November 2007 - Zhendong Jin, Ph.D., Program Member: Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Cell Signaling and Developmental Pharmacology Program; Associate Professor, Medicinal & Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, has received a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the chemistry and biology of natural products found in deepwater marine sponges. Read full article.

October 2007 - Gail Bishop, PhD, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Associate Director for Basic Science Research, ; Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Program Co-Leader, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program; Professor, Microbiology; Director, Interdisciplinary Program in Immunology; and Associate Director for Basic Science Research, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center was recently elected to the American Association of Immunologists Council (2007-2011).

October 2007 - Gail Bishop, PhD lab published a recent report that reveals the role of the signaling protein TRAF3 in the maintenance of B cell homeostasis (Xie, P., Stunz, L.L., Larison, K.D., Yang, B., and Bishop, G.A.). TRAF3 is a critical regulator of B cell homeostasis in secondary lymphoid organs. Immunity 26:2530267, 2007). Previously made TRAF3-deficient mice were not viable, and the biological roles of TRAF3 were very poorly understood. By deleting TRAF3 specifically only in B cells, we produced and studied viable mice, whose B cell compartment and humoral responses are greatly elevated in the absence of TRAF3. Interestingly, in the same month 2 papers appeared (Annunziata et al., Cancer Cell 12:115-130 and Keats et al, 131-144) showing that TRAF3 mutations leading to loss of the protein are associated with human B cell myeloma. Taken together, these studies show that TRAF3 plays a pivotal role in maintaining control of B cell survival and function, and loss of TRAF3 is strongly associated with malignancy. We're excited about this - we are continuing to study our B cell-specific TRAF3-deficient mouse, currently focusing on changes in the aging mouse, as well as roles of TRAF3 in signaling via innate immune receptors. We also have produced a mouse lacking TRAF3 only in T cells, and are currently characterizing interesting alterations in the T cell biology of this mouse.

October 2007 - Chuck Lynch, MD, PhD, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Program Leader, Cancer Epidemiology Program; Professor of Epidemiology and Pathology, reported that the State Health Registry of Iowa now has a searchable feature of cancer incidence in the State, searchable by county, cancer site, gender, race, and incidence data.