Barbara E. Ehrlich

Last updated
Barbara E. Ehrlich
Ehrlich+bust2019.jpg
Born1952 (age 7071)
New London, Connecticut
Alma mater Brown University (ScB); University of California Los Angeles (PhD)
Known forLithium transport and bipolar disorder
Prevention of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy
Spouses
Lawrence B. Cohen
(m. 19842004)
Stuart M. Johnson
(m. 2019)
Children1
Awards Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award in Biophysics(1997)
K.S. Cole Award for Excellence in Membrane Biophysics (2005)
Scientific career
Fields Physiology, biophysics, pharmacology
Doctoral advisor Jared Diamond

Barbara E. Ehrlich is Professor of Pharmacology and of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale University working on the biophysics of membrane ion channels. Recent research investigates the function of polycystin-2, the inositol trisphosphate receptor, and the ryanodine receptor. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Ehrlich was born in New London, CT in 1952 and grew up in Newport, RI. Ehrlich attended Brown University, where she received a Bachelor of Science: ScB in Applied Mathematics and Biology. [4] She then received her PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1979 on the topic of membrane transport parameters in bipolar disorder. [5]

Career

At Brown University, Ehrlich worked with Helen Cserr, Professor of Physiology. Her doctoral advisor was Jared Diamond and she studied lithium transport in human red blood cells as a way to understand lithium treatment in bipolar disorder. Ehrlich completed her post doctoral research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole. [4] She then went on to work as a professor at the University of Connecticut for 11 years. At the University of Connecticut, she coined the term "Molecular Hermeneutics." Hermeneutics is a philosophical discipline derived from Hermes, who was the Messenger of the Gods and had to both deliver and interpret messages. Hermeneutics became the exegesis of the Bible, and eventually it evolved to interpretation, in particular of Truth and Beauty. [6] [7] She continues to be the Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Hermeneutics at Yale University, where she presently works.

Ehrlich began working at Yale University in 1997 as a professor of pharmacology and of cellular and molecular physiology. [4] At Yale, Ehrlich has mainly focused on intracellular calcium regulation. [4] Her laboratory uses calcium imaging combined with electrophysiological, biochemical, and molecular techniques to study the classes of calcium release channels known to exist inside virtually all cells: the inositol trisphosphate receptor-gated channel, the ryanodine receptor, and polycystin 2. Ehrlich and her team work to understand the loss of calcium regulation observed in disease states as seen in cells from patients with polycystic kidney disease or leading to drug-induced peripheral neuropathy. The Ehrlich team hypothesizes that these abnormalities in function are consequences, at least in part, of altered intracellular calcium homeostasis and that these studies will lead to suitable treatment regimens. [4]

From 2004 to 2011, Ehrlich was on the board of scientific counselors at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. [4]

Awards

[4]

Elected offices

[8]

Personal life

Ehrlich was married to Lawrence B. Cohen, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale University. Ehrlich has one daughter, and is presently married to Stuart M. Johnson. Ehrlich splits her time between New York City and New Haven, Connecticut.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Inositol trisphosphate or inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate abbreviated InsP3 or Ins3P or IP3 is an inositol phosphate signaling molecule. It is made by hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), a phospholipid that is located in the plasma membrane, by phospholipase C (PLC). Together with diacylglycerol (DAG), IP3 is a second messenger molecule used in signal transduction in biological cells. While DAG stays inside the membrane, IP3 is soluble and diffuses through the cell, where it binds to its receptor, which is a calcium channel located in the endoplasmic reticulum. When IP3 binds its receptor, calcium is released into the cytosol, thereby activating various calcium regulated intracellular signals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inositol trisphosphate receptor</span> Class of transport proteins

Inositol trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) is a membrane glycoprotein complex acting as a Ca2+ channel activated by inositol trisphosphate (InsP3). InsP3R is very diverse among organisms, and is necessary for the control of cellular and physiological processes including cell division, cell proliferation, apoptosis, fertilization, development, behavior, learning and memory. Inositol triphosphate receptor represents a dominant second messenger leading to the release of Ca2+ from intracellular store sites. There is strong evidence suggesting that the InsP3R plays an important role in the conversion of external stimuli to intracellular Ca2+ signals characterized by complex patterns relative to both space and time, such as Ca2+ waves and oscillations.

Second messengers are intracellular signaling molecules released by the cell in response to exposure to extracellular signaling molecules—the first messengers. Second messengers trigger physiological changes at cellular level such as proliferation, differentiation, migration, survival, apoptosis and depolarization.

Ryanodine receptors form a class of intracellular calcium channels in various forms of excitable animal tissue like muscles and neurons. There are three major isoforms of the ryanodine receptor, which are found in different tissues and participate in different signaling pathways involving calcium release from intracellular organelles. The RYR2 ryanodine receptor isoform is the major cellular mediator of calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) in animal cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inositol phosphate</span>

Inositol phosphates are a group of mono- to hexaphosphorylated inositols. Each form of inositol phosphate is distinguished by the number and position of the phosphate group on the inositol ring.

Sir Michael John Berridge was a British physiologist and biochemist.

Calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) describes a biological process whereby calcium is able to activate calcium release from intracellular Ca2+ stores (e.g., endoplasmic reticulum or sarcoplasmic reticulum). Although CICR was first proposed for skeletal muscle in the 1970s, it is now known that CICR is unlikely to be the primary mechanism for activating SR calcium release. Instead, CICR is thought to be crucial for excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle. It is now obvious that CICR is a widely occurring cellular signaling process present even in many non-muscle cells, such as in the insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells, epithelium, and many other cells. Since CICR is a positive-feedback system, it has been of great interest to elucidate the mechanism(s) responsible for its termination.

A calcium spark is the microscopic release of calcium (Ca2+) from a store known as the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), located within muscle cells. This release occurs through an ion channel within the membrane of the SR, known as a ryanodine receptor (RyR), which opens upon activation. This process is important as it helps to maintain Ca2+ concentration within the cell. It also initiates muscle contraction in skeletal and cardiac muscles and muscle relaxation in smooth muscles. Ca2+ sparks are important in physiology as they show how Ca2+ can be used at a subcellular level, to signal both local changes, known as local control, as well as whole cell changes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITPKB</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Inositol-trisphosphate 3-kinase B is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ITPKB gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FKBP1A</span> Protein and coding gene in humans

Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase FKBP1A is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FKBP1A gene. It is also commonly referred to as FKBP-12 or FKBP12 and is a member of a family of FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITPR1</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ITPR1 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryanodine receptor 2</span> Transport protein and coding gene in humans

Ryanodine receptor 2 (RYR2) is one of a class of ryanodine receptors and a protein found primarily in cardiac muscle. In humans, it is encoded by the RYR2 gene. In the process of cardiac calcium-induced calcium release, RYR2 is the major mediator for sarcoplasmic release of stored calcium ions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inositol-trisphosphate 3-kinase</span> Class of enzymes

Inositol (1,4,5) trisphosphate 3-kinase (EC 2.7.1.127), abbreviated here as ITP3K, is an enzyme that facilitates a phospho-group transfer from adenosine triphosphate to 1D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. This enzyme belongs to the family of transferases, specifically those transferring phosphorus-containing groups (phosphotransferases) with an alcohol group as acceptor. The systematic name of this enzyme class is ATP:1D-myo-inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-phosphotransferase. ITP3K catalyzes the transfer of the gamma-phosphate from ATP to the 3-position of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to form inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate. ITP3K is highly specific for the 1,4,5-isomer of IP3, and it exclusively phosphorylates the 3-OH position, producing Ins(1,3,4,5)P4, also known as inositol tetrakisphosphate or IP4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phospholipase C</span> Class of enzymes

Phospholipase C (PLC) is a class of membrane-associated enzymes that cleave phospholipids just before the phosphate group (see figure). It is most commonly taken to be synonymous with the human forms of this enzyme, which play an important role in eukaryotic cell physiology, in particular signal transduction pathways. Phospholipase C's role in signal transduction is its cleavage of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) into diacyl glycerol (DAG) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), which serve as second messengers. Activators of each PLC vary, but typically include heterotrimeric G protein subunits, protein tyrosine kinases, small G proteins, Ca2+, and phospholipids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITPKA</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Inositol-trisphosphate 3-kinase A is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ITPKA gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calcium-binding protein 1</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Calcium binding protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CABP1 gene. Calcium-binding protein 1 is a calcium-binding protein discovered in 1999. It has two EF hand motifs and is expressed in neuronal cells in such areas as hippocampus, habenular nucleus of the epithalamus, Purkinje cell layer of the cerebellum, and the amacrine cells and cone bipolar cells of the retina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ankyrin-2</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Ankyrin-2, also known as Ankyrin-B, and Brain ankyrin, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ANK2 gene. Ankyrin-2 is ubiquitously expressed, but shows high expression in cardiac muscle. Ankyrin-2 plays an essential role in the localization and membrane stabilization of ion transporters and ion channels in cardiomyocytes, as well as in costamere structures. Mutations in ANK2 cause a dominantly-inherited, cardiac arrhythmia syndrome known as long QT syndrome 4 as well as sick sinus syndrome; mutations have also been associated to a lesser degree with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Alterations in ankyrin-2 expression levels are observed in human heart failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas C. Südhof</span> German-American biochemist

Thomas Christian Südhof, ForMemRS, is a German-American biochemist known for his study of synaptic transmission. Currently, he is a professor in the school of medicine in the department of molecular and cellular physiology, and by courtesy in neurology, and in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.

Clara Franzini-Armstrong is an Italian-born American electron microscopist, and Professor Emeritus of Cell and Developmental Biology at University of Pennsylvania.

The ryanodine-inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor Ca2+ channel (RIR-CaC) family includes Ryanodine receptors and Inositol trisphosphate receptors. Members of this family are large proteins, some exceeding 5000 amino acyl residues in length. This family belongs to the Voltage-gated ion channel (VIC) superfamily. Ry receptors occur primarily in muscle cell sarcoplasmic reticular (SR) membranes, and IP3 receptors occur primarily in brain cell endoplasmic reticular (ER) membranes where they effect release of Ca2+ into the cytoplasm upon activation (opening) of the channel. They are redox sensors, possibly providing a partial explanation for how they control cytoplasmic Ca2+. Ry receptors have been identified in heart mitochondria where they provide the main pathway for Ca2+ entry. Sun et al. (2011) have demonstrated oxygen-coupled redox regulation of the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor-Ca2+ release channel (RyR1;TC# 1.A.3.1.2) by NADPH oxidase 4.

References

  1. Kuo, IY; Ehrlich, BE (February 2015). "Muscling in on the ryanodine receptor". Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 22 (2): 106–7. doi: 10.1038/nsmb.2960 . PMID   25650905.
  2. Yang, Y; Keeler, C; Kuo, IY; Lolis, EJ; Ehrlich, BE; Hodsdon, ME (17 April 2015). "Oligomerization of the polycystin-2 C-terminal tail and effects on its Ca2+-binding properties". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 290 (16): 10544–54. doi: 10.1074/jbc.m115.641803 . PMC   4400361 . PMID   25716316.
  3. Bezprozvanny, I.; Watras, J.; Ehrlich, B. E. (1991-06-27). "Bell-shaped calcium-response curves of Ins(1,4,5)P3- and calcium-gated channels from endoplasmic reticulum of cerebellum". Nature. 351 (6329): 751–754. Bibcode:1991Natur.351..751B. doi:10.1038/351751a0. ISSN   0028-0836. PMID   1648178. S2CID   4340204.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Barbara Ehrlich, PhD > Biological & Biomedical Sciences | Yale University". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  5. Ehrlich, BE; Diamond, JM; Gosenfeld, JL; Kaufman-Diamond, S (1978). "Lithium, membranes, and manic-depressive illness". Psychopharmacology Bulletin. 14 (3): 21.
  6. Mantzavinos, C. (2016), "Hermeneutics", in Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 2019-07-19
  7. Press, Rockefeller University (2015-01-26). "Molecular hermeneutics and unusual sorbets: Barbara Ehrlich". Sounds Physiological. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  8. "Home > Ehrlich Laboratory | Pharmacology | Yale School of Medicine". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-19.