Sylvester, Steven R.
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Research Interests
My current research interests center around the molecular mechanisms of certain toxic compounds which have been shown to alter spermatogenesis. Specifically, I have examined bromochloro- substituted small molecules such as dibromochloropropane and bromochloroacetic acid. Dibromochloropropane was used in agriculture as a nematocide until it was found to be a male sterilant, it persists in soils and shallow wells. Bromochloroacetate is a by-product of the chlorination of water derived from aquifers near the ocean or near certain geologic formations. We have shown that bromochloroacetate reduces spermatogenesis in mice but that only certain areas of the testis are affected. We have evidence which has led to the proposal of a complex chain-reaction model for the molecular mechanism of toxicity and are now testing the elements of that model in animals and in cell cultures. We are also examining the chiral attributes of these toxicants because the enantiomers are metabolized differently and may have different mechanisms of toxicity.

Publications
Sylvester, S.R. (1995). Leydig cell-Sertoli cell interaction. In A.H. Payne, M.P. Hardy, and L.D. Russell, eds, The Leydig Cell. Cache River Press, Vienna, IL.

Sylvester, S.R. and M.D. Griswold (1995). The reproductive biology of clusterin. In J.A.K. Harmony, ed, Clusterin: Role in vertebrate development, function, and adaptation. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY.

Sylvester, S.R. (1993). Secretion of transport and binding proteins. In L.L. Russell and M.D. Griswold, eds, The Sertoli Cell. Cache River Press, Miami, FL.

Sherer, T.T., S.R. Sylvester, and R.J. Bull (1993). Differential expression of c-erbA mRNAs in the developing cerebellum and cerebral cortex of the rat. Biol. Neonate 63:26-34.

Sensibar, J.A., Y. Qian, M.D. Griswold, S.R. Sylvester, C.W. Bardin, C.Y. Cheng, and C. Lee (1993). Localization and molecular heterogeneity of sulfated glycoprotein-2 among prostate, seminal vesicle, testis, and epididymis of rats. Biol. Reprod. 49:233-242.

Sylvester, S.R. and M.D. Griswold (1993). Molecular biology of iron transport in the testis. In: D.M. De Kretser, ed The Molecular Biology of the Male Reproductive System. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.