College of Pharmacy

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Picture of Dean James KehrerJames P. Kehrer, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
College of Pharmacy
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences P.O. Box 646534
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-6534
Phone: (509) 335-4750
Fax: (509) 335-2530
kehrer@wsu.edu

Editor for the Americas of Toxicology Letters

Education: B.S. Pharmacy, Purdue University, 1974
Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1978

Research Interests: Several different research projects are ongoing in my laboratory. Several inhibitors of lipoxygenase (LOX) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzymes induce apoptosis. The pathways involved with both classes of drugs are, in large part, independent of the inhibition of these enzymes and appear to be very similar. Recent work has focused on the ability of these compounds to inhibit the apoptosis signaling pathways related to the survival kinases PDK1 and Akt. In addition, these compounds have been found to profoundly induce the expression of the lipocalins 24p3 (mouse) and the homologous NGAL (human). This appears to be a survival response to an apoptotic stimulus. Of general interest to my laboratory are studies on redox regulation of signal transduction, particularly with regard to apoptosis. Also of significant interest are the molecular effects of the reactive aldehyde acrolein and thioredoxin. Some collaborative work with researchers at MD Anderson Science Park in Smithville, Texas is ongoing as part of our joint Center for Research in Environmental Diseases, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Recent publications:

Kehrer, J.P., Biswal, S.S., La, E., Thuillier, P., Datta, K., Fischer, S.M. and and Vanden Heuvel, J.P.: Inhibition of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARa) by MK886. Biochem. J. 356: 899-906 (2001). For the 12 months ending November 2002 this was the most downloaded regular research paper from the Biochem. J. 5079 downloads.

Biswal, S., Acquaah-Mensah, G., Datta, K., Wu, X. and Kehrer, J.P.: Inhibition of cell proliferation and AP-1 activity by acrolein in human A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells due to thiol imbalance and covalent modifications. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 15:180-186 (2002).

Tang, D.G., La, E., Kern, J. and Kehrer, J.P.: Fatty acid oxidation and signaling in apoptosis. Biological Chem. 383, 425-442 (2002).

Kern, J.C. and Kehrer, J.P.: Acrolein-induced cell death: a caspase-influenced decision between apoptosis and oncosis/necrosis. Chemico-Biol. Interact. 139, 79-95 (2002).
Acquaah-Mensah, G.K., Kehrer, J.P. and Leslie, S.W..: Altered cerebellar transcriptional regulation in a rat fetal alcohol syndrome model. J. Pharmacol. Exptl. Therap. 301: 277-283 (2002).

Thuillier, P., Brash, A.R., Kehrer, J.P., Stimmel, J.B., Leesnitzer, L.M., Yang, P., Newman, R.A. and Fischer, S.M.: Inhibition of PPAR-mediated keratinocyte differentiation by lipoxygenase inhibitors. Biochem. J. 366, 901-910 (2002). La, E., Kern, J.C., Atarod, E.B. and Kehrer, J.P.: Fatty acid release and oxidation in lipoxygenase inhibitor-induced apoptosis. Toxicol. Lett. 138, 193-203 (2003).

Biswal, S., Maxwell, T., Rangasamy, T. and Kehrer, J.P.: Modulation of benzo[a]pyrene-induced p53 DNA activity by acrolein. Carcinogenesis 24, 1401-1406 (2003).

Tong, Z., Wu, X. and Kehrer, J.P.: Increased expression of the lipocalin 24p3 as an apoptotic mechanism for MK886. Biochem. J. 372, 203-210 (2003).

Wu, X. Biswal, S.S. and Kehrer, J.P.: Roles of 5-lipoxygenase activating protein in cell proliferationand apoptosis. Cell Biol. Toxicol. 19, 135-143 (2003).

Watson, W.H., Yang, X., Choi, Y.E., Jones, D.P. and Kehrer, J.P.: Thioredoxin and its role in toxicology. Toxicolog. Sci. 78, 3-14 (2004).

Atarod, E. B. and Kehrer, J.P.: Dissociation of oxidant production by peroxisome proliferator activated receptor ligands from cell death in human cell lines. Free Rad. Biol. Med. 37, 36-47 (2004).

Yang, X., Wu, X., Choi, Y.E., Kern, J.C. and Kehrer, J.P.: Effect of acrolein and glutathione depleting agents on thioredoxin. Toxicology 204, 209-218 (2004).

Kern, J.C. and Kehrer, J.P.: Free radicals and apoptosis: relationships with glutathione, thioredoxin and the bcl family of proteins. Frontiers in Bioscience 10, 1727-1738 (2005).

Tong, Z., Wu, X., Ovcharenko, D., Zhu, J., Chen, C-S. and Kehrer, J.P.: Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin as a survival factor. (submitted).

 

 

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