W. Thomas Shier
W. Thomas Shier, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Medicinal Chemistry
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Education:
B.Sc., University of Waterloo, Canada, 1966
M.S., University of Illinois, 1968
Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1970
Research Interests:
Research in this laboratory is focused on the following areas:
(1) Preparation of improved non-viral drug delivery vectors for human gene therapy. A major effort has been focused on polycationic dendrimers designed to enhance cell entry and intracellular DNA release.
(2) A search for methods to isolate and study antibiotics from the large majority of streptomycetes which are unculturable.
(3) Strategies for limiting the ability of mycotoxins to cause disease, including two cancer-causing mycotoxins aflatoxins and fumonisins, and (-)-botryodiplodin, a potential anti-cancer agent.
(4) A search for structural moieties that will alter the pharmacokinetics of drugs to which they are attached.
Publications:
Abbas, H. K.; Cartwright, R. D.; Xie, W.; Shier, W. T. Aflatoxin and Fumonisin Contamination of Corn (Maize, Zea Mays) Hybrids in Arkansas. Crop Protection. 2006, 25,1-9.
Badria, F. A.; Dawidar, A.-A. A.; Houssen, W. E.; Shier, W. T. In Vitro Study of Flavonoids, Fatty Acids and Sterols on Proliferation of Rat Hepatic Stellate Cells. Zeitschrift fuer Naturforschung, C. Journal of Biosciences, 2005, 60, 139-142.
Abbas, H. K; Zablotowicz, R. M.; Weaver, M. A.; Horn, B. W; Shier W. T. Relationships Between Aflatoxin Production and Sclerotia Formation Among Isolates of Aspergillus Section Flavi From the Mississippi Delta. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 2005, 112, 283-287.
Abbas, H.K.; Johnson, B.J.; Pantone, D. J.; Wax,L. M.; Hine, R.; and Shier, W. T. Response of Multiple Seeded Cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium L.) and Other Cocklebur Types to Herbicide Treatment. Pest Management Science, 2005, 61, 643-648.
Shier, W. T.; Lao, Y.; Steele, T. W. J; Abbas, H. K. Yellow Pigments Used in Rapid Identification of Aflatoxin-Producing Aspergillus Strains are Anthraquinones Associated with the Aflatoxin Biosynthetic Pathway. Bioorganic Chemistry, 2005, 33, 426-438.
Hernández-Romero, Y.; Acevedo, L.; de Los ángeles Sánchez, M.; Shier, W. T.; Abbas, H. K.; Mata, R. Phytotoxic Activity of Ibenzyl Derivatives from the Orchid Epidendrum Rigidum. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2005, 53, 6276-6280.
Shier, W.T.; Abbas, H. K.; Weaver, M. A.; Horn, B. W. The Case for Monitoring Aspergillus Flavus Aflatoxigenicity for Food Safety Assessment in Developing Countries. In: Aflatoxin and Food Safety (H.K. Abbas, Ed.), Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL, 2005, pp. 291-311.
Abou-Karam, M.; Abbas, H. K.; Shier, W. T. N-Fatty Acylation of Hydrolyzed Fumonisin B1, But not of Intact Fumonisin B1, Strongly Enhances in vitro Mammalian Toxicity. J. Toxicol. - Toxin Rev. 2004, 23, 123-151.
Abbas, H.K.; Zablotowicz, R. M.; Weaver, M. A.; Horn, B.W.; Xie, W.; Shier, W. T. Comparison of Cultural and Analytical Methods for Determination of Aflatoxin Production by Mississippi Delta Aspergillus Isolates. Can. J. Microbiol., 2004, 50, 193-199.
Ayyad, S.-E.N., O.B. Abdel-Halim, W.T. Shier and T.R. Hoye. Cytotoxic hydroazulenoid diterpenes from the brown alga Cystosira myrica. Zeitschrift fuer Naturforschung, 2003, 58c, 33-38.
Shier, W.T., H.K. Abbas, M. Abou-Karam, F.A. Badria and P.A. Resch. Fumonisins: Abiogenic conversions of an environmental tumor promoter and common food contaminant. J. Toxicol.-Toxin Rev., 2003, 22, 591-616.