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Elaine L. Bearer
Elaine Bearer in 2022.
Born
Elaine Louise Bearer

Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.A.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materManhattan School of Music (BM)
New York University (MA)
UCSF (MD PhD)
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsUniversity of New Mexico,
California Institute of Technology,
Marine Biological Laboratory
Theses
  • Structural Innovations in the String Quartets of Haydn(Master's thesis, NYU)
  • Anionic Lipid Domains in Cell Membranes(PhD thesis, UCSF)
Doctoral advisorDaniel S. Friend
Other academic advisorsJan LaRue, Lelio Orci, Bruce Alberts, Charlie Epstein
Websitepathology.unm.edu/faculty/faculty/ebearer.html

Elaine L. Bearer is an American neuroscientist, pathologist, and composer.

Education

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Bearer received her Bachelor's of Music from The Manhattan School of Music in Theory, June 1970. She received the Masters of Art from New York University, where her thesis was Structural Innovation in the String Quartets of Haydn. Prior to studies at The Manhattan School, Bearer was a pupil of Nadia Boulanger, first at the Ecole Americaine des Beaux Arts in Fontainebleau and continuing in Boulanger's home on Rue Ballu in Paris.[1] She received the combined MD-PhD degree from University of California San Francisco (UCSF).[2]

Career

[edit]

After a one-year post-doctoral fellowship with Lelio Orci in Geneva, Bearer returned to UCSF for residency and fellowship training—clinically in Pathology and Medical Genetics with Charlie Epstein, and scientifically in Biochemistry and Biophysics with Bruce Alberts.[3] She was recruited to a tenure track position at Brown University in 1991 and rose in the ranks to full professorship. In 2009 University of New Mexico recruited her to an endowed tenured professorship and as Vice Chair for Research.[4]

Scientific contributions

[edit]

Bearer studied neurophysiology in John G. Nicholl's lab at Stanford University. Bearer's early scientific contributions as a graduate student include the first ultrastructural imaging of lipid rafts in cell membranes that mediate neuronal signaling (Bearer and Friend, J. Cell Biol., 1982); then as a post-doc the first ultrastructural imaging of endothelial fenestral diaphragms that allow transport of solutes between blood and tissue (Bearer and Orci, J. Cell Biol., 1985),[5] and the first biochemical discovery of Arp2 and 2E4/kaptin, proteins that regulate actin dynamics in neurons (Bearer, 1992)[6] and platelets.[7] While a Principal Investigator in her own lab at Brown University, Bearer discovered that these proteins, initially identified while Bearer was a post-doc at UCSF, turned out to be major regulatory components of the length of stereocilia in the hearing apparatus of the inner ear.[8]

Bearer turned to brain-wide imaging by magnetic resonance imaging in living animals over time during a sabbatical from Brown to Caltech in 2004–2005. This new venture resulted in multiple contributions since 2007 include imaging of the brain in living mouse models of human neuropsychological disorders, such as Down syndrome, Alzheimer's disease,[9] fear to anxiety transitions, viral infections of the brain, and drugs of abuse.[10] Together with collaborator Russell E. Jacobs, Bearer developed and deployed longitudinal manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) coupled with behavior, transgenic mouse models, biochemistry, and optical microscopy to explore brain-wide responses to experience and disease over time.[11][12]

Since 2009, Bearer has been the Harvey Family Professor in Pathology at University of New Mexico,[13] a visitor at California Institute of Technology, and an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[14][2][15] Bearer is also a fellow of the College of American Pathologists.

In 2019 The Manhattan School awarded Bearer the Distinguished Alumni Award,[16] and in 2020, she received a Campaign Alumni Award for "most audacious" [17] from University of California, San Francisco. In 2021 she has been bestowed with an honorary professorship from The Strömstad Akademi, in Sweden,[18] a Nordic Academy for Advanced Studies. Her newly composed string quartet premiered at the award ceremony.[18]

Research details

[edit]

Bearer's research began with studies of membrane dynamics involved in synaptic transmitter release.[19] She developed imaging labels for anionic lipids and made the earliest observations of membrane lipid rafts.[20] and the protein biochemistry of actin modulators[21][22] During this investigation, she identified proteins that drive filament formation[23][24][25][26] and mapped one, kaptin/2E4,[7] on human chromosome 19.[27] This work revealed that mutations in the promoter region of kaptin/2E4 lead to inherited deafness.

Using herpes simplex virus (HSV) as a tool and the squid giant axon as a model,[28] her lab then discovered that amyloid precursor protein (AAP), whose proteolytic product Abeta is the major component of Alzheimer's plaques, recruited cytoskeletal motors to cargo for intracellualr transport within axons.[29] Live video recording of green-labeled HSV and red-labeled APP and high resolution immunogold electronmicroscopy demonstrated that intracellular HSV viral particles interact with cellular APP.[30] Her work on HSV has led towards understanding the HSV-APP connections and its role in Alzheimer's disease.[31][32][33]

In 2004, Bearer began developing magnetic resonance imaging with Russell E. Jacobs, John D. Roberts, and Scott E. Fraser for live imaging of circuitry in mouse models of human neurological and psychiatric disorders. Bearer and Jacobs developed manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) of neural connections and brain activity in transgenic mouse models of human disorders.[34][35][36] From 2006 until 2021, Bearer and Jacobs co-authored 15 publications using MEMRI to discover alterations in hippocampal and forebrain projections.[37]

Science Publishing

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Bearer assumed Editor in Chief for Biology of Natural Sciences (June 2023), a new interdisciplinary open access journal published by Wiley, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26986248. She invites and commissions manuscripts in the field of Biology coupled with chemistry and/or physics. Particular interests are in MR imaging of brain in small animals for preclinical discovery and in computational image analyses, especially unbiased, comprehensive approaches with hypothesis-driven validations. Manuscripts describing processes or results investigating the behavior-brain continuum will be especially attractive.

Music

[edit]

Bearer is a composer, who has had performances annually of new compositions.[38] While at Brown University from 1991 to 2009, she was a professor in both Biology and Medicine and in Music,[15] and she holds a secondary appointment in the Music Department at University of New Mexico. Her piano concerto, Ode to the White Crown Sparrow, was premiered by Tyler Lincoln and the Symphony of the Redwoods;[39] Ah-tosh-mit Overture for orchestra was commissioned for the 125th anniversary of University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and performed by the UCSF Symphony under the baton of Jonathan Davis;[40] the Magdalene Passion, an hour-long oratorio for five soloists, chorus, organ and chamber orchestra, was commissioned by the Providence Singers[41] and premiered by Julian Wachner,[42] conductor; Ultrasonic, a symphonic tone poem, was commissioned and performed by St Mathew's Music Guild in Pacific Palisades under the direction of Tom Neenan[43] and multiple choral works with various instrumental accompaniments have been performed by the Pasadena Promusica led by Stephen Grimm.[44] In March 2018, Pasadena Promusica premiered Bearer's L'alma rapita for chorus and string quartet inspired by Carlo Gesualdo, the 16-17th century madrigalist.[45] This piece will be performed by Meritage, conducted by Brian Dehn, in Orange County, CA in June 2024.

Bearer's piece for solo flute with interactive video projections, Density silver water, was performed as part of the John Donald Robb Composer's Showcase[46] in New Mexico by Jesse Tatum[47] with video projections by John B Carpenter in March 2018;[48] and The Replication Machine, for viola-clarinet duo with readings and audience participation was presented to Bruce M. Alberts[49] for his birthday at the Metropolitan Club in San Francisco in April 2018.

A CD of Bearer's music was issued by Albany Records.[50] The score of her Nicholls Trio, written as a tribute to John Graham Nicholls, is published by Hildegaard Publishing Company.[51]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2019 Elaine Bearer, Manhattan School of Music Distinguished Alumni Award". YouTube. October 17, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Elaine Bearer". unm.edu. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  3. ^ "Bearer Research & Scholarly Projects: Basal activity in WT brain by MEMRI". University of New Mexico.
  4. ^ "Department of Pathology | The University of New Mexico". pathology.unm.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  5. ^ Bearer, E. L.; Orci, L. (1985). "Endothelial fenestral diaphragms: a quick-freeze, deep-etch study". The Journal of Cell Biology. 100 (2): 418–428. doi:10.1083/jcb.100.2.418. ISSN 0021-9525. PMC 2113429. PMID 3968170.
  6. ^ Bearer, E. L. (March 1992). "An Actin-associated Protein Present in the Microtubule Organizing Center and the Growth Cones of PC-12 Cells". The Journal of Neuroscience. 12 (3): 750–761. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.12-03-00750.1992. PMC 3376081. PMID 1372044.
  7. ^ a b Bearer, E. L.; Abraham, M. T. (1999). "2E4 (kaptin): a novel actin-associated protein from human blood platelets found in lamellipodia and the tips of the stereocilia of the inner ear". European Journal of Cell Biology. 78 (2): 117–126. doi:10.1016/S0171-9335(99)80013-2. ISSN 0171-9335. PMC 3376092. PMID 10099934.
  8. ^ BEARER, E. L.; CHEN, A. F.; CHEN, A. H.; LI, Z.; MARK, H.-F.; SMITH, R. J. H.; JACKSON, C. L. (May 2000). "2E4/Kaptin (KPTN) – a candidate gene for the hearing loss locus, DFNA4". Annals of Human Genetics. 64 (Pt 3): 189–196. doi:10.1046/j.1469-1809.2000.6430189.x. ISSN 0003-4800. PMC 3376086. PMID 11409409.
  9. ^ "Do Microbes Trigger Alzheimer's Disease?". The Scientist. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  10. ^ "Drawbacks and benefits of using saliva for epigenetic studies". News-Medical.net. 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  11. ^ "Octopuses, Squid, and Cuttlefish: RNA Editing Instead of Genome Evolution? | DNA Science Blog". DNA Science Blog. 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  12. ^ "Comparative Genomics Shows Squid Optimize DNA 'Blueprint' Through RNA Editing". Science 2.0. 2015-03-20. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  13. ^ "UNM researchers mapping brain circuitry using manganese". UNM Health Sciences Center. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  14. ^ "Elaine Bearer". aaas.org. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Elaine Bearer". brown.edu. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  16. ^ 2019 Elaine Bearer, Manhattan School of Music Distinguished Alumi Award, retrieved 2021-10-21
  17. ^ "2020 UCSF Campaign Alumni Awards Honor Accomplished Alumni, Up-and-Coming Leaders | UC San Francisco". www.ucsf.edu. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  18. ^ a b Strømstad Academy. "Elaine Bearer, Installation speech at Strömstad Academy". YouTube.
  19. ^ Bearer, E. L.; Friend, D. S. (1980). "Anionic lipid domains: correlation with functional topography in a mammalian cell membrane". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 77 (11): 6601–6605. Bibcode:1980PNAS...77.6601B. doi:10.1073/pnas.77.11.6601. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 350334. PMID 6935671.
  20. ^ Bearer, E. L.; Friend, D. S. (1982). "Modifications of anionic-lipid domains preceding membrane fusion in guinea pig sperm". The Journal of Cell Biology. 92 (3): 604–615. doi:10.1083/jcb.92.3.604. ISSN 0021-9525. PMC 2112035. PMID 7085750.
  21. ^ Bearer, E. L. (1991). "Actin in the Drosophila embryo: is there a relationship to developmental cue localization?". BioEssays. 13 (4): 199–204. doi:10.1002/bies.950130410. ISSN 0265-9247. PMC 4666703. PMID 1859400.
  22. ^ Bearer, E. L. (1991). "Direct observation of actin filament severing by gelsolin and binding by gCap39 and CapZ". The Journal of Cell Biology. 115 (6): 1629–1638. doi:10.1083/jcb.115.6.1629. ISSN 0021-9525. PMC 2289206. PMID 1661732.
  23. ^ Bearer, E. L. (1992). "An actin-associated protein present in the microtubule organizing center and the growth cones of PC-12 cells". The Journal of Neuroscience. 12 (3): 750–761. doi:10.1523/jneurosci.12-03-00750.1992. ISSN 0270-6474. PMC 3376081. PMID 1372044.
  24. ^ Bearer, E. L. (1992). "Fluorescence Microscopy of Single Actin Filaments Labeled by Conjugation to Rhodamine". The Biological Bulletin. 183 (2): 361–362. doi:10.1086/BBLv183n2p361. ISSN 1939-8697. PMID 29300650.
  25. ^ Bearer, E. L.; Liu, J.; Hsu, A.; Reese, T. S. (October 1996). "Method for Visualizing Filaments in Axoplasm by Electron Microscopy". The Biological Bulletin. 191 (2): 272–273. doi:10.1086/BBLv191n2p272. ISSN 1939-8697. PMID 29220227.
  26. ^ Li, Zhi; Kim, Eric S.; Bearer, Elaine L. (2002). "Arp2/3 complex is required for actin polymerization during platelet shape change". Blood. 99 (12): 4466–4474. doi:10.1182/blood.v99.12.4466. ISSN 0006-4971. PMC 3376088. PMID 12036877.
  27. ^ Bearer, E. L.; Chen, A. F.; Chen, A. H.; Li, Z.; Mark, H. F.; Smith, R. J.; Jackson, C. L. (2000). "2E4/Kaptin (KPTN)--a candidate gene for the hearing loss locus, DFNA4". Annals of Human Genetics. 64 (Pt 3): 189–196. doi:10.1046/j.1469-1809.2000.6430189.x. ISSN 0003-4800. PMC 3376086. PMID 11409409.
  28. ^ Bearer, E. L.; Breakefield, X. O.; Schuback, D.; Reese, T. S.; LaVail, J. H. (2000). "Retrograde axonal transport of herpes simplex virus: evidence for a single mechanism and a role for tegument". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 97 (14): 8146–8150. Bibcode:2000PNAS...97.8146B. doi:10.1073/pnas.97.14.8146. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 16684. PMID 10884436.
  29. ^ Satpute-Krishnan, Prasanna; DeGiorgis, Joseph A.; Bearer, Elaine L. (2003). "Fast anterograde transport of herpes simplex virus: role for the amyloid precursor protein of alzheimer's disease". Aging Cell. 2 (6): 305–318. doi:10.1046/j.1474-9728.2003.00069.x. ISSN 1474-9718. PMC 3622731. PMID 14677633.
  30. ^ Cheng, Shi-Bin; Ferland, Paulette; Webster, Paul; Bearer, Elaine L. (2011). "Herpes simplex virus dances with amyloid precursor protein while exiting the cell". PLOS ONE. 6 (3): e17966. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...617966C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017966. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3069030. PMID 21483850.
  31. ^ Bearer, Elaine L. (2012). "HSV, axonal transport and Alzheimer's disease: in vitro and in vivo evidence for causal relationships". Future Virology. 7 (9): 885–899. doi:10.2217/fvl.12.81. ISSN 1746-0794. PMC 3546524. PMID 23335944.
  32. ^ Itzhaki, Ruth F.; Lathe, Richard; Balin, Brian J.; Ball, Melvyn J.; Bearer, Elaine L.; Braak, Heiko; Bullido, Maria J.; Carter, Chris; Clerici, Mario (2016). "Microbes and Alzheimer's Disease". Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 51 (4): 979–984. doi:10.3233/JAD-160152. ISSN 1875-8908. PMC 5457904. PMID 26967229.
  33. ^ Brown, William D.; Bearer, Elaine L.; Donahue, John E. (2010). "Chronic active herpes simplex type 2 encephalitis in an asymptomatic immunocompetent child". Journal of Child Neurology. 25 (7): 901–908. doi:10.1177/0883073809353449. ISSN 1708-8283. PMC 3376078. PMID 20179002.
  34. ^ Bearer, Elaine L.; Zhang, Xiaowei; Jacobs, Russell E. (2007). "Live imaging of neuronal connections by magnetic resonance: Robust transport in the hippocampal-septal memory circuit in a mouse model of Down syndrome". NeuroImage. 37 (1): 230–242. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.05.010. ISSN 1053-8119. PMC 2074885. PMID 17566763.
  35. ^ Bearer, Elaine L.; Falzone, Tomás Luis; Zhang, Xiaowei; Biris, Octavian; Rasin, Arkady; Jacobs, Russell E. (2007). "Role of neuronal activity and kinesin on tract tracing by manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI)". NeuroImage. 37 (Suppl 1): S37–46. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.04.053. ISSN 1053-8119. PMC 2096707. PMID 17600729.
  36. ^ Bearer, Elaine L.; Zhang, Xiaowei; Janvelyan, Davit; Boulat, Benoit; Jacobs, Russell E. (2009). "Reward circuitry is perturbed in the absence of the serotonin transporter". NeuroImage. 46 (4): 1091–1104. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.03.026. ISSN 1095-9572. PMC 2693299. PMID 19306930.
  37. ^ "Bearer-el and Jacobs-re - Search Results - PubMed". PubMed. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  38. ^ Floyd, James Michael (2011). Composers in the classroom a bio-bibliography of composers at conservatories, colleges, and universities in the United States. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. pp. 34–37. ISBN 9781461657644. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  39. ^ "Symphony of the Redwoods". www.symphonyoftheredwoods.org. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  40. ^ Francisco, University of California, San (1990). UCSF News. The University.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  41. ^ "Commissions of the Providence Singers". www.providencesingers.org. Archived from the original on 2018-09-11. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  42. ^ "Julian Wachner - Conductor / Composer". www.julianwachner.com. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  43. ^ "Music at Saint Matthews: World-Class Music Close to Home". musicguildonline.org. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  44. ^ "index". www.pasadenapromusica.org. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  45. ^ "Pasadena Pro Musica -Psalms, Hymns, and Inspired Songs - Stephen Grimm - Artistic Director - Neighborhood Church". www.performingartslive.com. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  46. ^ "2018 John Donald Robb Composers' Symposium". Robb Musical Trust. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  47. ^ "Jesse Tatum - The Santa Fe Symphony". The Santa Fe Symphony. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  48. ^ "artist // designer at oblong // prof at USC". johnbcarpenter. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  49. ^ "Dr. Bruce Alberts' Website – Bruce Alberts". brucealberts.ucsf.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  50. ^ "Albany Records: Chamber Music". www.albanyrecords.com. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  51. ^ "Hildegard Publishing - Music by Women Composers". www.hildegard.com. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
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