Kenton S. Miller
-B.A., St. Cloud State University
-Ph.D., Iowa State University
Office: N217 Oliphant
Hall
Phone: (918) 631-3065
Email: kenton-miller@utulsa.edu |
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Research Interests:
In the past decade, the field of immunology has witnessed unprecedented
progress toward elucidating the structure and function of the various classes of molecules found on the surface
of immune effector cells. The molecules and genes involved in antigen recognition have been characterized; new
accessory molecules have been identified; and many of the underlying biochemical events of lymphocyte activation
and function have been defined. Despite these notable advances, it is remarkable how little is known concerning
the role of the carbohydrate structures present on functionally important plasma membrane glycoproteins. Consider,
for example, that the various classes of MHC molecules, CD4, CD8 and the T cell receptor itself are all glycoproteins.
Further, important costimulatory molecules or their ligands are either heavily glycosylated (CD43, CD45, HSA) or
are known to have lectin-like domains (CD2, CD22, CD23, CD69, CD72), yet the functions of these glycans and their
receptors remain largely unknown. The research conducted in my laboratory is aimed at discovering and characterizing
immunoregulatory glycans and glycan receptors, and explicating their function at the cellular and molecular levels.
The laboratory is currently focusing on the early events of B cell activation. We have recently demonstrated that
transcription from most genes encoding known sialyltranstransferases (enzymes which add sialic acid to the non-reducing
termini of glycoconjugates) are differentially regulated during B cell activation, and we are currently characterizing
the signals which control their transcription. In a related area, our laboratory has been the first to demonstrate
the presence of a functional ecto-sialyltransferase on the surface of murine lymphoid cells. We are very excited
about this find and are currently characterizing the targets and linkage specificity of this enzyme(s).
Teaching Fields:
- Biol 1003-Genetics and Human Diversity.
- Biol 4133-Immunology
- Biol 4283-Selected Topics in Protein Structure/Function
Selected Publications:
- Cook, P., Fu, C., Hickey, M., Han, E.-S. and Miller, K.S. (2004) SAS programs
for real-time RT-PCR having multiple independent samples, BioTechniques 37:990.
- Marino, J., Meyer, M., Hoffman, M. and Miller, K.S. (2004) Sialyltransferase
mRNA Abundances are Strictly Controlled and Differentially Regulated Following B Lymphocyte Activation, Glycobiology 14:1265.
- Marino, J., Cook, P. and Miller, K.S. (2003) Accurate and Statistically
Verified Quantification of Relative mRNA Abundance Using SYBR Green I and Real-Time RT-PCR. J. Immunol Methods 283:291.
- Bagriacik, E.U., and Miller, K.S., 1999. Cell Surface Sialic Acid and
the Regulation of Immune Cell Interactions: The Neuraminidase Effect Reconsidered. Glycobiology 9,
267.
- Miller, K.S., 1997. Costimulatory Molecules and Whole Cell Vaccines. Cancer BioTherapuetic Newsletter
1,4.
- Bagriacik, E.U., Kirkpatrick, A. and Miller, K.S., 1996. Glycosylation
of Native MHC Class Ia Molecules is Required for Recognition by Allogeneic Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes. Glycobiology 6, 413.
- Miller, K.S. and Hook, L., 1996. Quantifying Cell Monolayer Cultures by
Video Imaging. BioTechniques 20, 652.
- Miller, K.S., Bagriacik, E.U., Dharmaraj, R. and Klein, J.R., 1995. Inhibition
of Target Cell Glycosylation by Tunicamycin Abrogates Target Cell Lysis by Allospecific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes.
Glycoconjugate Journal
12, 582.
- Miller, K.S. and Brudnak, M., 1995. Expression Cloning: PCR Versus Episomal
Vectors for Rescue of Transfected Genes. In PCR in Neuroscience(Methods in Neuroscience Vol. 26) Editor G. Sarkar,
Academic Press, Orlando, FL. 20.
- Mosley, R.L., Whetsell, M. Stickney, D., Whetsell, L., Schaefer, F.V.,
Miller, K.S. and Klein, J.R., 1994. Phenotype and T Cell Receptor Gamma/delta Variable Gene Repertoire of Intestinal
Intraepithelial Lymphocytes in Wild Mice (Mus musculus domesticus): Abundance of Vgamma1 and Extensive Delta Gene
Diversity. Int. Immunol.
6, 231
Research Students and Projects:
- Expression of sialyltransferase genes during B cell activation
Other Responsibilities:
- Chairman: Graduate Studies, Department of Biological Science
- Past President: Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honor Society
- Chairman: Institutional Biosafety Committee
- Institutional Radiation Safety Officer
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