Tuesday 31 August 2010

Buzzing Brain

Fluorescent lights glare, fridges hum…I’m back in the lab.

A cursory glance of my laboratory bench suggests a need for fresh reagents. New ecosystems have sprung forth, swirling around within the glass bottles that line my workstation. I have created life and it was somewhat shorter than the usual nine months gestation.

Before diluting chemicals and adjusting pH levels, I decided that I would catch up on a little news.

‘Migraine Risk Linked to Gene’

Investigation of the genetic code of migraine sufferers has identified a region located between two genes (PGCP and MTDH). These particular genes are known to regulate neighbouring gene EAAT2, which instructs cells of the brain to produce a major transporter protein responsible for regulating glutamate levels.

But why is this important?

Glutamate is an important neurotransmitter, a chemical that stimulates synapses, sending signals between the cells of our central nervous system and affecting cognition, memory and learning.

Catastrophe!
Suffer a stroke or head injury ruptures the cellular boundaries, spilling glutamate throughout the cerebral tissues. Brain cells swell and burst in response to over-stimulation by glutamate and so a potentially deadly cascade begins.

I imagine the crescendo of glutamate molecules bubbling within my brain, generating technicolour waves of light and bizarre auditory hallucinations.

Luckily the dull thud within my brain is far from the agonizingly intense storm experienced by migraine sufferers. I reach for my tepid cup of coffee, caffeine surges through my body. Dopamine floods my brain as the caffeine molecules bind to my adenosine receptors.

My brain is buzzing and I’m ready to start the day!





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Friday 20 August 2010

Bacteria Bashing!

“Thanks Postie!”

I imagine a shiny rotund white building, six stories high and set in fields of luscious green grass. Behind the modern curvaceous walls, the latest whirring and clicking gizmos sit in large fluorescently lit rooms. Devoid of life, huge silver automated machines analyse thousands of samples and churn out reams of data.

I’m somewhat disappointed, because somewhere in Essex, courtesy of Royal Mail, my package is dropping through the letterbox of a small brick-built building. Judging from the photograph, my DNA samples are in a small industrial site located in East England…wait a minute, I’m sure that’s a Renault Megane parked outside!

Ok, my illusions have been shattered somewhat but I know that in a matter of hours the four precisely labelled tubes containing my mutant bacterial DNA, will have been efficiently processed.

I have discovered that saying ‘mutant DNA’ generally raises eyebrows and occasionally a voice of concern. Fear not. When adding, deleting and altering parts of the bacterial genome it’s more likely to harm them, than us. In fact, introducing a human gene into a bacterium is hard work and often produces toxic proteins in the wee little bug. It is by chance/skill/luck (delete as necessary) that your protein is viable. Be assured that protein extraction from the nutritious bacterial soup will result in a swift demise for our sausage-shaped friends.

“PING…you have mail”

Opening the document, I quickly scan the page.

CCCGCCTAC, positive for the mutation I have introduced…let the bacteria bashing begin.

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Wednesday 18 August 2010

Demystifying Biology?

"How's things?" 

Surrounded by the buzz of conversation and buoyed up with a dose of caffeine, I found myself explaining the intricacy of protein structure.  With nothing more than a half-eaten chicken salad sandwich and a steaming latte I carefully demonstrated the finer points of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) structure to my lunchtime companion.  


For friends and family, comprehension of my research often requires a brief science lesson with a variety of props.  Lego, I have found, is particularly good and readily available (Jack usually has a half-constructed T. Rex to hand), sometimes a biro and napkin suffice.


Once upon a time, when asked about my day I would mutter things like "plasmid...protein purification...chromatography".  In return, I'd receive confused head-nodding and blank stares.  A few years ago I was doing the same thing, when getting to grips with university lectures.  I'd furiously take notes, hoping that when I read them later all would become clear.  When it didn't, I used my trusty Collins Biology Dictionary and a GCSE Chemistry book.  I never understood why everything had to be so complicated.  

Strolling back from lunch, past fast-paced strangers, I wondered if ever they thought about the circadian rhythms that contribute to our metabolism and insatiable hunger at noon, or the signalling pathways that detect low glucose levels and remind us its time for feeding.  


For many, their own biology is a mystery...



 QTDKVU3VQE2K

Saturday 14 August 2010

Toxic conundrums

"Fatal if swallowed or inhaled" read the data sheet.  

Ordinarily, I wouldn't consider potential for death during my daily biological investigations.  I'd pull on fresh purple latex-style gloves and slip on my well-used lab coat, oblivious to the general fatality associated with many of the chemicals I use and reliant on the knowledge that thorough safety assessments have been done.  Such is the frequency of use, that hydrochloric acid, ethidium bromide and SDS are used without hesitation.  

Our bodies just work, often without concious thought or comprehension.  But take the components out and place them in a test-tube, it is a very different story.  Unable to recreate the complex conditions and cascades of molecules that enable each organism to exist, molecular biologists often strive to synthetically create environments suitable for processes that Mother Nature solved long ago.  In doing so, our laboratory cupboards are full of chemicals and reagents swathed in orange toxic warning labels.


Accompanied by twinkling stars and a luminescent moon, I had researched late into the night.  A break was needed, so after checking on my snoozing child I crept downstairs to quench my desire for caffeine.  Coffee cup in hand, I scrolled down to the latest news. 

Bored of reading fear-fuelled and frequently inaccurate reporting (My BIG Beef with Cloned Cattle) I was hoping for some distinctly awe-inspiring science headline.  I was disappointed.  Can we stop the Indian Superbug? read the article.  I sighed and returned to a stack of journals.  

Activating my protein would not be a simple task, as suggested by previous published academic work.  For weeks I had tried...and failed, to separate individual components.  4-aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA), I am reliably informed, is the way forward.  Even it's name sounds nasty!

"Fatal if swallowed or inhaled" read the data sheet.  

Ok. I'm not planning on cocktails at mine with APMA martinis and who needs to breathe?  Deciding I'm all about safety, I consider designing a bubblewrap protective suit.  With common sense prevailing, I write a list of safety items for this mercury-containing compound.  A respirator tops the list.

Crawling under the duvet, I prepare myself for Jack's wake-up call.  Nothing like bleary-eyed breakfast preparation for a child, involving a long-winded debate on the merits of coco-pops compared with fibre-packed weetabix.  But for now, time to dream.





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Saturday 7 August 2010

From macro to microscopic

"WOW, I want to be an astronaut!!!"

At a little over 5 ft tall I'd struggle to qualify for cabin crew, let alone bouncing around in zero gravity on behalf of NASA attempting to decipher the meaning of life.  Equally the chances of winning the lottery to fund my Virgin Galatic Space trip are less than 1 in 14,000,000.  Looks like my dreams/delusions of grandiose adventure will have to wait.

Reality hits.  Mother to an irrepressibly cheeky 5 year old, not only am I financially bereft but thinking that childcare may prove challenging at best while I'm on my leisurely jaunt to the International Space Station.  Since cosmic excursions are totally out of the question, I'll focus on my current adventures which began around January 20th 2005 at about 6.15 am.  Not only did I bring another life into the universe but began my own.   

Puffing and panting up six flights of stairs in my college building didn't seem to be the most appropriate or attractive activity for a rather large pregnant woman, but seeing that I'd signed up for an 'A' Level course in human biology (and paid), I made the most of it.  I remember revising late into the night, post-it notes in one hand and nappies in the other.  Jack had been born and here I was with an opportunity to strive for success.  I took it.

Mortar board (on head)...Check.  Gown...Check.  Camera...Check.  June 18th 2009 I graduated in Genomics (PHEW), but this journey wasn't to end. 

Now I'm back in the science saddle battling rogue recombinant proteins.  Pow, pow!  It's not quite Star Wars, although I've seen furry fungus resembling Chewbacca.  I'm privileged to be able to look at life through a different lens now and try to decipher one small piece in the enigma of our existence, while enjoying the perfection of our complexity as Jack grows up.  Both of which, I'd like to share with you...







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