Paul C. Brandt, PhD
Associate Professor
Associate Dean for Academic Technology and Curriculum Innovation
Contact
Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics
8447 Riverside Pkwy
Bryan,
TX
77807-3260
pbrandt@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.436.0246
Fax: 979.436.0086
Education and Training
- University of Kentucky, PhD, 1990
- University of California, Postdoctoral
Research Interests
- Hormones are the major extracellular transducers of biological signals. Once hormones have relayed their signals by interacting with their target cells, the signal must be interpreted by those target cells. Understanding how the target cells "interpret" hormonal signals is the primary focus of our laboratory.Most of our research centers on regulation of steroid hormone-transduced signals. One area of study is the calcium-dependent regulation of glucocorticoid and androgen receptor-mediated transcription. We have found that knockdown of a calcium pump in the plasma membrane (PMCA1) with antisense RNA leads to a significantly elevated hormone-dependent transcriptional activity mediated by these receptors. This problem is being attacked from two ends. First, we are examining transcription factors to determine any changes in posttranslational modifications or amounts of these proteins. Second, we are evaluating changes in the known calcium signaling pathways. A second major area of interest concerns glucocorticoid and steroid sex hormone regulation of nitric oxide (NO) production. We have found that several different steroid hormones down regulate production of NO in cells stimulated with interleukin 1-beta, but do not inhibit transcription of the gene for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Other areas of interest in our laboratory are: development of androgen-independence in prostate cancer; stress responses in PMCA1(-) cell lines; and the involvement of NO in dry eye syndrome. I participate in graduate training as a member of the faculty in the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience.
Representative Publications
- Beauregard, C, and Brandt, PC. (2004) "Down Regulation of Interleukin-1b-Induced Nitric Oxide Production in Lacrimal Gland Acinar Cells by Sex Steroids". Current Eye Research, in press.
- Brandt, PC, Vanaman and Thomas, C. (2004) "Studies of Calmodulin-Dependent Regulation in Methods in Molecular Biology". Ed. Dickson, R.C. and Mendenahall, M. 284:111-129 .
- Beauregard, C, and Brandt, PC. (2003) "Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists inhibit interleukin-1beta-mediated nitric oxide production in cultured lacrimal gland acinar cells". J. Ocular Pharm. and Therapeutics, in press.
- Beauregard, C, Brandt, PC, and Chiou, GCY. (2003) "Induction of nitric oxide synthase and over-production of nitric oxide by interleukin-1beta in cultured lacrimal gland acinar cells". Experimental Eye Research, 77: 109-114.
- Beauregard, C, Brandt, PC, and Chiou, GCY. (2002) "Nitric oxide and cyclic GMP-mediated protein secretion from cultured lacrimal gland acinar cells". J. Ocular Pharm. and Therapeutics 18: 429-444.
- Shaw, JP, Midkiff, P, Brandt, PC, and Sisken, BF. (2001) "Growth and differentiation of PC-6 cells: The effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF)". Biomagnetics 22(4): 267-271.
- Brandt, PC, and Vanaman, TC. (2000) "Elevated Glucocorticoid Receptor Transactivation and Down-regulation of alpha 1 Integrin Are Associated with Loss of Plasma Membrane Ca2+-ATPase Isoform 1". J. Biol. Chem. 275: 24534-24539.
- Franks, JJ, Wamil, AW, Janicki, PK, Horn, JL, Franks, WT, Janson, VE, Vanaman, TC, and Brandt, PC. (1998) "Anesthetic-induced alterations of Ca2+ homeostasis in neural cells: A temperature sensitive process that is enhanced by blockade of plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase isoforms". Anesthesiology 89(1): 149-164.
- Brandt, PC, and Vanaman, TC. (1998) "Calmodulin Regulated Ion Transport Systems". In, Calmodulin and Signal Transduction. pp. 397-471. (Van Eldik, LJ and Watterson, DM, editors.) Academic Press, Inc., New York.