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Spring 2012 issue of Conway Focus

Highlights in this issue include:

Unlikely oncogene accomplice identified
K-Ras, one of the most frequently mutated genes in human cancer, is known as an oncogene that drives the development of many prevalent human cancers. Now, research has unveiled an unexpected face of the non-mutated K-Ras as an accomplice of the mutant K-Ras oncogene. The findings of research published recently in Molecular Cell by the research group of Prof. Walter Kolch demonstrate that mutant K-Ras transformation is supported by the wild type allele in colorectal carcinoma (CRC).

Core technologies provide valuable support
UCD Conway core technologies provide a comprehensive level of service and expertise that is unrivalled within Ireland. The technology directors and their technical staff adopt a problem-solving approach to the research questions posed by scientists and provide support from experimental design to publication. Two examples of recent collaborative publications are from Conway Fellows, Professor Donal F. O’Shea in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Dr Albert Smolenski in Blood.

Awards for research excellence
Senior Research Fellow, Dr Darran O’Connor received the 9th St Luke’s Young Investigator; PhD student, Vishal Salunkhe received a $500 abstract achievement award at the 53rd American Society of Haematology (ASH) annual conference in San Diego; Dr Fiona McGillicuddy wins the first award under the SFI-HRB Wellcome Trust Biomedical Partnership.

Molecular Trafficking Pathways in Cilia
Gaining insight at the molecular level of the intracellular trafficking pathways operating in cilia may shed light on the causes of multisymptomatic cilia-related disorders such as polycystic kidney disease, Bardet-Biedl syndrome and retinitis pigmentosa. Conway Fellow, Dr Oliver Blacque outlines findings in Current Biology.
 
Ubiquitination role in gene silencing
New evidence suggests that protein ubiquitination is actually a more versatile process and has non-proteolytic functions. The study in PLoS Computational Biology led by Professor Boris Kholodenko, Conway Fellow & Deputy Director, Systems Biology Ireland shows a flexible role for the process of ubiquitination in silencing gene expression.
 
Cell cycle control of cell death
Prolonged mitosis leads to cell death whereas normal mitosis does not.  How can a cell distinguish between normal and prolonged mitosis to dictate cell fate? New research led by Conway Fellow, Dr Margaret McGee suggests that an important cell death signal during prolonged mitotic arrest is the Cdk1/cyclin B1-dependent hyperphosphorylation of the Bcl-2 interacting mediator of cell death (Bim).

In brief: Researching the small in Nature
Two research groups associated with the Institute have recently reported research findings in Nature journals; Conway Fellow, Dr Emma Teeling led a study on the only two populations in existence of the world’s smallest mammal, the bumble bee bat and Professor Kenneth Dawson’s team explore the fate of nanoparticles in cells.