A Message From the Past President - Society of Toxicology



• MECHANISMS •

A Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology

Volume 20, Number 1 Fall 2002

A Message From the President

Terry Monks

First let me say that I am privileged to serve as President of such a vibrant Specialty Section. The success and strength of Mechanisms lies in the commitment of our members and officers, which I have observed first-hand these past 2 years. I have been fortunate to be preceded by Dave Ross, whose organizational skills and grasp of the issues have ensured that Mechanisms has continued to be a major force within the society (not bad for a Geordie!). Dave is a tough act to follow!! Mechanisms continues to provide the Society with a strong slate of Symposia/Workshops/CE courses for the national meeting, and the coming meeting in Salt Lake City will be no exception. Robin Goldstein, our Vice President, has championed the Mechanisms cause this year and put together another excellent slate of proposals (see below). Serrine Lau, as VP-Elect, will be responsible for soliciting proposals for the 2004 meeting in Baltimore. Be sure to keep Serrine busy!! All this activity was coordinated and recorded by our Secretary/Treasurer Marc Fariss, and it has been a pleasure working with Marc. Marc has done a wonderful job keeping track of our finances and ensuring that we meet all the necessary deadlines. In Marc's stead we welcome Gary Rankin, who has hit the ground running and will no doubt keep my fellow officers and I in line over the next couple of years.

Another important function of Mechanisms is our commitment to graduate education. Our Specialty Section emphasizes the importance of student participation in the Society, and in Nashville we celebrated 20 years of the Carl C. Smith Graduate Student Awards. Jose Manatou (Councilor) helped organize this year's awards ceremony that was attended by many of the ex-Presidents of Mechanisms (including then President of SOT, Dave Eaton). Tee Smith was our guest of honor. It was a very special occasion and one that epitomized the best of science; friendship, collegiality, the recognition of scientific excellence. However, we cannot rest on our laurels (which are few and far between in Texas). We are only as good as our last game, and we must strive even harder to ensure that the next 20 years are as successful as the preceding years. Please continue to encourage your students to compete for this prestigious award, which has become a barometer of future success. In addition, be sure to encourage your new students to join Mechanisms.

I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage each and every one of you to reaffirm your commitment to the Mechanisms Specialty Section. As a group we represent a tremendous resource for the society. Eight current members of SOT Council are members of Mechanisms. Another 11 serve on Elected Committees. Indeed, each of the Elected Committees (Awards, Membership, Education, Nominating) is chaired by a member of Mechanisms. It is important that we retain this visibility and remain active participants in our society. So please continue to volunteer your services for the benefit of both Mechanism and the society.

It seems each year brings with it wonderful new opportunities. Although it is often a challenge to keep abreast of technological and intellectual advances, Toxicology in general, and the science associated with Mechanisms in particular, is always keen to embrace such advances. It is this aspect of Toxicology that makes it such an adaptable, vibrant and exciting science. Yet as in all good relationships, Toxicology is also making important contributions to the scientific community, and Mechanisms must ensure that we remain in the vanguard of these efforts. So bring your science and students to Salt Lake City, and once again be part of an exciting scientific program.

In keeping with tradition, enjoy this photograph of Austin. A picture is worth a thousand words.

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From the Editor’s Desk

Gary Rankin

As I start my position of Secretary/Treasurer of the Mechanisms Specialty Section, let me thank Marc Fariss for the assistance that he has given me. Anytime you are elected to a position of responsibility such as this one, it is critical that you have the support of past officers. Marc has been really helpful getting me started. One of my first responsibilities is getting this newsletter out to our membership. Once you have had a chance to read it, please feel free to contact me (rankin@marshall.edu) with suggestions on ways to improve our newsletter or the Mechanisms Specialty Section.

Special reminders:

1. Please make sure that your graduate students sign up for student membership in the Mechanisms Specialty Section. SOT will reimburse our Specialty Section for 1 student per Full member. In other words, each full member can have one student join SOT for free.

2. When you give a donation to the Carl C. Smith Fund, please e-mail me (rankin@marshall.edu) with your contribution amount. This helps the Specialty Section keep an accurate account of the annual donations to this fund. Thanks!

3. SOT Council has agreed to reduce Specialty Section dues to $15 (currently $25) per Specialty Section with students getting one free Specialty Section membership after becoming a student member of SOT. This change will go into effect with the dues renewal at the end of the year.

In this issue, you will find a report on our 2002 Mechanisms Specialty Section Business meeting that includes a list of the winners and judges for the 2002 Carl C. Smith Graduate Student Awards. Information on requirements, deadlines, etc. is also provided for the 2003 Carl C. Smith Graduate Student Awards. These awards are one way of recognizing the excellence of our student’s research efforts, so please consider having your students apply. We are fortunate indeed to have Tee Smith lending her interest, energy and continued support to these awards. A list of 2001/2002 Contributors to the Carl C. Smith Endowment Fund is also included. Thanks so much to all of you who contributed last year, as your contributions make these awards possible. If you did not contribute to this fund last year, please consider contributing this year, and for our past contributors, pleases consider continuing you support of these very worthwhile awards.

It is also time to begin thinking about preparing proposals for Symposia, Workshops and Continuing Education Courses for the SOT 2004 Annual Meeting. Vice-President Elect Serrine Lau will be coordinating the review of the proposals this year. The quality of proposals from the Mechanisms Specialty Section has been exceptional over the years, so please help us maintain our record of excellence by submitting your proposals.

Summary of the Mechanisms Specialty Section Business Meeting

The Annual Business Meeting of the Mechanisms Specialty Section was held in the Bayou C/D rooms of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, March 19, 2002. In attendance were approximately 250 people and the meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM by the section President, David Ross.

The following items were brought to the attention of the members:

15. David Ross thanked the membership for their attendance and thanked the officers of the Specialty Section for their work over the past year. The President introduced the officers and reviewed several of the key accomplishments over the past year such as the first modification of the section’s bylaws (adding a Student Councilor to the Executive Committee of the Mechanisms Section), an audit of the Carl Smith Fund and transfer of the management of this fund from TEF to SOT, and finally preparations for the 20th Anniversary Celebration for the Carl Smith Awards. The President noted that Mrs. Carl (Tee) Smith and her daughters, Marcia Smith Chiampas and Vernetta Smith Fluegeman, were present in order to assist with the 20th Anniversary celebrations and thanked them for their attendance.

16. Election results were announced: Serrine Lau was elected Vice President Elect, Gary Rankin was elected Secretary/Treasurer and Mike Aleo was elected as Councilor. Dr. Ross congratulated all those elected and thanked those who stood for election. He commented that it is important to have individuals willing to provide leadership to the section and encouraged members to get involved with the section as officers.

17. As the proposal to modify the Mechanisms Specialty Section Bylaws to allow for a Student Councilor as one of the officers was approved, Student Councilor candidates will be on the next ballot of officers sent to the membership.

18. Marc Fariss presented the treasurer’s report. Net assets at the beginning of the year were $11,675. Expenses for the year (7/1/2001-6/30/2002) are estimated at $8,000 (awards, newsletter, business meeting and reception, 20th anniversary celebration for Carl C. Smith Awards, web site). Income is anticipated to be approximately $6, 150 (dues and interest). Accordingly, a deficit of approximately ($1, 850) is expected for this year. The anticipated balance at the end of the year (6/30/2002) is $9,825.

The management of the Carl C. Smith Fund was transferred from the Toxicology Education Foundation to the Society of Toxicology in January of 2002. As of January, 2002 the Fund balance was $35,433. The member contributions for the year (7/1/01 to 1/31/02) amounted to $1,740 plus a gift of $500 from Taylor & Francis Publishers. Expenses for the awards were $900. Interest for the year was $1, 884.

19. Terry Monks reported that the Mechanisms Specialty Section sponsored 6 Symposia, 3 Continuing Education courses, 3 Workshops and 1 Innovations In Toxicological Sciences sessions for the 2002 annual program.

Scientific Sessions sponsored (or co-sponsored) by the Mechanisms Specialty Section for 2002 include:

Innovations In Toxicological Sciences

Toxicological Application of Metabonomics Technology

Don Robertson and Craig E. Thomas Tuesday 8:30 AM

Symposia

Imaging the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore in Toxic Injury

Donald A. Fox and John J. Lemasters Monday 9:30 AM

Regulation of the Ah Receptor Signal Transduction Pathway

Richard S Pollenz and Alvaro Puga Monday 9:30 AM

Thioredoxins/Thioredoxin Reductases: Central Roles in Toxicity and Cancer

Dean P. Jones and James P. Kehrer (Co-Chair) Monday 1:30 PM

Molecular Models of Smoking-Induced Immune Suppression

Brian M. Freed and Kathleen Rodgers Monday 1:30 PM

Defining the Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Toxicant Action in the Testis

John H. Richburg and Kim Boekelheide Tuesday 1:30 PM

Molecular Mechanisms of Chemical Teratogenesis

Peter Wells and Philip Mirkes Wednesday 8:30 AM

Workshops

Perfluorooctanesulfonate: Risk Characterization of a Persistent and Pervasive Fluorochemical

John Moore and John Butenhoff Tuesday 8:30 AM

Examples of Rodent Nongenotoxic Mechanisms of Neoplasia

Jon C. Cook and Charles C. Capen Wednesday 8:30 AM

Application of Genomics for Mechanism-Based Risk Assessment

Denise Robinson and William Pennie Wednesday 1:30 PM

Continuing Education Courses

Two-stepping Through Toxicogenomics. A Basic Primer

Mary Jane Cunningham and Tim Zacharewski Sunday 8:15 AM #6

Alterations in Gene Expression as a Mechanism of Toxicant Action

Ron Hines Sunday 8:15 AM #3

Toxicity Profiling of Genes and Proteins by Toxicologists. Advanced Topics in Toxicogenomics

Alex Merrick and Darlene Dickson Sunday 1:15 PM #12

20. Terry Monks also reminded the membership to submit proposals for Symposia, Workshops, Continuing Education courses for the 2003 SOT annual meeting in Salt Lake City. Robin Goldstein will be responsible for the coordination and submission of Mechanism Specialty Section sponsored symposia, workshops and continuing education courses for the 2003 annual meeting.

21. Plaques were presented to outgoing officers of the Mechanisms Specialty Section in recognition of their excellent service. Receiving plaques were Jim Stevens-Past President, Marc Fariss-Secrertary/Treasurer, Patti Ganey-Councilor and Judy Bolton-Councilor.

22. Dr. Ross called for any issues from the floor that required discussion. No issues were raised.

23. 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Carl C. Smith Graduate Student Awards:

Dr Ross and Dr. David Eaton (President of SOT) commented on the value of this award to both the Mechanisms Specialty Section and SOT. Dr. Eaton reviewed the history of the award and introduced the Past Presidents of the Mechanisms Specialty Section in attendance. Dr. Eaton presented Mrs. Smith with a check to the Carl Smith Fund in the amount of $ 1, 800 donated by past officers of the Mechanisms Specialty Section in honor of the 20th anniversary. Dr. Ross presented Mrs. Smith with a crystal bowl on behalf of the members of the Mechanisms Specialty Section for all of her efforts on behalf of the award. The inscription read “In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Carl C. Smith Graduate Student Award, Mechanisms Specialty Section, Society of Toxicology, 2002”. A special thanks goes to Tee’s son-in-law, Rick Fluegeman, who did a great job scanning pictures of past winners and preparing a power point presentation including the pictures and a list of past Honorable Mentions. The presentation ran during the reception and the pictures and information are now part of the archives of SOT.

24. Taylor & Francis Publishing Co. was recognized for their generous sponsorship of the graduate student awards through a $500 cash gift and through subscription gifts to the top 3 awardees. Corey Gray , a representative of Taylor & Francis, presented the gift certificates to the students. We all appreciate Taylor & Francis’ continuing support of the Mechanisms Specialty Section and our students over the years.

25. The judges for the 2002 Carl C. Smith Graduate Student Awards were recognized and thanked for their hard work by Jose Manautou. Plaques of appreciation were given to the Final Judges, who critically reviewed 12 student research manuscripts.

SCREENING JUDGES

Dr. Mary E. Davis Dr. Michael D. Aleo

West Virginia University Pfizer, Inc.

Morgantown, WV 26506-9223 Groton, CT 06340-8014

Dr. James E. Klaunig

Indiana University

Indianapolis, IN 46202

FINAL JUDGES

Dr. Brian J. Day Dr. Donald A. Fox

Natl. Jewish Medical & Research Center University of Houston

Department of Medicine College of Optometry

1400 Jackson Street 4901 Calhoun Blvd.

Denver, CO 80206 Houston, TX 77204-6052

Dr. John H. Richburg

University of Texas

College of Pharmacy

Div. Pharmacology/Toxicology

Austin, TX 78712-1074

26. The following student awards were presented by Jose Manautou and David Ross:

First Place: KARTIK SHANKAR, V. S. Vaidya, J.E. Manautou, M.J.J. Ronis, T.J. Bucci, J.C. Corton and H.M. Mehendale. Department of Toxicology, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, LA. “PROTECTIVE MECHANISMS AGAINST ACETAMINOPHEN TOXICITY IN DIABETIC MICE: ROLE OF PPAR-α ACTIVATION.”

Second Place: YAN CHEN, J. Cai and D.P. Jones. Program of Biochemistry, cell and Developmental Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. “HUMAN MITOCHONDRIAL THIOREDOXIN (MTTRX) CONFERS RESISTANCE TO OXIDANT-INDUCED APOPTOSIS.”

Third Place: M.H. FALAHATPISHEH and K.S. Ramos. Center for Environmental and Rural Health, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX. “DISRUPTION OF NEPHROGENESIS BY BENZO(A)PYRENE, AN ARYL HYDROCARBON RECEPTOR LIGAND, INVOLVES INTERFERENCE WITH ALTERNATIVE SPLICING AND POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF THE WILMS’ TUMOR SUPRESSOR-1 GENE.”

HONORABLE MENTION WINNERS

(Listed Alphabetically)

J. TODD AUMAN, F.J. Seidler and T.A. Slothin. Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. “EFFECTS OF TERBUTALINE (TER) ON BETA-ADRENOCEPTOR (BAR) SIGNALING IN THE DEVELOPING RAT: IMPLICATIONS FOR ADVERSE EFFECTS OF TOCOLYTIC THERAPY.”

LAURA J. C. BLOCHOZ, D. C. McMillan and D.J. Jollow. Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. “OXIDATIVE DAMAGE TO RAT ERYTHROCYTE MEMBRANE LIPIDS AND SKELETAL PROTEINS BY MAQ-NOH, AN N-HYDROXY METABOLITE OF THE ANTIMALARIAL DRUG, PRIMAQUINE.”

TARRAH K. DILLEY, G.T. Bowen and Q. M. Chen. Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. “NOVEL MECHANISMS OF SUBLETHAL OXIDANT TOXICITY.”

YOONKYUNG DO, S. Ryu, M. Nagarkatti and P.S. Nagarkatti. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA. “ ROLE OF FAS-FASL INTERACTIONS IN ESTRIDIOL-INDUCED THYMIC ATROPHY AND APOPTOSIS.”

UNDI N. G. HOFFLER and B. I. Ghanayem. Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN. “CYTOCHROME P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) IS THE PRIMARY ENZYME RESPONSIBLE FOR ETHYL CARBAMATE (EC) METABOLISM: STUDIES USING CYP2E1-NULL MICE.”

ANIL KACHROO and J.E. Chambers. Center for Environmental Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS. “EFFECT OF PCB EXPOSURES DURING DEVELOPMENT ON THE P450-MEDIATED METABOLISM OF ORGANOPHOSPHORUS INSECTICIDES IN RAT LIVER MICROSOMES.”

TAMARA R. KNIGHT and H. Jaeschke. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR. “ACETAMINOPHEN TOXICITY AND APOPTOTIC SIGNALING PATHWAYS IN THE LIVER.”

KIMBERLEY A. O’HARA, l. r. Klei and A. Barchowsky. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Darmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH. “MECHANISMS FOR SELECTIVE ACTIVATION OF JNK BY LOW LEVELS OF CHROMIUM (VI).”

BRADLEY SAVILLE, M. Wormke, M. Stoner, I. Samudio and S.H. Safe. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX. “COOPERATIVE COACTIVATION OF ESTROGEN RECEPTOR α IN ZR-75 HUMAN BREAST CANCER CELLS BY SNURF AND TATA-BINDING PROTEIN.”

15. The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM.

Symposia, Workshops and CE Courses for SOT’s 2002

Robin Goldstein

The following symposia, workshops and continuing education courses have been approved for presentation at the 2003 Annual SOT meeting in Salt Lake City. Keep you eyes open for more information on these exciting activities.

Symposia

1. Understanding mechanisms of toxicity of immunosuppressive drugs to improve their safety profiles and broaden the scope of their use.

2. Beyond genomics: Lessons from image analyses and computational biology.

3. Free radicals in the toxicity of alcohols.

4. Genomic analysis of surrogate tissues for measuring toxic exposures and drug action.

5. Signal transduction pathways of chemical stress responses.

Workshops

1. Vanilloid receptors: Mediators of respiratory injury.

2. Dose-dependent transitions in toxic mechanisms.

Continuing Education Courses

1. Unfolding the secrets in culturing brain cells: Theory, techniques and beyond.

2. Genomic and proteomic array formats on the cutting edge.

CARL C. SMITH MECHANISMS GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS

DEADLINE: OCTOBER 7, 2002

The Mechanisms Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology is pleased to announce the Twenty-first Annual Graduate Student Awards for Meritorious Research in Mechanisms of Toxicology. The awards will be presented during the 42st Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 9-13, 2003.

For consideration as a candidate for an award:

1. An abstract must been submitted to the 2003 Annual SOT Meeting with the graduate student as the presenting author.

2. A copy of the abstract and a statement that it is to be considered for this award must be mailed to Tee Smith, 2707 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219-2201, post-marked no later than October 7, 2002. Two letters recommending the graduate student and the research project must accompany the abstract. One of the recommendations must be from the Department or Section Head. The letter must verify that the work reported in the abstract was done while the student was enrolled in the graduate program and that this is the only specialty section to which this abstract is being submitted for an award.

3. Up to three candidates may be nominated by a department or program. The department or program must decide which graduate students best represent them.

4. The graduate student may be sponsored for this award by any person who is a member (active or pending) of the Mechanisms Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology.

As many as twelve finalists will be selected to submit a full-length manuscript on the research described in their abstract. Instructions for preparing and submitting the manuscript will be provided in the letter announcing their selection as a finalist. The deadline for submission of the full-length manuscript will be January 8, 2003. First, second and third place winners will receive a plaque and a cash award of $500, $300 and $100, respectively. Remaining finalists will receive honorable mention awards (framed certificates).

Any questions concerning these awards should be directed to Tee Smith at 513-751-3315. For additional information contact Dr. Gary Rankin at (304) 696-7319 (FAX; 696-7391), rankin@marshall.edu.

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A Call for Contributions

One of the main efforts of the Mechanisms Specialty Section is the annual recognition of outstanding research done by graduate students in Toxicology. Graduate student awards were begun at the time the Mechanisms Section was established, and over the years, have been spearheaded by Carl Smith and his wife Thelma (Tee). Presently, with Tee’s help, the Mechanisms Specialty Section solicits the student papers, organizes the judging, prepares the plaques and certificates and distributes the awards at the annual Mechanisms Section Meeting. In 1990, the Mechanisms Section recognized the hard work and dedication that Carl put into these awards and named these awards in his honor. These awards have also been financially supported by Carl and Tee Smith and an anonymous donor that Carl recruited. The awards are also sponsored by publishers and by individual members of the Specialty Section. The graduate student awards in toxicology bring visibility to our section and serves to educate and encourage the next generation of toxicologists. It is important that we continue to support this program. To that end, we again solicit donations from our members, particularly those who have received one of these awards in the past. And remember, your contributions are tax deductible.

Donations to the Carl Smith Endowment Fund:

I wish to contribute $ to help support graduate students engaged in mechanistic research in toxicology.

Name:

Address:

Phone:

Please make checks payable to: The Carl Smith Fund/SOT

And mail them to : Dr. Gary O. Rankin

Department of Pharmacology

Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine

Marshall University

1542 Spring Valley Drive

Huntington, WV 25704-9388

In grateful recognition of all of the contributors to the Carl Smith Endowment Fund for 2001/2002: $2,615

R. Hays Bell James V. Bruckner Steven T. Cragg

Donald J. Ecobichon Andrea Hubbard Michael F. Hughes

Hartmut & Mary Lynn Jaeschke Mary F. Kanz Gerald Kennedy, Jr.

Thomas W. Kensler Lois Lehman McKeeman R. Tim Miller

Sidney Nelson Timothy P. Pastoor Alan R. Parrish

Kenneth Ramos Donald J. Reed Robert Snyder

David C. Spink James L. Stevens Logan C. Stone

Steven P. Stratton Taylor & Francis Publishers Robert L. Thies

Jacqueline A. Walisser Kendall Wallace Helen Yen Koo

David W. Yesair

Current Officers and Councilors of the Mechanisms Specialty Section (2002-2003)

President Terry Monks

Vice-President Robin Goldstein

Vice-President Elect Serrine Lau

Secretary/Treasurer Gary Rankin

Councilors Mike Aleo

Jose Manautou

Past President David Ross

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