Introduction of Edward A. Dennis by George M. Carman, Ph.D.
Department of Food Science, Cook College
Rutgers, The State University
AVANTI AWARD-EDWARD A. DENNIS
Dear Colleagues:
It is an honor for me to introduce Dr. Edward A. Dennis, the recipient
of the ASBMB-Avanti Award in Lipids. Dr. Dennis is currently Professor
and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University
of California at San Diego. He received the B. A. Degree in chemistry
from Harvard University. He also received the Ph.D. degree int he Department
of Chemistry at Harvard under the direction of Dr. Frank H. Westheimer.
He then moved to the Department of Biochemistry at Harvard Medical School
to carry out postdoctoral studies under Dr. Eugene P. Kennedy.
Dr. Dennis' leadership in the field of phospholipases and lipid metabolism
is documented by his editorial activities for prestigious journals and
books and organizational activities for national meetings and symposia.
His recognition as a leader in the field of phospholipases and lipid
metabolism may be most exemplified by invitations to write the "Minireview"
articles "Diversity of Group Types, Regulation, and Function of Phospholipase
A2" and "Lipid Signaling Enzymes and Surface Dilution Kinetics"
published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Phospholipase enzymes play a major role in lipid signaling pathways.
Products of their reactions serve as signaling molecules or second messengers
that regulate much of cellular metabolism. Dr. Dennis has focused on
the enzyme phospholipase A2 where he has isolated several
distinct phospholipase A2 enzymes in pure form and has characterized
their activities. These include the calcium-dependent secretory enzyme,
the calcium-dependent cytosolic enzyme, and the calcium-independent
enzyme. Studies on these enzymes have utilized state of the art biochemical,
kinetic, molecular genetic, and NMR methodologies. Dr. Dennis was the
first to develop antisense oligonucleotides to block the secretory phospholipase
A2 enzyme in living cells and to distinguish between all
types of phospholipase A2 enzymes in living cells. Dr. Dennis
has developed a number of specific enzyme inhibitors that have been
used to elucidate the function of phospholipase A2 enzymes
in cell metabolism and signal transduction processes. The use of inhibitors
has been used to differentiate the role of each type of phospholipase
A2 enzyme in cells. For example, Dr. Dennis has elucidated
the roles of the secretory and cytosolic phospholipase A2 enzymes
in the generation of arachidonic acid used for prostaglandin synthesis.
In addition, he has discovered that the calcium independent phospholipase
A2 is responsible for the remodeling of phospholipids containing
arachidonic acid that are needed as reservoirs for cell signaling. These
studies were major contributions to the field.
One of the major difficulties in studying enzymes acting within and
on membranes is that biological processes occur in two dimensional space
rather than in the three dimensional solutions that have been traditionally
studied by biochemists. In the early 1970's, Dr. Dennis developed a
novel approach to the study of such enzymes called "Surface Dilution
Kinetics." This work introduced the important concept that the surface
concentration of a lipid plays a critical role in defining the kinetic
parameters of lipid-dependent enzymes. The concept and utilization of
surface dilution kinetics has made and enormous impact on the understanding
of lipid metabolism and signal transduction.
Dr. Dennis continues his studies on phospholipase A2 enzymes
and their roles in signal transduction processes. In addition, Dr. Dennis
is studying other enzymes that generate signaling molecules such as
phospholipase D, phosphatidate phosphatase, and lysophospholipases.
Of special importance, Dr. Dennis is currently identifying the roles
of phospholipases in Alzheimer's disease and heart disease as well as
the role oxidized phospholipids play in the generation of autoantibodies
associated with autoimmune diseases and stroke. There is no doubt that
Dr. Dennis will continue to make substantial scientific contributions.
The results of the research carried out by Dr. Dennis has been published
in over 200 scholarly papers. His research has been and continues to
be supported by grants from the United States government and form private
industry. His expertise in the field has been called upon by government
agencies as well as the private sector.
Although the ASBMB-Avanti Award in Lipids is given for outstanding original
research, Dr. Dennis has contributed to the education of lipid biochemists.
Numerous investigators have entered the field of phospholipases and
signal transduction because of the contributions of Dr. Dennis. These
investigators do not even include the many graduate students and postdoctoral
fellows that Dr. Dennis has mentored at the University of California
at San Diego. The fact that may of his past students are now leaders
in the field in their own right, is testimony of his outstanding ability
to train and motivate people. The commitment of Dr. Dennis to education
is also exemplified by the number of educational and student committees
that he has served on over the years.
We welcome Dr. Dennis to present the Avanti-Award Lecture
"REGULATION AND FUNCTION OF THE PHOSPHOLIPASE A2 SUPERFAMILY IN SIGNAL
TRANSDUCTION."
