College of Veterinary Medicine

Education:

DVM, Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 1993
MS, Physiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, 1989
Residency, Anatomic and Surgical Pathology, University of Florida, CVM, 1996
PhD, Comparative Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1999
Post doctoral Research, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 1999
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathologists, 2000

Honors and Awards:

Phi Kappa Phi, 1988 Phi Zeta Veterinary Honor Society, 1993
Resident Research Award Grant, UF, Gainesville, FL, 1995
Resident of the Year Award, Ancillary Services, UF, Gainesville, FL, 1996
NIEHS Postdoctoral Trainee, Comparative Medicine, U. Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Research Interests:

Our laboratory investigates the potential of brevetoxins, which are the toxins produced by dinoflagellate alga during red tides, to cause DNA mutagenesis, alter cell cycle, and influence apoptosis in normal and neoplastic human lung cells. The action of brevetoxins at sodium channels, cytoplasmic or nuclear targets in lung tumors may result in a loss of normal regulation. However, it is unclear if this will lead to apoptosis and/or mitogenesis, if those responses will be dose-dependent, and if they will have environmental exposure implications or chemotherapeutic applications. Collaborative work on lung cancer with several researchers at the UF Cancer Center includes development and examination of murine cancer models.

I also have a strong interest in the species-dependent environmental/evolutionary relationships resulting in widely disparate levels of toxin sensitivity and resistance in aquatic invertebrates compared to marine mammals. This has led to a subspecialization in aquatic invertebrate histopathology and gastric gland function including protein and genetic expression profiling to identify biomarkers of aquatic invertebrate stress and detoxification mechanisms.

Selected Publications:

For Publications Extracted From Medline Click HERE

Sheppard BJ, Williams M, Plummer HK, Schuller HM. Activation of voltage–operated-Ca2+- channels in human small cell lung carcinoma by the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4 - (methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone. Int J Oncol 16: 513-518, 2000.

Schuller HM, Jull BA, Sheppard BJ, Plummer HK. Interaction of tobacco-specific toxicants with the neuronal alpha (7) nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and it associated mitogenic signal transduction path potential role in lung carcinogenesis and pediatric lung disorders. Eur J Phamacol 393: 265-277, 2000.

Plummer HK, Sheppard BJ, Schuller HM. Interaction of tobacco - specific toxicants with nicotinic cholinergic regulation of fetal pulmonary neuroendocrine cells: implications for pediatric lung disease. Exp Lung Res 26: 121-135, 2000.

Newman JV, Kosaka T, Sheppard BJ, Fox JG, Schauer DB. Bacterial infection promotes colon tumorigenesis in Apc Min/+ mice. J. Infect Dis 184(2): 227-230, 2001.

Fox JG, Sheppard BJ, Dangler CA, Whary MT, Ihrig M, Wang TC. Germ-line p53-targeted disruption inhibits helicobacter-induced premalignant lesions and invasive gastric carcinoma through down-regulation of Th1 proinflammatory responses. Cancer Res 62(3): 696-702, 2002.

Glasson SS, Askew R, Sheppard B, Carito B, Blanchet T, Ma HL, Glannery CR, Peluso D, Kanki K, Yang Z, Majumdar MK, Morris EA. Deletion of active ADAMTS5 prevents cartilage degradation in a murine model of osteoarthritis. Nature 434(7033): 644-648, 2005.

Dunussi-Joannopoulos K, Hancock GE, Kunz A, Hegen M, Zhou XX, Shepard BJ, Lamothe J, Li E, Ma HL, Hamann PR, Damle NK, Collins M. B-cell depletion inhibits arthritis in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model, but does not adversely affect humoral responses in a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination model. Blood 106(7): 2235-2243, 2005.

Gao J, Kim YM, Coe H, Zern B, Sheppard B, and Wang Y. A neuroinductive biomaterial based on dopamine. PNAS 103 (45): 16681-16686, 2006.