Ana Nemec was awarded prestigious University of California-Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital Gerald V. Ling Award, recognizing her research in small animal medicine during the postgraduate specialty training. With over 25 veterinary disciplines represented and 100 veterinarians in residency positions at any one time, University of California-Davis has the largest specialty residency program in the USA (and world), preparing veterinarians to become eligible for international certification in a chosen veterinary discipline. Residents are selected through a competitive match system from all over the world and in veterinary dentistry and oral surgery they spend 3 years in intensive training including clinical duties, teaching, and research. Resident veterinarians are obliged to publish and present their research studies performed during the specialty training to the large audience of other residents, faculty and staff members, veterinary students and other professionals at the annual House Officer Seminar Day, and their research is evaluated by faculty and emeritus faculty members. The Award is the result of an excellent implementation of experience and knowledge obtained during Ana Nemec’s previous and ongoing experimental basic research work in the field of periodontal medicine, to clinical research and practice. Moreover, the Award recognizes fruitful international collaboration of several researchers and clinicians from different biomedical fields.
E.02 International awards
Kaja Blagotinšek student research work entitled »The functional importance of conserved motif in the third intracellular loop for the specificity of the long form of dopamine receptor type 2 (D2L-R)« was awarded by the Prešeren award of University of Ljubljana for best student research work of the year 2012. Work was supervised by Milka Vrecl and Valentina Kubale Dvojmoč. The research work examined the role of the cluster of basic arginine (RRR) within the 29 amino acids insertion in the third intracellular loop, which represents a well preserved motif of type RXR for the retention in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), for the intracellular processing and the internalization of D2L-R. One or more amino acids in the RRR motif have been mutated into glutamic acid (E). The surface expression level and cellular localization of the wild type and mutants of D2L-R were monitored by the radioligand binding assay, ELISA, fluorescence-activated cell sorting method and confocal microscopy. With ELISA and the intramolecular bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) method, we examined the influence of agonist activation on the wild type and mutants of D2L-R internalization kinetics and beta-arrestin 2 conformational changes. The impact of acquired mutations on the predicted structure of the insertion was examined by Predict Protein software. Obtained results have shown that evolutionary preserved arginine motif has a role in the intracellular retention of D2L-R. Individual mutants altered the kinetics and extent of agonist stimulated internalization and influenced the conformational state of beta-arrestin 2. However, the influence of individual arginine residues may differ within the motif.
E.01 National awards
COBISS.SI-ID: 3614330In October 2012 Gregor Majdič was invited to give lecture at the prestigious University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). During the lecture he presented results from his research group in the field of brain sexual differentiation. In particular, he presented results that are closely connected with the research programme P4-0053 abut hormone independent brain sexual differentiation.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 3593082Modest Vengušt has been invited to speak at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum. His lecture reviewed new principles with regards to understanding pulmonary pressure dynamics (Starling forces) in general and in horses. More specifically, the influence of Starling forces on healthy equine lung during exercise/exertion was assessed, as well as the balance of Starling forces in different lung pathology, with emphasis on lung oedema formation and resolution. Pharmacological modulation of starling forces and pulmonary fluid dynamics were also discussed. The ACVIM Forum is the veterinary profession's premier event for internal medicine; in 2012 it attracted over 3,300 veterinary professionals from all over the world.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 3545722Milka Vrecl was first guest-associated editor and in year 2012 she became an associate editor of Frontiers in Molecular and Structural Endocrinology. Frontiers in Molecular and Structural Endocrinology is a specialty section of Frontiers in Endocrinology. It publishes significant basic research findings on molecular and mechanistic aspects of hormone, growth factor and cytokine action and secretion, with special emphasis on the link between structure and function and is indexed among others in PubMed. Frontiers is an online platform for the scientific community to publish open-access articles and in 2013 Frontiers is joining Nature Publishing Group (NPG) in a strategic alliance to advance the global open science movement.
C.04 Editorial board of an international magazine
COBISS.SI-ID: 3340154