Posted on 12/25/2001 4:26:52 PM PST by rdavis84
We tragically lost our friend and colleague, Tsunao Saitoh, Professor of Neurosciences at the University of California San Diego, and his 13 year old daughter, Louille, at about 11 PM on Tuesday May 7, 1996 as they were returning from his laboratory. They were killed at gun point in front of their home. He had spent the evening working and helping his daughter with her homework. This tragedy is deeply felt by his remaining family, his many colleagues, collaborators, and friends.
Tsunao was highly intelligent, hard working and creative. He had become a leading scientist in the field of Alzheimer research, a superb mentor and a wonderful collaborator. He was warm and caring, considerate and helpful to his students and fellows; his current laboratory group includes 5 pre-doctoral students, 5 post-doctoral fellows, 2 visiting scholars, and support staff. He had a wide breadth of knowledge in both science and the humanities and when there were disagreements he would argue his point of view without rancor. He was sophisticated in his tastes, both Western and Japanese, and knew the best sushi chefs in San Diego. At the same time he was an intensely private individual.
Tsunao, born on December 13, 1949, Received both a Masters (1974) and Ph.D. degree (1977) from the Institute for Virus Research at Kyoto University. From the earliest stages of his career he was extremely productive. Publications from is master's degree work (with S. Hiraga) dealt with DNA replication in E. Coli and DNA transfer to recipient cells; additional publications based on his doctoral studies (with A. Ishihama) focused on subunits of RNA polymerase. At that stage of his career, a new interest in the nervous system motivated a move to Paris to work with P. Changeux at the Pasteur Institute. He remained there as a visiting post-doctoral fellow until 1982 investigating mechanisms of membrane phosphorylation of the Torpedo electric organ. Between 1982-1985, Tsunao was an Associate at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (with J.H. Schwartz). During this period his research dealt with calmodulin dependent protein kinase in Aplysia during long term potentiation.
We were extraordinarily fortunate in recruiting Dr. Saitoh to the UCSD Department of Neurosciences and the Alzheimer Disease Research Center in 1985. Tsunao initially studied changes in protein kinases in brains of Alzheimer patients. Subsequently, he turned his attention to the physiological function of the APP molecule, demonstrating its trophic properties. During these studies, he and his collaborators identified a 17 amino acid active neurotrophic region near the insertion point of the Kunitz sequence. He then discovered a new amyloid component protein (NACP and cloned the NACP gene which is located on chromosome 4 and is present as part of the amyloid core in about four-fifths of the neuritic plaques in Alzheimer brains. He showed that NACP aggregated with the A peptide to form amyloid, in a manner analogous to apolipoprotein E. During the past several months, Dr. Saitoh's laboratory has investigated the possibility that inheritance of a specific allele of NACP might alter susceptibility to the development of Alzheimer's disease. This work was part of a larger scientific effort aimed at identifying genetic factors that might modify the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in both apolipoprotein E4 positive and negative individuals. At the time of his death he was at the very peak of his productive career. Numerous manuscripts were in preparation when his life was cut short.
The entire neuroscience community, and in particular the community of Alzheimer disease scientists, will sorely miss him as a valued colleague and friend.
Alzheimer's Disease Review 1, 37, 1996
©1996. The University of Kentucky. All rights reserved.
A portable display format (pdf) of this file is also available (TSaitoh.pdf).
I've noticed this too/BTTT
Organophosphates, BSE, CJD, Scrapie, Prions, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Pesticides, Industrial Pollutants, Metals, Soils, Diet.
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