Richard E. Fine
Professor of Biochemistry
Department of Biochemistry
Boston University School of Medicine
Silvio Conte Building, K124
72 E. Concord Street
Boston, MA 02118
Phone: 617-638-4190
Fax: 617-638-5339
Email: fine(at)biochem.bumc.bu.edu
Education
A.B., University of California, Berkeley, CA
Ph.D., Brandeis University, MA
Research Interest
My laboratory studies the molecular bases of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Specifically we are trying to use high throughput screening to develop drugs that increase the amount of an enzyme called insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) that cleaves the Beta amyloid peptide (A?). A? is thought to be of great pathogenic significance in the development of AD. We culture human blood brain barrier endothelial cells that contain the majority of the IDE on their cell surface in this screen. We are also beginning to study the sorting of glucose transporter subtypes in the brain, since there is evidence that glucose transport decreases in affected brain regions at the earliest detectable stage in the onset of AD.
Recent References
Yaar M, Zhai S, Panova I, Fine RE, Eisenhauer PB, Blusztajn JK, Lopez-Coviella I, Gilchrest BA. A cyclic peptide that binds p75(NTR) protects neurones from beta amyloid (1-40)-induced cell death.Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 2007;33:533-43.
Lynch JA, George AM, Eisenhauer PB, Conn K, Gao W, Carreras I, Wells JM, McKee A, Ullman MD, Fine RE. Insulin degrading enzyme is localized predominantly at the cell surface of polarized and unpolarized human cerebrovascular endothelial cell cultures.J Neurosci Res. 2006;83:1262-70.
Carreras I, Garrett-Young R, Ullman MD, Eisenhauer PB, Fine RE, Wells JM, Conn KJ. Upregulation of clusterin/apolipoprotein J in lactacystin-treated SH-SY5Y cells.J Neurosci Res. 2005;79:495-502.
Gao W, Eisenhauer PB, Conn K, Lynch JA, Wells JM, Ullman MD, McKee A, Thatte HS, Fine RE. Insulin degrading enzyme is expressed in the human cerebrovascular endothelium and in cultured human cerebrovascular endothelial cells.Neurosci Lett. 2004;371:6-11.
Conn KJ, Gao W, McKee A, Lan MS, Ullman MD, Eisenhauer PB, Fine RE, Wells JM. Identification of the protein disulfide isomerase family member PDIp in experimental Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body pathology.Brain Res. 2004;1022:164-72.
Conn KJ, Ullman MD, Larned MJ, Eisenhauer PB, Fine RE, Wells JM. cDNA microarray analysis of changes in gene expression associated with MPP+ toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells.Neurochem Res. 2003;28:1873-81.
Conn KJ, Gao WW, Ullman MD, McKeon-O’Malley C, Eisenhauer PB, Fine RE, Wells JM. Specific up-regulation of GADD153/CHOP in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium-treated SH-SY5Y cells.J Neurosci Res. 2002;68:755-60.
Yaar M, Zhai S, Fine RE, Eisenhauer PB, Arble BL, Stewart KB, Gilchrest BA. Amyloid beta binds trimers as well as monomers of the 75-kDa neurotrophin receptor and activates receptor signaling.J Biol Chem. 2002;277:7720-5.
