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Thomas Rogers , PhD

Professor, Pharmacology

Professor, Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology

Telephone:  215-707-3215

Fax:  215-707-7068

Email: thomas.rogers@temple.edu

Department of Pharmacology

Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology

Center for Substance Abuse Research

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison

 

Postdoctoral Training, Roche Institute of Molecular Biology

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Our basic research interests have centered on an understanding of the cross-talk between G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) at the level of both protein function and gene expression.  We have focused our attention on chemokine, opioid, and formyl peptide receptors because these groups of receptors play a significant role in the regulation of inflammatory responses.

First, the capacity of these receptors to regulate the expression other GPCRs and their cognate ligands; and second, the cross-talk between opioid and chemokine receptor at the level of protein function.  Our studies show that activation of certain GPCRs induces the expression of several chemokines and chemokine receptors, including those chemokines that perform critical pro-inflammatory functions.  In contrast, there is a category of GPCRs which mediates anti-inflammatory responses by directly inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory chemokines and/or their receptors. 

Second, we have found that several of the GPCRs are capable of the cross-regulation of other GPCRs through a process termed “heterologous desensitization".  This process occurs when one GPCR is activated by its ligand and induces a signaling pathway which leads to the inactivation of a second, and distinct, GPCR.  Our current work suggests that it should be possible to utilize the process of heterologous desensitization to devise strategies to develop treatment therapies for a number of important disease states.

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Recent Medically Related Publications, Obtained from PubMed (Click on PubMed ID to view abstract)

19353346. Kim V, Kelemen SE, Abuel-Haija M, Gaughan JP, Sharafkaneh A, Evans CM, Dickey BF, Solomides CC, Rogers TJ, Criner GJ, Small airway mucous metaplasia and inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD 5:6(329-38)2008 Dec

18533278. Finley MJ, Chen X, Bardi G, Davey P, Geller EB, Zhang L, Adler MW, Rogers TJ, Bi-directional heterologous desensitization between the major HIV-1 co-receptor CXCR4 and the kappa-opioid receptor. J Neuroimmunol 197:2(114-23)2008 Jul 15

18453359. Kim V, Rogers TJ, Criner GJ, New concepts in the pathobiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Proc Am Thorac Soc 5:4(478-85)2008 May 1

18279847. Finley MJ, Happel CM, Kaminsky DE, Rogers TJ, Opioid and nociceptin receptors regulate cytokine and cytokine receptor expression. Cell Immunol 252:1-2(146-54)2008 Mar-Apr

18252865. Happel C, Steele AD, Finley MJ, Kutzler MA, Rogers TJ, DAMGO-induced expression of chemokines and chemokine receptors: the role of TGF-beta1. J Leukoc Biol 83:4(956-63)2008 Apr

18247127. Kaminsky DE, Rogers TJ, Suppression of CCL2/MCP-1 and CCL5/RANTES expression by nociceptin in human monocytes. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 3:2(75-82)2008 Jun

17870009. Kim V, Rogers TJ, Criner GJ, Frontiers in emphysema research. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 19:2(135-41)2007 Summer

17459345. Chen X, Geller EB, Rogers TJ, Adler MW, The chemokine CX3CL1/fractalkine interferes with the antinociceptive effect induced by opioid agonists in the periaqueductal grey of rats. Brain Res 1153:(52-7)2007 Jun 11

17263642. Dimitrova DI, Reichenbach NL, Yang X, Pfleiderer W, Charubala R, Gaughan JP, Suh B, Henderson EE, Suhadolnik RJ, Rogers TJ, Inhibition of HIV type 1 replication in CD4+ and CD14+ cells purified from HIV type 1-infected individuals by the 2-5A agonist immunomodulator, 2-5A(N6B). AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 23:1(123-34)2007 Jan

17049756. Chen X, Geller EB, Rogers TJ, Adler MW, Rapid heterologous desensitization of antinociceptive activity between mu or delta opioid receptors and chemokine receptors in rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 88:1(36-41)2007 Apr 17

16594639. Adler MW, Geller EB, Chen X, Rogers TJ, Viewing chemokines as a third major system of communication in the brain. AAPS J 7:4(E865-70)2006 Jan 6

16339779. Aksoy MO, Yang Y, Ji R, Reddy PJ, Shahabuddin S, Litvin J, Rogers TJ, Kelsen SG, CXCR3 surface expression in human airway epithelial cells: cell cycle dependence and effect on cell proliferation. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 290:5(L909-18)2006 May

16204637. Adler MW, Rogers TJ, Are chemokines the third major system in the brain? J Leukoc Biol 78:6(1204-9)2005 Dec

15957958. Dimitrova DI, Yang X, Reichenbach NL, Karakasidis S, Sutton RE, Henderson EE, Rogers TJ, Suhadolnik RJ, Lentivirus-mediated transduction of PKR into CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells inhibits HIV-1 replication in differentiated T cell progeny. J Interferon Cytokine Res 25:6(345-60)2005 Jun

15466706. Lieu YK, Kumar A, Pajerowski AG, Rogers TJ, Reddy EP, Requirement of c-myb in T cell development and in mature T cell function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101:41(14853-8)2004 Oct 12

15265667. McCarthy LE, Nitsche JF, Pintar JE, Rogers TJ, The delta-opioid receptor participates in T-cell development by promoting negative selection. J Neuroimmunol 153:1-2(91-8)2004 Aug

14741440. Rahim RT, Feng P, Meissler JJ, Rogers TJ, Zhang L, Adler MW, Eisenstein TK, Paradoxes of immunosuppression in mouse models of withdrawal. J Neuroimmunol 147:1-2(114-20)2004 Feb

14729105. Chen C, Li J, Bot G, Szabo I, Rogers TJ, Liu-Chen LY, Heterodimerization and cross-desensitization between the mu-opioid receptor and the chemokine CCR5 receptor. Eur J Pharmacol 483:2-3(175-86)2004 Jan 12

14597094. Rahim RT, Meissler JJ, Zhang L, Adler MW, Rogers TJ, Eisenstein TK, Withdrawal from morphine in mice suppresses splenic macrophage function, cytokine production, and costimulatory molecules. J Neuroimmunol 144:1-2(16-27)2003 Nov

12972507. Szabo I, Wetzel MA, Zhang N, Steele AD, Kaminsky DE, Chen C, Liu-Chen LY, Bednar F, Henderson EE, Howard OM, Oppenheim JJ, Rogers TJ, Selective inactivation of CCR5 and decreased infectivity of R5 HIV-1 strains mediated by opioid-induced heterologous desensitization. J Leukoc Biol 74:6(1074-82)2003 Dec

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