Lance Hallberg, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor,  Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, Division of Environmental Toxicology

Scientist, Inhalation Facility

Education: 

B.S. University of Texas El Paso
M.S. University of Texas El Paso
Ph.D. University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston       
 

General Research Goals: 

My interests lie in the investigation of the toxic affects of environmental agents on human populations. Environmental agents have the power to affect both the genome as well as the proteome. If the genome is the blue print by which a cell is directed then the proteome is its workhorse and ultimately gives rise to the cellular phenotype. My research the qualitative and quantitative changes that occur to the proteome due to environmental toxicant exposure. I primarily utilize Two Dimensional Electrophoresis (2DE) and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) technologies. 2DE analysis is currently the Gold standard for the investigation of complex protein mixtures enabling the separation of hundreds to thousands of proteins on a single gel. Additionally, continued development of analysis software provides the impetus for the continuing use of 2DE in proteomics. This software enables identification and semi-quantitation of changes in protein profiles between control and exposed samples. In this example, two Chinese hamster ovary cell lines have been stably transformed with either a GFP₁₃₅ containing plasmid or one with a T4-pdg-NLS fusion protein (E. coli T4-pyrimidine dimer glycosylase with a nuclear localizing sequence). Both cell lines were irradiated with a solar simulator for two minutes and cell lysates obtained 24 hours post-irradiation. Differentially expressed proteins are readily observable. Proteins from these spots were analyzed by MALDI and found to be Annexin 2. Trains of Annexin 2 proteins were identified, additionally, one spot was found to decrease while the others in the train increased. This indicates that the original Annexin 2 protein was modified. The new spots have maintained the same molecular weight as the original protein but have been modified in such a fashion as to change their pI.

Ongoing Research:

1)  Differential protein expression in a mEH KO mouse following 1,3 Butadiene Inhalation exposure. Dr. Jonathon Ward Environmental Toxicology Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch 

2)  Localization of DNA repair protein products of a GFP-T4-pdg fusion protein in UV and/or solar irradiated DNA repair defective E. coli cell lines, Dr. Steven Lloyd Sealy Center for Molecular Science, University of Texas Medical Branch 

3)  Characterization of Solar Simulated Radiation induced protein profile changes in T4-pdg transformed CHO uv135 cells Dr. S. Lloyd Sealy Center for Molecular Science, University of Texas Medical Branch 

4)  Affects of Solar Simulated light versus UVC irradiation on DNA repair defective yeast cell lines: Is it all UVC damage?, Dr. Amanda McCullough Sealy Center for Molecular Science, University of Texas Medical Branch

Publications:

         McConnell, M.A., Hallberg, L.M., and Legator, M.S. (1997) Evaluation of the use of Effects Screening Levels to ensure public health: A case study in Texas. Journal of Clean Technology, Environmental Toxicology, and Occupational Medicine, Vol. 6, No. 1.

         Wang, G., L.M. Hallberg and E.W. Englander (1999) Rapid SINE-mediated detection of cisplatin: DNA adduct formation in vitro and in vivo in blood, Mutat.Res., 434, 67-74.

         Wang, G., L.M. Hallberg, E. Saphier and E.W. Englander (1999) Short interspersed DNA element-mediated detection of UVB-induced DNA damage and repair in the mouse genome, in vitro, and in vivo in skin, Mutat.Res., 433, 147-157.

          Lu, K.P., L.M. Hallberg, J.Tomlinson, and K.S. Ramos (2000) Benzo-a-pyrene activates L1Md retrotransposon and inhibits DNA repair in vascular smooth muscle cells, Mutat.Res., 454, 35-44.

          L.M. Hallberg, Y. Ikeno, E. Englander, and G.H. Greeley Jr. (2000) Effects of aging and caloric restriction on IGF-I, IGF-I receptor, IGFBO-3 and IGFBP-4 gene expression in the rat stomach and colon, Regul. Pept. May 10, 89(1-3), 37-44.