Focus | February 11, 2005


Contents Neuroscience Cell Biology Genomics Ambulatory Care Social Medicine New Books Research Briefs Bulletin Forum Related Sites WebWeekly Lab Works StudenTalk Harvard Medical School
	February 11, 2005 NEUROSCIENCE: Blocking Protein Might Reverse Hearing Loss In the inner ear, tiny hair bundles on specialized hair cells are responsible for converting sound vibrations into electrical signals. Because hair cells do not renew themselves, their loss or damage can lead to partial or complete deafness. Now HMS researchers led by Zheng-Yi Chen have found that the molecular switch that prevents renewal of the cells is none other than the retinoblastoma protein, a familiar cell-cycle regulator. In the absence of the protein, hair cells reenter the cell cycle and make new functional cells. The finding, reported in the Jan. 13 online Science, suggests a new strategy for preventing or curing hearing loss.
	CELL BIOLOGY: Functional Protein Changes Caught and Quantified Just knowing that a protein is expressed in a cell does not reveal what that molecule is up to; chemical modifications like phosphorylation can radically change protein function. Research led by Steven Gygi uses one of the most powerful tools of proteomics to pinpoint how protein phosphorylation changes over time. The study, reported in the Jan. 18 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses mass spectrometry to track the chemical modifications of two well-known signaling proteins and yields new information about a protein implicated in cancer.
	GENOMICS: Gain and Loss of Amino Acids Detected Across All of Life Modern genomes have given biologists a glimpse of the earliest life on Earth, much the way cosmic microwave background radiation has given astronomers a snapshot of the infant universe. After comparing genes in organisms ranging from yeast to mammals, researchers led by Shamil Sunyaev have f ound a startling pattern of gain and loss of nine particular amino acids. The study, which appeared Jan. 19 in Nature online, found that human proteins exhibit the same rise and fall of these protein building blocks.
	AMBULATORY CARE: A Third of Older People May Take Potentially Inappropriate Medicines A study by Steven Simon and colleagues found that almost 30 percent of seniors are being prescribed medications that might be dangerous to them. The drugs are part of a controversial list of medications that expert panels have determined to be potentially hazardous to elders. While further research is needed, Simon suggests that educational programs and electronic prescribing procedures could limit the use of these medications among this population. The study was published in the February Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	SOCIAL MEDICINE: Past Research Enables Mental Health Services to Fill Gap for Tsunami Survivors Ten years of collaboration between Indonesian health professionals and Mary-Jo (right) and Byron Good has strengthened the network of care providers in the country prepared to care for the mental health needs of those who survived the December tsunami. According to the Goods, during the rebuilding of hard-hit Aceh province, mental health services should be even further integrated into the health care system.