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That knowledge, in turn, could someday lead to the development of
toxic agents that could be used, for example, to attack cancer at the
sub-cellular level.
The research, published in a issue of the
journal Chemistry & Biology, demonstrates the value of
interdepartmental and interdisciplinary collaborations, say the
investigators, a trend which is becoming a hallmark of Boston
College's natural science programs.
"This experience is an illustration of what can happen when you have
an environment where chemists and biologists continually encounter
each other, formally and informally. Conversations start, ideas are
exchanged and progress is made rapidly; these historically separate
disciplines can get together to share observations and work together,"
said Boston College Professor of Biology Thomas Chiles, a study
co-author whose lab was involved in the research.
Chiles says the collaboration began a few years ago when he and
Professor Shana Kelley - then a faculty member
in the Boston College Chemistry Department now at the University of
Toronto - were serving on a committee together.
She described her research to Chiles, and the two scientists began
exchanging ideas and sharing lab resources and staff to work on the
project.
Kelley had designed highly innovative chemical probes to target
specific locations within the cell, Chiles explains. "Once inside, she
knew the compounds were killing the cell, but she needed another
perspective, because she was dealing with questions of a biological
nature. How were these compounds killing the cell" How does a cell
survive oxidative stress".
"Past research on oxidative stress focused on the cell as a whole, so
it was difficult to ascertain exactly what was happening at the
molecular level. But with these compounds developed through Shana's
lab, we can begin to understand the specifics of the cell's response
to oxidative stress.
"The next step is to look at whether the changes occurring within the
cell are its response to the oxidative stress caused by the compounds,
or if the compounds themselves are triggering the changes."
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