FEBRUARY 2024 NEWS

Dear Friends,

I’m happy to share with you below several exciting scientific discoveries that I think exemplify the importance of the basic research that we do here at the Salk Institute. Our scientists explore the essential underpinnings of life—how cells, organs, and organisms develop and function normally, and how these processes can go awry in human disease. This research does not necessarily begin with an end product in mind. Yet the type of foundational insights that emerge are critical for the development of new diagnostics, therapeutics, and other innovations down the road.

One of the examples below shares how Professor Ronald Evans and his team have long studied retinoic acid receptors and their role in human health and disease, including cancer. In the course of their most recent research, the team developed a mouse model that lacks one of the proteins that bind these receptors. That’s when they noticed that fertility was disrupted in these mice. Without intending to, they uncovered a potential new way forward for male birth control. The freedom to discover and to “follow the science” at Salk means that expertise in one field can lead to innovations in another.

In the end, basic research isn’t so “basic.” Early investments in exploratory science can pay dividends later. Thank you for reading and, as always, thanks for your support of Salk research.

Warmest regards,

Controlling root growth direction could help save crops and mitigate climate change

As roots soak up water and nutrients from surrounding soil, they grow and stretch to develop distinct root system architectures. Root systems are central to plant survival and productivity, determining the plant’s access to nutrients and water and, therefore, the plant’s ability to withstand nutrient depletion and extreme weather like drought. Now, Professor Wolfgang Busch and team have discovered that the well-known plant hormone ethylene is crucial in controlling the angle at which roots grow. Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative now plans to target the ethylene signaling pathway in their efforts to engineer plants and crops that can withstand the environmental stresses of climate change and drought, as well as remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it deep underground to help mitigate climate change.

Lung cancer hijacks immune cell metabolism to fuel its own growth

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common lung cancer and the cause of most cancer-related deaths in the United States. There are several ways lung adenocarcinoma can arise, one of which is a mutation in a protein called EGFR. Modern immunotherapies don’t work against EGFR-driven lung adenocarcinoma, and while some drugs exist to treat the cancer, patients typically develop a resistance to them within just a few years. Now, Professors Susan Kaech and Christian Metallo and team, alongside collaborators at Yale, have discovered that EGFR-driven lung adenocarcinoma hijacks a specialized population of lung-resident immune cells called macrophages, pulling them into the tumor microenvironment, altering their metabolism, and turning them into cancer fuel-suppliers. The findings provide new inspiration for lung adenocarcinoma interventions that disrupt this tumor cell-macrophage relationship, as well as suggest that treatments using EGFR inhibitors may be more successful when paired with statins, a class of drugs commonly used to lower cholesterol levels.

See also:

Drug Target Review »

Faulty DNA disposal system causes inflammation

Cells in the human body contain power-generating mitochondria, each with their own mtDNA—a unique set of genetic instructions entirely separate from the cell’s nuclear DNA that mitochondria use to create life-giving energy. When mtDNA remains where it belongs (inside of mitochondria), it sustains both mitochondrial and cellular health—but when it goes where it doesn’t belong, it can initiate an immune response that promotes inflammation. Now, Professor Gerald Shadel and team, working in collaboration with UC San Diego, have discovered a novel mechanism used to move improperly functioning mtDNA from inside to outside the mitochondria. When this happens, the mtDNA gets flagged as foreign DNA and activates a cellular pathway normally used to promote inflammation to rid the cell of pathogens, like viruses. The findings offer many new targets for therapeutics to disrupt the inflammatory pathway and therefore mitigate inflammation during aging and diseases, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

See also:

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News »

Researchers discover new target for reversible, non-hormonal male birth control

Surveys show the majority of men in the United States are interested in using male contraceptives, yet their options remain limited to unreliable condoms or invasive vasectomies. New approaches to male contraception are needed, but because sperm development is so complex, researchers have struggled to identify parts of the process that can be safely and effectively tinkered with. Now, Professor Ronald Evans and team have found a new method of interrupting sperm production that is both non-hormonal and reversible. The study implicates a new protein complex in regulating gene expression during sperm formation and demonstrates that treating male mice with an existing class of drugs, called HDAC inhibitors, can interrupt the function of this protein complex and block fertility without affecting libido.

See also:

KPBS »

CBS 8 »

PUBLICATIONS

Inside Salk | winter edition

Sign up for our mailing list to receive Inside Salk Spring 2024 as soon as it’s released. In the meantime, be sure to read Inside Salk Winter 2023 online now. This edition of Inside Salk celebrates the people who make Salk a prestigious and powerful research institute. We feature Salk’s Education Outreach team, which introduces science to local San Diego students and inspires the next generation of scientists. We share captivating stories from faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and staff members, and we celebrate this season’s exciting discoveries, awards, and events on campus. Read Inside Salk Winter 2023 online or join our mailing list for print editions of Inside Salk.

Meet a Salk scientist

In our new monthly video series “From Then to When,” we bring you the unique stories of Salk researchers, from their personal journeys into science to their motivations and goals for the future.

“The most important thing that my parents and family instilled in me was the idea that hard work is what it takes, and that you can pretty much do whatever you want. I didn’t really know about social boundaries, gender boundaries, or glass ceilings growing up.”

Susan Kaech, now a professor and director of the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis at Salk, grew up in rainy Washington state, where her exposure to science started early through her father, a biology teacher. Starting with a few science courses as an undergraduate student, Kaech found her niche in immunology and went on to have a ceiling-shattering career at Salk under the sunny San Diego skies.

Learn more about her story by watching “From Then to When: Meet Salk Scientist Susan Kaech.”

Salk's new podcast Beyond Lab Walls

Join hosts Isabella Davis and Nicole Mlynaryk on a journey behind the scenes at the Salk Institute, delving into the captivating realms of neuroscience, plant biology, cancer research, and more. The Institute’s new podcast immerses listeners in the fascinating world of science while showcasing the brilliant minds and dedicated staff who drive its discoveries.

This month’s episode of Beyond Lab Walls features Salk Fellow Talmo Pereira, a neuroscientist who works to develop and apply artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to study the processes that give rise to biological motion.

Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Salk Streaming

Sign up for the Salk Institute's exclusive new media channel, where you’ll find stories of science and the people who bring it to life—including our “From Then to When” video series and episodes of Beyond Lab Walls.

Salk Institute mourns the loss of Nobel Laureate Roger Guillemin, distinguished professor emeritus

Roger Guillemin, recipient of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and neuroendocrinology pioneer, died on February 21, 2024, in Del Mar, California, at the age of 100. He will be remembered for his breakthrough discovery of releasing hormones, his community involvement and mentorship, and his constant praise for his colleagues and collaborators. Guillemin lived with intent to help people, saying in a 2017 interview, “I really wanted to be a physician… [and] I knew all my efforts would be to help people.”

Read more »

See also:

The San Diego Union-Tribune »

Professor Janelle Ayres elected to American Academy of Microbiology

Ayres has been elected to the American Academy of Microbiology’s Fellowship Class of 2024. Fellows of the Academy, an honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology, are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology.

Read more »

Salk scientist wins American Association for Cancer Research Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship Award

The American Association for Cancer Research has selected Tony Hunter, professor and senior advisor in Salk’s Cancer Center, as the recipient of their 2024 Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship Award. The award recognizes an “individual scientist whose novel and significant work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the detection, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of cancer.” Hunter is recognized for his seminal discovery of tyrosine kinases and tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins that illuminated fundamental processes of cellular signaling and enabled the development of cancer therapeutics targeting kinases.

EVENTS

February 9: APIDAS Lunar New Year celebration

The Asian Pacific Islander and Desi at Salk (APIDAS) affinity group threw a Lunar New Year celebration on Friday, February 9, featuring a special performance by the Southern Sea Dragon and Lion Dance Association in the Eucalyptus Grove.

February 24: High School Science Day

High School Science Day at the Salk Institute is a half-day community outreach event designed to get high school students interested in considering an exciting career in science. This year, more than 140 high school students and teachers attended the event to meet active researchers, hear about current research, and learn the fundamental skills necessary for laboratory research.

February 28: Black in STEM

The Black Association at Salk affinity group hosted an on-campus celebration of Black History Month. Outstanding scientists from across disciplines discussed their research and their work to raise awareness and broaden opportunities for mentorship, professional development, and academic support.

Enjoy Salk science on your devices

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This month, Professor Wolfgang Busch discovered a new signaling pathway in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana that scientists can target to manipulate the angle at which the plant’s roots grow.

Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative is an innovative approach to fighting climate change that relies on Earth’s existing carbon storage mechanisms—plants! To keep more carbon in the ground, and store it in long-lasting roots, Salk scientists are developing a new generation of crop and wetland plants assisted by discoveries like Busch’s. Learn more »

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