Pierre De Meyts

Summary

Pierre De Meyts (born 1944) is a Belgian physician and biochemist known for his research on fine chemical and kinetic aspects of ligand-receptor interaction, subunit assembly, and specific metabolic (as well as mitogenic) effects of hormones typically causing receptor tyrosine kinase activation such as insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). He has also studied receptor signalling for other peptide hormones such as growth hormone and relaxin, and key pathophysiological aspects of diabetes mellitus. De Meyts held professorial posts for over three decades at several European and United States institutions and currently is an emeritus professor in the Science Faculty at the Université catholique de Louvain.[1][2] While living in Denmark (1990-2010) he occupied executive research positions at Novo Nordisk.[3] De Meyts (a.k.a. Chuck) is also known as a science cartoonist.[4][5]

Pierre De Meyts
Born1944 (age 79–80)
Verviers, Belgium
NationalityBelgian
EducationUniversity of Liège
Known forDiabetogenes
AwardsChristophe Plantin Prize, Belgium
Scientific career
FieldsHormone-receptor interaction of peptide hormones, physiopathogenesis of diabetes
InstitutionsHôpital de Bavière; Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Université catholique de Louvain; Beckman Research Institute, California; Hagedorn Research Institute, Copenhagen; University of Copenhagen

Biography edit

De Meyts was born in Verviers (Belgium) in 1944.[6] He attended high school at the Athénée Royal de Verviers, where he read "Humanités Anciennes" (Latin-Mathématiques). In 1969 De Meyts received his MD with honors ("Grande Distinction") from the University of Liège Medical School, and during the subsequent three years he specialized in internal medicine at the Hôpital de Bavière. Soon after he spent three years at NIH as a visiting scientist. During this NIH period De Meyts became a prominent member of the research group led by Jesse Roth, studying insulin receptors, and authoring a dozen original papers in duly indexed journals.[7][8] In 1976, after NIH, he returned to Belgium where he occupied academic positions at universities including the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the International Institute of Cellular and Molecular Pathology (now called "de Duve Institute", Université catholique de Louvain). De Meyts then moved to California (1984-1990), where he joined the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, (Duarte) and also taught at the University of Southern California for a short period. Immediately after, De Meyts was recruited by Novo Nordisk where he successively became the director of research of the Hagedorn Research Institute (1990-2000), scientific director of its Receptor Systems Biology Laboratory (2000-2010), and corporate vice-president of the company. During this period in Denmark until 2011 De Meyts simultaneously held academic posts as adjunct professor of experimental endocrinology (2000-2005) and guest lecturer (2007-2011) at the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health Sciences.[9] Since then De Meyts returned to his home country and founded his own consulting company in Kraainem, where he remains professionally active.[10]

Research edit

De Meyts began his research career while a medical student at the University of Liège, collaborating with mentors such as Jean Lecomte and Annie Cession-Fossion in studies of the vascular actions of sympathomimetics.[11][12] During a three-year visit to NIH starting in 1973, De Meyts got involved in what -by far- would become his major research fields: hormone-receptor interaction of peptide hormones and the study of the physiopathogenesis of diabetes. In the latter field his article with Steven G. Gray was the first to propose the possible etiological role of epigenetic factors in diabetes.[13] Also, De Meyts's articles first coined the term diabetogenes (1993), a new concept which has gained significant acceptance among independent peers in many countries (France,[14] US,[15][16][17][18] Japan[19] and Denmark).[20][21] Below is a list of De Meyts's most notable research topics and achievements:

  • Growth hormone effects and signalling in adipocytes and IM-9 lymphocytes[22][23][24][25]
  • Demonstration of negative cooperativity in insulin and IGF receptors as well as other RTKs and GPCRs[26][27][28][29][30]
  • Delineation of the two receptor binding surfaces of insulin and IGFs[9][31][32][33]
  • Molecular basis of mitogenicity of insulin and insulin analogues[34][35]
  • Mathematical model of the insulin and IGF-I receptor based on bivalent crosslinking of a harmonic oscillator (with Vladislav Kiselyov)[36][37]
  • Diabetogenes concept of T2D pathogenesis[38][39]
  • Theoretical analysis of hormone-receptor based drug design in cancer and diabetes[40]

Papers edit

De Meyt's most recent papers as a main author include:

  • De Meyts, Pierre (2015-04). "Insulin/receptor binding: the last piece of the puzzle? What recent progress on the structure of the insulin/receptor complex tells us (or not) about negative cooperativity and activation". BioEssays: News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. 37 (4): 389–397. doi:10.1002/bies.201400190. ISSN 1521-1878. PMID 25630923[41]
  • De Meyts, Pierre (2016), Feingold, Kenneth R.; Anawalt, Bradley; Boyce, Alison; Chrousos, George (eds.), "The Insulin Receptor and Its Signal Transduction Network", Endotext, South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc., PMID 27512793[42]
  • De Meyts, Pierre (2016). "Structural basis for the poisonous activity of a predator's venom insulin". Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 23 (10): 872–874. doi:10.1038/nsmb.3304. ISSN 1545-9985. PMID 27706132[43]
  • Rostène, William; De Meyts, Pierre (2021-09-28). "Insulin: A 100-Year-Old Discovery With a Fascinating History". Endocrine Reviews. 42 (5): 503–527. doi:10.1210/endrev/bnab020. ISSN 1945-7189. PMID 34273145[44]

Career edit

  • 1969, M.D. University of Liege Medical School, Belgium[9]
  • 1972, Internal Medicine, University of Liege Medical School[9]
  • 1995, Degree of "Agrégé de l'Enseignement Supérieur" (Ph.D.) at the Catholic University of Louvain[9]
  • 1997, Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology[1]
  • 2006, Elected to ScanBalt Academy[45]

Editorial activity edit

De Meyts is chief specialty editor of Frontiers in Molecular and Structural Endocrinology,[46] associate editor of Frontiers in Systems Biology,[1][47] and member of the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.[48]

Awards edit

Cartoonist edit

 
Black-Box concept of insulin action, by Chuck

De Meyts's often iconoclastic cartoons first attained notoriety among francophone readers during the student upheavals occurring in 1968–69.[49] Many of his cartoons and posters from this period are archived and can be consulted at the Institut d’histoire ouvrière, économique et sociale in Seraing.[50][51][52] Once a scientist, he began drawing satirical science-cartoons. Many of these have been published in mainstream journals such as Nature, Trends in Biochemical Sciences, and Trends in Pharmacological Sciences.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Pierre De Meyts". frontiersin.org. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Speaker Biographies". ectsoc.org. Archived from the original on 5 October 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Pierre de Meyts". excellence-in-diabetes.eu. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Featured Cartoons by Pierre De Meyts". sarahgreene.net. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  5. ^ a b De Meyts, Pierre (2005). "A Scientist and a Cartoonist: how Chuck came to be". IUBMB Life. 57 (4–5): 251–252. doi:10.1080/152165405000943134. S2CID 221830282.
  6. ^ "1944, the liberation of Brussels". brussels.be. Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  7. ^ "C U R R I C U L U M V I T A E, PDM" (PDF). demeytsconsulting.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  8. ^ "JESSE ROTH, MD, FACP". 2.kenes.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e "PDM biographical sketch" (PDF). 3.niddk.nih.gov. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  10. ^ "De Meyts R&D Consulting SPRLU". demeytsconsulting.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  11. ^ De Meyts, P; Lecomte, J (20 July 1967). "[Pseudo-ephedrine as sympathomimetic amine with indirect action in the rat]". Comptes Rendus des Séances de la Société de Biologie et de Ses Filiales. 161 (2): 487–8. PMID 4229166.
  12. ^ De Meyts, P; Cession-Fossion, A (1966). "[Ephedrine as a sympathicomimetic amine with indirect action in the rat]". Comptes Rendus des Séances de la Société de Biologie et de Ses Filiales. 160 (11): 2224–7. PMID 4228170.
  13. ^ Gray, SG; De Meyts, P (September–October 2005). "Role of histone and transcription factor acetylation in diabetes pathogenesis". Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews. 21 (5): 416–33. doi:10.1002/dmrr.559. PMID 15906405. S2CID 35952558.
  14. ^ Baudry, A; Leroux, L; Jackerott, M; Joshi, RL (April 2002). "Genetic manipulation of insulin signaling, action and secretion in mice. Insights into glucose homeostasis and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes". EMBO Reports. 3 (4): 323–8. doi:10.1093/embo-reports/kvf078. PMC 1084066. PMID 11943762.
  15. ^ Redondo, MJ; Fain, PR; Eisenbarth, GS (2001). "Genetics of type 1A diabetes". Recent Progress in Hormone Research. 56: 69–89. doi:10.1210/rp.56.1.69. PMID 11237226.
  16. ^ Sacks, DB; McDonald, JM (February 1996). "The pathogenesis of type II diabetes mellitus. A polygenic disease". American Journal of Clinical Pathology. 105 (2): 149–56. doi:10.1093/ajcp/105.2.149. PMID 8607437.
  17. ^ Kahn, CR; Vicent, D; Doria, A (1996). "Genetics of non-insulin-dependent (type-II) diabetes mellitus". Annual Review of Medicine. 47: 509–31. doi:10.1146/annurev.med.47.1.509. PMID 8712800.
  18. ^ Kahn, CR (August 1994). "Banting Lecture. Insulin action, diabetogenes, and the cause of type II diabetes". Diabetes. 43 (8): 1066–84. doi:10.2337/diab.43.8.1066. PMID 8039601. S2CID 2536019.
  19. ^ Murakami, T; Shima, K (August 1995). "[Diabetogenes; which cause type II diabetes mellitus]". Rinsho Byori. 43 (8): 781–5. PMID 7474436.
  20. ^ Hansen, L (November 2003). "Candidate genes and late-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus. Susceptibility genes or common polymorphisms?". Danish Medical Bulletin. 50 (4): 320–46. PMID 14694850.
  21. ^ Kahn, C. R. (1994). "Pubmed search: (diabetogenes[Title/Abstract]) NOT De Meyts[Author]". Diabetes. 43 (8): 1066–84. doi:10.2337/diab.43.8.1066. PMID 8039601. S2CID 2536019.
  22. ^ Smal, J; Closset, J; Hennen, G; de Meyts, P (15 January 1985). "Receptor-binding and down-regulatory properties of 22000-Mr human growth hormone and its natural 20000-Mr variant on IM-9 human lymphocytes". The Biochemical Journal. 225 (2): 283–9. doi:10.1042/bj2250283. PMC 1144588. PMID 2983666.
  23. ^ Ilondo, MM; Damholt, AB; Cunningham, BA; Wells, JA; De Meyts, P; Shymko, RM (June 1994). "Receptor dimerization determines the effects of growth hormone in primary rat adipocytes and cultured human IM-9 lymphocytes". Endocrinology. 134 (6): 2397–403. doi:10.1210/endo.134.6.8194466. PMID 8194466.
  24. ^ Wabitsch, M; Heinze, E; Hauner, H; Shymko, RM; Teller, WM; De Meyts, P; Ilondo, MM (January 1996). "Biological effects of human growth hormone in rat adipocyte precursor cells and newly differentiated adipocytes in primary culture". Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental. 45 (1): 34–42. doi:10.1016/s0026-0495(96)90197-3. PMID 8544774.
  25. ^ Wabitsch, M; Braun, S; Hauner, H; Heinze, E; Ilondo, MM; Shymko, R; De Meyts, P; Teller, WM (September 1996). "Mitogenic and antiadipogenic properties of human growth hormone in differentiating human adipocyte precursor cells in primary culture". Pediatric Research. 40 (3): 450–6. doi:10.1203/00006450-199609000-00014. PMID 8865283.
  26. ^ de Meyts, P; Roth, J; Neville DM, Jr; Gavin JR, 3rd; Lesniak, MA (1 November 1973). "Insulin interactions with its receptors: experimental evidence for negative cooperativity". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 55 (1): 154–61. doi:10.1016/s0006-291x(73)80072-5. PMID 4361269.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ De Meyts, P (1976). "Cooperative properties of hormone receptors in cell membranes". Journal of Supramolecular Structure. 4 (2): 241–58. doi:10.1002/jss.400040211. PMID 177816.
  28. ^ DeMeyts, P; Bainco, AR; Roth, J (10 April 1976). "Site-site interactions among insulin receptors. Characterization of the negative cooperativity". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 251 (7): 1877–88. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(17)33630-X. PMID 5434.
  29. ^ De Meyts, P (August 2008). "The insulin receptor: a prototype for dimeric, allosteric membrane receptors?". Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 33 (8): 376–84. doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2008.06.003. PMID 18640841.
  30. ^ De Meyts, P; Gauguin, L; Svendsen, AM; Sarhan, M; Knudsen, L; Nøhr, J; Kiselyov, VV (April 2009). "Structural basis of allosteric ligand-receptor interactions in the insulin/relaxin peptide family: implications for other receptor tyrosine kinases and G-protein-coupled receptors". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1160: 45–53. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.03837.x. PMID 19416158. S2CID 12579339.
  31. ^ De Meyts, P (September 1994). "The structural basis of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor binding and negative co-operativity, and its relevance to mitogenic versus metabolic signalling". Diabetologia. 37 (Suppl 2): S135–48. doi:10.1007/bf00400837. PMID 7821729.
  32. ^ Gauguin, L; Klaproth, B; Sajid, W; Andersen, AS; McNeil, KA; Forbes, BE; De Meyts, P (1 February 2008). "Structural basis for the lower affinity of the insulin-like growth factors for the insulin receptor". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 283 (5): 2604–13. doi:10.1074/jbc.m709220200. PMID 18048361.
  33. ^ Gauguin, L; Delaine, C; Alvino, CL; McNeil, KA; Wallace, JC; Forbes, BE; De Meyts, P (25 July 2008). "Alanine scanning of a putative receptor binding surface of insulin-like growth factor-I". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 283 (30): 20821–9. doi:10.1074/jbc.m802620200. PMC 3258947. PMID 18502759.
  34. ^ Shymko, RM; De Meyts, P; Thomas, R (1 September 1997). "Logical analysis of timing-dependent receptor signalling specificity: application to the insulin receptor metabolic and mitogenic signalling pathways". The Biochemical Journal. 326 (2): 463–9. doi:10.1042/bj3260463. PMC 1218692. PMID 9291119.
  35. ^ Svendsen, AM; Winge, SB; Zimmermann, M; Lindvig, AB; Warzecha, CB; Sajid, W; Horne, MC; De Meyts, P (1 January 2014). "Down-regulation of cyclin G2 by insulin, IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor 1) and X10 (AspB10 insulin): role in mitogenesis". The Biochemical Journal. 457 (1): 69–77. doi:10.1042/bj20130490. PMID 24059861.
  36. ^ Kiselyov, VV; Versteyhe, S; Gauguin, L; De Meyts, P (2009). "Harmonic oscillator model of the insulin and IGF1 receptors' allosteric binding and activation". Molecular Systems Biology. 5: 243. doi:10.1038/msb.2008.78. PMC 2657531. PMID 19225456.
  37. ^ "Vladislav V Kiselyov". researchgate.net. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  38. ^ De Meyts, P (1993). "The Diabetogenes Concept of NIDDM". New Concepts in the Pathogenesis of NIDDM. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Vol. 334. pp. 89–100. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-2910-1_7. ISBN 978-1-4613-6262-3. PMID 8249698.
  39. ^ Lamothe, B; Baudry, A; Desbois, P; Lamotte, L; Bucchini, D; De Meyts, P; Joshi, RL (15 October 1998). "Genetic engineering in mice: impact on insulin signalling and action". The Biochemical Journal. 335 (2): 193–204. doi:10.1042/bj3350193. PMC 1219769. PMID 9761714.
  40. ^ De Meyts, P; Whittaker, J (October 2002). "Structural biology of insulin and IGF1 receptors: implications for drug design". Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery. 1 (10): 769–83. doi:10.1038/nrd917. PMID 12360255. S2CID 31103926.
  41. ^ De Meyts, Pierre (2015). "Insulin/receptor binding: the last piece of the puzzle? What recent progress on the structure of the insulin/receptor complex tells us (or not) about negative cooperativity and activation". News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. 37 (4): 389–397. doi:10.1002/bies.201400190. ISSN 1521-1878. PMID 25630923.
  42. ^ De Meyts, Pierre (2000), Feingold, Kenneth R.; Anawalt, Bradley; Boyce, Alison; Chrousos, George (eds.), "The Insulin Receptor and Its Signal Transduction Network", Endotext, South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc., PMID 27512793, retrieved 30 January 2022
  43. ^ De Meyts, Pierre (5 October 2016). "Structural basis for the poisonous activity of a predator's venom insulin". Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 23 (10): 872–874. doi:10.1038/nsmb.3304. ISSN 1545-9985. PMID 27706132. S2CID 195675703.
  44. ^ Rostène, William; De Meyts, Pierre (28 September 2021). "Insulin: A 100-Year-Old Discovery With a Fascinating History". Endocrine Reviews. 42 (5): 503–527. doi:10.1210/endrev/bnab020. ISSN 1945-7189. PMID 34273145. S2CID 236034586.
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  47. ^ "Editorial Board". frontiersin.org. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
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