Anderson, North Carolina State University; and Brian M. Martin, National Institutes of Health
Published: March 5, 2010, in Journal of Biological Chemistry; VOL. 285, NO. 10, pp. 7405–7416

Abstract: We present evidence that venom from the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatus and a purified fraction selectively cleave essential SNARE proteins within exocrine pancreatic tissue. Western blotting for vesicle-associated membrane protein type v-SNARE proteins (or synaptobrevins) reveals characteristic alterations to venom-treated excised pancreatic lobules in vitro. Immunocytochemistry by electron microscopy confirms both the SNARE identity as VAMP2 and the proteolysis of VAMP2 as a marked decrease in secondary antibody-conjugated colloidal gold particles that are predominantly associated with mature zymogen granules. Studies with recombinant SNARE proteins were used to determine the specific cleavage site in VAMP2 and the susceptibility of VAMP8 (endobrevin). The VAMP2 cleavage site is between the transmembrane anchor and the SNARE motif that assembles into the ternary SNARE complex. Inclusion of divalent chelating agents (EDTA) with fraction v, an otherwise active purified component from venom, eliminates SNARE proteolysis, suggesting the active protein is a metalloprotease. The unique cleavages of VAMP2 and VAMP8 may be linked to pancreatitis that develops following scorpion envenomation as both of these v-SNARE proteins are associated with zymogen granule membranes in pancreatic acinar cells. We have isolated antarease, a metalloprotease from fraction v that cleaves VAMP2, and report its amino acid sequence.

What: North Carolina State University is hosting the premiere of the documentary film “Spanish Voices,” by NC State professor and linguist Dr. Walt Wolfram, Danica Cullinan and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Neal Hutcheson. Spanish speakers from across the globe, bilingual second-generation U.S. citizens and non-Spanish speakers all weave an up-close portrait of the rapidly changing linguistic and cultural landscape of the Southeastern United States. The film will be followed by a panel discussion on the effects of migration in the Southeast. Continue Reading »

A team led by researchers from North Carolina State University has published a paper that describes the use of a technique called atomic layer deposition to incorporate “biological functionality” into complex nanomaterials, which could lead to a new generation of medical and environmental health applications. For example, the researchers show how the technology can be used to develop effective, low-cost water purification devices that could be used in developing countries. Continue Reading »

For use by the media as calendar-of-events items or for information

What: North Carolina State University invites runners and dog owners to compete in the 15th Annual Dog Day Race charity event, which features a people-only 5K run and a two-mile walk for people with their dogs.

Water will be provided for both human and canine competitors. A veterinarian will be available throughout the activity, but participants are advised to check with their own veterinarian if their dog is not accustomed to walking two miles. Dogs must be on a leash at all times and have a current rabies inoculation. A complete list of rules for those participating with their dogs is contained in the entry form, which may be downloaded from www.runnc.com.

Who: Sponsored by NC State College of Veterinary Medicine’s student chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Proceeds from the charity event go to the Wake County Animal Shelter.

When: Sunday, March 28. The 5K cross-country run begins at 2 p.m. and the two-mile walk at 3 p.m.

Where: North Carolina State University Club, located at 4200 Hillsborough St., next to the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Cost: The entry fees are $20 for the 5K run and $10 for the two-mile walk. After March 26, both fees increase by $5.

Contact: For more information, e-mail Stephanie Zick at zickdvm@gmail.com.

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For use by the media as calendar-of-events items or for information

What: North Carolina State University will host a lecture, titled “America’s Science Challenges and Opportunities:  Past, Present and Future,” by Dr. Neal Lane, Malcolm Gillis University Professor at Rice University and senior fellow of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Lane previously served as director of the National Science Foundation and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Lane’s talk will review a bit of the history of science in America, describe some current challenges and opportunities, and offer speculation on possible futures for  American science and implications for the nation.

Who: Hosted by NC State’s College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences as part of its annual Scope Academy, a weekend featuring public mini-lectures from distinguished NC State faculty and alumni on the ways that math and science impact the world around us.

When: Saturday, April 10, at 4 p.m.

Where: SAS Hall on NC State’s campus.

Cost: Lane’s lecture and all Scope Academy seminars are free and open to the public, although registration by March 26 is required.

Contact: For a complete schedule of events or to register, visit www.pams.ncsu.edu/weekend or call 919/515-3462.

With March Madness upon us, Dr. Larry Silverberg, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, can discuss the science behind the free throw.

Read more about this expert.

North Carolina State University researchers can help explain the impact an overhaul of “No Child Left Behind” may have on the nation’s K-12 schools.

President Barack Obama and Congress are debating a plan to overhaul “No Child Left Behind.” The revised law, according to Obama, will ask states to ensure that their academic standards prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace, and to create accountability systems that recognize student growth and school progress toward meeting that goal. The “No Child Left Behind” law enacted in 2002 was a cornerstone of former President George W. Bush’s domestic policy in his first term. Under the law, states must test students for competence in basic skills to qualify for federal aid.

Dr. Michael Maher, director of professional education, 919/515-5524 or michael_maher@ncsu.edu, is an expert on teacher preparation, teaching licensure and re-visioning education programs. He can speak to teacher preparation/education aspects of “No Child Left Behind.”

Dr. Hiller Spires, professor of literacy and technology and Friday Institute senior research fellow, 919/513-8501 or hiller_spires@ncsu.edu, can address issues related to “No Child Left Behind” and the Obama Administration’s blueprint for the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Act. She can speak to future directions in literacy education including how technology is changing what it means to be literate, college and career readiness for students, and strengthening teacher preparation and recruitment, especially in rural settings.

Dr. Thomas Alsbury, director of the University Council for Educational Administration’s Center for Research on the Superintendency and District Governance, 919/513-4321 or tom_alsbury@ncsu.edu, is known as a national expert on school board governance and board/superintendent relationships. He can discuss elected versus appointed school boards, board/superintendent relations, mayoral takeover of school boards, districtwide reform efforts, and the effect of school board/community politics and student achievement.

Dr. Steven Greene, associate professor of political science, 919/513-0520 or steven_greene@ncsu.edu, is an expert on politics, public opinion and the media. He can comment on the challenges facing Obama’s legislation in the House and Senate.

Dr. Jeffery Braden, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, 919/515-2468 or jeff_braden@ncsu.edu, is an educational psychologist who studies the impact of the testing requirements associated with the “No Child Left Behind” legislation.

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