The Renal Section of
the American Physiological Society is pleased to announce the 1999 recipient of the Neurex Young InvestigatorAward for Excellence in
Renal Physiology: Dr. Michael J. Caplan,Professor of Cellular and
Molecular Physiology, Yale UniversitySchool of Medicine. The purpose
of this award is to recognizean outstanding young investigator working
in any area of renalphysiology or hypertension. Dr. Caplan will
present his keynotelecture, entitled "Membrane Trafficking and the
Regulation ofIon Transport Proteins," during a mini-symposium at
the ExperimentalBiology '99 meeting in Washington, DC, April
17-21, 1999. Dr.Caplan will receive his Neurex Young Investigator
Award duringthe Renal Dinner on April 20. This award is presented
annuallyat the Experimental Biology meeting and is made possible
by thegenerous support of the Neurex Corporation, Menlo Park,
CA. Dr. Caplan received his B.A. degree in biology in
1980 from HarvardCollege and his M.D./Ph.D. degree in 1987 from Yale
UniversitySchool of Medicine. He has remained at Yale ever since,
risingprogressively from Fellow to Assistant Professor in 1988, to
AssociateProfessor in 1993, and to Professor in 1998. Dr. Caplan is a
recipientof the APS 1998 Henry Pickering Bowditch Award Lectureship
andthe American Society of Nephrology/American Heart Association's1998 Young Investigator Award. He has published 36 manuscriptsand
written 26 reviews or book chapters. The cell surfacemembranes of epithelial cells are divided into two distinct domainscharacterized by distinct protein compositions, reflecting theirdifferent roles in vectorial solute transport. Dr. Caplan is interestedin the molecular signals and cellular machinery involved in generatingthis polarity. His studies make use of two families of transportproteins, each of whose members are sorted to different surfacesdespite extensive homology. The Na-K-ATPase and the H-K-ATPaseare
closely related at the structural and functional levels butare
targeted differently. Similarly, transport systems involvedin
neurotransmitter re-uptake are highly homologous but differentiallysorted. Dr. Caplan is generating molecular chimeras composed ofcomplementary portions of related pumps and transporters and expressingthem by transfection in polarized epithelial cells. This approachallows him to identify segments of these molecules which contributeto
their sorting behaviors as well as to their physiological properties.Dr. Caplan's targeting studies have led to the generation of atransgenic mouse that is unable to inactivate H-K-ATPase functionand
consequently hypersecretes gastric acid. These mice developgastritis
and gastric ulcerations with histological features thatare essentially
identical to those found in human disease. Recentstudies suggest that
the same signals that modulate gastric acidsecretion may also regulate
active potassium reabsorption in therenal collecting duct.
The APS Renal Section's Neurex YoungInvestigator Award
Committee, a subcommittee of the Renal SectionSteering Committee,
included Douglas Eaton (Renal Section Sage),Roger O'Neil (Renal
Section past Chair), Jeff Sands (Renal SectionTreasurer and
Chairman-Elect), and Jurgen Schnermann (Renal SectionProgram Committee
Chair). The Renal Section wishes to expressits sincere appreciation to
the Neurex Corporation for their generoussupport of biomedicaleducation.
Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 276(2):F329-F329