inside.salk.eduInside Salk | Spring 2024 Issue Archives

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In the News Professor Jan Karlseder named Salk’s Chief Science Officer On February 1, Jan Karlseder started as Salk’s new senior vice president and chief science officer (CSO). In Memoriam Salk mourns the loss of Nobel Laureate Roger Guillemin The Institute remembers the father of neuroendocrinology” for his many contributions to science and friendship to all. Observations Daniel Hollern–Turning a cancer diagnosis into a career in basic research Assistant Professor Daniel Hollern pivoted his career trajectory after a family member’s life-changing diagnosis pushed his already-curious mind off a cliff of questions—starting with, What can I do to help him?” Insights Jerry Sheehan–Collaborating shoulder to shoulder with scientists When you think about a person who heads an information technology department, you might not envision them working shoulder to shoulder with research scientists. But that’s exactly the approach Jerry Sheehan is taking as Salk’s new chief information officer (CIO). Next Gen Laura Mainz–Taking control after a cancer diagnosis Laura Mainz grew up in a tiny village in midwestern Germany, with just as many cows as people. But the sweeping landscape speckled with farms never swayed her toward plant biology—instead, her interest in the human body grew. Belonging Black Association affinity group cultivates welcoming environment The Black Association at Salk (BAS) was one of the first affinity groups formed at Salk in 2020. Since that time, it has established itself as a welcoming space and go-to for resources for all Black Salk community members. President’s Letter We’ve declared 2024 to be Salk’s Year of Healthy Aging.” I’m excited about it because I see this research area as both a strength for the Institute as well as a focus filled with new possibilities for interdisciplinary growth and discovery.” Gerald Joyce President View President’s letter Discoveries Neuroscience Uncovering key brain pathway mediating panic disorder symptoms Overwhelming fear, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate—these are the symptoms of a panic attack, which people with panic disorder have frequently and unexpectedly. Creating a map of the regions, neurons, and connections in the brain that mediate these panic attacks can provide guidance for developing more effective panic disorder therapeutics. Now, Associate Professor Sung Han, co-first authors Sukjae Kang and Jong-Hyun Kim, and colleagues have begun to construct that map by discovering a brain circuit that mediates panic disorder. This circuit consists of specialized neurons that send and receive a neuropeptide—a small protein that sends messages throughout the brain—called PACAP. What’s more, they determined that PACAP and the neurons that produce its receptor are possible druggable targets for new panic disorder treatments. See All Cancer Reducing stress on T cells makes them better cancer fighters Even for killer T cells—specialized immune cells—seeking and destroying cancer cells around the clock can be exhausting. In a new study, Professor Susan Kaech, first author Anna-Maria Globig, and colleagues discovered that the body’s sympathetic stress response (fight-or-flight”) hormones can exhaust killer T cells in varying cancer types in mouse and human tissue samples—and that exhaustion can be inhibited with beta-blockers. Their discovery demonstrates the potential benefit of pairing beta-blockers with existing immunotherapies to improve cancer treatment by bolstering killer T cell function. See All Plant Biology Iron influences plant immunity and may promote resiliency against climate change Plants and animals alike rely on iron for growth and regulation of microbiomes—collections of bacteria, fungi, and more that coexist in places like the human gut or the soil around a plant’s roots. Plants face a special challenge when acquiring iron, since the strategies plants use to increase iron availability alter the root microbiome and can inadvertently benefit harmful soil-dwelling bacteria. Professor Wolfgang Busch, first author Min Cao, and colleagues have discovered how plants manage iron deficiency without helping bad” bacteria thrive—by eliminating IMA1, the molecular signal for iron deficiency in roots at risk of bacterial attack. Additionally, they found that this iron deficiency signaling pathway and the plant immune system are deeply intertwined. See All Computational Biology Unleashing the power of AI to track animal behavior Movement offers a window into how the brain operates and controls the body. Methods for tracking human and animal movement have come a long way, with current cutting-edge methods utilizing artificial intelligence to automatically track parts of the body as they move. However, training these models is still time-intensive and limited by the need for researchers to manually mark each body part hundreds to thousands of times. Associate Professor Eiman Azim, first author Daniel Butler, and colleagues have created GlowTrack, a noninvasive movement-tracking method that uses fluorescent dye markers to train artificial intelligence. GlowTrack is robust, time-efficient, and high-definition—capable of tracking a single digit on a mouse’s paw or hundreds of landmarks on a human hand. See All Immunobiology Genetic architecture may be key to using peacekeeping immune cells to treat autoimmunity or fight cancer Regulatory T cells are specialized immune cells that suppress the immune response and prevent the body from attacking its own cells. The behavior of these cells is influenced by chromatin architecture (the 3D shape of chromosomes) and which genes are accessible to proteins like Foxp3. Now, Professor Ye Zheng, Assistant Professor Jesse Dixon, co-first authors Dongsung Lee and Zhi Liu, and colleagues have discovered that Foxp3 is essential for...