Frans Hochstenbach

Biomedical education

Biomedical Education

Assistent Prof. Frans Hochstenbach, PhD, Coordinator Education Medical Biochemistry

Biosketch

Frans Hochstenbach trained as a protein biochemist and discovered human calnexin (IP90) at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School (Boston, Massachusetts) and fungal cell-wall alpha-glucan synthase (Ags1) at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland).

We provide biomedical education to our own Medical students, as well as students from Biomedical Sciences, and students at Amsterdam University College. Continuous innovation of our approaches is crucial for high-quality education, such as flipped classroom and team-based learning methods.

f.hochstenbach-at-amsterdamumc.nl

Medical Biochemistry and Pathophysiology

Bachelor Course, third year, Biomedical Sciences

Our students learn to explain how carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism in the human body are integrated with energy metabolism and how biochemical processes are regulated to maintain systematic glucose homeostasis and cellular redox homeostasis. Also, students are challenged to explain how the body integrates the key metabolic processes during starvation, obesity, alcohol abuse, and physical sports. Discussion groups on drug development culminate in a symposium on molecular mechanisms of drug action presented by the students. With these insights, students learn to apply the principles of metabolic regulatory systems at the molecular, cellular, organ, and systemic levels to medical cases involving metabolic derangement.

Overview of glucose flow through the major metabolic tissues in the fed state.

Regulatie en Afweer RA-1

Bachelor Course, first year, Medicine, UvA

Our students study the basic concepts of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism and how these are integrated with energy metabolism. The students then review how metabolism is regulated by the major metabolic hormones insulin and glucagon and how metabolism is deranged in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We then move on to the role of the major organs involved in the absorption and digestion of macronutrients, specifically the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. Throughout this course, biochemistry is highly integrated with medicine, pharmacology, and pathology.

Three-dimensional surface structure of zinc-insulin hexamer. Top (left) and side (right) views. Zinc ion, gray sphere; insulin, green or cyan.

Metabolic Biochemistry

Bachelor Course, third year, Amsterdam University College

Our students learn to discuss human metabolism in the healthy and diseased states. First, we focus on carbohydrate, fat, protein, and nucleotide metabolism and their integration with energy metabolism. Also, we discuss molecular mechanisms of action of several of the best known major drug classes, including aspirin, statins, and sulfonylurea. Second, students present major health issues related to deranged metabolism, including major inborn errors of metabolism and vitamin deficiencies. Finally, students learn to explain the impact of physical sports, alcohol abuse, diabetes mellitus, lifestyle and diet, based on the principles of homeostasis.

Overview of major metabolic routes in the liver cell.

Frans Hochstenbach

Publications

Key publications

Hochstenbach F, David V, Watkins S, Brenner MB. Endoplasmic reticulum resident protein of 90 kilodaltons associates with the T- and B-cell antigen receptors and major histocompatibility complex antigens during their assembly. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1992; 89: 4734–4738. PMID 1584811

Hochstenbach F, Klis FM, van den Ende H, van Donselaar E, Peters PJ, Klausner RD. Identification of a putative a-glucan synthase essential for cell wall construction and morphogenesis in fission yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1998; 95: 9161–9166. PMID 9689051

Grün CH, Hochstenbach F, Humbel BM, Verkleij AJ, Sietsma JH, Klis FM, Kamerling JP, Vliegenthart JFG. The structure of cell wall a-glucan from fission yeast. Glycobiology 2005; 15: 245–257. PMID 15470229

Dekker N, Speijer D, Grün CH, van den Berg M, De Haan A, Hochstenbach F. Role of the a-glucanase Agn1p in fission-yeast cell separation. Mol Biol Cell 2004; 15: 3903–3914. PMID 15194814

Vos A, Dekker N, Distel B, Leunissen JAM, Hochstenbach F. Role of the synthase domain of Ags1p in cell wall a-glucan biosynthesis in fission yeast. J Biol Chem 2007; 282: 18969–18979. PMID 17472966

Phone: +31 20 566 51 59

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info.MedBiochem@amsterdamumc.nl

Department of Medical Biochemistry

Amsterdam UMC, location AMC

Meibergdreef 15

1105 AZ Amsterdam

The Netherlands