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Douglas D. Thomas, Ph.D.Joanna Burdette

Assistant Professor
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy

University of Illinois at Chicago
College of Pharmacy
833 South Wood Street (M/C 781)
Chicago IL 60612-7231

Office: 437 PHARM
Office Phone: 312-996-6156
Lab: 473/475/477 PHARM
Lab Phone:
Fax Number: 312-996-7107
E-mail address: ddthomas@uic.edu

Education:

Washington State University, Pullman, WA, B.S. in Zoology, 1987-1992
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, Ph.D. in Pathology, 1994-2000
National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, Post-Doctoral in Radiation Biology, 2001-2007

Research Interests:

Our investigations focus on understanding the chemical biological signaling properties of the free radical nitric oxide (•NO).  Since its initial discovery as “endothelium-derived relaxing factor” in the 1980s, the understanding of •NO in biological systems has become vastly more complex.  It is now known to be involved in numerous physiological functions ranging from smooth muscle relaxation and immune defenses to antioxidant activity and neuronal transmission.  In addition to its many physiologic functions, •NO is also involved in the etiology and progression of countless chronic diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular.  Although the pathogeneses of most diseases are multifaceted, the focal point of our research is to delineate a link between the chemical and biophysical properties of •NO with phenotypic outcomes.  While there are numerous well-defined mechanisms of •NO signaling, our findings on the interactions of •NO with cellular iron have changed our fundamental understanding of •NO biology. 
My program focuses on three main areas of •NO chemical biology in health and disease:

  1. The reaction of •NO with iron and the consequences of dinitrosyliron complex formation
  2. Mechanisms of epigenetic regulation by •NO (DNA and Histone)
  3. Hypoxia and •NO-driven tumor cell behavior.

Using a broad array of chemical, biochemical, and molecular biological techniques, our mission is to elucidate cellular mechanisms associated with phenotypic effects of •NO.  Further insight into these mechanisms will greatly increase our fundamental understanding of •NO in health and disease with the ultimate goal being therapeutic application.

Select Publications:

  1. Hickok, J. R.; Vasudevan, D.; Thatcher, G. R.; Thomas, D. D., Is S-nitrosocysteine a true surrogate for nitric oxide? Antioxid Redox Signal. 2012 [abstract]
  2. Hickok, J. R.; Sahni, S.; Shen, H.; Arvind, A.; Antoniou, C.; Fung, L. W.; Thomas, D. D., Dinitrosyliron complexes are the most abundant nitric oxide-derived cellular adduct: biological parameters of assembly and disappearance. Free Radic Biol Med 2011, 51, (8), 1558-66. [abstract]
  3. Hickok, J. R.; Sahni, S.; Mikhed, Y.; Bonini, M. G.; Thomas, D. D., Nitric oxide suppresses tumor cell migration through N-Myc downstream-regulated gene-1 (NDRG1) expression: role of chelatable iron. J Biol Chem 2011, 286, (48), 41413-24. [abstract]
  4. Hickok, J. R.; Thomas, D. D., Nitric oxide and cancer therapy: the emperor has NO clothes. Curr Pharm Des 2010, 16, (4), 381-91. [abstract]
  5. Thomas, D. D.; Ridnour, L. A.; Isenberg, J. S.; Flores-Santana, W.; Switzer, C. H.; Donzelli, S.; Hussain, P.; Vecoli, C.; Paolocci, N.; Ambs, S.; Colton, C. A.; Harris, C. C.; Roberts, D. D.; Wink, D. A., The chemical biology of nitric oxide: implications in cellular signaling. Free Radic Biol Med 2008, 45, (1), 18-31. [abstract]
  6. Thomas, D. D.; Ridnour, L. A.; Espey, M. G.; Donzelli, S.; Ambs, S.; Hussain, S. P.; Harris, C. C.; DeGraff, W.; Roberts, D. D.; Mitchell, J. B.; Wink, D. A., Superoxide fluxes limit nitric oxide-induced signaling. J Biol Chem 2006, 281, (36), 25984-93. [abstract]
  7. Thomas, D. D.; Espey, M. G.; Pociask, D. A.; Ridnour, L. A.; Donzelli, S.; Wink, D. A., Asbestos redirects nitric oxide signaling through rapid catalytic conversion to nitrite. Cancer Res 2006, 66, (24), 11600-4. [abstract]
  8. Thomas, D. D.; Espey, M. G.; Ridnour, L. A.; Hofseth, L. J.; Mancardi, D.; Harris, C. C.; Wink, D. A., Hypoxic inducible factor 1alpha, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and p53 are regulated by distinct threshold concentrations of nitric oxide. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2004, 101, (24), 8894-9. [abstract]
  9. Thomas, D. D.; Espey, M. G.; Vitek, M. P.; Miranda, K. M.; Wink, D. A., Protein nitration is mediated by heme and free metals through Fenton-type chemistry: an alternative to the NO/O2- reaction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002, 99, (20), 12691-6. [abstract]
  10. Thomas, D. D.; Liu, X.; Kantrow, S. P.; Lancaster, J. R., Jr., The biological lifetime of nitric oxide: implications for the perivascular dynamics of NO and O2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001, 98, (1), 355-60. [abstract]
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