The research in my laboratory is focused on the biochemistry and molecular biology peptide pheromonal communication in marine organisms, particularly the mollusk Aplysia. My lab is also investigating the expression of novel growth factors in the molluscan CNS (during development).
Training and interests in molecular neuroendocrinology, neuropeptide biochemistry, and molecular biology.
1971-1973: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1975: B.A. Biology, Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Ill. 1981: Ph.D., Physiology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fl 1981: Postdoctoral fellow, Physiology, The Whitney Lab, St. Augustine, Fl. 1981-1985: Postdoctoral Fellow, Neurobiology, University of Texas
Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. 1985-1986: Postdoctoral Fellow, Biochemistry, UTMB, Galveston, Tx 1986-1989: Research Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences 1989-1996: Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences 1996- Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences
2005-Professor, Department of
Neuroscience and Cell Biology
Member, Marine Biomedical Institute
Neurosciences Graduate Program
Cell Biology Graduate Program
Recently, in collaboration with Dr. Sherry Painter, the first water-borne peptide pheromone in invertebrates was purified and its cDNA cloned. Attractin is a 58-residue peptide pheromonal attractant that is released during Aplysia egg laying.
Attractin is currently being characterized in four other species of Aplysia.
The 3D structure of attractin is also under investigation using computer
modeling and NMR methods.
The following are projects ongoing in our laboratory.
Purification and structure of
attractin from multiple Aplysia species. Determination of the 3D structure of attractin. Cloning and developmental
expression of mollusk-derived growth factor (MDGF).
Susan L. Knock, Ph.D. 1989-1992 Mahdy El-Hamzawy 1992 Bo Wu 1996 Xuemo Fan 1995-1997
Scott Cummins - 2003-Present
David B.G. Akalal, 1997-2003
My laboratory serves as the Molecular Biology Core facility for the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology and the Marine Biomedical Institute.
Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of enzyme and hormone mRNAs. cDNA library construction and screening for detection and isolation of recombinant cDNA clones Molecular cloning of neural cDNAs Northern analysis and RNAse protection assay to detect messenger RNA Electroporation and transformation to facilitate uptake of recombinant plasmids into bacterial cells. Tissue culture of bacterial and
insect cells. Protein expression using recombinant baculovirus Peptide purification; HPLC; amino acid compositional and sequence analysis.
Nagle, G.T., Knock, S.L., van Heumen, W.R.A. and Kurosky, A. (1994) Molluscan subtilisin-related endoproteases involved in the activation of prohormones and proproteins in the secretory pathway. Netherlands J. Zoology 44:439-450. Smit, A.B., Spijker, S., Nagle, G.T., Knock, S.L., Kurosky, A. and Geraerts, W.P.M. (1994) Structural characterization of a Lymnaea putative endoprotease related to human furin. FEBS lett. 343:27-31. Nagle, G.T., Garcia, A.T., Knock, S.L., Gorham, E.L., van Heumen, W.R.A. and Kurosky, A. (1995) Molecular cloning, cDNA sequence, and localization of a prohormone convertase (PC2) from Aplysia atrial gland. DNA & Cell Biology 14:145-154. Nagle, G.T., Garcia, A.T., Gorham, E.L., Knock, S.L., van Heumen, W.R.A., Spijker, S., Smit, A.B., Geraerts, W.P.M. and Kurosky, A. (1995) Molecular cloning and cellular localization of a furin-like prohormone convertase 1 from the atrial gland of Aplysia. DNA & Cell Biology 14:431-442. Fan, X., Nagle, G.T., Collins, T.J. and CHilds, G.V. (1995) Differential regulation of epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-alpha messenger ribonucleic acid in the rat anterior pituitary and hypothalamus induced by stresses. Endocrinology 136: 873-880 van Heuman, W.R.A, Nagle, G.T. and Kurosky, A. (1995) Ultrastructural localization of egg-laying prohormone-related peptides in the atrial gland of Aplysia californica. Cell Tissue Res., 279: 13-24. Fan, X. and Nagle, G.T. (1996) Molecular cloning of Aplysia cDNAs that encode carboxypeptidases related to mammalian prohormone processing enxymes. DNA Cell Biol., 15: 937-945. Gorham, E.L., Nagle, G.T., Smith, J.S., Shen, H. and Kurosky, A. (1996) Molecular cloning of prohormone convertase 1 from the atrial gland of Aplysia. DNA & Cell Biol. 15:339-345. Nagle, G.T. and Painter, S.D. (1997) Aplysia, egg-laying behavior. In: Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, G. Adelman (Ed.), Elsevier Science B.V. Amsterdam, The Netherlands, CD-ROM. Juvvadi, S., Fan, X., Nagle, G.T. and Fricker, L.D. (1997)Characterization of Aplysia carboxypeptidase E. FEBS Lett 408:195-200. Fan, X., Croll, R.P., Wu, B., Fang L., Shen Q., Painter, S.D. and Nagle, G.T. Molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding the neuropeptides APGWamide and cerebral peptide 1: Localization of APGWamide-like immunoreactivity in the central nervous sytem and male reproductive organs of Aplysia. J Comp Neurol. Fan,X., Wu, B., Nagle, G.T., and Painter, S.D. Molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding a potential water-borne pheromonal attractant released during Aplysia egg laying. Mol Brain ResMolecular Biology Core Facility
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