SEB Bulletin July 2005
Travel Grants
Interested in applying for a travel grant?
Visit http://www.sebiology.org/
Deadlines for applications for the next two rounds are:
30 September 2005,31 December 2005
| Monica Alandete-Saez | Nottingham University | 16th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research, USA |
| James Allwood | University of Wales - Aberystwyth | Metabolomics Society meeting in Japan |
| Shanta Aphale | University of Nottingham | Plant Growth Regulation Society of America meeting, USA |
| Helen Blacker | University of Adelaide | 5th World congress of Herpetology - South Africa |
| Pierd Calosi | Royal Holloway - University of London | 6th International Crustacean Conference, Glasgow |
| Gemma Chope | University of Warwick | Fruit, nut and vegetable production engineering symposium, France |
| Sarah Jane Cookson | INRA | ASPB - Plant Biology 2005, USA |
| Clare Couldridge | University of Birmingham | 7th International Symposium on Aphids, Perth |
| Ewa Dzierzak | Warsaw University | Trace elements in man and animals 12 meeting, Northern Ireland |
| Jason Goldstein | Zoology Department | 2005 International Ocean Research Conference, Paris |
| Bjørn Grobler | Oxford University | IX International Congress on Ecology, Montreal |
| Lucy Lee | Sheffield University | Cellular Biology of Metals Conference, Maine, USA |
| Scott Lindsay | University of Leeds | Moss 2005 meeting, Crno, Czech Republic |
| Danielle McDonald | University of Miami | Research project, University of British Columbia |
| Lara Jane Meischke | University of St Andrews | American Elasmobranch Society Meeting, Florida |
| Catherine Stanley | University College London | International Council on Plant Nutrition, China |
| Matthew Leigh Tomlinson | The University of East Anglia | Cold Harbor Laboratories - training course on Xenopus |
Travel Reports
Research project: Nitrogen Metabolism in Amazonian Fish in Brazil
The Society for Experimental Biology and the Company of Biologists Travel Grant supported my visit to the laboratory of Dr. Adalberto Val in the National Institute for Research in the Amazon, Brazil and provided me with a great opportunity to study Amazonian fish.
In freshwater fish, inward sodium transport is driven by the extrusion of protons, which creates an electrochemical gradient favoring sodium uptake. It is likely that this mechanism also acts as a pathway for the elimination of ammonium ion, with the gills of freshwater fish excreting most of this nitrogenous waste product. The water of the Rio Negro, a major tributary of the Amazon, is low in sodium, highly acidic and often low in dissolved oxygen, potentially disrupting this mechanism in a number of ways. Low sodium levels result in less substrate available for import, acidic waters may inhibit acid extrusion, and the oxygen content of the hypoxic waters may be insufficient to fuel the active ion processes involved. This project was to investigate the physiology of nitrogen excretion and ionregulation of Pirarucu (Arapaima gigas), the world’s largest freshwater fish, and Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) in waters similar to the Rio Negro.
The pirarucu is ammoniotelic and appears to exhibit a diurnal ammonia excretion rhythm. Under elevated ammonia, the pirarucu is capable of excreting ammonia against a strong gradient: i.e. ammonia and urea excretion rates are unaffected by e l e v a t e d e x t e r n a l a m m o n i a concentrations. The oscar is also ammoniotelic and excretes small amounts of urea. Na+ uptake and efflux are very sensitive in the oscar to PO2 levels in water, but this seems via an indirect mechanism, as recovery of Na+ uptake after anoxia is not immediate. Similarly ammonia excretion in the oscar is also very sensitive to PO2 levels in water, and decreases gradually during anoxia. The decrease in ammonia excretion may be linked in part to the decrease in Na+ uptake. This suggests there is a linkage of Na+ uptake and ammonia excretion despite the very low Na+ and acidic pH.
I would like to offer my sincere thanks to my host, Dr. Adalberto Val and the National Institute for Research in the Amazon, and the Society of Experimental Biology and the Company of Biologists Travel Grant for making it possible for me to spend this fantastic time. This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Vera Almeida-Val, Dr. Patrick J. Walsh (University of Miami) and Dr. Katherine Sloman (University of Plymouth).
Makiko Kajimura
McMaster University
Association of Applied Biologists Centennial Conference: Providing new opportunities for consumers and producers in the 21st century
To celebrate their Centennial year (2004), the Association of Applied Biologists organised an international, multi-disciplinary conference at St. Catherine's College, Oxford. The establishment of St Catharine's college in the 1960's was characterised by its innovation and progressive outlook, which is reflected in the modernist architecture of the college itself. Therefore, this was an ideal location for a conference with the title 'providing new opportunities for consumers and producers in the 21st century'. I had been selected to present a paper at the conference after submitting an abstract to the organising committee.
The three day conference included over 50 sessions with topics ranging from crop improvement to brewing technologies. I arrive in Oxford in time for a quick coffee before beginning the tight and marathon like programme of sessions the organisers had packed into the three days. I began with the session 'Effects of nutrient stress on whole plant physiology' and was treated to two presentations on phosphorus nutrition in plants by Marcel Bucher and Javier Paz- Ares. Following, lunch it was my turn to present my paper on 'Diagnosing phosphorus deficiency in plants' in the Plant nutrition in low-input agricultural systems session. I was joined by colleagues from New Zealand, Kenya and Sunderland presenting work on N2 fixing legumes in sustainable farming systems, private sector services for the horticulture industry in Kenya and the economics of grass/clover pastures, respectively. This provided an interesting mix of topics with something for everyone.
For the remainder of the conference I dipped in and out of sessions, catching up on progress in other research areas and meeting with colleges from other institutions. In summary, this was a very enjoyable conference with a good mix of presentations and participants that enabled me to meet existing and new colleges from my field of research. Finally, I would like to thank the SEB for providing funding from the Company of Biologists Travel Fund, which helped fund my trip to Oxford.
John Hammond
Warwick HRI
Research Visit, University of Miami
I would like to thank the Society of Experimental Biology and the Company of Biologists for a very generous travel grant. With this grant I was able to complete a fantastic four week research trip to the lab of Dr. Martin Grosell at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. RSMAS is part of the University of Miami, beautifully situated on Virginia Key, across the strait from Key Biscayne.
Dr. Grosell’s lab at RSMAS is an ideal place to work with the gulf toadfish, Opsanus beta. Available at the legendary Jimbo’s of Virginia Key, the gulf toadfish is a hearty, aglomerular fish capable of adapting to a wide range of water salinities. The toadfish is wellsuited for investigations of ion regulation in teleost fish, particularly the renal handling of magnesium by an aglomerular teleost. Because there’s no ultrafiltration of the plasma in aglomerular fish, the toadfish kidney must excrete excess Mg by secretion into the urine.
We were able to investigate this secretory process in the gulf toadfish by using nickel as a potential Mg antagonist. We ran a series of Ni infusion experiments to characterize renal Mg secretion and possible interactions between Mg and Ni in the toadfish kidney. Additionally, we will be able to comprehensively investigate Mg/Ni interaction in various other toadfish tissues, including the intestine, where similar conditions exist that necessitate a powerful means of Mg secretion.
The generosity of the SEB travel grant enabled me to stay in Miami long enough to complement extensive lab work with both field sampling and in situ observations of the gulf toadfish and the amazing diversity of marine life in the Florida keys. The trip was everything a research trip should be, highly rewarding scientifically, professionally, and socially. I am grateful to the SEB and the CoB for their willingness to provide such a valuable opportunity.
Eric Pane
McMaster University
SEB Plant Frontiers Meeting, March 2005
The session of this conference that I attended, Phenotypic Plasticity and the Changing Environment, was directly relevant to my PhD, at the University of York. Therefore during the meeting I was able to keep abreast of current developments in my field from the research groups represented at the conference. I could also connect names that I have already come across during my research to the people that I heard deliver presentations, and that I met, during the three days I spent in Sheffield. The possibility of my collaboration with a research group in Japan has already been discussed since the meeting. I would like to thank the SEB and the Company of Biologists for making this possible by funding my visit.
Peter Gorsuch
University of York
Visit to Florida Atlantic University
I would like to thank the Society for Experimental Biology for awarding me a travel grant for my 4-month stay in Florida Atlantic University, USA. I must say that the culture difference between Florida and Norway was larger than I expected, however the weather is considerably better.
The stay was too short to finish any work, but we got to establish a wide variety of methods and started several projects that hopefully will be finished this year. More specifically, we managed to start and culture goldfish gill cells which will be used for studies on intracellular hypoxia and anoxia signalling. Further, we established cloning, rapid amplification of cDNA ends and real-time PCR. These methods will enable us to quickly clone, characterize and measure mRNA expression of genes of interest in whatever species is being investigated. More imminently, investigations are underway into hypoxia and anoxia induced apoptosis in the brain of several anoxia tolerant turtle species, and the intracellular pathways.
The stay was especially very valuable for me with regard to getting new collaborators with different points of view and other angles on hypoxia and anoxia studies. Further, the stay gave the first taste of what it might be like to work abroad for a longer period of time, which eventually everybody most likely will have to do towards the rise of professorship - or what do you say fellow PhD students and Post Docs?
Jørund Sollid
University of Oslo
International Congress of Physiological Sciences, San Diego, California, April 2005.
In July 2005 I attended the International Congress of Physiological Sciences in San Diego, California with the generous support of a travel grant fund provided by The Company of Biologists and the Society for Experimental Biology. This was a huge multi-society meeting attended by more than 16,000 independent scientists representing a multitude of sponsoring and guest societies. The physiological programme featured 15 scientific tracks which encompassed topics applicable to each society and consisted of several sessions featuring distinguished international speakers. My research focuses on exercise induced cardiac hypertrophy with particular interests in cardiac electrophysiology and gene expression. I therefore directed my attention on several tracks which focussed on cardiac physiology, calcium signalling and muscle and exercise.
Several interesting sessions were chaired by eminent figures in the fields of cardiac electrophysiology and excitation contraction coupling and included informative and thought provoking seminars given by Donald Bers, Andrew Marks, Denis Noble and Nadia Rosenthal to name but a few. There was a wealth of poster sessions and talks to attend and in particular the poster sessions provided the opportunity for interesting debate, networking and idea generation. I presented my poster in the first session and received a lot of interest. The ensuing discussion and comments provided me with new ideas to explore and I found the session thoroughly enjoyable. I am very grateful to the Company of Biologists and the Society for Experimental Biology for providing me with the opportunity to attend and present my work at this conference.
Rachel Stones
University of Leeds
SEB Plant Frontier Meeting 2005
The Plant Frontier Meeting was held at the University of Sheffield (21st - 23rd March 2005) in association with the Genomic Arabidopsis Resource Network (GARNet) and the Interdisciplinary Programme for Cellular Regulation (IPCR).
This meeting provided an international forum for scientists to further their understanding of many different aspects of plant experimental biology and dealt with: Plant Meristems (Session organised by Prof Keith Lindsey), The Visible Plant Cell: Biosensors and Bioreceptors (Session organised by Dr Stephen Rolfe), Phenotypic Plasticity and the Changing Environment (Session organised by Dr Owen Atkin), Plant Systems Biology: Linking Theory and Experiment (Session ran by GARNet and the IPCR in association with the SEB).
It was enjoyable with the extensive range of topics and issues being discussed, despite the fact that it was impossible to attend all of them during the 1st and the 2nd day of the meeting. However, in addition to the scheduled program, individual posters were also presented and could be viewed throughout the meeting. This event was very useful to me as it has been an opportunity for extended discussion on cutting-edge results and ideas with invited scientists from across the globe. Also, it has been an opportunity to learn from the international experience, as there was many post meeting benefits. I am very grateful to the Company of Biologists travel grant from the Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) for making possible my attendance to this conference and presenting my work.
Georges Herbert CHEKUIMO
Dschang - Cameroon
Congress of Physiological Sciences, San Diego
This year the International Congress of Physiological Sciences was held in San Diego, in south-western USA. Thousands of delegates from around the world congregated in the vast seaside conference centre to hear lectures from distinguished colleagues and discuss their current research. Subject matter ranged from my own interest in cardiac physiology, to ion channel structurefunction, stem cell research and teaching practices. There was certainly something for everyone.
Meeting sessions began in earnest after the previous nights' formal welcome, and informal dinner reception overlooking the harbour. After perusing the two huge abstract books that I received at registration (not available to non-USA residents before the meeting) I was able to pick out the talks that I wished to attend and formulate some sort of plan of attack. Most of the cardiac lectures were not closely related to my own work, so I took the opportunity to go to lectures that I wouldn't ordinarily attend. Maybe I could broaden my scientific horizons? Of particular interest were lectures provided by Peter Hunter and colleagues from New Zealand. They described cardiac function using computer simulations. Having never seen such studies described in detail before, it was enlightening to see visualised the stresses and strains that cardiac tissue endures in order to perform its function.
Of course, such early morning starts to lectures meant that one could justify using an afternoon or two to study the city instead. San Diego is a small city (by American standards) that invades the surrounding countryside almost as far as the Mexican border. The city, at first glimpse, seems quite modern with its tall elegant glass-fronted buildings. However, there is an older area unwittingly called Old Town, about 10 minutes drive from the city centre. This small mainly residential area is a little contrived, but nonetheless provides excellent authentic Mexican food and some souvenir-type trade. Closer to the city centre, the Gas Lamp quarter is a lively place where revellers can eat, drink and talk into the early hours. Establishments are varied ranging from the omnipresent burger bar, to steak houses (try the Strip Joint - its not as lurid as it sounds!) and Mexican (of course). A must see is the world famous San Diego zoo, if only to support its excellent conservation initiatives.
For most people the meeting was a success. There was opportunity to network and socialise in equal measure, and I'm sure it and future meetings will be of benefit particularly to the younger attendees for their future studies and careers.
Anthony O'Connell
University of Leeds