Burt Sharp, M.D.
Van Vleet Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology
Co-Director
Center for Neurobiology of Brain Disease
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
874 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38163
Phone: (901) 448-6000
Fax: (901) 448-7300
Lab: 115 Crowe Research Building
Email: Burt Sharp
Grants Quick Links
Education
- M.D. Institution: University of Cincinnati
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Research Interests
This research program has dual foci involving (1) the basic neuro-chemistry and molecular neurobiology of nicotine and (2) cellular and biochemical approaches to understand the action of opioid peptides on the immune system.
The nicotine research uses in vivo microdialysis coupled with measurements of biogenic amines and excitatory amino acids to understand both the neurochemical basis for addiction to nicotine and the beneficial therapeutic effects of nicotinic agonists on hypothalamic and hippocampal function. In many of these studies, nicotine is delivered acutely through intra-jugular catheters and cannulae that are chronically implanted in specific CNS sites. Animals also learn to self-administer nicotine through operant conditioning that mimics human smoking. In vivo microdialysis in these self-administering animals permits analysis of changes in brain neurochemistry and direct correlation of these with drug-dependent behavior. Using RT-PCR, analyses are made of specific gene expression in micropunched areas of brain. Similarly, in situ hybridization analyses are used to characterize the effects of nicotine self-administration on short and longterm changes in CNS gene expression.
Dr. Sharp's research on opioid immunobiology seeks to understand the cellular and molecular basis for the modulatory effects of opiates and opioid peptides on lymphocytes, specifically T-cells. Using fluorescence flow cytometry and RT-PCR, his lab is characterizing the expression of delta opioid receptors on specific subsets of T lymphocytes. Biochemical and immunological approaches (e.g., immunoprecipitation, Western immunoblotting, receptor binding, etc.) are used to elucidate the signal transduction pathways that mediate the anti-proliferative actions of delta opioid receptors on T-cells. Their current focus is on the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in opioid signaling, as this pertains to the effects of opioids on MAPK-dependent interleukin-2 production.
Representative Publications
- Roguski EE, Chen H, Sharp BM, Matta SG. Fostering itself increases nicotine self-administration in young adult male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2013 May 17. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 23681157.
- Chen H, Hiler KA, Tolley EA, Matta SG, Sharp BM. Genetic factors control nicotine self-administration in isogenic adolescent rat strains. PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e44234. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044234. Epub 2012 Aug 28. PubMed PMID: 22937166; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3429443.
- Yu G, Sharp BM. Nicotine modulates multiple regions in the limbic stress network regulating activation of hypophysiotrophic neurons in hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. J Neurochem. 2012 Aug;122(3):628-40. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2012.07785.x. Epub 2012 Jun 22. PubMed PMID: 22578217; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3393789.
- Chen H, Liu Z, Gong S, Wu X, Taylor WL, Williams RW, Matta SG, Sharp BM. Genome-Wide Gene Expression Profiling of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons Projecting to Ventral Pallidum Using both Microarray and Transcriptome Sequencing. Front Neurosci. 2011;5:98. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2011.00098. Epub 2011 Aug 12. PubMed PMID: 21886604; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3155868.
- Chen H, Sharp BM, Matta SG, Wu Q. Social interaction promotes nicotine self-administration with olfactogustatory cues in adolescent rats. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011 Dec;36(13):2629-38. doi: 10.1038/npp.2011.149. Epub 2011 Jul 27. PubMed PMID: 21796102; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3230486.
- Sharp BM, Chen H, Gong S, Wu X, Liu Z, Hiler K, Taylor WL, Matta SG. Gene expression in accumbens GABA neurons from inbred rats with different drug-taking behavior. Genes Brain Behav. 2011 Oct;10(7):778-88. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-183X.2011.00716.x. Epub 2011 Aug 1. PubMed PMID: 21745336; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3193935.
