Hannah Ben-Zeev Alexander
Hannah Ben-Zeev Alexander
PhD, 1992 University of Missouri
Science outreach programs for adult audiences.
Together with Professor Steve Alexander, we used a combination of genetic, biochemical and cell biological approaches to understand why cancer cells become resistant to the widely used drug cisplatin, and to develop methods to increase the efficiency of the drug, using the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum as a primary genetic system, and subsequently translating the results to human cells.
Following my retirement from bench science, I developed interest in promoting the public’s understanding and appreciation of the role of science in our everyday lives. My activities are geared toward providing training for students to explain their science to the general public and generating opportunities for them to do so.
I developed two graduate-level courses for the Division of Biological Sciences and a graduate certificate in science outreach. In the Public Understanding of Science course, students are mentored as they prepare presentations about a scientific topic of their choice, depicting the role of science in these issues, and deliver them to lay adult audiences in the community. Integrating Science with Outreach is a vehicle for graduate students to acquire academic credit for science outreach related activities they are involved with. The Science Outreach Graduate Certificate is based on 6 credit hours of academic work, and 6 credit hours of outreach activities.
I have been focused on promoting science outreach more broadly. I adopted Public Understanding of Science to an undergraduate course at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and to high school science classes. I have been a member of the Outreach and Education Committee of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), where I have been involved in the development and tutoring of the “Art of Science Communication,” an online course focused on providing fundamental science communication skills to students, faculty and science related professional.
ASBMB Public Outreach Committee Member 2012
Science Outreach Articles
The Art of Science Communication—A Novel Approach to Science Communication Training. Greer, S., Alexander, H., Baldwin, T., Freeze, H., Thompson, M., Hunt, G., Snowflack, D. (2018) J Microbiol Biol Educ. 19(1):19.1.26. 10.1128/jmbe.v19i1.1547
Alexander, H. (2021, Aug 25) Getting the shots: A real-life science communication story. ASBMB Today. (Online) https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/opinions/082521/getting-the-shots
Alexander H., Waldron A., Abell, S. (2011) Science and Me: A Student-Driven Science Outreach Program for Lay Adult Audiences. Journal of College Science Teaching, 40(6):28-34, 2011
Alexander, H., Abell, S. (2010) Intergenerational Interaction Rewards Both Sides. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 8:79–82.
Research Publications
Alexander, S., Swatson, W.S., Alexander, H. Pharmacogenetics of resistance to cisplatin and other anticancer drugs and the role of sphingolipid metabolism (2013) Methods in Molecular Biology, 983, pp. 185-204. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-302-2_10
Alexander, S., Alexander, H. Lead genetic studies in Dictyostelium discoideum and translational studies in human cells demonstrate that sphingolipids are key regulators of sensitivity to cisplatin and other anticancer drugs (2011) Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 22 (1), pp. 97-104. DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2010.10.005
Sridevi, P., Alexander, H., Laviad, E.L., Min, J., Mesika, A., Hannink, M., Futerman, A.H., Alexander, S. Stress-induced ER to Golgi translocation of ceramide synthase 1 is dependent on proteasomal processing (2010) Experimental Cell Research, 316 (1), pp. 78-91. DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2009.09.027
Sridevi, P., Alexander, H., Laviad, E.L., Pewzner-Jung, Y., Hannink, M., Futerman, A.H., Alexander, S. Ceramide synthase 1 is regulated by proteasomal mediated turnover (2009) Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Cell Research, 1793 (7), pp. 1218-1227. Cited 47 times. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2009.04.006
Van Driessche, N., Alexander, H., Min, J., Kuspa, A., Alexander, S., Shaulsky, G. Global transcriptional responses to cisplatin in Dictyostelium discoideum identify potential drug targets (2007) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104 (39), pp. 15406-15411. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0705996104
Min, J., Mesika, A., Sivaguru, M., Van Veldhoven, P.P., Alexander, H., Futerman, A.H., Alexander, S. (Dihydro)ceramide synthase 1-regulated sensitivity to cisplatin is associated with the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and is abrogated by sphingosine kinase 1 (2007) Molecular Cancer Research, 5 (8), pp. 801-812. DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-07-0100
McCaw, D.L., Chan, A.S., Stegner, A.L., Mooney, B., Bryan, J.N., Turnquist, S.E., Henry, C.J., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. Proteomics of canine lymphoma identifies potential cancer-specific protein markers (2007) Clinical Cancer Research, 13 (8), pp. 2496-2503. DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-06-2699
Min, J., Sridevi, P., Alexander, S., Alexander, H. Sensitive cell viability assay for use in drug screens and for studying the mechanism of action of drugs in Dictyostelium discoideum (2006) BioTechniques, 41 (5), pp. 591-595. DOI: 10.2144/000112260
Williams, R.S.B., Boeckeler, K., Gräf, R., Müller-Taubenberger, A., Li, Z., Isberg, R.R., Wessels, D., Soll, D.R., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. Towards a molecular understanding of human diseases using Dictyostelium discoideum (2006) Trends in Molecular Medicine, 12 (9), pp. 415-424. DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2006.07.003
Alexander, S., Min, J., Alexander, H. Dictyostelium discoideum to human cells: Pharmacogenetic studies demonstrate a role for sphingolipids in chemoresistance (2006) Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - General Subjects, 1760 (3), pp. 301-309. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2005.11.015
Min, J., Van Veldhoven, P.P., Zhang, L., Hanigan, M.H., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. Sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase regulates sensitivity of human cells to select chemotherapy drugs in a p38-dependent manner (2005) Molecular Cancer Research, 3 (5), pp. 287-296. DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-04-0197
Min, J., Traynor, D., Stegner, A.L., Zhang, L., Hanigan, M.H., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. Sphingosine kinase regulates the sensitivity of Dictyostelium discoideum cells to the anticancer drug cisplatin (2005) Eukaryotic Cell, 4 (1), pp. 178-189. DOI: 10.1128/EC.4.1.178-189.2005
Alexander, H., Stegner, A.L., Wagner-Mann, C., Du Bois, G.C., Alexander, S., Sauter, E.R. Proteomic analysis to identify breast cancer biomarkers in nipple aspirate fluid (2004) Clinical Cancer Research, 10 (22), pp. 7500-7510. DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-04-1002
Kumar, A., Wessels, D., Daniels, K.J., Alexander, H., Alexander, S., Soll, D.R. Sphingosine-1-phosphate plays a role in the suppression of lateral pseudopod formation during Dictyostelium discoideum cell migration and chemotaxis (2004) Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton, 59 (4), pp. 227-241. DOI: 10.1002/cm.20035
Min, J., Stegner, A.L., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. Overexpression of sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase or inhibition of sphingosine kinase in Dictyostelium discoideum results in a selective increase in sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy drugs (2004) Eukaryotic Cell, 3 (3), pp. 795-805. DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.3.795-805.2004
Alexander, H., Vomund, A.N., Alexander, S. Viability assay for Dictyostelium for use in drug studies (2003) BioTechniques, 35 (3), pp. 464-470. DOI: 10.2144/03353bm05
Garcia, Ma.X.U., Alexander, H., Mahadeo, D., Cotter, D.A., Alexander, S. The Dictyostelium discoideum prespore-specific catalase B functions to control late development and to protect spore viability (2003) Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Cell Research, 1641 (1), pp. 55-64. DOI: 10.1016/S0167-4889(03)00064-8
Alexander, S., Srinivasan, S., Alexander, H. Proteomics opens doors to the mechanisms of developmentally regulated secretion (2003) Molecular & cellular proteomics: MCP, 2 (11), pp. 1156-1163. DOI: 10.1074/mcp.R300011-MCP200
Garcia, Ma.X.U., Roberts, C., Alexander, H., Stewarts, A.M., Harwood, A., Alexander, S., Insall, R.H. Methanol and acriflavine resistance in Dictyostelium are caused by loss of catalase (2002) Microbiology, 148 (1), pp. 333-340. DOI: 10.1099/00221287-148-1-333
Li, G., Foote, C., Alexander, S., Alexander, H. Sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase has a central role in the development of Dictyostelium discoideum (2001) Development, 128 (18), pp. 3473-3483.
Srinivasan, S., Traini, M., Herbert, B., Sexton, D., Harry, J., Alexander, H., Williams, K.L., Alexander, S. Proteomic analysis of a developmentally regulated secretory vesicle (2001) Proteomics, 1 (9), pp. 1119-1127. DOI: 10.1002/1615-9861(200109)1:9<1119::AID-PROT1119>3.0.CO;2-X
Barth, C., Greferath, U., Kotsifas, M., Tanaka, Y., Alexander, S., Alexander, H., Fisher, P.R. Transcript mapping and processing of mitochondrial RNA in Dictyostelium discoideum (2001) Current Genetics, 39 (5-6), pp. 355-364. DOI: 10.1007/s002940100196
Srinivasan, S., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. The Dictyostelium fruiting body - A structure of cells and cellulose (2000) Trends in Cell Biology, 10 (8), p. 315. DOI: 10.1016/S0962-8924(00)01775-X
Garcia, Ma.X.U., Foote, C., Van Es, S., Devreotes, P.N., Alexander, S., Alexander, H. Differential developmental expression and cell type specificity of Dictyostelium catalases and their response to oxidative stress and UV-light (2000) Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene Structure and Expression, 1492 (2-3), pp. 295-310. DOI: 10.1016/S0167-4781(00)00063-4
Srinivasan, S., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. Crossing the finish line of development: Regulated secretion of Dictyostelium proteins (2000) Trends in Cell Biology, 10 (6), pp. 215-219. DOI: 10.1016/S0962-8924(00)01758-X
Li, G., Alexander, H., Schneider, N., Alexander, S. Molecular basis for resistance to the anticancer drug cisplatin in Dictyostelium (2000) Microbiology, 146 (9), pp. 2219-2227. DOI: 10.1099/00221287-146-9-2219
Srinivasan, S., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. The prespore vesicles of Dictyostelium discoideum. Purification, characterization, and developmental regulation (1999) Journal of Biological Chemistry, 274 (50), pp. 35823-35831 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.274.50.35823
Lee, S.-K., Yu, S.-L., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. A mutation in repB, the Dictyostelium homolog of the human xeroderma pigmentosum B gene, has increased sensitivity to UV-light but normal morphogenesis (1998) Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene Structure and Expression, 1399 (2-3), pp. 161-172. DOI: 10.1016/S0167-4781(98)00103-1
Yu, S.-L., Lee, S.-K., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. Rapid changes of nucleotide excision repair gene expression following UV-irradiation and cisplatin treatment of Dictyostelium discoideum (1998) Nucleic Acids Research, 26 (14), pp. 3397-3403. DOI: 10.1093/nar/26.14.3397
Lee, S.-K., Li, G., Yu, S.-L., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. The Dictyostelium discoideum β-1,4-mannosyltransferase gene, mntA, has two periods of developmental expression (1997) Gene, 204 (1-2), pp. 251-258. DOI: 10.1016/S0378-1119(97)00553-2
Lee, S.-K., Yu, S.-L., Xenia Garcia, Ma., Alexander, H., Alexander, S. Differential developmental expression of the repB and repD Xeroderma pigmentosum related DNA helicase genes from Dictyostelium discoideum (1997) Nucleic Acids Research, 25 (12), pp. 2365-2374. DOI: 10.1093/nar/25.12.2365
Alexander, H., Lee, S.-K., Yu, S.-L., Alexander, S repE - The Didyostelium homolog of the human xeroderma pigmentosum group e gene is developmentally regulated and contains a leucine zipper motif (1996) Nucleic Acids Research, 24 (12), pp. 2295-2301. DOI: 10.1093/nar/24.12.2295
Alexander, H. Epitope mapping using an oligonucleotide replacement method (1996) Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.), 66, pp. 221-232. DOI: 10.1385/0-89603-375-9:221
Alexander, H. (1996). Epitope mapping using an oligonucleotide replacement method. In "Epitope Mapping Protocols" (G. Morris, Ed.), Humana Press, Inc., Totowa
Alexander, H., Alexander, S Identification of introns by reverse-transcription PCR (1996) BioTechniques, 20 (5), pp. 778-780. DOI: 10.2144/96205bm08
Lee, S.-K., Yu, S.-L., Alexander, H., Alexander, S Increasing the specificity of colony hybridization when using heterologous probes (1996) BioTechniques, 21 (4), pp. 630-632. DOI: 10.2144/96214bm14
Alexander, H., Alexander, S., Getzoff, E.D., Tainer, J.A., Mario Geysen, H., Lerner, R.A Altering the antigenicity of proteins (1992) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 89 (8), pp. 3352-3356.
Alexander, H., Alexander, S., Heffron, F., Fieser, T.M., Hay, B.N., Getzoff, E.D., Tainer, J.A., Lerner, R.A Synthesis and characterization of a recombinant myohemerythrin protein encoded by a synthetic gene (1991) Gene, 99 (2), pp. 151-156. DOI: 10.1016/0378-1119(91)90121-Q
Ricksten, A., Kallin, B., Alexander, H., Dillner, J., Fahraeus, R., Klein, G., Lerner, R., Rymo, L BamHI E region of the Epstein-Barr virus genome encodes three transformation-associated nuclear proteins (1988) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 85 (4), pp. 995-999. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.85.4.995
Novotny, J., Bruccoleri, R.E., Carlson, W.D., Handschumacher, M., Haber, E., Mario Geysen, H., Rodda, S.J., Mason, T.J., Tainer, J.A., Alexander, H., Getzoff, E.D., Lerner, R.A Antigenicity of myohemerythrin (1987) Science, 238 (4833), pp. 1584-1586. DOI: 10.1126/science.2446393
Geysen, H.M., Tainer, J.A., Rodda, S.J., Mason, T.J., Alexander, H., Getzoff, E.D., Lerner, R.A Chemistry of antibody binding to a protein (1987) Science, 235 (4793), pp. 1184-1190. DOI: 10.1126/science.3823878
Getzoff, E.D., Geysen, H.M., Rodda, S.J., Alexander, H., Tainer, J.A., Lerner, R.A. Mechanisms of antibody binding to a protein (1987) Science, 235 (4793), pp. 1191-1196. DOI: 10.1126/science.3823879
Norrby, E., Mufson, M.A., Alexander, H., Houghten, R.A., Lerner, R.A. Site-directed serology with synthetic peptides representing the large glycoprotein G of respiratory syncytial virus (1987) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 84 (18), pp. 6572-6576. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.84.18.6572
Dillner, J., Kallin, B., Alexander, H., Ernberg, I., Uno, M., Ono, Y., Klein, G., Lerner, R.A. An Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA5) partly encoded by the transformation-associated Bam WYH region of EBV DNA: Preferential expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines (1986) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 83 (17), pp. 6641-6645. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.83.17.6641
Moriarty, A. M., Alexander, H., Lerner, R. A., Thornton. G. B. Antibodies to peptides detect new hepatitis B antigen: serological correlation with hepatocellular carcinoma. (1985) Science 227 (4685): 429-33.
Tainer, J.A., Getzoff, E.D., Alexander, H., Houghten, R.A., Olson, A.J., Lerner, R.A Mobility and evolutionary variability factors in protein antigenicity (1985) Nature, 317 (6032), p. 90. DOI: 10.1038/317090b0
Dillner, J., Kallin, B., Klein, G., Jörnvall, H., Alexander, H., Lerner, R Antibodies against synthetic peptides react with the second Epstein-Barr virus-associated nuclear antigen (1985) The EMBO journal, 4 (7), pp. 1813-1818. DOI: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb03855.x
Moriarty, A.M., Alexander, H., Lerner, R.A., Thornton, G.B Antibodies to peptides detect new hepatitis B antigen: Serological correlation with hepatocellular carcinoma (1985) Science, 227 (4685), pp. 429-433. DOI: 10.1126/science.2981434
Tainer, J.A., Getzoff, E.D., Alexander, H., Houghten, R.A., Olson, A.J., Lerner, R.A., Hendrickson, W.A The reactivity of anti-peptide antibodies is a function of the atomic mobility of sites in a protein (1984) Nature, 312 (5990), pp. 127-134. DOI: 10.1038/312127a0
Alexander, H., Johnson, D.A., Rosen, J., Jerabek, L., Green, N., Weissman, I.L., Lerner, R.A Mimicking the alloantigenicity of proteins with chemically synthesized peptides differing in single amino acids (1983) Nature, 306 (5944), pp. 697-699. DOI: 10.1038/306697a0
Gerin, J.L., Alexander, H., Shih, J.W.K., Purcell, R.H., Dapolito, G., Engle, R., Green, N., Sutcliffe, J.G., Shinnick, T.M., Lerner, R.A Chemically synthesized peptides of hepatitis B surface antigen duplicate the d/y specificities and induce subtype-specific antibodies in chimpanzees (1983) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 80 (8 I), pp. 2365-2369. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.80.8.2365
Bittle, J.L., Houghten, R.A., Alexander, H., Shinnick, T.M., Sutcliffe, J.G., Lerner, R.A., Rowlands, D.J., Brown, F Protection against foot-and-mouth disease by immunization with a chemically synthesized peptide predicted from the viral nucleotide sequence (1982) Nature, 298 (5869), pp. 30-33. DOI: 10.1038/298030a0
Green, N., Alexander, H., Olson, A., Alexander, S., Shinnick, T.M., Sutcliffe, J.G., Lerner, R.A Immunogenic structure of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (1982) Cell, 28 (3), pp. 477-487. DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90202-1
Lerner, R.A., Green, N., Alexander, H., Liu, F.T., Sutcliffe, J.G., Shinnick, T.M Chemically synthesized peptides predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the hepatitis B virus genome elicit antibodies reactive with the native envelope protein of Dane particles (1981) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 78 (6 I), pp. 3403-3407. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.78.6.3403
Sonenshein, A.L., Alexander, H.B. Initiation of transcription in vitro is inhibited by lipiarmycin (1979) Journal of Molecular Biology, 127 (1), pp. 55-72. DOI: 10.1016/0022-2836(79)90459-5
Sonenshein, A.L., Alexander, H.B., Rothstein, D.M., Fisher, S.H Lipiarmycin resistant ribonucleic acid polymerase mutants of Bacillus subtilis (1977) Journal of Bacteriology, 132 (1), pp. 73-79.
Sussman, R., Ben-Ze'ev, H. Proposed mechanism of bacteriophage lambda induction: acquisition of binding sites for lambda repressor by DNA of the host (1975) Proceedings of the National Academies of Science USA, 72 (5): 1973-1976.
Hattori, J., Ben-Ze'ev, H., Silberstein, Z., Tesone, C., Torriani, A. Ribonucleic acid polymerase of germinating Bacillus cereus T. (1975) Journal of Bacteriology, 124 (1): 542-549.
Cohen, A., Ben-Ze'ev, H., Silberstein, Z. Control of temporal gene expression during outgrowth of Bacillus cereus spores (1975) In Spores IV. American Society for Microbiology, Washington.
Ben-Ze'ev, H., Hattori, J., Silberstein, Z., Tesone, C., Torriani A. Ribonucleic acid polymerase from dormant and germinating spores of Bacillus cereus T (1975) In Spores IV. American Society for Microbiology, Washington.
Mazor, Z., Ben-Ze'ev, H., Silberstein, Z., Cohen, A. Bacillus cereus outgrowth early proteins and their possible role in control of transcription (1974) Adv Exp Med Biol, 44 (1): 25-35.
Cohen, A., Ben-Ze'ev, H., Yashouv, J. Outgrowth of Bacillus cereus spores harboring bacteriophage CP-51 DNA. I. Initiation of bacteriophage development (1973) J Virol, 11(5): 648-654.
Ben-Ze'ev, H.B. The development of the phage CP-51 trapped in spores of B. cereus during spore germination (1972). M.Sc thesis, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.