{"id":47172,"date":"2003-05-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2003-05-01T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2003\/05\/01\/unmc-crystallographer-maps-protein-structures-3\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T10:44:49","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T15:44:49","slug":"unmc-crystallographer-maps-protein-structures-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2003\/05\/01\/unmc-crystallographer-maps-protein-structures-3\/","title":{"rendered":"UNMC crystallographer maps protein structures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gloria Borgstahl, Ph.D., is interested in far more than diamonds.<\/p>\n

From her 10th floor lab in the Lied Transplant Center, the petite crystallographer<\/p>\n

analyzes crystals, typically the size of a grain of sand, to map the structure<\/p>\n

of human proteins. Her goal:  To better understand the structure and<\/p>\n

function of proteins involved in DNA repair and to help other scientists<\/p>\n

apply structural biology to their science in order to control and treat<\/p>\n

a variety of diseases including cancer.<\/p>\n

Its similar to fixing a car, said Dr. Borgstahl, an associate professor<\/p>\n

in the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases. You<\/p>\n

first need to know what the engine looks like. Here, we need to visualize<\/p>\n

the molecules.<\/p>\n

Crystallography — the study of the atomic structures of proteins by<\/p>\n

growing crystals of the protein and then collecting X-ray diffraction data<\/p>\n

— has existed for decades. But, Dr. Borgstahl is one of the few X-ray<\/p>\n

crystallographers with the background and ability to solve problems relevant<\/p>\n

to the interaction of cancer cells with anti-cancer agents.<\/p>\n

Its exciting to look at a structure no one has ever seen before,<\/p>\n

Dr. Borgstahl said. Its like being an explorer — the discovery process<\/p>\n

is most rewarding.<\/p>\n

Dr. Borgstahl is a perfect addition to the cancer center and UNMC,<\/p>\n

said Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.<\/p>\n

She adds specific expertise in X-ray crystallography, which is a critical<\/p>\n

addition to our structural biology program.<\/p>\n

Understanding the structure of key proteins in cancer is essential in<\/p>\n

developing specific therapies for each cancer, Dr. Cowan said. UNMC and<\/p>\n

the Eppley Cancer Center research effort are definitely strengthened by<\/p>\n

the addition of Dr. Borgstahl, he said.<\/p>\n

Dr. Borgstahl, who joined the UNMC faculty in August, also is among<\/p>\n

a handful of researchers recently recruited through the tobacco settlement<\/p>\n

funds that the Nebraska Legislature allocated to the states four biomedical<\/p>\n

research institutions — UNMC, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Creighton<\/p>\n

University and Boys Town National Research Hospital. In 2001-2002, the<\/p>\n

Legislature allocated nearly $5 million to the UNMC Tobacco Settlement<\/p>\n

Biomedical Research Development Fund.<\/p>\n

This is my ideal job, Dr. Borgstahl said. Its close to home and<\/p>\n

research is my first love. This is a perfect fit for me.<\/p>\n

A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Dr. Borgstahl attended the University of<\/p>\n

Iowa, where she earned degrees in biomedical engineering and biochemistry<\/p>\n

and crystallography. She did her post-doctoral work in protein crystallography<\/p>\n

at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and in molecular<\/p>\n

biology at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M.<\/p>\n

In 1996, Dr. Borgstahl worked at the University of Toledo department<\/p>\n

of chemistry, where she studied the macromolecules essential to the maintenance<\/p>\n

and replication of DNA.<\/p>\n

While there, she began working with NASA as a ground investigator and<\/p>\n

had experiments flown to the International Space Stations Destiny laboratory.<\/p>\n

The recent return of the shuttle brought back one of Dr. Borgstahls<\/p>\n

experiments growing 133 separate crystallization experiments in space.<\/p>\n

Crystals grown in microgravity are larger and physically more perfect than<\/p>\n

those on the ground, she said. To invoke the crystallization process in<\/p>\n

space, Dr. Borgstahl prepared the purified protein and a second formula<\/p>\n

of buffers and salts.<\/p>\n

The crystals, which will take several months to evaluate, will be photographed<\/p>\n

under a microscope and exposed to X-rays in the Lied Transplant Center.<\/p>\n

Then, a complete evaluation of crystal quality, compared to Earth-grown<\/p>\n

controls, will be done with a synchotron, which provides a brilliant and<\/p>\n

adjustable X-ray beam, called the National Synchrotron Light Source or<\/p>\n

NSLS at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York.<\/p>\n

From the diffraction of the X-ray we can see the proteins structure,<\/p>\n

said Dr. Borgstahl, the youngest of seven children. The crystal serves<\/p>\n

as an amplifier for the diffraction signal from which the atomic structure<\/p>\n

is deduced.<\/p>\n

The information, which includes analyzing mathematical equations, helps<\/p>\n

Dr. Borgstahl determine the three dimensional layout of the atoms and the<\/p>\n

overall shape of the macromolecule.<\/p>\n

Outside the lab, she and her husband, Daniel Kramer, enjoy spending<\/p>\n

time with their two children, Marguerite and John.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gloria Borgstahl, Ph.D., is interested in far more than diamonds. From her 10th floor lab in the Lied Transplant Center, the petite crystallographer analyzes crystals, typically the size of a grain of sand, to map the structure of human proteins. Her goal:  To better understand the structure and function of proteins involved in DNA repair […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\nUNMC crystallographer maps protein structures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gloria Borgstahl, Ph.D., is interested in far more than diamonds. 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