School of Medicine
Article by KU Medical Center Professor Named One of the Most Cited in Biochemical Pharmacology
Aug 11, 2006
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The research journal Biochemical Pharmacology has recognized an article by University of Kansas School of Medicine Professor Glen K. Andrews, PhD, as one of its most-cited articles of the past 10 years. Andrews' article, entitled "Regulation of metallothionein gene expression by oxidative stress and metal ions," appeared in the journal in 2000 and is among the top 1 percent of most-cited articles in the past decade.Andrews is studying the molecular mechanisms that control zinc homeostasis in mammals. According to Andrews, zinc deficiency has been called a "much ignored global health problem" and has been correlated with abnormal fetal development, diabetes, schizophrenia, decreased cognitive behavior and intellectual development and increased mortality and disease. This essential metal serves structural and/or catalytic roles in hundreds of peptides, including the remarkably abundant superfamily of zinc-finger proteins, and is toxic in excess, he says.
Andrews' research program employs genetic and molecular biology approaches to investigate zinc homeostasis. His article reviews his and other researcher's studies on the mechanisms of action of metal-response element-binding transcription factor-1 (MTF-1), the only identified transcription factor in mammals that functions in response to zinc.
"We've been lucky that the research we've been doing has led the field for awhile. This is something a lot of labs over the world are addressing and want to understand," Andrews said.
Andrews has received multiple grants to fund his research from the National Institute of Health during the past 16 years. He has been with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the KU School of Medicine for the past 22 years.
The University of Kansas Medical Center prepares students for leadership roles in today's dynamic health care environment in Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health. The Medical Center offers more than 2,500 students an innovative curriculum and patient-centered clinical training in partnership with the University of Kansas Hospital. A leader in biomedical research, the KU Medical Center is a key partner in the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute.
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