Alka Agrawal, a 1999 Ph.D. graduate of Yale, won the $25,000 Young Scientist Prize awarded by Science and Amersham Pharmacia Biotech (AP-Biotech) for her essay describing the discovery of "jumping DNA's" role in the modern immune system's evolution.
Working under the direction of David Schatz, professor of immunobiology at the School of Medicine, Agrawal proved that certain genes known as RAG1 and RAG2 are not only responsible for shuffling certain bits of DNA in the immune system to produce antibodies, but they can also perform transposition, or cause DNA to "jump" from one place to another. Her winning essay appears in the Dec. 1 issue of Science.
"Only higher-order animals, from sharks on up, can make antibodies in this sophisticated way," says Agrawal. "About 450 million years ago, some event occurred that made it possible. The research provides strong support for the idea that the RAG1 and RAG2 genes came into the modern genomes of higher-order animals by jumping into the genome of an early jawed vertebrate such as a primitive shark."
RAG1 and RAG2 genes are found in all jawed vertebrates, from sharks to humans, and explain why higher-order animals have complex immune systems, including a first and second line of defense against invading pathogens.
Agrawal says if these genes were to transpose in living cells, they may be involved in the harmful DNA translocations linked to some cancers. The RAG1 and RAG 2 genes themselves no longer move around in the genome, but they could potentially cause other pieces of DNA to do so, she notes
The alumna's research involved a system that tracks the products of a phenomenon called V(D)J recombination. The immune system generates receptors capable of recognizing many different antigens by rearranging gene segments called V, J and D. Agrawal notes that while research has not yet demonstrated jumping DNA transposition in living cells, "it is somewhat logical that errors in V(D)J recombination could have undesirable results, and we therefore must continue to investigate whether this is happening."
APBiotech, a leading global provider of biotechnology systems, products and services, teamed up with Science to establish the Young Scientists Prize in 1995. Each year, the prize supports molecular biologists in an early stage of their careers.
A judging panel selects the Young Scientists grand prize winner and may present regional awards in four geographic regions: North America, Europe, Japan and all other countries. These regional winners receive $5,000 awards.
"Alka's grand prize is well deserved and I am thrilled for her and proud of her accomplishment," says Schatz, who served as her adviser at Yale.
Agrawal earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan and completed her doctoral degree in pharmacology at Yale. She has since studied science policy and completed a Mass Media Fellowship offered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which publishes Science. Agrawal has embarked on a career in science journalism.
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