It’s the first time the university has hosted the annual conference of the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland which allows national and international scientists to discuss the latest developments in the field.

The conference is hosted by Professor of cellular neurophysiology, Arthur Butt, from the School of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences the University’s world expert on glial cells, and Dr Frank Schubert, from the School of Biological Sciences.

The scientists will focus on progressing research into the interaction between the two different types of cells in the brain. The brain contains two kinds of cell, nerve cells that transmit information and glial cells which were always thought to be simply the packing around the important parts of the brain. Recent research reveals that glial cells are relevant to every pathology in the brain and could hold crucial discoveries about some of the world’s currently incurable brain diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and brain tumours.

Professor Butt said: “”It’s staggering that glial cells are so important yet we know so little about them. Most people haven’t even heard of them and many neurologists are often unaware of their importance. Only in the last 20 years it has become evident that these highly active cells are essential for the nerve cells to function correctly and are involved in virtually every aspect of nervous system.

“With further dedicated research I’m very hopeful that we can make some groundbreaking discoveries into the causes of brain disease.”

The University of Portsmouth boasts the UK’s first dedicated laboratory-based brain tumour research centre under the direction of Professor Geoff Pilkington, a leading brain tumour expert with an international reputation.

The team from the Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Science, which included Professor Geoff Kneale and Dr John McGeehan, have won the David Blow prize for their work. Their research demonstrates how a molecule controls a vital gene that bacteria use to defend themselves against attack by viruses. It’s the first time scientists have seen how the process works.

They used sophisticated imaging techniques to take a highly detailed picture of a molecule that switches a bacterial gene on and off. By firing incredibly powerful x-rays at molecular crystals less than a millionth of a centimetre across, the scientists could visualise the protein switch attached to DNA and reveal how the switch works at the molecular level.

The discovery helps to explain how the information contained within the genome directs all the complicated and exquisitely timed biological processes vital for biological function. The knowledge about such fundamental biological mechanisms could ultimately make it possible to develop more effective antibiotics.

Dr John McGeehan collected the award at a conference of the British Crystallographic Association in Warwick. He said: “It’s especially rewarding because our x-ray facility at the University of Portsmouth has been running for just two years. The work was recognised as providing a unique insight into how genes work.

“The precise timing of this switch is absolutely vital because the gene controls production of an enzyme that destroys the virus’s DNA and prevents infection. However, if the gene is switched on too early the enzyme attacks the bacteria’s own DNA.”

The discovery shows that when a molecule attaches to the gene it bends and twists the DNA in a very precise way. It’s this subtle difference in the shape of the DNA that determines whether it is switched on or off. It’s an important discovery because it is likely there are similar genetic switches controlling other genes.

Professor Kneale said: “We knew that there had to be a way that this gene could be regulated so precisely, but even though we now have the whole sequence of the human genome, our understanding of the mechanisms that control how genes are switched on and off are still relatively rudimentary.

“Our study looked at a gene switch in bacteria; the human genome is more complex and identifying these control mechanisms will be challenging, but it is highly likely that many of the principles that govern them will be similar.”

Scientists knew that a switch existed to precisely regulate genes but this picture of the molecular structure shows for the first time how it works. In principle, drugs could be developed to do the same job as the switch and turn a gene permanently on or off, but such breakthroughs were a long way off, Professor Kneale said.

The research team from the Biomolecular Structure group in the School of Biological Sciences at Portsmouth involved in this work also included Dr Simon Streeter, Dr Sara-Jane Thresh and PhD student Neil Ball. The research was sponsored by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The team recently received another BBSRC grant worth almost £500K to extend this work for the next three years.