Paul Toselli
Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Department of Biochemistry
Boston University School of Medicine
Silvio Conte Building, K-107
72 E. Concord Street
Boston, MA 02118
Phone: 617-638-4050
Fax: 617-638-5339
Email: toselli@biochem.bumc.bu.edu
Education
B.A., La Salle College, Philadelphia, PA
M.D., Hahnemann University, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Research Interest
Morphological Characterization of Cells, Tissues, and Organs
Our research laboratory fosters the goals of the Biochemistry Department by assisting faculty and graduate students in the transmission electron microscopic and light microscopic analyses of in vitro, transgenic, and gene “knock-out” animal models for examining diseases such as atherosclerosis, breast cancer, and male infertility.
We employ sensitive methods for detecting and localizing elastin mRNA and protein in plastic-embedded rat aortic smooth muscle cell cultures by in situ hybridization and immunogold antibody staining techniques. The cultured cells grow in multilayers, produce extracellular matrix elastin, and demonstrate a structural arrangement of cells and extracellular matrix similar to that observed in the medial layer of blood vessels. By using this in vitro model of vascular tissue, we hope to understand mammalian cell basic science, and then apply this knowledge for acquiring insight into disease processes that involve vascular smooth muscle cells and/or elastin.
Techniques used most often in the laboratory include transmission electron microscopy and light microscopy, electron and light microscopy immunocytochemistry and histochemistry, in situ hybridization and light microscopy autoradiography.
Representative Publications
Near RI, Smith RS, Toselli PA, Freddo TF, Bloom AB, Vanden Borre P, Seldin DC, Lerner A. (2009) Loss of AND-34/BCAR3 expression in mice results in rupture of the adult ocular lens. Mol Vis 15:685-699.
Seldin DC, Lou DY, Toselli P, Landesman-Bollag E, Dominguez I. (2008) Gene targeting of CK2 catalytic subunits. Mol Cell Biol 316:141-7.
Lou DY, Dominguez I, Toselli P, Landesman-Bollag E, O’Brien C, Seldin DC. (2008) The alpha catalytic subunit of protein kinase CK2 is required for mouse embryonic development. Mol Cell Biol 28:131-9.
Aramagan A, Hatsushi K, and Toselli P. (2008) The effects of testosterone deficiency on the structural integrity of the penile dorsal nerve in the rat. Int J Impot Res 20:73-8.
Gao S, Zhao Y, Kong L, Toselli P, Chou IN, Stone P, Li W. (2007) Cloning and characterization of the rat lysyl oxidase gene promoter: Identification of core promoter elements and functional nuclear factor I binding sites. J Biol Chem 282:25322-37.
Chou DK, Zhao Y, Gao S, Chou IN, Toselli P, Stone P, Li W. (2007) Perturbation of copper (Cu) homeostasis and expression of Cu binding proteins in cadmium-resistant lung fibroblasts. Toxicol Sci. 99:267-276.
Gaidos G, Soni S, Oswald DJ, Toselli PA, Kirsch KH. (2007) Structure/function analysis of the CMS/CIN85 protein family identifies actin bundling properties and heterotypic complex formation. J Cell Sci. 120:2366-2377.
Lawrence R, Yabe T, HajMohammadi S, Rhodes J, McNeely M, Liu J, Lamperti ED, Toselli PA, Lech M, Spear PG, Rosenberg RD, Shworak NW. (2007) The principal neuronal gD-type 3-O- sulfotransferases and their products in central and peripheral nervous system tissues. Matrix Biol 26:442-455.
Huang Z, Yu J, Toselli P, Bhawan J, Sudireddy V, Taylor L, Polgar P. (2007) Angiotensin II type 1 and bradykinin B2 receptors expressed in early stage epithelial cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. J Cell Physio 211:816-25.
Xu X, Toselli PA, Russell LD, Seldin DS. (1999) Globozoospermia in mice lacking the casein kinase II a’ catalytic subunit. Nature Genet. 23: 118-121.
