Barbara M. Schreiber
Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Biochemistry
Boston University School of Medicine
Silvio Conte Building, K207
72 E. Concord Street
Boston, MA 02118
Phone: 617-638-5094
Fax: 617-638-5339
Email: schreibe(at)biochem.bumc.bu.edu
Education
B.A., State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Ph.D., Boston University, Boston, MA
People
Jason Bellan
Luwam Ghidei
Research Interests
Research focuses on demonstrating the role of aortic smooth muscle cells in atherosclerosis. The development of the disease is clearly associated with elevated plasma cholesterol levels. Lipid laden “foam cells” derived from both smooth muscle cells as well as cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage are prominent features of the atherosclerotic plaque. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of information regarding the direct effects of lipid accumulation on cell function. We have developed an in vitro model of cultured aortic smooth muscle cells isolated from neonatal rats and rabbits. The cells are treated with ßVLDL, a lipoprotein that accumulates in the plasma of rabbits fed a high cholesterol diet. Lipoprotein induced alterations in cell function are examined. An additional focus of the lab is on determining the role of serum amyloid A in smooth muscle cell lipid metabolism. Interestingly, this acute phase protein down regulates lipid biosynthesis, which may play a role in atherosclerosis. We are currently exploring the mechanism whereby this regulation is achieved. The lab relies on in vitro approaches (cell culture, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology) and an in vivo mouse model of restenosis/atherosclerosis.
Representative Publications
Kumon, Y., Sipe, J.D., Brinckerhoff, C.E., and Schreiber, B.M. Regulation of extrahepatic SAA gene expression by interleukin-1a alone: synthesis and secretion of the apolipoprotein serum amyloid A (apo SAA) by cultured aortic smooth muscle cells. Scand. J. Immunol. 46:284-291, 1997.
Hsiao, H., Stone, P.J., Toselli, P., Rosenbloom, J., Franzblau, C., and Schreiber, B.M. The role of the carboxy terminus of tropoelastin in its assembly into the elastic fiber. Conn. Tiss. Res. 40:83-95, 1999.
Schreiber, B.M., Veverbrants, M., Fine, R.E., Blusztajn, J.K., Salmona, M., Patel, A., and Sipe, J.D. Apolipoprotein serum amyloid A (SAA) down regulates smooth muscle cell lipid biosynthesis. Biochem. J. 344:7-13, 1999.
Zhao, D., Letterman, J. and Schreiber, B.M. ßVLDL activates smooth muscle cell MAP kinase via G protein-coupled receptor-mediated transactivation of the EGF receptor: Effect of MAP kinase activation on ßVLDL plus EGF-induced cell proliferation. J. Biol. Chem. 276:30579-88, 2001.
Schreiber, B.M. Serum amyloid A; in search of function. Amyloid: J. Protein Folding Disord. 9: 276-278, 2002.
Hofmann, C.S., Sullivan, C.P., Jiang, H.-Y., Stone, P.J., Toselli, P., Reis, E.D., Chereshnev, I., Schreiber, B.M.* and Sonenshein, G.E.* B-Myb represses vascular smooth muscle cell collagen gene expression and inhibits neointima formation following arterial injury. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., 24:1608-13, 2004.
Hofmann, C. S., Wang, X., Sullivan, C. P., Toselli, P., Stone, P. J., McLean, S. E., Mecham, R. P., Schreiber, B. M. and Sonenshein, G. E. B-Myb represses elastin gene expression in aortic smooth muscle cells. J. Biol. Chem., 280:7694-701, 2005.
Johnson, R. J., Williams, J. M., Schreiber, B. M., Elfe, C. D., Lennon-Hopkins, K. L., Skrzypek M. S. and White, R. D. Analysis of Gene Ontology features in microarray data using the Proteome BioKnowledge® Library. In Silico Biol. 5, 0035, 2005.
Sullivan, C.P., Seidl, S., Rich, C.B., Raymondjean, M., and Schreiber, B.M. Secretory phospholipase A2, group IIA is a novel serum amyloid a target gene; Activation of smooth muscle cell expression by an interleukin-1 receptor-independent mechanism. J. Biol. Chem. published 22 October 2009, 10.1074/jbc.M109.070565 http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/abstract/M109.070565v1
