CSB Faculty

Arlan G. Richardson, Ph.D.

Oklahoma State University, 1968

Barshop (210) 562-6140
RICHARDSONA@UTHSCSA.EDU
Department of Cellular and Structural Biology

Senior Research Career Scientist
South Texas Veterans Health Care System

Dr. Arlan Richardson is an author on 164 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 36 chapters. In 1993, he received the Nathan Shock Award from the Gerontology Research Center at the National Institute on Aging for his pioneering research on the effect of dietary restriction on gene expression. In 1995, he received the Robert W. Kleemeier Award for outstanding research in the field of gerontology from the Gerontological Society of America, and in 1997 was awarded the Methodist Hospital Foundation Chair in Aging Studies and Research at UTHSCSA. Since 1990, Dr. Richardson has held a Research Career Scientist Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Dr. Richardson has held a variety of administrative positions over the past decade. For example, he served as President of the American Aging Association, Chair of the Biological Sciences Section, and President of the Gerontological Society of America. In 1990, he was the Chair of the Gordon Research Conference on the Biology of Aging and was responsible for organizing the first Gordon Research Conference in Europe. He is currently a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the NIA, and Director of the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies.

Research Interests
The goal of my research is to understand the role of oxidative stress/damage in aging and age-related diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, etc. My research is focused on two areas. The first area is developing and using transgenic and knockout mouse and rat models with alterations in the antioxidant defense system to study how increased or decreased oxidative damage affects survival, age-related pathology, and physiological parameters that are markers of physiological aging. Currently, we are studying transgenic/knockout mice for catalase, Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase, Mn-superoxide dismutase, thioredoxin, glutathione peroxidase, and methionine sulfoxide dismutase. The second area of my research is developing assays to measure oxidative damage to specific macromolecules, in particular oxidative damage to proteins. We are currently using 2-deminisional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to identify and quantify oxidative damage to specific proteins (e.g., carbonyl groups and cysteine oxidation) and changes in protein conformation (surface hydrophobicity).

PUBLICATIONS:
Mele J, Van Remmen H, Vijg J, Richardson A. (2006) Characterization of transgenic mice that overexpress both copper zinc superoxide dismutase and catalase. Antioxid Redox Signal. Mar-Apr;8(3-4):628-38.

Pierce A, deWaal E, Van Remmen H, Richardson A, Chaudhuri A. (2006) A novel approach for screening the proteome for changes in protein conformation. Biochemistry. Mar 7;45(9):3077-85.

Ward WF, Qi W, Van Remmen H, Zackert WE, Roberts LJ 2nd, Richardson A. (2005) Effects of age and caloric restriction on lipid peroxidation: measurement of oxidative stress by F2-isoprostane levels. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. Jul;60(7):847-51.

Ran Q, Liang H, Gu M, Qi W, Walter CA, Roberts LJ 2nd, Herman B, Richardson A, Van Remmen H. (2004) Transgenic mice overexpressing glutathione peroxidase 4 are protected against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. J Biol Chem. Dec 31;279(53):55137-46. Epub 2004 Oct 20.

Yang H, Roberts LJ, Shi MJ, Zhou LC, Ballard BR, Richardson A, Guo ZM. (2004) Retardation of atherosclerosis by overexpression of catalase or both Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase and catalase in mice lacking apolipoprotein E. Circ Res. Nov 26;95(11):1075-81. Epub 2004 Nov 4.