Peer-Reviewed CHAOS: Unabridged
Papers from the Pit and Beyond
Washburn RL, Robinson D, Curl D, McGlue MM. Geohealth in Kentucky: Integrating Geological Insights and Health Outcomes. Geohealth. (in preparation).
From geohealth to gonads, this is the full lineup—peer-reviewed chaos forged from microbes, microbiomes, and way too many late nights at the edge of what's known.
Bennett AI & Washburn RL, Adeniyi M, Sandilya V, Solomon J, Dufour JM, Mechref Y. Sertoli Cell Saga: Adventures in the Testicular Protein Realm Enabled by Advanced LC-MS/MS Methods. (in preparation).
Hamann LK & Washburn RL, Makii M, Brown E, Hampton M, Schlabritz-Lutsevich N, Ventolini G, Phillips C, Rumbaugh KP, Tipton C, Redman WK. Microbial composition of intrauterine device biofilm correlates with complaints and abnormal removals in parous Hispanic women. Contraception and Reproductive Medicine. (in preparation).
Bennett AI & Washburn RL, Adeniyi M, Nwaiwu J, Solomon J, Dufour JM, Mechref Y. The N-glycan blueprint of Sertoli cells: Pioneering insights into immune modulation using LC-MS/MS Techniques. Cells. (in preparation).
Kaur G, Helmer RA, Martinez-Marin D, Sennoune SR, Washburn RL, Martinez-Zaguilan R, Dufour JM, Chilton BS. Helicase-like transcription factor (Hltf)-deletion activates Hmgb1-Rage axis and granzyme A-mediated killing of pancreatic β cells resulting in neonatal lethality. (2023). PLOS ONE. 18(8):e0286109. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286109.
Washburn RL and Dufour JM. Gene expression profiles of neonatal porcine Sertoli cells at baseline and after incubation in normal human serum as determined by RNA sequencing. (2023). Tissue Barriers, DOI: 10.1080/21688370.2023.2242060.
Washburn RL and Dufour JM. Regulation of complement by Sertoli cells may contribute to the immune protective environment within the blood-testis barrier. (2023). Tissue Barriers, DOI: 10.1080/21688370.2023.2233385.
Martinez-Marin D, Helmer RA, Kaur G, Washburn RL, Martinez-Zaguilan R, Sennone SR, Dufour JM, Chilton BS. Helicase-like transcription factor (HLTF)-deleted CDX/TME model of colorectal cancer increased transcription of oxidative phosphorylation genes and diverted glycolysis to boost S-glutathionylation in intravascular metastatic niches. (2023). protocols.io, https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.ewov1oe37lr2/v1.
Washburn RL, Martinez-Marin D, Sniegowski T, Korać K, Rodriguez AR, Miranda JM, Chilton BS, Bright RK, Pruitt K, Bhutia YD, Dufour JM. Sertoli Cells Express Accommodation, Survival, and Immunoregulatory Factors When Exposed to Normal Human Serum. (2023). Biomedicines 2023, 11(6), 1650; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11061650.
Kaur G, Helmer RA, Martinez-Marin D, Sennoune SR, Washburn RL, Martinez-Zaguilan R, Dufour JM, Chilton BS. Pancreatic β cell-specific deletion of Helicase-like transcription factor (Hltf) activates the Hmgb1-Rage axis and granzyme A-mediated killing of pancreatic β cells resulting in neonatal lethality. (2023). PLOS ONE. dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io. kxygx9yqdg8j/v1.
Washburn RL, Dufour JM. Complementing Testicular Immune Regulation: The Relationship between Sertoli Cells, Complement, and the Immune Response. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023; 24(4):3371. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043371.
Washburn, R.L.; Martinez-Marin, D.; Korać, K.; Sniegowski, T.; Rodriguez, A.R.; Chilton, B.S.; Hibler, T.; Pruitt, K.; Bhutia, Y.D.; Dufour, J.M. The Sertoli Cell Complement Signature: A Suspected Mechanism in Xenograft Survival. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 1890. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24031890.
Washburn RL, Hibler T, Kaur G, Sabu-Kurian A, Landefeld A, Dufour JM. Immunoregulatory Sertoli cell allografts engineered to express human insulin survive humoral-mediated rejection. (2022). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 23(24), 15894; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415894.
Washburn RL, Kaur G, Dufour JM. Mouse Sertoli cells inhibit humoral-based rejection. (2022). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 23(21), 12760. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232112760.
Wang R, Santos JM, Dufour JM, Stephens E, Miranda JM, Washburn RL, Hibler T, Kaur G, Lin D, Shen CL. Ginger root extract improves intestinal health in diabetic rats via improving intestinal integrity and mitochondrial function. Nutrients, 2022. 14, DOI: 10.3390/nu14204384.
Washburn RL, Hibler T, Kaur G, Dufour JM. Sertoli cell immune regulation: A double-edged sword? (2022). Front. Immunol. 13:913502. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.913502.
Washburn RL, Sandberg D, Gazdik Stofer M. Supplementation of a single species probiotic does not affect diversity and composition of the healthy adult gastrointestinal microbiome. (2022). Human Nutrition and Metabolism. p.200148. doi: 10.1016/j.hnm.2022.200148.
Kurian AS, Hibler T, Washburn RL, Boothe K, Kaur G, Dufour JM. The Role of Macrophages in Sertoli Cell Transplant Survival Without the Use of Immunosuppressive Drugs. (2022). [Abstract]. Journal of the American College of Surgeons: 235, 5(S271). doi: 10.1097/01.XCS.0000895144.40123.94.
Washburn RL, Kaur G, Chilton B, Reilly BD, Dufour JM. Seeking the Sertoli cell complement inhibitory signature to prolong transplant survival. (2022). [Abstract]. The Journal of Immunology. 208 (1 Supplement) 175.10.
Washburn RL, Hibler T, Thompson L, Kaur G, Dufour JM. Therapeutic application of Sertoli cells for treatment of various diseases. (2021). Semin Cell Dev Biol. 1084-9521(21). doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.04.007.
Menikdiwela KR, Torres Guimaraes JP, Ramalingam L, Kalupahana NS, Dufour JM, Washburn RL, Moustaid-Moussa N. Mechanisms linking endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and microRNAs to adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity. Current Research in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. (2021) 10.1080/10409238.2021.1925219, 1-271 doi: 10.1080/10409238.2021.1925219.
Washburn RL, Mueller K, Kaur G, Moreno T, Moustaid-Moussa N, Ramalingan L, Dufour JM. C-peptide as a therapy for Type 1 Diabetes. (2021). Biomedicines, 9, 270. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9030270.
Washburn, RL., G. Kaur, and J. Dufour, Xenogeneic Sertoli cells express complement inhibitory proteins necessary for their survival of hyperacute rejection. (2021). [Abstract]. The Journal of Immunology. 206(1 Supplement): p. 28.14-28.14.
Washburn RL, Kaur G, Dufour JM. Sertoli cells and complement inhibitors: a possible mechanism to increase pancreatic islet viability. (2020). Ann Diabetes Res. 4(1):1013.
Washburn RL, Hibler T, Dufour JM. A genetically engineered mouse Sertoli cell line survives chronic humoral immune factors when grafted into diabetic mice. (2022). [Abstract]. Cancer Prevention Research. 16(1 Supplement), P044-P044.
Wang R, Ji G, Dufour J, Kaur G, Miranda J, Washburn RL, Hibler T, Luk H, Neugebauer V, Shen CL. Ginger Mitigates Pain Behaviors and Improves Colon Health in Obese Rats With Diabetic Neuropathy. Obesity 2020 Nov 1 (Vol. 28, pp. 186-186).
Washburn RL, Horne BD, Cox JE, Miao R, Muhlestein JB, Le VT, Butler AR, May HT, Carlquist JF, Anderson JL. Metabolomic and Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) changes during 24-hour water-only fast in the FEELGOOD clinical crossover trials. Nutrients 2019, 11(2), 246; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11020246
Presentations from the Pit: Podium
From Mud to Medicine: A geospatial strategy for natural product discovery and pathogen surveillance
Annual Meeting, American Society for Pharmacognosy, Grand Rapids, MI, Aug 2025
Microbial Hazards and Health Potential: An Integrative Geohealth Framework Evolving at the Kentucky Geological Survey.=
Spring Meeting, TN/KY Branch, American Society for Microbiology, Louisville, KY, Apr 2025
Testicles to the rescue: The unlikely heroes of immunology
Centre of Instructional Excellence Seminar Series, Ivy Tech Community College, Sellersburg, IN, Nov 2024
No More Skeletons in the Closet: How Active Learning Revives Anatomy Courses
Annual Conference, American Indians in Science and Engineering Society, San Antonio, TX, Oct 2024
The urinary system and nitrogen excretion in amphibians, insects, reptiles, and birds
Guest lecturer, Wilmington College, Wilmington, OH, Dec 2023
The cross-bridge cycle: The star-crossed romance of actin and myosin
Guest lecturer, Bluegrass Community College, Lexington, KY, Nov 2023
A testicle a day keeps rejection at bay: Testicular Sertoli cells provide insight into immune regulation and transplant protection
Invited Speaker, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, Feb 2023
From academic conferences to underground seminars, we bring the science loud and clear. These talks highlight the work, the data, and the grit behind our research
Complementing transplant survival: The relationship between Sertoli cell grafts, complement, and immune regulation
Invited Speaker, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, Feb 2023
The Sertoli cell-complement landscape in a graft protective environment: Preventing transplant rejection one testicle at a time
Doctoral Defense Presentation, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Jan 2023
Preventing transplant rejection one testicle at a time: Sertoli cell interactions with complement in xenograft survival
Invited Speaker, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, Jan 2023
Preventing transplant rejection one testicle at a time: Sertoli cell-complement interactions in xenograft survival
Invited Speaker, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, Nov 2022
The Sertoli cell complement signature in a nutshell: A suspected mechanism in xenograft survival
Seminar Series, Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Nov 2022
From testes to transplants: Sertoli cell complement inhibition may hold the key to transplant survival
Annual Student Research Week, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Mar 2022
Seq-ing the Sertoli cell complement signature: A pathway toward preventing graft rejection
Seminar Series, Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Oct 2021
Sertoli cell expression of complement regulatory proteins is necessary to their survival of hyperacute rejection
Annual Research Symposium, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center—Abilene, Abilene, TX, Feb 2021
From testis to transplantation: Sertoli cell inhibition of the complement system may improve xenograft viability
Seminar Series, Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Sep 2020
Presentations from the Pit: Poster
Preventing transplant rejection one testicle at a time: The Sertoli cell-complement landscape in a graft protective environment
Innate Immunity: From Innate Sensing to Adaptive Response, Keystone Symposia, Apr 2022, Snowbird, UT, Apr 2023
A genetically engineered mouse Sertoli cell line survives chronic humoral immune factors when grafted into diabetic mice
Precision Prevention, Early Detection, and Interception of Cancer Special Conference; American Association for Cancer Research, Austin, Nov 2022.
Expression of CD46 and CD55 by Sertoli cells may improve the viability of pancreatic islet xenografts in treating diabetes mellitus
Annual Meeting, Obesity Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, Jun 2021
Seeking the Sertoli cell complement inhibitor signature to prolong transplant survival
Immunology 2022, American Association of Immunologists, Portland, OR, May 2022
Seq’ing the Sertoli cell complement inhibitory signature: Paving the pathway to prolonging transplant survival
Innate Immunity: Complement and Beyond, Keystone Symposia, Snowbird, UT, Apr 2022
From testes to transplants: Sertoli cell complement inhibition may hold the key to transplant survival
Annual Student Research Week, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Mar 2022
Posters: because sometimes you’ve got to distill groundbreaking research onto a single sheet of paper. Here’s where we turned data into eye candy and made Science look metal
Complement inhibition by immunoregulatory Sertoli cells: Paving the road to allograft and xenograft survival
Annual Meeting, International Complement Workshop, Virtual, Dec 2021
Expression of CD46 and CD55 are critical to testicular Sertoli cell survival of hyperacute rejection
Annual Meeting, Texas Forum for Reproductive Sciences, Virtual Meeting, Jul 2021
Complement inhibition by immunoregulatory Sertoli cells: Paving the road to allograft and xenograft survival
Annual Meeting, International Complement Workshop, Virtual Meeting, Dec 2021
Xenogeneic Sertoli cells express complement inhibitory proteins necessary to their survival of hyperacute rejection
Immunology 2021, American Association of Immunologists, Virtual Meeting, May 2021
Complement inhibitory protein production by xenogeneic Sertoli cells is necessary for their survival of hyperacute rejection*
Annual Student Research Week, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Mar 2021
Sertoli cell expression of complement regulatory proteins is necessary to their survival of hyperacute rejection
Annual Research Symposium, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center—Abilene, Abilene, TX, Oct 2020
Sertoli cell inhibition of the complement system may improve xenograft viability*
Annual Student Research Week, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Mar 2020
Role of Macrophages and Regulatory T cells in Sertoli Cell Allograft Survival
Gender-Specific Medicine and Women’s Health Symposium, Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, Lubbock, TX, Oct 2019
Testing for the Development of Bacterial Resistance to Glycoside Hydrolases
Spring Meeting, Texas Branch, American Society for Microbiology, San Antonio, TX, Mar 2019
Testing for the Development of Bacterial Resistance to Glycoside Hydrolases
Annual Student Research Week, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Mar 2019
Preliminary Study on the Influence of Probiotic Bifidobacterium 35624 on the Gut Microbiome of Healthy Individuals
Inter-regional Conference, American Society for Microbiology, Durango, CO, Apr 2018
Presentations from the Pit: Partners in Science
Kentucky Geological Survey Geohealth Research and Opportunities
Michael M. McGlue, PhD
Environmental Health Sciences Seminar, UK-Cares, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, Mar 2025
Lymphovascular metastatic niches are convergent sites for redox homeostasis in an HLTF-deleted CDX/TME model of colorectal cancer
Beverly S. Chilton, PhD
Keystone Meeting Tumor Microenvironment: Metastasis and the Host, Banff, Canada, Jan 2025
Characterization of proteins in pig Sertoli cells to understand complement system behavior and possible xenotransplantation applications using LC-MS/MS techniques
Andy I. Bennett, PhD
72nd ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, American Society for Mass Spectrometry, Baltimore, MD, Jun 2024
Complement and Sertoli cell immune regulation
Jannette M. Dufour, PhD
American Society for Reproductive Immunology, American Society for Reproductive Immunology, Houston, TX, May 2024
LC-MS/MS characterization of glycans in pig Sertoli cells to understand complement system behavior
Andy I. Bennett, PhD
71st ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, American Society for Mass Spectrometry, Baltimore, MD, Jun 2023
Helicase-like transcription factor (Hltf) protein isoforms: A matter of life and death
Beverly S. Chilton, PhD
5th International Caparica Conference in Splicing, Caparica, Portugal, Jul 2023
No great science is done alone. These presentations come from our badass collaborators who’ve helped amplify the impact and raise a little scientific hell with us along the way.
Immunoprotective Sertoli cells in transplantation
Jannette M. Dufour, PhD
2023 Annual Meeting, Women in Andrology Lecture, American Society of Andrology, Boston, MA, Apr 2023
Effects of peanut shell extract supplementation in obese diabetic mice
Matthew Bender, Chwan-Li Shen, PhD
Annual Student Research Week, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Feb 2023
The role of macrophages in Sertoli cell immune transplant survival without the use of immunosuppressive drugs
Anna Sabu-Kurian, Jannette M. Dufour, PhD
Annual Clinical Congress 2022, American College of Surgeons, San Diego, CA, Aug 2022
Immunosuppressive functions of Sertoli cells
Jannette M. Dufour, PhD
Annual Meeting, The American Society for Reproductive Immunology, Nashville, TN, May 2022
The role of macrophages in Sertoli cell immune regulation and transplant survival
Anna Sabu-Kurian, Jannette M. Dufour, PhD
Annual Student Research Week, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Feb 2022
Complement deposition in engineered Sertoli cell allografts
Alissa Landefeld, Jannette M. Dufour, PhD
Summer Research Seminar Series, Summer Accelerated Biomedical Research Program, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, Aug 2021
Ginger mitigates pain behaviors and improves colon health in obese rats with diabetic neuropathy
Raymond Wang, PhD, Chwan-Li Shen, PhD
Obesity Week Conference, Obesity Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, Jun 2020
The influence of probiotics on the healthy human microbiome
Daniel Sandberg, Michaela Gazdik Stofer, PhD
Interregional Branch Conference, American Society of Microbiologists, Provo, UT, Apr 2019
Host-pathogen interactions in the pulmonary vasculature during infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Valerie Rodriguez, Sharilyn Almodovar, PhD
Annual Meeting, Experimental Biology, Orlando, FL, Feb 2018