TWINNING PROGRAM WITH ESTONIA, LATVIA, AND LITHUANIA

Feliksas Bukauskas and co-principal investigator Vytautas Verselis launched their Twinning Project in July 2000 when they welcomed Audrone Kalvelyte of the Institute of Biochemistry, Vilnius for a three-month visit. Their project involves the study of apotosis, a genetically-controlled process of programmed cell death that serves many vital functions, including balancing cell numbers in continuously-renewing cell populations, selective immune cell deletion, and the elimination of neurons during synaptogenesis. Specifically, they are studying the role of gap junction channels in this physiological process. Although this research may have applications to the future development of anti-cancer therapies, it is also valuable from a basic science standpoint in contributing to better understanding of mechanisms of normal cell function.

During Kalvelyte's visit to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she learned several new research methods, including cell transfection with DNAs, time-lapse fluorescence imaging, the use of image analysis software, cell-cell dye transfer, and electrophysiological measurement of electrical cell-cell coupling. She plans to pass this knowledge along to her students at Vilnius State University, where she lectures on cell biology.

Bukauskas and Verselis are currently analyzing the data collected during Kalvelyte's visit, and they plan to present their findings at an upcoming gap junction conference. They anticipate a visit to Vilnius in the summer of 2001 and plan to bring with them some much-needed cell culture supplies. Their work will involve the study of some cell lines that Kalvelyte brought back from the U.S. to Vilnius and has been culturing in her lab. The Twinning project is expected to conclude with a visit by Ausra Imbrasaite to the U.S. in September 2001, although both sides are already planning to apply to NSF and the European Community for funds to continue their research in 2002 and beyond.

Update-2001

During his visit to Vilnius in August 2001, Bukauskas brought chemical supplies and vectors coding connexins fused with Green and Red Fluorescent proteins. He participated in experiments related to apotosis studies. In addition, he contacted other scientists working in the Institute of Biochemistry and the director of this institute, Dr. Razumas. These contacts proved very helpful to Kalvelyte and many of the laboratories at the institute. Razumas expressed his gratitude to the NRC and AECOM for helping Kalvelyte's laboratory establish an international scientific collaboration. In addition, the scientists presented data at two conferences in the summer and fall of 2001, to be followed by the preparation of a manuscript for publication.