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Research Interests
My current research interests center around
the molecular mechanisms of certain toxic compounds which have been
shown to alter spermatogenesis. Specifically, I have examined
bromochloro- substituted small molecules such as
dibromochloropropane and bromochloroacetic acid.
Dibromochloropropane was used in agriculture as a nematocide until
it was found to be a male sterilant, it persists in soils and
shallow wells. Bromochloroacetate is a by-product of the
chlorination of water derived from aquifers near the ocean or near
certain geologic formations. We have shown that bromochloroacetate
reduces spermatogenesis in mice but that only certain areas of the
testis are affected. We have evidence which has led to the proposal
of a complex chain-reaction model for the molecular mechanism of
toxicity and are now testing the elements of that model in animals
and in cell cultures. We are also examining the chiral attributes of
these toxicants because the enantiomers are metabolized differently
and may have different mechanisms of toxicity.
Representative Publications
Schultz, I and S.R.Sylvester (2001)
. Stereospecific toxicokinetics of bromochloro- and
fluorochloroacetae: Effect of GST-zeta depletion. Toxicol Appl
Pharmacol. 175(2):104-13
Sylvester, S.R. (1995). Leydig cell-Sertoli cell interaction. In
A.H. Payne, M.P. Hardy, and L.D. Russell, eds, The Leydig Cell.
Cache River Press, Vienna, IL.
Sylvester, S.R. and M.D. Griswold (1995). The
reproductive biology of clusterin. In J.A.K. Harmony, ed, Clusterin:
Role in vertebrate development, function, and adaptation. Springer-Verlag,
New York, NY.
Sylvester, S.R. (1993). Secretion of transport and
binding proteins. In L.L. Russell and M.D. Griswold, eds, The
Sertoli Cell. Cache River Press, Miami, FL.
Sherer, T.T., S.R. Sylvester, and R.J. Bull
(1993). Differential expression of c-erbA mRNAs in the developing
cerebellum and cerebral cortex of the rat. Biol. Neonate 63:26-34.
Sensibar, J.A., Y. Qian, M.D. Griswold, S.R.
Sylvester, C.W. Bardin, C.Y. Cheng, and C. Lee (1993). Localization
and molecular heterogeneity of sulfated glycoprotein-2 among
prostate, seminal vesicle, testis, and epididymis of rats. Biol.
Reprod. 49:233-242.
Sylvester, S.R. and M.D. Griswold (1993).
Molecular biology of iron transport in the testis. In: D.M. De
Kretser, ed The Molecular Biology of the Male Reproductive System.
Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
Courses
Human
Health and the Environment (ESRP 402/502)
Introductory
Biochemistry
(MBIOS 303)
DNA & Society
(MBIOS 320)
Intro to Cell Biology
(MBIOS 401)
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