Newsletter
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
April 2016
NEWS AND EVENTS
Major breakthrough in fighting antibiotic resistance
In what is being heralded as a groundbreaking discovery, scientists led by Monash University and
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers, Dr Thomas Naderer and Dr James Vince, have shown that
drugs originally developed to kill cancer cells can also prevent infectious diseases that are difficult to
treat with common antibiotics.
The team, led by Dr Thomas Naderer from the Monash Department of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology and Dr James Vince from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, used imaging technology to
watch, in real time, how pathogens (in this case the Legionella bacteria) infect the cells of the immune
system. Their findings were published in the prestigious Nature Microbiology.
In 2014, the World Health Organization released its first global report on antibiotic resistance to
common bacteria, calling antibiotic resistance a major threat to public health.
Bacteria often evade killing by antibiotics by “hiding” within the patient’s own cells, most often in
macrophages – the immune cells that are actually programmed to fight bacterial infections.
Most research aimed at antibiotic resistant bacteria has focused on attacking the bacteria by developing new antibiotics. Dr Naderer and Dr
Vince instead have come at the problem from the host, looking at ways the patient’s immune system can be rejigged to prevent vulnerability
to infection.
The research team revealed that two host proteins, MCL-1 and BCL-XL, are critical to keep infected macrophages alive, which in turn
enables bacteria within them to grow, spreading the infection.
The team has now shown that Legionella disarm the macrophage, but by doing so one of the two crucial proteins, MCL-1, is lost. This means
that the other protein, BCL-XL, is now the Achilles’ heel, keeping the host cell alive and thus enabling bacterial growth.
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute has world leading expertise in how cell death is controlled by proteins such as MCL-1 and BCL-XL and
how they can be targeted with new drugs.
Importantly, the researchers used these insights to show that it is possible to kill infected macrophages and its pathogen by utilizing the
very same drugs. According to Dr Naderer, these drugs developed to kill cancer cells could be used to prevent bacterial infections such as
Legionnaires’ disease, as they only induce death of infected cells, but leave uninfected immune cells alive.
For those wanting to read the full paper in Nature Microbiology: http://www.nature.com/articles/nmicrobiol201534
For those wanting to read the Nature Microbiology News & Views about this paper: http://www.nature.com/articles/
nmicrobiol201612
More about Dr Thomas Naderer: After completing his undergraduate studies at the University Vienna, Austria,
and a Masters at the University of Nottingham, UK, Thomas Naderer obtained his PhD from the University of
Melbourne in 2004. He worked as a post-doctoral scientist in the laboratory of Prof Malcolm McConville (University
of Melbourne) before joining the NHMRC Program on Cellular Microbiology headed by Prof Trevor Lithgow at
Monash University. With funding from the NHMRC, he established the Macrophage-Pathogen Interaction
Laboratory within the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2012.
www.med.monash.edu.au/biochem
Message from the Head of Department- Professor Roger Daly
Dear Colleagues,
About a month ago, something quite miraculous happened. Normally, ABC’s ‘Q&A’ program is dominated by bickering politicians, journalists
and commentators, and the twitter feed across the bottom of the screen reflects the TV audience’s dissatisfaction and cynicism. However,
on this occasion the subject of the program was science, specifically “String Theory, Sea Turtles, AI and Pi”. The rather eclectic name for
this program reflected the panelists, which included: Brian Greene, co-founder and director of Columbia University’s Institute for Strings,
Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics; Tamara Davis, an astrophysicist in the School of Mathematics and Physics at the University of
Queensland; Alan Finkel, Australia’s Chief Scientist; and Emma Johnston from the University of New South Wales who is also inaugural
Director of the Sydney Harbour Research Program at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science. Now, focusing the program on scientific issues
and having such an eminent panel does not necessarily make for great viewing. However, on this occasion the blue touch paper was well
and truly lit, fueled not just by the brilliance of these individuals but also by their passion, enthusiasm, and exceptional communication skills,
which enabled them to explain complex and often abstract scientific theories to the lay person. The effect on the TV audience was stunning.
The live comments were uniformly positive, indicating excitement and inspiration, and subsequent program reviews in the media reflected
these reactions. Clearly this program highlights what can be achieved in terms of science communication when we ‘get it right’. To achieve
this, it’s critical that we convey our passion for what we do, avoid unnecessary jargon, and try to explain key findings or theories in terms
or models which the general public will understand. The potential benefits of successful scientific communication are enormous, with this
impacting upon issues such as public awareness
and understanding of science, education and career
choices, and government and philanthropic support
for scientific research.
One key development that will greatly help scientists
from this Department explain and communicate
their work is the planned refurbishment of the foyer
spaces of 23 and 19 Innovation Walk. The intention
is to highlight the BDI’s people, research and major
discoveries and also to celebrate our history in
an interactive, engaging and innovative way. This
will be achieved through use of powerful videos,
animations, images and models. Forthcoming
events and breaking news displays will keep the
content current. Overall this will provide an exciting
and engaging environment that we can exploit to
aid scientific communication and outreach and raise
our national and international profile. I’ll keep you
informed as this project progresses.
ABC’s Q & A aired on Monday 14 March, 2016. Entitled "String Theory, Sea Turtles, AI
and Pi".
All the best,
Roger.
Staff Movements
On the 2nd of April 2016, Janet Macaulay was promoted from her position as Director of Education
for our Department to become Professor and Director of Education for Biomedical Sciences.
Particular areas of focus will include the delivery of on-line innovations in teaching and assessment,
and preparing for the transition to the new Biomedical education building.
Janet started in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as a casual demonstrator in
1992, then in 1997 was appointed to a continuing position as a lecturer. She was appointed Chair
of the Departmental Education Committee in 2009 and in 2011 became Director of Education in the
Department.
Janet has provided outstanding service and contributions to the Department which has included
chairing the Departmental Education Committee, membership of the Departmental Executive, liaison
with SOBS and the Faculty on education-related issues as well as oversight of the teaching unit and
curriculum development.
Roger Daly and Janet Macaulay
Dr Caroline Speed will take over as the new Director of Education for Biochemistry, as well as Chair of the Departmental Education
Committee. Caroline is ideally suited to this position, with over ten year’s experience as a member of the Biochemistry Teaching Unit that
has seen her take on significant lecturing and convenorship roles and make important contributions to curriculum development and research
For more Biochemistry news and events:
please visit our website
www.med.monash.edu.au/biochem
Newsletter: April, 2016
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Page 2
Half a million-dollar tick
University of Oxford and Monash University scientists have discovered how proteins present in tick saliva prevent
the immune system from running amok.
Most of us dread the thought of being bitten by a tick, not least because they spread serious infections such as
Lyme disease. However, some of the proteins present in tick saliva could lead to cheaper and more effective drugs
able to combat rare blood diseases.
Work published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology by a joint team from Oxford University and Australia’s
ARC Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Advanced Molecular Imaging, reveals a connection between an important
therapeutic, Eculizumab, and proteins in tick saliva.
Eculizumab, sold under the name Soliris, is currently the only therapeutic available for treating life threatening blood disorders, Paroxysmal
nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical haemolytic-uremic syndrome (aHUS). In these diseases, the immune system attacks and
destroys blood cells. Soliris works by shutting down part of our immune system.
When ticks bite an unsuspecting victim they inject substances that inhibit the same part of the immune system that Solaris targets. These
substances allow the insect to stay attached and feed on people for up to ten days without the immune system recognising and destroying
them. The Oxford and Monash research team set out to understand how these insects can shut down an immune reaction.
The team used a combination of X-ray crystallography and powerful microscopes within the Ramaciotti Centre for Cryo-electron microscopy
at Monash University to look into the molecular structures of both the tick proteins and Soliris in complex with the immune proteins they bind.
If you have PNH or aHUS your immune system attacks your blood cells. And the consequences of these diseases are devastating and
systemic.
“Soliris is also one of the most expensive drugs in the world, costing up to $500,000 per patient per year,” says Dr Hans Elmlund, Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and co-lead author of the paper.
“Using three-dimensional electron microscopy and computer modelling we could determine exactly where Soliris binds and understand how
it inhibits this part of the immune system. Knowing this, and knowing how ticks defend themselves will provide novel inhibitors.”
Professor Susan Lea, Oxford University and visiting academic at Monash University, explains that the tick proteins are much smaller and
easier to make than the antibodies in Soliris and may result in much cheaper therapies for a range of different immune disorders.
“The tick proteins act at the same point in the cascade as Soliris but they differ in molecular detail, and therefore may provide routes to
treatment of patients with PNH who have become resistant to Soliris,” says Susan.
She adds: “Blood poisoning, or Sepsis, kills over six million people a year. Affected individuals often die because of a powerful, but ultimately
catastrophic, immune over-reaction called ‘cytokine storm’. Our team hope that the tick-related proteins may one day be of use in controlling
cytokine storm in order to lessen mortality in conditions such as sepsis.”
New population of human T cells discovered
Researchers from the Imaging Centre of Excellence in collaboration with a team from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
(Doherty Institute) and the Monash University Biomedicine Discovery Institute (Monash BDI) have discovered a new population of diseasefighting T Cells in the human immune system.
The study, published in Immunity, found that while these cells were a close relative of mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells that
recognise bacteria such as mycobacterium tuberculosis and E. coli, they differed in the types of foreign molecules or antigens they can
detect.
Imaging CoE Chief Investigator Dale Godfrey, based at the Doherty Institute, explains that while MAIT cells typically detect vitamin B2
(riboflavin) metabolites produced by various types of bacteria, the new cells detect derivatives of vitamin B9 (folate) — an essential dietary
component — and may harness the ability to recognise other common antigens that are structurally related to these molecules.
“These findings provide valuable new insight into the types of cells that comprise the human immune system, the various antigens they can
recognise and therefore the types of diseases they may protect us from,” Godfrey says.
“The next phase of our research will be to test whether they’re elevated, altered or depleted when presented with infectious and noninfectious diseases, with the aim of ultimately determining how they might be manipulated to fight disease.”
Co-senior author Jamie Rossjohn, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, says: “Using the Australian Synchrotron here in
Melbourne, we provided insight into the molecular basis underpinning these responses. Collectively, this work potentially suggests a broader
role for MAIT cells in the immune system, including in diseases of non-microbial aetiology.”
Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute, concludes: “We know a lot about the immune system, but there are still many pieces of this
very complex puzzle that are missing – as identified by this study. This paper is a valuable addition to a series of pioneering studies on MAIT
cells by a collaborative network of Australian researchers including teams headed by Imaging CoE Chief Investigators Godfrey, Rossjohn
and David Fairlie, who is based at the University of Queensland, and James McCluskey, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, the University
of Melbourne.”
To read the full paper in Immunity: http://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(15)00506-3
Newsletter: April, 2016
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Page 3
Patricia Shaw (1928-2015): an extraordinary teacher of medical biochemistry at Monash
A number of long-standing and former members of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at
Monash were saddened to learn of the passing of Patricia Shaw late last year. Pat Shaw (or Patsy as she was
known to many colleagues) was one of the main teachers of biochemistry to medical students over a period
nearly 30 years, commencing in the early 1960’s.
It might be hard for the present generation of staff and students in this department to believe that one of the
primary reasons for its establishment 55 years ago was the need to teach biochemistry to medical students. The
inaugural Head of Biochemistry at Monash in 1961, Professor Joseph Bornstein, appointed several key staff
members to fulfil this role. Amongst these was a BSc graduate in Biochemistry from the University of Melbourne,
Patricia Shaw, who had worked as a nutritionist following her graduation. She joined the medical teaching team
alongside Joe Bornstein (DSc, MD) who was a respected medical leader and researcher on hormonal aspects
of metabolic regulation, Ian Parsons (MSc), a Lecturer who was an established clinical biochemist, and other
researchers with very strong science backgrounds who taught medical students as part of their duties, e.g. Tony
Linnane (PhD) who was appointed as Reader in Biochemistry shortly after his arrival at Monash in 1962.
Pat Shaw, 1989
Patricia Shaw was listed in the 1965 University Calendar as a staff member of Biochemistry at the rank of Senior
Teaching Fellow (part time). It is a tribute to the important role that Patsy played in this department at the time, that she shared the rank of
Senior Teaching Fellow with a number of postdoctoral researchers. Medical biochemistry at the time mainly focused on metabolism and
nutrition, and their roles in health and disease, and the application of biochemical assays to the diagnosis and management of clinical
conditions. Patsy was a real expert in these genres, with a very broad and detailed knowledge of nutrition and the relevant biochemical
pathways, and how assays of key metabolites in blood and other bodily fluids reflected the state of health (or otherwise) of the human
subject or patient. She was a thorough instructor and educator of students, with high standards of academic rigour.
Patsy had a razor-sharp approach to assessment and was skilled in setting multiple-choice questions for medical students. Not for her were
“soft” questions for which most students could easily guess the correct answers, nor the poorly phrased questions that could lead smart
(but underprepared) students to the correct answer by working their way through a lazily written set of options (even if the student did not
know the topic in any detail). In those days, MCQ papers (and indeed all exam papers) were discussed amongst all the staff involved in the
unit before the exam papers were finalised. Patsy’s teaching colleagues knew that they would have to set rigorous questions otherwise she
would soon set them right. I am personally very grateful for her mentorship in such assessment matters – I am also keen on open review of
all exam papers amongst staff teaching a particular unit.
When this department evolved over the subsequent decades into a teaching profile in which biochemistry for science students assumed
a much greater overall role, and the emphasis on medical teaching became greatly reduced, Patsy was eventually left as one of the few
specialised medical educators in the department. By 1975 she had risen to the rank of Principal Tutor (roughly equivalent to the present
level B, but a rank that today no longer exists). She also became in later years a biochemistry demonstrator for second year Science
students. Patsy retired from Monash around 1990. Sadly, she passed away in October 2015, aged 87.
Phillip Nagley
Note: I am grateful to Lina D’Agruma and Oanh Ho in the teaching labs for digging out the attached photo of the late Pat Shaw (taken in
1989) from the archives of photos of demonstrators, of which they are proud custodians (my own “mugshots” from too many decades ago
are amongst them!).
Stuart Stone Medal for Top Honours Student
For those of you who couldn’t make it to the Honours Welcome BBQ at the end of February, Professor Roger
Daly, Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, presented the Stuart Stone Medal for
the Top Honours Student of last year. The two winners were Marris Dibley and Joanne Usher, whose scores
couldn’t be separated (down to one decimal place!) and so it was decided that they should both receive the
award. Congratulations to Marris and Joanne on their outstanding achievement, they both receive the medal
and a cheque for $500.
Roger Daly presenting the Stuart
Stone Medal to Marris Dibley
Environmental Sustainability At Monash
Anyone concerned with any environmental issues should contact
Shani Keleher ([email protected])
or visit The Office of Environmental Sustainability (TOES)
http://www.fsd.monash.edu.au/environmental-sustainability.
Newsletter: April, 2016
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Page 4
Snake venom may hold key to breaking down plaques that cause Alzheimer’s disease
A toxic protein called amyloid beta is thought to play a key role in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. In healthy
people, amyloid beta is degraded by enzymes as it forms. However, in those patients with the disease, it
appears as though these enzymes are unable to adequately perform their actions so that this toxic protein ends
up accumulating into plaque deposits, which many researchers consider leads to dementia.
One of the Holy Grails of the pharmaceutical industry has been to find a drug that stimulates these enzymes
in people, particularly those who are in the early stages of dementia, when amyloid plaques are just starting
to accumulate.
Now Monash researchers leading a team of international collaborators have discovered what could well be this
elusive drug candidate – a molecule in snake venom that appears to activate the enzymes involved in breaking
down the amyloid plaques in the brain that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr Sanjaya Kuruppu and
Dr Sanjaya Kuruppu
Prof Ian Smith from Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology have just published their research in Nature’s Scientific Reports.
Dr Kuruppu is also one of four researchers in Australia to win a prestigious award from the National Foundation for Medical Research and
Innovation. This award will enable him to test this novel molecule in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Kuruppu has spent most of
his research life studying snake venoms, looking for drug candidates. When he began researching Alzheimer’s Disease he says that “snake
venom was an obvious place for me to start.”
He was looking for a molecule that would stimulate the enzymes to break down the amyloid plaques. What he found, when screening
various snake venoms, was one molecule with the ability to enhance the activity of two plaque degrading enzymes. This molecule was
extracted from the venom of a pit viper found in South and Central America. Dr. Kuruppu and his team have since developed synthetic
versions of this molecule. Initial tests done in the laboratory using human cells have shown it to have the same effects as the native version
found in the snake venom.
For those wanting to read the full paper in Nature Scientific Reports: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep22413
ASBMB awards
THE EPPENDORF EDMAN AWARD
Congratulations to Dr Michelle Dunstone from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, who is the
2016 recipient of the Eppendorf Edman Award from the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
(ASBMB).
The Eppendorf Edman Award is awarded to a biochemist or molecular biologist with no more than 7 years
postdoctoral experience, in recognition of their outstanding research work. The Award provides funds to assist the
recipient to attend an overseas conference in a field associated with biochemistry or molecular biology or to visit a
research laboratory in Australia or elsewhere to access specialised equipment or to learn new research techniques.
Michelle should also be congratulated on her recent award of an ARC Future Fellowship. As one of only 50
Fellowships awarded across all the sciences, this was a great achievement. Monash scientists were awarded 8
fellowships in total, the highest achieved by any university.
Dr Michelle Dunstone
Interdisciplinary Research support programs open
The Office of the Senior Vice-Provost and Vice-Provost (Research) is pleased to announce the Interdisciplinary Research (IDR) support
programs open for 2016.
Launched in 2012, the aim of the IDR program is to foster research that leverages the breadth of Monash’s expertise, bringing together
disciplines to tackle major research challenges.
Two grants schemes provide opportunity for researchers to submit project ideas to the selection committee.
The IDR ‘major’ projects grant is for established interdisciplinary research groups across Monash who have identified a potential large
scale project. In this category, nominees may put forward requests between $100,000 and $250,000. The level of funding available for
major projects is dependent on the scale, quality and potential outcomes of the final proposals.
The IDR ‘seed’ funding grant is for exciting and highly prospective projects. Nominees may put forward requests between $25,000
and $50,000 for this grant category. In addition to financial support, other seed support in the form of mentoring, project management
assistance, meeting facilities, etc. may be requested.
Since its inception, the IDR program has funded a number of projects that have translated to the awarding of external funds, publications,
commercialisation activities and prizes.
Chair of the selection panel, Professor Pauline Nestor, said she was looking forward to receiving this year’s applications.
“The success of the IDR program over the years in terms of return on investment has been terrific. There are some great things
happening across the Monash research community in IDR and this program provides the mechanism to ensure exciting projects are
supported as they are developed,” Professor Nestor said.
For more information and application documentation please visit: http://intranet.monash.edu.au/research/research-strategy/
interdisciplinary-teams/idr-support-programs.html
Nominations are due to [email protected] by 25 May 2016
Newsletter: April, 2016
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Page 5
Recent PhD Graduates
Li Yang
Thesis title: “Characterisation of a superstable consensus serpin, cAT”
Main Supervisor: Prof Mibel Aguilar
Thomas Fulford
Thesis title: “The role of NF-KB transcription factors in the development and function of regulatory T cells”
Main Supervisor: Prof Steven Gerondakis
Sarah Conduit
Thesis Title: “The inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase INPP5E regulates Sonic Hedgehog-dependent development and
medulloblastoma.”
Main Supervisor: Prof Christina Mitchell
Madhu Sengupta
Thesis Title: “Role of C.elegans eIF4E-binding protein, IFET-1 in post-transcriptional gene regulation.”
Main Supervisor: Dr Peter Boag
Stephen Scally
Thesis Title: “Structural basis for the association of the HLA-DRB1 locus, citrullination and rheumatoid arthritis.”
Main Supervisor: Prof Jamie Rossjohn
Chen Li
Thesis Title: “A bioinformatics study of protein folding, aggregation and disease.”
Main Supervisor: A/Prof Ashley Buckle
Cyril Reboul
Thesis Title: “Structural aspects of the pore forming protein perforin.”
Main Supervisor: Prof James Whisstock
Benjamin Padman
Thesis Title: “The spatiotemporal characterisation of signalling pathways in mammalian mitophagy.”
Main Supervisor: Dr Georg Ramm
Rasika Kumarasingha
Thesis Title: “Anthelmintic activity of traditional medicinal plant extracts.”
Main Supervisor: Dr Peter Boag
www.facebook.com/groups/NOTDRS
Notice
SOBS Infrastructure Faults and Repairs
ALL equipment repairs, building faults, quote requests, light
failures, water leaks, lab coats, access requests, in fact
anything and everything, apart from a genuine emergency,
should be logged using this site:
https://sites.google.com/a/monash.edu/sobs-equipmentrepairs/
CONTACT US:
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Monash University, Ground Floor, Building 77, Wellington Road, Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
Website: www.med.monash.edu.au/biochem
Tel: +61 3 990 29400
Fax: +61 3 990 29500
Content and Layout:
[email protected]
Newsletter: April, 2016
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Page 6
High Impact Publications for 2016
Structure of the poly-C9 component of the complement membrane attack complex. Dudkina NV, Spicer BA, Reboul CF, Conroy PJ,
Lukoyanova N, Elmlund H, Law RH, Ekkel SM, Kondos SC, Goode RJ, Ramm G, Whisstock JC, Saibil HR, Dunstone MA. Nat
Commun. 2016 Feb 4;7:10588. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10588.
Eliminating Legionella by inhibiting BCL-XL to induce macrophage apoptosis. Speir M, Kate E. Lawlor, Stefan P. Glaser, Gilu Abraham,
Seong Chow, Adam Vogrin, Keith E. Schulze, Ralf Schuelein, Lorraine A. O’Reilly, Kylie Mason, Elizabeth L. Hartland, Trevor Lithgow,
Andreas Strasser, Guillaume Lessene, David C. S. Huang, James E. Vince & Thomas Naderer. Nature Microbiology 1, Article number:
15034 (2016)
The kinome ‘at large’ in cancer. Fleuren ED, Zhang L, Wu J, Daly RJ. Nat Rev Cancer. 2016 Jan 29;16(2):83-98.
Diversity of T Cells Restricted by the MHC Class I-Related Molecule MR1 Facilitates Differential Antigen Recognition. Gherardin NA,
Keller AN, Woolley RE, Le Nours J, Ritchie DS, Neeson PJ, Birkinshaw RW, Eckle SB, Waddington JN, Liu L, Fairlie DP, Uldrich AP,
Pellicci DG, McCluskey J, Godfrey DI, Rossjohn J. Immunity. 2016 Jan 19;44(1):32-45. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2015.12.005. Epub 2016
Jan 12.
Atypical natural killer T-cell receptor recognition of CD1d-lipid antigens. Le Nours J, Praveena T, Pellicci DG, Gherardin NA, Ross FJ,
Lim RT, Besra GS, Keshipeddy S, Richardson SK, Howell AR, Gras S, Godfrey DI, Rossjohn J, Uldrich AP. Nat Commun. 2016 Feb
15;7:10570. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10570.
Ubiquitin in the activation and attenuation of innate antiviral immunity. Heaton SM, Borg NA, Dixit VM. J Exp Med. 2016 Jan 11;213(1):113.
SETD7 Controls Intestinal Regeneration and Tumorigenesis by Regulating Wnt/β-Catenin and Hippo/YAP Signaling. Oudhoff MJ, Braam
MJ, Freeman SA, Wong D, Rattray DG, Wang J, Antignano F, Snyder K, Refaeli I, Hughes MR, McNagny KM, Gold MR, Arrowsmith
CH, Sato T, Rossi FM, Tatlock JH, Owen DR, Brown PJ, Zaph C. Dev Cell. 2016 Apr 4;37(1):47-57.
Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor 3DL1 polymorphism defines distinct hierarchies of HLA class I recognition. Saunders PM, Pymm
P, Pietra G, Hughes VA, Hitchen C, O’Connor GM, Loiacono F, Widjaja J, Price DA, Falco M, Mingari MC, Moretta L, McVicar DW,
Rossjohn J, Brooks AG, Vivian JP. J Exp Med. 2016 Apr 4. pii: jem.20152023.
The intracellular pathway for the presentation of vitamin B-related antigens by the antigen-presenting molecule MR1. McWilliam HE,
Eckle SB, Theodossis A, Liu L, Chen Z, Wubben JM, Fairlie DP, Strugnell RA, Mintern JD, McCluskey J, Rossjohn J, Villadangos JA.
Nat Immunol. 2016 Apr 4. doi: 10.1038/ni.3416
Structural basis for therapeutic inhibition of complement C5. Jore MM, Johnson S, Sheppard D, Barber NM, Li YI, Nunn MA, Elmlund H,
Lea SM. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2016 Mar 28. doi: 10.1038/nsmb.3196. [Epub ahead of print]
Upcoming Biomedicine Discovery Seminars
Prof Damien Keating, Flinders Uni
When: Tue, April 26, 12pm – 1pm
Research Area: Metabolic Disease & Obesity
Topic: The role of RCAN1 in beta cell function and obesity
Dr Elissa Deenick, Garvan Institute
When: Tue, May 10, 12pm – 1pm
Research Area: Infection and Immunity
Topic: Molecular regulation of lymphocyte development and function
Dr Kaylene Young, Uni of Tasmania
When: Thu, April 28, 12pm – 1pm
Reseach Area: Neuroscience
Presenter: Kaylene Young, University of Tasmania
Topic: Neuronal activity - a call to myelinate
Dr Christen Mirth, Monash University
When: Thu, May 12, 12pm – 1pm
Research Area: Development & Stem Cell
Topic: How does nutrition influence body size?
Prof Ross Hannan, The Australian National University, Canberra
When: Tue, May 3, 12pm – 1pm
Research Area: Cancer
Topic: Haematological malignancies
Dr Peter Psaltis, SAHMRI
When: Thu, May 5, 12pm – 1pm
Research Area: Cardiovascular Disease
Topic: Revisiting the origins of macrophages in atherosclerosis,
through a new paradigm of adventitial macrophage progenitor cells
Prof David Craik, UQ
When: Tue, May 17, 12pm – 1pm
Research Area: Infection and Immunity
Topic: TBA
Dr Clinton Bruce
When: Thu, May 19, 12pm – 1pm
Research Area: Metabolic Disease & Obesity
Topic: TBA
Seminar location: 15 Innovation Walk, Level 3 Seminar Room
Newsletter: April, 2016
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Page 7