Dipak Sarkar Professor Rutgers University Dept. Animal Sciences Foran Hall School of Env & Biol Sciences New Brunswick. NJ 08903 (732) 932-1529 FAX - 6996 sarkar@aesop.rutgers.edu

Influences of stress and drug abuse on neuroendocrine and neuroimmune systems

My long-term research plan is to understand how alcohol. natural estrogens. and environmental estrogens alter neuroendocrine. reproductive. and immune functions to increase the risk of the development of tumors. including prolactinomas and mammary tumors. I am also studying the feasibility of gene therapy and tissue-targeted transgenic procedures to understand and prevent these tumors.

Selected Publications

Sarkar DK, Boyadjieva NI, Chen CP, Ortigüela M, Reuhl K, Clement EM, Kuhn P, Marano J. (2008) Cyclic adenosine monophosphate differentiated {beta}-endorphin neurons promote immune function and prevent prostate cancer growth. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Jun 17. [Epub ahead of print]

Kuhn P, Sarkar DK. (2008) Ethanol induces apoptotic death of beta-endorphin neurons in the rat hypothalamus by a TGF-beta 1-dependent mechanism. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 32(4):706-14.

Chaturvedi K, Sarkar DK. (2008) Alteration in G proteins and prolactin levels in pituitary after ethanol and estrogen treatment. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 32(5):806-13.

Arjona A, Sarkar DK. (2008) Are circadian rhythms the code of hypothalamic-immune communication? Insights from natural killer cells. Neurochem Res. 33(4):708-18.

Sarkar DK, Boyadjieva NI. (2007) Ethanol alters production and secretion of estrogen-regulated growth factors that control prolactin-secreting tumors in the pituitary. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 31(12):2101-5.

Sarkar DK, Kuhn P, Marano J, Chen C, Boyadjieva N. (2007) Alcohol exposure during the developmental period induces {beta}-Endorphin neuronal death and causes alteration in the opioid control of stress axis function. Endocrinology. 148(6):2828-34.

Sarkar AJ, Chaturvedi K, Chen CP, Sarkar DK. (2007) Changes in thrombospondin-1 levels in the endothelial cells of the anterior pituitary during estrogen-induced prolactin-secreting pituitary tumors. J Endocrinol. 192(2):395-403.

Chen CP, Boyadjieva NI, Advis JP, Sarkar DK. (2006) Ethanol suppression of the hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin level and the splenic NK cell cytolytic activity is associated with a reduction in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines but not anti-inflammatory cytokines in neuroendocrine and immune cells. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 30(11):1925-32.

Chaturvedi K, Sarkar DK. (2006) Isolation and characterization of rat pituitary endothelial cells. Neuroendocrinology. 83(5-6):387-93.

Boyadjieva N, Advis JP, Sarkar DK. (2006) Role of beta-endorphin, corticotropin-releasing hormone, and autonomic nervous system in mediation of the effect of chronic ethanol on natural killer cell cytolytic activity. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 30(10):1761-7.

Sarkar DK. (2006) Genesis of prolactinomas: studies using estrogen-treated animals. Front Horm Res. 35:32-49.

Arjona A. Boyadjieva N. Kuhn P. Sarkar DK. (2006) Fetal ethanol exposure disrupts the daily rhythms of splenic granzyme B. IFN-gamma. and NK cell cytotoxicity in adulthood. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 30(6):1039-44.

Chen CP. Kuhn P. Advis JP. Sarkar DK. (2006) Prenatal ethanol exposure alters the expression of period genes governing the circadian function of beta-endorphin neurons in the hypothalamus. J Neurochem. 97(4):1026-33.

Chen CP. Kuhn P. Chaturvedi K. Boyadjieva N. Sarkar DK. (2006) Ethanol induces apoptotic death of developing beta-endorphin neurons via suppression of cyclic adenosine monophosphate production and activation of transforming growth factor-beta1-linked apoptotic signaling. Mol Pharmacol. ;69(3):706-17.

Spanagel R. Rosenwasser AM. Schumann G. Sarkar DK. (2005) Alcohol consumption and the body's biological clock. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 29(8):1550-7.

Dokur M. Chen CP. Advis JP. Sarkar DK. (2005) Beta-endorphin modulation of interferon-gamma. perforin and granzyme B levels in splenic NK cells: effects of ethanol. J Neuroimmunol. 166(1-2):29-38.

Kabir N. Chaturvedi K. Liu LS. Sarkar DK. (2005) Transforming growth factor-beta3 increases gap-junctional communication among folliculostellate cells to release basic fibroblast growth factor. Endocrinology. 146(9):4054-60.

Chaturvedi K. Sarkar DK. (2005) Role of protein kinase C-Ras-MAPK p44/42 in ethanol and transforming growth factor-beta3-induced basic fibroblast growth factor release from folliculostellate cells. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 314(3):1346-52.

Arjona A. Sarkar DK. (2005) Circadian oscillations of clock genes. cytolytic factors. and cytokines in rat NK cells. J Immunol. 174(12):7618-24.

Willoughby KN. Sarkar AJ. Boyadjieva NI. Sarkar DK. (2005) Neonatally administered tert-octylphenol affects onset of puberty and reproductive development in female rats. Endocrine. 26(2):161-8.

Poplawski MM. Boyadjieva N. Sarkar DK. (2005) Vasoactive intestinal peptide and corticotropin-releasing hormone increase beta-endorphin release and proopiomelanocortin messenger RNA levels in primary cultures of hypothalamic cells: effects of acute and chronic ethanol treatment. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 29(4):648-55.

Chaturvedi K. Sarkar DK. (2005) Mediation of basic fibroblast growth factor-induced lactotropic cell proliferation by Src-Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase p44/42 signaling. Endocrinology. 146(4):1948-55.

Bose S. Darsell J. Hosick HL. Yang L. Sarkar DK. Bandyopadhyay A. (2002) Processing and characterization of porous alumina scaffolds. J Mater Sci Mater Med. 13(1):23-8.

Dokur M. Boyadjieva NI. Advis JP. Sarkar DK. (2004) Modulation of hypothalamic beta-endorphin-regulated expression of natural killer cell cytolytic activity regulatory factors by ethanol in male Fischer-344 rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 28(8):1180-6.

Boyadjieva NI. Chaturvedi K. Poplawski MM. Sarkar DK. (2004) Opioid antagonist naltrexone disrupts feedback interaction between mu and delta opioid receptors in splenocytes to prevent alcohol inhibition of NK cell function. J Immunol. 173(1):42-9.

Dokur M. Boyadjieva N. Sarkar DK. (2004) Catecholaminergic control of NK cell cytolytic activity regulatory factors in the spleen. J Neuroimmunol. 151(1-2):148-57.

Chen CP. Kuhn P. Advis JP. Sarkar DK. (2004) Chronic ethanol consumption impairs the circadian rhythm of pro-opiomelanocortin and period genes mRNA expression in the hypothalamus of the male rat. J Neurochem. 88(6):1547-54.

Arjona A. Boyadjieva N. Sarkar DK. (2004) Circadian rhythms of granzyme B. perforin. IFN-gamma. and NK cell cytolytic activity in the spleen: effects of chronic ethanol. J Immunol. 172(5):2811-7.

Oomizu S. Chaturvedi K. Sarkar DK. (2004) Folliculostellate cells determine the susceptibility of lactotropes to estradiol's mitogenic action. Endocrinology. 145(3):1473-80.

Rasmussen DD. Sarkar DK. Roberts JL. Gore AC. (2003) Chronic daily ethanol and withdrawal: 4. Long-term changes in plasma testosterone regulation. but no effect on GnRH gene expression or plasma LH concentrations. Endocrine. 22(2):143-50.

Boyadjieva NI. Chen CP. Sarkar DK. (2003) Role of nitric oxide in alcohol alteration of beta-endorphin release from hypothalamic cells in primary cultures. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 27(11):1813-8.

Chaturvedi K. Sarkar DK. (2004) Involvement of protein kinase C-dependent mitogen-activated protein kinase p44/42 signaling pathway for cross-talk between estradiol and transforming growth factor-beta3 in increasing basic fibroblast growth factor in folliculostellate cells. Endocrinology. 145(2):706-15.

Caporali S. Imai M. Altucci L. Cancemi M. Caristi S. Cicatiello L. Matarese F. Penta R. Sarkar DK. Bresciani F. Weisz A. (2003) Distinct signaling pathways mediate stimulation of cell cycle progression and prevention of apoptotic cell death by estrogen in rat pituitary tumor PR1 cells.
Mol Biol Cell. 14(12):5051-9.

Oomizu S. Boyadjieva N. Sarkar DK. (2003) Ethanol and estradiol modulate alternative splicing of dopamine D2 receptor messenger RNA and abolish the inhibitory action of bromocriptine on prolactin release from the pituitary gland. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 27(6):975-80.

Dokur M. Boyadjieva NI. Sarkar DK. (2003) Reduction of perforin. granzyme B. and cytokine interferon gamma by ethanol in male Fischer 344 rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 27(4):670-6.

Boyadjieva NI. Dokur M. Advis JP. Meadows GG. Sarkar DK. (2002) Beta-endorphin modulation of lymphocyte proliferation: effects of ethanol. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 26(11):1719-27.

De A. Boyadjieva N. Oomizu S. Sarkar DK. (2002) Ethanol induces hyperprolactinemia by increasing prolactin release and lactotrope growth in female rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 26(9):1420-9.

Sirinarumitr K. Sirinarumitr T. Johnston SD. Sarkar DK. Kustritz MV. (2002) Finasteride-induced prostatic involution by apoptosis in dogs with benign prostatic hypertrophy. Am J Vet Res. 63(4):495-8.

De A. Boyadjieva N. Sarkar DK. (2002) Role of protein kinase C in control of ethanol-modulated beta-endorphin release from hypothalamic neurons in primary cultures. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 301(1):119-28.