Program - Society of Toxicology

Society of Toxicology 2011
Program Description (Continued)
Abstract #
Wednesday Afternoon, March 9
1:30 PM to 4:15 PM
Room 147
Symposium Session: Autophagy in Toxicology: Essential
Process, Adaptive Process, and Disease Process
Chairperson(s): Walter Klimecki, Universtiy of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, and
Joel Meyer, Duke University, Durham, NC.
Sponsor:
Mechanisms Specialty Section
Endorsed by:
Immunotoxicology Specialty Section
Molecular Biology Specialty Section
Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Specialty Section
Autophagy is a cellular process by which organelles, cytoplasm, and specific
proteins are delivered to the lysosome where they are degraded. Autophagy
has been described for at least four decades, but the scope and the importance
of this programmed cellular response have only recently come into
focus, heralded by an exponential increase in autophagy publications. One
clear message that is emerging from these early studies of autophagy is
its relevance to the field of toxicology. Diverse xenobiotics are capable of
perturbing autophagy, with effects ranging from autophagy induction to
complete inhibition. The functional consequences of these perturbations are
complex: in some instances autophagy induction is cytoprotective, however
in some instances its induction is a cell death pathway. The significance of
autophagy to toxicology is underscored by its fundamental role in biology.
It is an ancient process. Many autophagy pathway members were initially
characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where autophagy can be induced
by nutrient deprivation. In Drosophila melanogaster autophagy plays a
critical role in embryonic development, responding to steroid signaling
pathways by executing programmed cell death. In species from Caenorhabditis
elegans to Homo sapiens autophagy plays a key role in mitochondrial
dynamics and in clearing damaged mitochondria. In the immune system
autophagy is critical to antigen presentation, the development of regulatory
and effector functions, and the acquisition of tolerance. Thus, autophagy
plays an evolutionarily conserved role in multiple biological processes. The
ability of environmental stress and xenobiotics such as inorganic arsenic
to modulate autophagy points to the need for an appreciation of this longknown,
but poorly understood, pathway in toxicology.
#2444 1:30 OVERVIEW. ​W. Klimecki. University of Arizona,
Tucson, AZ.
#2445 1:45 AUTOPHAGY IN DEVELOPMENT: A
LIFE OR DEATH DECISION. ​E. Baehrecke.
Department of Cancer Biology, University of
Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Sponsor: W. Klimecki.
#2446 2:15 AUTOPHAGY IN IMMUNITY AND
INFLAMMATION. ​V. Deretic. Department. of
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University
of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. Sponsor: W.
Klimecki.
#2447 2:45 ARSENIC, AUTOPHAGY, AND
IMMUNOTOXICITY. ​W. Klimecki, R. M.
Douglas, F. Zhao and A. M. Bolt. Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of
Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
#2448 3:15 THE ROLES OF MITOCHONDRIAL FUSION,
FISSION, AND AUTOPHAGY IN REMOVING
DAMAGED MITOCHONDRIAL DNA. ​J.
Meyer. Duke University, Durham, NC.
Abstract #
#2449 3:45 MITOPHAGY AS A MECHANISM OF
MITOCHONDRIAL TURNOVER AND
QUALITY CONTROL. ​J. J. Lemasters.
Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Sciences and
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Medical
University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
Wednesday Afternoon, March 9
1:30 PM to 4:15 PM
Room 150
Novel Approaches to Preclinical Safety Assessment:
Bridging the Gap between Discovery and the Clinic
through Translational Toxicology
Symposium Session: Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and
Neural Progenitors As Models of Gene-Environment
Interactions in Neurological Disease
Chairperson(s): Aaron Bowman, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN,
and Pamela J. Lein, University of California Davis, Davis, CA.
Sponsor:
Neurotoxicology Specialty Section
Endorsed by:
In Vitro and Alternative Methods Specialty Section
Risk Assessment Specialty Section
A complex relationship of environmental and genetic risk factors underlies
many neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases, yet identification
of causative factors has been severely hampered by the lack of rigorous
experimental models that incorporate the combinatorial influence of diverse
toxicants and the inherent genetic variation in human susceptibility and
exposure. This complexity and the likelihood that the balance of genetic
and environmental influences varies tremendously between individuals also
complicate epidemiological studies aimed at identifying environmental risk
factors for specific neurological diseases. The increasing availability and
characterization of human neuroprogenitor cells has accelerated the development
of models for high- throughput screening for chemicals with potential
adverse effects on the developing human nervous system. The more recent
development of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology now
permits the establishment of differentiated in vitro cultures of patientspecific
neurons to assess susceptibility to neurotoxicants. The advantage of
this approach is that environmental risk may be evaluated without a priori
knowledge of an individual’s genetic risk factors. A number of technical and
theoretical hurdles need to be overcome before the full potential of these
approaches can be realized. Thus it is important to highlight the newest
research by experts in this burgeoning field to frame the possibilities of
iPSC technology and human neural progenitors for the study of genetic and
environmental risk factors that influence the susceptibility to and progression
of neurological diseases. In conclusion, the potential human iPSC
approaches offer for translational toxicology and assessment of human risk
factors will be discussed.
#2450 1:30 HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS AND
NEURAL PROGENITORS AS MODELS OF
GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS IN
NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE. ​A. B. Bowman 1
and P. J. Lein 2 . 1 Neurology, Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, TN and 2 Molecular Biosciences,
University of California Davis School of Veterinary
Medicine, Davis, CA.
1:30 INTRODUCTION. ​Aaron Bowman
#2451 1:35 APPLICATIONS OF HUMAN STEM CELL
TECHNOLOGY TO NEUROTOXICOLOGY. ​
P. J. Lein. VM: Molecular Biosciences, University of
California Davis, Davis, CA.
Wednesday
Poster Sessions
Regional Interest Session
Roundtable Sessions
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