Michael C. Levin, M.D.

Michael C. Levin, M.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Neurology
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology


The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
855 Monroe Avenue, Room 415
Memphis, TN 38163
Phone: (901) 448-2243
Fax: (901) 448-7440
Email: Michael C. Levin



Education

  • M.D. Institution: The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University
  • Postdoctoral: National Institutes of Health, Neuroimmunology Branch

Link

Research Interests

This laboratory studies the relationship between viruses and immune-associated diseases of the human central nervous system, particularly multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, they study how patients infected with HTLV-1 (human T - lymphotropic virus type I) develop HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), a demyelinating disease with similarities to MS. Current experiments focus on two major areas. First, identifying a novel auto-antibody response in HAM/TSP patients that may identify a human protein with similarities to viral proteins, an area of study known as molecular mimicry. Second, experiments are designed to identify abnormal expression of RNA using single cell analysis of abnormal areas of brain from MS and HAM/TSP patients. By identifying what cells produce in the central nervous system they hope to develop novel therapeutic strategies to help treat patients with these diseases.

Representative Publications

  • Drevinge C, Karlsson LO, StÃ¥hlman M, Larsson T, Perman Sundelin J, Grip L, Andersson L, Borén J, Levin MC. Cholesteryl esters accumulate in the heart in a porcine model of ischemia and reperfusion. PLoS One. 2013 Apr 26;8(4):e61942. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061942. Print 2013. PubMed PMID: 23637933; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3637450.
  • Gardner LA, Desiderio DM, Groover CJ, Hartzes A, Yates CR, Zucker-Levin AR, Bloom L, Levin MC. LC-MS/MS identification of the one-carbon cycle metabolites in human plasma. Electrophoresis. 2013 Feb 18. doi: 10.1002/elps.201200536. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 23417555.
  • Douglas JN, Gardner LA, Lee S, Shin Y, Groover CJ, Levin MC. Antibody transfection into neurons as a tool to study disease pathogenesis. J Vis Exp. 2012 Sep 26;(67). doi:pii: 4154. 10.3791/4154. PubMed PMID: 23051967.
  • Li L, Liu B, HÃ¥versen L, Lu E, Magnusson LU, StÃ¥hlman M, Borén J, Bergström G, Levin MC, Hultén LM. The importance of GLUT3 for de novo lipogenesis in hypoxia-induced lipid loading of human macrophages. PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e42360. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042360. Epub 2012 Aug 2. PubMed PMID: 22876317; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3410913.
  • Lee S, Shin Y, Clark D, Gotuzzo E, Levin MC. Cross-reactive antibodies to target proteins are dependent upon oligomannose glycosylated epitopes in HTLV-1 associated neurological disease. J Clin Immunol. 2012 Aug;32(4):736-45. doi: 10.1007/s10875-012-9652-9. Epub 2012 Mar 6. PubMed PMID: 22392044.
  • Streeper RS, Grueter CA, Salomonis N, Cases S, Levin MC, Koliwad SK, Zhou P, Hirschey MD, Verdin E, Farese RV Jr. Deficiency of the lipid synthesis enzyme, DGAT1, extends longevity in mice. Aging (Albany NY). 2012 Jan;4(1):13-27. PubMed PMID: 22291164; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3292902.

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