Leading the Quest to Discover the Structure of Proteins

Research successes net Queen’s professor major Canadian science prize

Ottawa, Ontario, March 20, 2003 – Fifty years ago, the science of genetics was revolutionized by the discovery of DNA's double helix structure. Today, Dr. Zongchao Jia is creating scientific buzz by turning the same x-ray imaging technique that revealed the secrets of DNA onto the proteins that DNA produces.

It is forefront work that today resulted in the Queen’s University associate professor of biochemistry being named winner of a Steacie Fellowship – a top Canadian science and engineering honour from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

"The globular structures of proteins are far more complex than those of DNA," says Dr Jia. "With DNA, you only have the four base pairs for building blocks. With proteins, you have the amino acids – 20 potential building blocks. So it's a quantum leap in terms of complexity."

His NSERC Steacie Fellowship is one of six announced by Allan Rock, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for NSERC, Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development, and Dr. Tom Brzustowski, President of NSERC.

“NSERC Steacie Fellows are blazing trails for themselves and for Canada on the international research scene,” said Minister Rock. “They are leading Canada towards its goal of becoming one of the top five countries in the world for research and development.”

“These awards are public recognition for outstanding scientific achievement,” said Minister Pagtakhan. “Indeed this is Canada’s way of saying ‘thank you’ and giving outstanding scientists and engineers the opportunity and resources to bring their ideas to a new level of excellence.”

X-ray crystallography is the exquisitely challenging science equivalent of shining a flashlight on a child's elaborate Meccano building and then determining the 3-D structure from the shadow on the wall. Crystallographers take atomic-level pictures using intense x-ray beams focused on crystals of the protein. The x-rays, deflected by the atoms they hit, are recorded on detectors similar to those used, for example, in digital cameras. Computers are then used to deduce the intricate 3-D protein structure from the recorded images.

"We like to study the proteins that are the most medically relevant," says Dr. Jia, who is also the Canada Research Chair in Structural Biology.

His lab has led the way in the structural study of anti-freeze proteins. These proteins prevent the formation of ice crystals within cells. This enables some animals to freeze "solid" and thaw (such as with famous demonstrations of frozen frogs) with little or no tissue damage. His lab has identified the structure of four anti-freeze proteins including one in fish and the first ever in an insect. Dr. Jia's research has demonstrated that there are in fact a variety of ways that the different proteins block ice formation. It's work that's critical to the tantalizing possibility of creating ways to reversibly freeze human tissue.

In 1999, Dr. Jia's lab also won what, in essence, was a heated international race to determine the structure of a calcium-regulated protein that plays a role in diseases from Alzheimer's to Muscular Dystrophy and in heart attacks. The protein, calpain, can wreak havoc when it works improperly because it is a protease – it cuts other proteins. It is known to be regulated by calcium. Dr. Jia's atomic-level structural detective work revealed the precise reason that calcium is needed to activate calpain.

"By our identifying the active site, pharmaceutical companies can now try and develop drugs that will block this site, but won't interfere with the hundreds of other proteases in the body," says Dr. Jia.

He has currently just begun work to study cancer-related proteins that could be possible drug targets.

While an NSERC Steacie Fellow, Dr. Jia will continue his groundbreaking work on one of the most biologically important groups of proteins, those involved in phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. These proteins act as on/off switches for almost 30 per cent of the body's proteins. His 11-person lab will focus on phosphorylation proteins that are involved in muscle contraction, as well as on phytase, an enzyme that liberates the nutrient phosphorus stored in grains. Many farm animals, including pigs, lack the enzyme. At present, phytase is added to grain feeds to help increase nutrient value, but with only limited success.

"Identifying the structure of phytase can help us understand how it works," says Dr. Jia. "Once we understand it, we can then try and improve it through protein engineering to make it more active and stable, for instance."

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Zongchao Jia
Queen’s University
Telephone: (613) 532-6277
E-mail: jia@post.queensu.ca

Arnet Sheppard
Manager, Newsbureau
Communications
NSERC
Telephone: (613) 995-5997
E-mail: axs@nserc.ca

The Prize

NSERC Steacie Fellowships are awarded to the most outstanding Canadian university scientists or engineers, who have earned their doctorate within the last twelve years. Nominations are received by NSERC from universities across Canada and the international impact of the individual’s work is judged by a distinguished panel of independent experts. The award includes increased research funding from NSERC and a payment to the university to allow the individual to pursue his or her research full-time. The winning Steacie Fellows are also eligible to compete for a special Canada Foundation for Innovation Career Award. The announcement of these awards will be made later.

The six winners this year are:

Dr. Gary Saunders (University of New Brunswick)
Dr. Victoria Kaspi (McGill University)
Dr. Zongchao Jia (Queen’s University)
Dr. Molly Shoichet (University of Toronto)
Dr. Kim Vicente (University of Toronto)
Dr. Michel Gingras (University of Waterloo).

Canada’s Innovation Strategy

Last year, the Government of Canada launched Canada’s Innovation Strategy, two papers that lay out a plan to address skills and innovation challenges for the next decade. The paper released by Minister Rock is entitled Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity. It proposes goals, targets and priorities for Canada over the next decade to: create knowledge and bring ideas to market more quickly; ensure a skilled workforce in the new economy; modernize business and regulatory policies while protecting the public interest; and strengthen communities by supporting innovation at the local level. Today’s announcement supports this strategy.

For more information about Canada’s Innovation Strategy or to obtain a copy of either Knowledge Matters: Skills and Learning for Canadians or Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity, please call 1-800-O CANADA
(1-800-622-6232) or visit http://www.innovationstrategy.gc.ca.