- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
“We show that both activities of soluble epoxide hydrolase enzyme (sEH), the center of 50 years work in the Hammock laboratory, and a second integrated phosphatase activity, discovered by us 20 years ago in the same protein, have complementary biological action in vivo, with implications in cardiac biology,” said biochemist and co-author Christophe Morisseau of the Hammock lab who researches the biology and pharmaceutical applications of epoxide hydrolase inhibition in diabetes, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases.
The research paper, titled “CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Inactivation of the Phosphatase Activity of Soluble Epoxide 1 Hydrolase Prevents Obesity and Cardiac Ischemic Injury,” involved recombinant animal models.
The abstract reads: “Although the physiological role of the C-terminal hydrolase domain of the soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH-H) is well investigated, the function of its N-terminal phosphatase activity (sEH-P) remains unknown. This study aimed to assess in vivo the physiological role of sEH-P.”
“Such di catalytic activities of separate enzymes jointed during the evolutionary process have been said a Rosetta stone for understanding cell biology,” said co-author Hammock, a UC Davis distinguished professor who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. For the past 50 years, the Hammock lab has been studying sEH inhibitors, leading to drugs that target such diseases as diabetes, hypertension (heart disease), Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. Co-discovered by Hammock and Sarjeet Gill, now a UC Davis distinguished professor at UC Riverside, sEH is a key regulatory enzyme involved in the metabolism of fatty acids.
The work of the UC Davis-French team collaboration may have implications in major diseases of the circulatory system, including atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, stroke, and hypertension. Research shows that patients with diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, cancer, fibrosis, and sepsis have a significant increase in the risk and incidence of cardiovascular disease.
Bellien, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology who holds a doctorate in pharmacology from the Rouen University School of Pharmacy, heads a research group on endothelial protection within INSERM U1096. The endothelium is a thin membrane that lines the inside of the heart and blood vessels. Bellien and his team study the role of endothelial lipid mediators in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases, and notably to study new approaches to treat vascular and valvular calcification. They have been collaborating with the UC Davis team since 2014.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The 16th annual Bruce Hammock Lab Water Balloon Battle--known as "Bruce's Big Balloon Battle at Briggs" or "15 Minutes of Aim"--is set for 3 p.m., Friday, July 12 on the Briggs Hall lawn.
The event will take place on the northwest side of Briggs on the lawn between Briggs and the fire department--"the one still green," said coordinator Christopher Morisseau, a researcher in the Hammock lab. (The traditional site is being prepared for planting.)
Participants will fill 2000 balloons, starting at 1 p.m. on the grass by the loading dock. Morisseau said the policy is "no filling,no throwing" or "bring your own balloons."
It is open to all who want to get wet, and children and spouses are always welcome.
Last year water balloons, water guns, super sprayers, and buckets prevailed in the international soakfest. Twenty-eight researchers in the Hammock lab from seven countries participated: the United Stares, China, France, Ukraine, Lebanon, Japan and Korea. They included postdoctoral scholars, researchers, graduate students, visiting scholars, visiting graduate students, visiting summer students, short-term visiting scholars and student interns.
Hammock, a UC Davis distinguished professor who holds a joint appointment with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, hosts the annual event in mid-July when triple-digit temperatures strike the campus. It's an opportunity for the lab members--who work hard throughout the year and play hard for 15 minutes--to engage in a little fun and camaraderie. The thirsty lawn benefits, too.
Hammock, trained as a entomologist, chemist and toxicologist--and who now focuses his research on human health, is recognized for his work on using natural chemical mediators to control inflammation and intractable pain. He co-discovered the soluble epoxide hydrolase, and many of his more than 1100 publications and patents are on the P450 branch of the arachidonate cascade where the soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) degrades natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Hammock, an alumnus of UC Berkeley with a doctorate in entomology, joined the UC Davis faculty in 1980. He is the founding director (1987-present) of the UC Davis NIEHS (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) Superfund Research Program and is a founding member (1990-present) of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. He has directed the UC Davis NIH/NIEHS Combined Analytical Laboratory for 25 years.
Highly honored by his peers, Hammock is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, which honors academic invention and encourages translations of inventions to benefit society. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the Entomological Society of America, and the recipient of the Bernard B. Brodie Award in Drug Metabolism, sponsored by the America Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. He is the first McGiff Memorial Awardee in Lipid Biochemistry. The Eicosanoid Research Foundation recently honored him for work on oxidized lipids.
For more information, contact Morisseau at chmorisseau@ucdavis.edu.