Current Research

Occupational & Environmental Health Sciences

Air pollutant exposure on lungs
Examination of the effects of air pollutant exposure on lungs at different stages of airway remodeling associated with the development of chronic asthma – in collaboration with Susan Wilson, Ph.D. Southampton University, UK.;
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Development of hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Establishment of the risk factors associated with the development of hypersensitivity pneumonitis observed in machinists following exposure to microbial contaminated metal working fluids – being developed in collaboration with Biosan, Inc. Warren, MI More Information

Inflammatory lung models
Development and application of inflammatory lung models for use in the evaluation of new drug delivery systems based on nano-technology – in support of projects led by Mary Lieh-Lai, M.D., and R. Kannan, Ph.D., of the Wayne State University Departments of Paediatric Medicine and Chemical Engineering and Material Sciences, respectively.
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Cigarette Smoke and Ozone Induced Inflammatory Lung Injury
USPHS/NIH (Penidng), “Cigarette Smoke and Ozone Induced Inflammatory Lung Injury”, Expected project period: 7/1/2007 – 6/30/2013, direct cost $1,000,000.
Role: PI
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Highway Worker Killed by Passenger Vehicle While Setting Up Highway Work Zone Warning Signal, 2004
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School Custodian Dies From Blood Clots After Fall From Ladder, 2004
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Inside Wireman Electrician Electrocuted Working on Exterior Light Pole
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A Role of Ceramide in Mediating PDT-induced Apoptosis
5 R29 CA077475 (P.I.) 12/01/98-11/30/03 (non-cost extended from 12/01/03 through11/30/04)
NIH/NCI
A Role of Ceramide in Mediating PDT-induced Apoptosis
The major goals were: (1) to determine the role of sphingomyelinase in PDT-induced ceramide generation and apoptosis; (2) to evaluate mitochondria as a ceramide target in PDT apoptosis; (3) to determine whether downstream targets, such as stress-activated protein kinase, are linked to ceramide-mediated PDT apoptosis; and (4) to evaluate a potential interaction between TNF and PDT via ceramide in photocytotoxicity.
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Wolff, M. S., Taffe, B., Boesch, R. R. and Selikoff, l. J.: Detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in skin oil obtained from roofing workers. Chemosphere 11: 595 599,1982.
Kensler, T. W., Egner, P. A., Moore, K. G., Taffe, B. G., Twerdok, L. E. and Trush, M. A.: Role of inflammatory cells in the metabolic activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mouse skin. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 90: 337 346,1987.
Taffe, B. G., Takahashi, N., Kensler, T. W. and Mason, R. P.: Generation of free radicals from organic hydroperoxide tumor promoters in isolated mouse keratinocytes. J. Biol. Chem.262: 12143 12149,1987.
Taffe, B. G. and Kensler, T. W.: Tumor promotion by a hydroperoxide metabolite of butylated
hydroxytoluene,2,6 di tert butyl 4 hydroperoxy4 methyl 2,5 cyclohexadienone in mouse skin. Res. Commun. Chem. Pathol. Pharmacol. 61: 291 303,1988.
Taffe, B. G., Zweier, J. L., Pannell, L. R. and Kensler, T. W.: Generation of reactive intermediates from the tumor promoter butylated hydroxytoluene hydroperoxide in isolated murine keratinocytes or by hematin. Carcinogenesis 10: 1261 1268,1989.
Matsukura, N., Willey, J., Miyashita, M., Taffe, B., Waldren, C., Puck, T. T. and Harris, C. C.: Detection of direct mutagenicity of cigarette smoke condensate in mammalian cells. Carcinogenesis 12: 685 689, 1991 .
Evans, M.K., Taffe, B.G., Harris, C.C. and Bohr, V.A.: DNA strand bias in the repair of the p53 gene in normal human and Xeroderma pigmentosum group C fibroblasts. Cancer Res. 53: 5377-5381, 1993.
Wang, X.W., Yeh, H., Scheffer, L., Roy, R., Moncollin, V., Egly, J.M., Wang, Z., Freidberg, E.C., Evans, M.K., Taffe, B.G.: p53 modulation of TFII H-associated nucleotide excision repair activity. Nature Genetics, 10:188-195, 1995.
Taffe, B.G., Larminat, F.L.,Laval, J., Croteau, D., Anson, M., Bohr, V.A.: Gene specific nuclear and mitochondrial repair of formamidopyrimidine DNA Glycosylase-sensitive sites in Chinese hamster ovary cells, Mut. Research, 364, 183-92, 1996.
Joshi, B., Li, L., Taffe, B.G., Zhu, Z., Wahl, S., Tian, H., Ben-Josef, E., Taylor, J.D., Porter, A.T., Tang, D.G.: Apoptosis induction by a novel anti-prostate cancer compound, BMD188 (a fatty acid-containing hydroxamic acid), requires the mitochondrial respiratory chain\", Cancer Res. 59:4343-4355, 1999.
Djuric, Z., Potter, D.W., Taffe, B.G., Strasburg, G..M., \"Effect of iron and hydrogen peroxide on DNA and lipid oxidation\", J. Biochem. Molec. Tox. 15(2):114-119, 2001.
Dolgachev, V, Nagy, B, Taffe, B, Hanada, K, Separovic, D, Reactive oxygen species generation is independent of the de novo sphingolipids in apoptotic photosensitized cells, Journal of Experimental Cell Research, Aug 15; 288(2):425-36.

Papers Published in Conference Proceedings:
Taffe, B. G., Kensler, T. W., Takahashi, N. and Mason, R. P.: Activation of organic hydroperoxide tumor promoters to free radicals in target cells. In Cerutti, P. A., Nygaard, O. F. and Simic, M. G. (Eds.): Anticarcinogenesis and Radiation Protection. New York, Plenum Press, 1987, pp. 191 197.
Taffe, B. G., Zweier, J. L. and Kensler, T. W.: Tumor promotion by butylated hydroxytoluene hydroperoxide: Role for free radicals? In Kabara, J. J. (Ed.): The Pharmacological Effects of Lipids lll: Role of Lipids in Carcinogenesis and Therapv. Illinois, American Oil Chemists Society, 1989, pp. 293 302.
Wilson, VL, Taffe, BG, Shields, PG, Povey, AC, Harris, CC. Detection and quantification of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine adducts in peripheral-blood of people exposed to ionizing radiation. Environ. Health Perspect. 99;261-263, 1993.
Bohr, V.A., Taffe, B.G. and Larminat, F.: DNA repair, oxidative stress and aging. In Cutler, R., Packer, L., Bertram, J and Mori, A. (Eds.): Oxidative Stress and Aging, Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, Switzerland, 1995.

Abstracts
Taffe, B.G., Evans, M.K., Harris, C.C, Bohr, V A.: Repair in specific genes mutated during tumorigenesis. Proc. Am. Assoc. Cancer Res. 33:180,1992.
Taffe, B.G., Larminat, F., Laval, J., Anson, M., Bohr, V.A.: Gene specific repair of 8-oxodeoxyguanosine DNA Adducts. AACR Special Conference \"Risk Assessment in Environmental Carcinogenesis\",1994.
Evans, M.K., Taffe, B.G., Harris, C.C., Bohr, V.A.: DNA repair in the p53 tumor suppressor gene in Li-Fraumeni syndrome and other cancer prone disorders. Proc. Am. Assoc. Cancer Res. 35:638, 1994.
Taffe, B.G., Larminat, F.L.,Laval, J., Anson, M., Bohr, V.A.: Lack of gene specific repair of 8-oxogeoxyguanosine DNA adducts. Proc. Am. Assoc. Cancer Res., 36;849, 1995.
Principal Investigator: B. G. Taffe
Agency: NIH/NCI
Type: R29 Period: 5/1/97-4/31/02

The major objective of this project is to characterize, quantitate and compare nitric oxide-mediated DNA damage in isolated DNA, isolated mitochondria, and intact cells and to measure DNA repair in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA of cultured cells.

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“Bleomycin Damage to Mitochondria in proliferating lung cells
Principal Investigator: B. G. Taffe
Agency: Michigan Chapter American Lung Association
Type: Research grant Period: 10/97-9/99
The major goal of this project was to determine whether differential responses to oxidant stress occurred between human fibroblasts and endothelial cells, and whether differences in cytotoxicity related to mitochondrial damage and/or the cellular capacity for glycolytic metabolism.
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Principal Investigator: B. G. Taffe
Agency: Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America
Type: Starter grant Period: 1/95-1/97
The major goal of this project was to develop models and methodology to study DNA damage mediated by NO in cells and to characterize repair of this damage.
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