Mary V. Gamble, PhD

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Overview

Dr. Mary Gamble's research focuses on nutritional biochemistry at both basic and applied levels. Her earlier work on retinoid metabolism included studies on proteins involved in retinoid transport and in the generation of transcriptionally active retinoic acid metabolites. Dr. Gamble's international research began with studies on vitamin A deficiency in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and in Brazil. Since joining the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Dr. Gamble's work has focused on nutrient/environment interactions, including the impacts of nutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism on the metabolism and toxicity of arsenic in Bangladesh. In randomized, controlled clinical trials (RCTs), Dr. Gamble's research has demonstrated that folic acid (FA) supplementation increases the methylation of arsenic to arsenical metabolites that are more rapidly excreted in urine, thereby lowering blood arsenic concentrations. A new direction of Dr. Gamble's work involves studies of the human metabolome using cutting-edge tools including untargeted high-resolution metabolomic (HRM) platforms that interrogate more than 80% of all metabolic pathways. Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate used to fortify foods in more than 80 countries and is used in vitamin supplements. Using banked samples from one of Dr. Gamble's completed RCTs, HRM will be used to evaluate the influence of FA supplementation and/or unmetabolized folic acid on downstream metabolites and pathways and identify those that may be linked to health outcomes. Another project investigates the metabolomic effects of exposure to arsenic and manganese in a chronically exposed population in Bangladesh. Her overall goal is to provide a conduit to advance knowledge gained from basic laboratory research into clinical research that informs public policy.

 

There is a significant inter-individual variability in susceptibility to progression from arsenic exposure to clinical manifestations of arsenic toxicity (e.g. skin, lung, liver and bladder cancers). A major project in the lab is to determine the impact of nutritional status on As metabolism and toxicity. Methylation of inorganic arsenic (InAs) is generally considered to be a detoxification pathway. InAs and DNA are both methylated via one-carbon metabolism, a biochemical pathway that is dependent on folate for de novo generation of one-carbon groups, and also uses vitamins B12 and B6 as cofactors. We have therefore set out to determine if nutritional regulation of one-carbon metabolism, specifically folate availability, contributes substantially to the large inter-individual variability observed in InAs and DNA methylation, and thus progression from arsenic exposure to toxicity. Methylation of InAs also requires that the pentavalent arsenic species first be reduced to trivalent species in a glutathione-dependent process. Regeneration of oxidized glutathione is accomplished by glutathione reductase, an enzyme that is strongly inhibited by arsenic. Another study in the lab explores the relationship between arsenic exposure, antioxidant status, and oxidative DNA damage. In Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD), iron homeostasis is abnormal and the activity of Complex 1 of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is diminished. We therefore conducted studies to better understand the regulation of the Fe-S subunits of Complex 1. These studies ultimately led to the discovery of a new iron regulatory protein (IRP3), which binds to a novel stem-loop structure in the 5' untranslated region of the mRNA encoding the 75 kDa 4Fe-4S subunit of Complex 1. A primary hypothesis of this work is that the 75 kDa Fe-S-containing subunit of Complex 1 is regulated by a novel IRE-IRP system. The purification, identification, and characterization of IRP3 are the primary goals of this project.

Academic Appointments

  • Professor Environmental Health Sciences

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • BS, 1988 Long Island University
  • MS, 1993 Columbia University
  • PhD, 1999 Columbia University

Honors & Awards

American Society for Nutrition Mary Swartz Rose Young Investigator Award, 2008

Calderone Award for Junior Faculty Development, 2007-2008

Research

Nutritional biochemistry at both basic and applied levels. Primarily focused on nutrient/environment interactions.

Research Interests

  • Environmental Health
  • Food Policy and Obesity
  • Global Health

Selected Publications

Gamble MV, Ramakrishnan R, Palafox NA, Briand K, Berglund L, Blaner WS Retinol binding protein as a surrogate measure for serum retinol American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 73 594-601 2001

Gamble MV, Liu X, Slavkovich V, Pilsner JR, Ilievski V, Factor-Litvak P, Levy D, Alam S, Islam M, Parvez F, Ahsan H, and Graziano JH Folic acid supplementation lowers blood arsenic American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 86 1202-1209 2007

Gamble MV, Shang E, Piantedosi Zott R, Mertz JR, Wogelmuth DJ, Blaner WS Biochemical properties, tissue expression and gene structure of a short chain dehydrogenase/reductase able to catalyze cis-retinol oxidation J Lipid Res 40 2270-2292 1999

Hall M, Gamble MV, Slavkovich V, Liu X, Levy D, Cheng Z, van Geen A, Yunus M, Rahman M, Pilsner JR, and Graziano JH Determinants of arsenic metabolism: Blood arsenic metabolites, plasma folate, cobalamin, and homocysteine concentrations in maternal-newborn pairs Environmental Health Perspectives 115 1503-1509 2007

Gamble MV and Liu X Urinary creatinine and arsenic metabolism Environmental Health Perspectives 113 A442 2005

Nau H and Blaner WS Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology Springer Verlag Heidelberg 31-95 1999

Gamble MV, Mata NL, Tsin A, Mertz JR and Blaner WS Substrate specificities and 13-cis-retinoic acid inhibition of human, mouse and bovine cis-retinol dehydrogenases Biochem Biophys Acta 1476 3-8 2000

Gamble MV, Ramakrishnan R, Palafox NA, Briand K, Berglund L, Blaner WS Retinol binding protein as a surrogate measure for serum retinol: studies in vitamin A-deficient children from the Republic of the Marshall Islands Am J Clin Nutr 73 594-601 2001

Pilsner JR, Liu X, Ahsan H, Ilievski V, Slavkovich V, Levy D, Factor-Litvak P, Graziano JH, and Gamble MV Genomic methylation of peripheral blood leukocyte DNA: influences of arsenic and folate in Bangladeshi adults American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 86 1179-1186 2007

Kurlandsky SB, Gamble MV, Ramakrishnan R, Blaner WS Plasma delivery of retinoic acid to tissues in the rat J Biol Chem 270 17850-17857 1995

Gamble MV, Liu X, Ahsan H, Pilsner JR, Ilievski V, Slavkovich V, Parvez F, Factor-Litvak P, and Graziano JH Folate, homocysteine and arsenic metabolism in arsenic-exposed individuals in Bangladesh Environmental Health Perspectives 113 1683-1688 2005

Gamble MV, Ahsan H, Liu X, Factor-Litvak P, Ilievski V, Slavkovich V, Parvez F, and Graziano JH Folate and cobalamin deficiencies and hyperhomocysteinemia in Bangladesh American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 81 1372-1377 2005

Ahsan H, Chen Y, Kibriya MG, Slavkovich V, Parvez F, Jasmine F, Gamble MV, and Graziano JG Arsenic metabolism, genetic susceptibility and risk of pre-malignant skin lesions in Bangladesh Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers and prevention 16 1270-1278 2007

Heck JE, Gamble MV, Chen Y, Graziano JH, Slavkovich V, Parvez F, Baron JA, Howe G, and Ahsan H Consumption of folate-related micronutrients and metabolism of arsenic in Bangladesh American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 85 1367-1674 2007

Gamble MV, Palafox NA, Dancheck B, Ricks MO, Briand K, and Semba RD Relationship of vitamin A deficiency, iron deficiency, and inflammation to anemia among preschool children in the Republic of the Marshall Islands European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 58 1396-1401 2004

Gamble MV, Liu X, Ahsan H, Pilsner JR, Ilievski V, Slavkovich V, Parvez F, Chen Y, Levy D, Factor-Litvak P, and Graziano JH Folate and arsenic metabolism: a double-blind placebo controlled folic acid supplementation trial in Bangladesh American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 84 1093-1101 2006

Global Health Activities

Nutritional Influences on Arsenic Toxicity, Bangladesh: The largest known mass exposure to arsenic is presently occurring due to ground water contamination of well water throughout the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta. There is a significant inter-individual variability in susceptibility to progression from arsenic exposure to clinical manifestations of arsenic toxicity (e.g. skin, lung, liver and bladder cancers). Several observational as well as biochemical studies have led to a prevalent hypothesis that nutritional status may account for a substantial portion of this variability, though no controlled clinical studies have addressed this important hypothesis. Methylation of inorganic arsenic (InAs) has generally been considered to be a detoxification pathway. InAs and DNA are both methylated via one-carbon metabolism, a biochemical pathway which is dependent on folate for de novo generation of one-carbon groups, and also uses vitamins B12 and B6 as cofactors. The primary hypothesis of this proposal is that nutritional regulation of one-carbon metabolism, specifically folate availability, contributes substantially to the large inter-individual variability observed in InAs and DNA methylation, and thus progression from arsenic exposure to toxicity. These hypotheses have been tested in a randomized, controlled folic acid supplementation trial of adults chronically exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water in Bangladesh. These studies have also revealed complex interations between arsenic exposure, folate deficiency and DNA methylation that influence risk for development of arsenic-induced premalignant skin lesions.

Folic acid and creatine as therapeutic approaches for lowering blood arsenic, Bangladesh: Arsenic (As) exposure affects more than 140 million people worldwide. Methylation of inorganic-arsenic (InAs) to methylarsonic- (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acids (DMA) relies on folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism and facilitates urinary arsenic (As) elimination. Our studies indicate that folate deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcys) are associated with a reduced capacity to methylate As and are risk factors for As-induced skin lesions. Furthermore, folic acid (FA) supplementation significantly lowers blood As concentrations in individuals who are folate deficient. However, several fundamental questions remain to be addressed: a) Does FA supplementation lower blood As concentrations in the general population? b) What is the optimal dose?, c) What is the time-course of the decline in blood As? d) Is there a rebound in blood As after the cessation of FA supplementation due to release of As from tissue stores? e) Can the ability of FA to lower blood As and homocysteine be enhanced by the addition of a novel new alternative approach: reduce methylation demand. The methylation of guanadinoacetate represents the final step in creatine biosynthesis. This reaction is the major consumer of methyl groups and every molecule of creatine synthesized ultimately generates a molecule of homocysteine. Furthermore, creatinine concentrations are a robust predictor of arsenic methylation. We will test the hypothesis that creatine supplementation, which downregulates endogenous creatine biosynthesis, will spare methyl groups, facilitate the methylation of other substrates - including As - and thereby lower blood As. To answer all of these questions, we are conducting a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial of FA (a comparison of two doses and durations), creatine, and creatine plus FA. Positive results of these interventions could have important therapeutic potential for ameliorating the long-term health consequences of As exposure for the many populations at risk.

One-carbon metabolism, oxidative stress and arsenic toxicity in Bangladesh, Bangladesh: Two overarching themes of the biomedical research of our Superfund Basic Research Program addressed in this project relate to a) the metabolism of arsenic (As) and b) As-induced oxidative stress. In this project, we are expanding our studies which have begun to characterize the impact of nutritional regulation of one-carbon metabolism on the inter-individual variability in As methylation. Glutathione (GSH), a key component of the primary antioxidant defense mechanism, and the electron donor for As reduction, is synthesized from homocysteine, and this synthesis is regulated by intermediates of one-carbon metabolism. A great deal of basic research, including salient work from members of our group, points to the growing belief that As depletes glutathione (GSH) and induces oxidative stress. However, this has not been rigorously examined in human populations. We are conducting a nested case-control study to identify modifiable risk factors ? e.g. oxidative stress and/or hyperhomocysteinemia ? related to increased susceptibility to As-induced skin lesions. We are also examining dose-response relationships between As exposure and oxidative stress. These studies have the potential to a) determine whether or not As induces oxidative stress and depletes GSH in humans, b) link As-induced oxidative stress and/or nutritional status to risk for premalignant skin lesions, and c) expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying these processes. Such findings could have significant implications for the identification of targeted interventions for preventing As-toxicity.