FOR BETTER BREEDS

	Marcia Eggleston, associate director of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, holds a mastiff while lab assistant Angela Silva swabs his cheek for a DNA study. Photo by Jim von Rummelhoff/UC Davis Illustration Services

UC Davis veterinary researchers trying to stamp out inherited diseases in purebred dogs are tracing some ancient branches of the canine family tree.

Scientists at the university's Veterinary Genetics Laboratory are analyzing DNA samples of the domestic dog's wild cousins from around the world, including Alaskan wolves, Australian dingoes, Carolina dogs, Korean Jindo dogs and New Guinea singing dogs.

Their genetic profiles will expand a comprehensive DNA database the researchers are developing for a broad cross section of registered dog breeds. Armed with such information, the scientists hope to develop tests to screen dogs for genetic tendencies for such ailments as epilepsy, abnormal hip development, heart disease, cataracts and cancer.

The researchers also hope, now that the human genome has been deciphered, to contribute to a better understanding of the genetic makeup of humanity's best and oldest friend.

Niels Pedersen, a veterinary professor who directs both the Veterinary Genetics Lab and the Center for Comparative Animal Health, said a primary goal of the research is to better enable breeders to raise healthy, long-living dogs.

Although mongrels are generally more genetically diverse and have fewer inherited disorders, the popularity of pedigreed dogs is increasing. Approximately 40 percent to 60 percent of pet dogs are from registered breeds, Pedersen said.

"People like purebred dogs because of their uniformity in size, color, shape and behavior. They all have their favorites," he said.

Pedersen and five other researchers are comparing the genetic makeup of 21 registered dog breeds with that of the wild canines.

DNA samples, taken by rubbing a swab inside the animal's mouth, are donated by dog owners. The researchers are working to collect at least 50 samples from unrelated dogs of each breed. From the samples, they will create a database that they and other scientists can use to investigate genetic disorders that afflict certain breeds. At the same time, researchers and conservationists in various parts of the world have sent the team about 200 DNA samples from dingoes, wolves, Jindo dogs and other wild canines.

The UC Davis study is one of the most comprehensive of its kind, said Marcia Eggleston, the lab's associate director and one of the dog DNA researchers.

By comparing genetic profiles for both healthy and afflicted dogs in the same families, the researchers may be able to identify the genes responsible for some of the diseases.

The researchers also hope to learn whether humans, by selectively breeding dogs to create different varieties, have significantly reduced the size of the dog's gene pool as compared with the genetic diversity of dogs before pure breeds began about a century ago. They may also learn more about the ancestry of the dog as a species and help settle the debate about whether dogs are closely related to wolves.

The researchers say genetic diagnostic tests they are developing could help breeders improve the quality of their dogs' lives. Genetic screening tests would enable breeders to identify which of their dogs are carriers. "Nobody deliberately wants to create a dog that's unhealthy," said researcher Alison Schaffer. "Breeders and pet owners all have the same ultimate goal: healthy, happy companions."

A VENERABLE THING

	Melendez and McPherson, founders of a new poetry publishing venture. (Photo by Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis Illustration Services)

Perhaps no one knows better how valuable a book can be than Sandra McPherson, the founder of the Swan Scythe Press. The nationally acclaimed poet and creative writing instructor at UC Davis has been collecting books for years. She's got everything from miniature children's books to leather-bound rare books to handset books in handmade boxes. Last year, she decided it was time to try her own hand at publishing. "A book has a presence," McPherson said. "It's a venerable thing."

Apparently her students agree. Beginning with graduate student Maria Melendez, the press has been largely fueled by the enthusiasm of students. "Maria pushed, shoved and prodded," McPherson said, "I don't know if I ever would have gotten it started without her." It was Melendez who convinced McPherson to seek department funding for an assistant to help get the small press going. They decided to publish chapbooks (booklets of about 35-40 pages) because they are well suited for collections of poetry on specific themes, and because they are affordable. Soon McPherson began adding some new books to her collection--a series of chapbooks published by her own press.

When McPherson and Melendez decided to run a contest, another 12 students jumped on the book wagon. Swan Scythe's first editorial board, made up mainly of graduate students in a Directed Group Study, read through 175 manuscripts in order to choose two poets who would have the honor of being published by the press. The contest winner, Jim Fairhall (a Chicago literature professor and a Vietnam vet), and runner-up Betty Davis Miller (a retired library consultant from Florida) will see their chapbooks in print by the end of September.

The contest, which will be an annual event, was only the beginning for the students. Several of them have volunteered their time to follow the books through the entire publishing process from editing to design to printing. On any given day, you might find a group of three or four students sitting around McPherson's living room poring over paper samples, discussing font styles and choosing cover art. "They are so hungry to learn about how to put a book together," McPherson said. "It's a beautiful thing to see."

As a poet, McPherson understands the disappointment that goes along with trying to get published. "I've been in this literary world for decades, and I've seen people get hurt--it's [a world] built upon rejection." As a creative writing instructor, she has seen some wonderful poetry go unpublished. "When you read thousands of poems every year and still remember somebody's work, that says a lot." She sees the press as a way for previously unpublished poets to get their work into print and to make it available to others.

The contest winners are not the only authors to benefit from McPherson's vision. Nwando Mbanugo, a UC Davis undergraduate student, was the first Swan Scythe author to see her work in print. "I know a good poem when I see one," McPherson said, "so, I thought, I'm going to break some rules and publish an undergraduate first." The Spices of Our Sky is a collection of poems that reflect the poet's Nigerian cultural background. McPherson says that she receives orders for Mbanugo's book, and that the poet sells many of her books in Nigeria. "I think our very first book is enriching people's lives," she said, "as well as its author's life." Other books available from the first Swan Scythe Press series include Feather's Hand by Susan Kelly-DeWitt and The Happy World by Naomi Schwartz. Four more books are in various stages of the publishing process, and plans include a multiethnic series as well as a "manthology" featuring several male poets that will present new images of men.

McPherson said that, while people and ideas are abundant, funding has been a challenge. The university has provided some support, but McPherson has had to dip into her own money to get the books out. Other funds come from the contest (which costs $15 to enter) and, of course, from book sales. The chapbooks are available for $9.95 each or can be purchased in a series of five books for $40.

All in all, the press has brought new energy to the creative writing department at UC Davis. McPherson is surprised and delighted at the enthusiastic response and willing participation of her students. "It's the selflessness that gets to me," she said. "They want to publish their friends' work, not their own."

For more information visit Web site www.swanscythe.com.

SIGHT-SAVING PROCEDURE

James Beebe, 78, a retired securities trader who lives in Brookings, Ore., began losing his sight a decade ago due to a rare reaction to the medicated eye drops he used to control his glaucoma. The reaction severely scarred his corneas, leaving him unable to drive a car or see a computer screen. He could read only with the help of a large magnifying glass and could recognize faces only up close. He consulted ophthalmologists around the country, but none could help until he was treated by doctors at the UC Davis Medical Center.

Two years ago, the physicians transplanted bioengineered corneal tissue into in his right eye. Today Beebe's vision in that eye is 20/40 with a contact lens, enabling him to once more drive, read and use his computer.

Beebe is one of 10 patients suffering from severe corneal damage whose eyesight has been improved by the new technique in which replacement cornea tissue is grown in a laboratory dish. The bioengineered tissue was used with 14 patients who had damage to the transparent outer coating of the eye and had failed standard treatments, including conventional cornea transplants. After the new treatment, 10 of the patients regained some or most of their sight.

Only two other bioengineered tissue replacements are currently commercially available: Bioengineered skin is widely used to treat burns and chronic skin wounds, and bioengineered cartilage is increasingly used to treat certain knee injuries. UC Davis researchers believe that bioengineered corneas could very well become the third type of bioengineered replacement tissue available for humans.

"We learned about skin and then used that knowledge to create biological skin replacement for burn victims," said R. Rivkah Isseroff, a professor of dermatology. "Now we have transplanted that knowledge to the eye. In the future, we hope to translate it to the lung, gastrointestinal tract, bladder and other epithelial tissues throughout the body."

Isseroff, who directs a laboratory that develops skin replacements, and Ivan R. Schwab, a professor of ophthalmology who specializes in disorders of the cornea, spent 10 years perfecting the new technique.

In the technique, a few corneal stem cells are first removed from a healthy cornea. If a patient has one good cornea, the stem cells are removed from that cornea. If both of a patient's corneas are damaged, stem cells are taken from the cornea of a related donor. Corneal stem cells are the "mother" cells of the cornea; they lie deep within a protected area adjacent to the cornea, continually giving birth to new corneal cells to replace aging ones, and to repair corneal injuries.

Severe injuries to the cornea, such as a chemical, fire or radiation burn, can destroy corneal stem cells. So can certain diseases that affect the eye, including some tumors and a handful of rare disorders. Without its stem cells, the cornea loses its ability to repair itself, and can become scarred and opaque, causing blindness.

Conventional corneal transplantation, in which a superficial layer of donor cornea is placed over a damaged cornea, does not transfer enough stem cells to be sufficient in these cases.

"The really exciting thing is where this can take us," Schwab said. "Replacing diseased tissues and organs with bioengineered tissue is rapidly moving from the realm of science fiction to reality."

ART ADDITIONS IN MEMORIAM

The UC Davis fine arts collection grew gradually and quietly over the past 20 years, tended by the late Price Amerson. He brought to campus diverse and important works ranging from 15th century European prints and prehistoric pottery to pieces by leading artists like Louise Nevelson, Max Beckmann and Wayne Thiebaud.

Now UC Davis' Richard L. Nelson Gallery & The Fine Arts Collection has experienced another burst of growth--through the donation in Amerson's memory of a number of major works, including pieces by Manuel Neri, Elmer Bischoff, Squeak Carnwath, William T. Wiley and David Hollowell.

The new pieces extend the collection in a way Amerson likely would have appreciated, said Carol Rosset, gallery registrar and collection manager. During his tenure, Amerson strove to assemble a collection of works by the most influential artists, including UC Davis faculty and alumni. "The collection is remarkable in that it tracks UC Davis' art history as an influence on the art scene, particularly since the 1960s and '70s," said Dianne MacLeod, professor and program director of art history.

Amerson developed a permanent collection far more extensive than most people are aware, said Cornelia Schulz, interim art department chair and a professor of studio art. "Price Amerson, with his impeccable taste, brought the Nelson Gallery from its very humble beginning to a position of national prominence."

As Rosset unpacked some of the newly donated works, she noted a set of Bischoff figure sketches that no doubt would have pleased Amerson. So, too, would a set of Neri studies on paper and the resulting Sancas II, a bronze with enamel sculpture.

"Price appreciated the importance of sketches as a teaching tool. He strived to collect the working drawings, as well as final art work," Rosset said.

A David Hollowell oil on canvas and wood titled The Blue Arch is another significant work new to the holdings, furthering Amerson's aim to collect campus artists.

	Squeak Carnwath, Kitchen Sink, 1999, color aquatint, 37 x 36".

Squeak Carnwath, a former UC Davis art faculty member, donated eight of her prints, including Kitchen Sink, Elvis' Air, Striped Bird and Listening.

For a university gallery to receive so many important works at once is unusual, said art historian MacLeod.

The new works will be exhibited at the Nelson Gallery Oct. 2-20 in a show titled Selected Recent Acquisitions: In Memory of Price Amerson.