Dr. Bost's Academic Degrees

• Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center (1984)
• Bachelor's in Zoology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1979)

Most Recent Courses Taught

• LBST 2213 Cancer
• BIOL 8000 NIH Grant Reviewing
• BIOL 8000 How to be a Professional Scientist

Professional Experience

1984 - 1985 McLaughlin Postdoctoral Fellowship, UTMB, Galveston, Texas
1985 - 1986 Research Assistant Professor, Dept. Micro.& Immuno., UTMB-Galveston
1986 - 1990 Assistant Professor, Dept. Physiology, University of Alabama-Birmingham
1986 - 1990 Associate Scientist Cancer Center, University of Alabama-Birmingham
1989 - 1990 Associate Scientist, Univ.of Alabama-Birmingham Center for AIDS Research
1990 - 1992 Assistant Professor, Dept. Micro. & Immuno., Tulane University Medical Center
1992-1997 Associate Professor, Dept. Micro. & Immuno., Tulane University Medical Center
1993-1998 Contributing Member, Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane Medical Center
1997-1998 Professor, Dept. Micro. & Immuno. Tulane University Medical Center
1998-Present Belk Distinguished Professor, Dept. Biology, UNC-Charlotte                            2005-Present, Director of Research SoyMeds, Inc.

Honors, Awards and Memberships

Sigma XI Research Award 1983, UMMC; McCluskey Research Award 1983, South Central Branch Meeting of the ASM; Recipient of a James W. McLaughlin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 1984, UTMB; James W. McLaughlin Postdoctoral Research Award 1985, UTMB; Medical Students Owl Club Award for excellence in teaching Medical Immunology, 1992, 1995 and 1997.

Editorial Board Memberships: Infection and Immunity 1995-2009; Associate Editor, Journal of Immunology, 1995-1996; Section Editor, Journal of Immunology 1996-1998; Managing Editor, Frontiers in Bioscience, 2004.

NIH Study Section Assignments: NIAID, "Molecular Immunology of Sexually Transmitted Diseases," 1993; NIAID, "Collaborative Mucosal Immunology Groups for AIDS Vaccines", 1993; NIH, Neurological Sciences 3 Study Section, 1995-1998; NIH, MIDRC, Ad Hoc, 1996; NIH, NLS-3 Special Emphasis Panel, 1997; NIH, NIDDK Site Visit, 1997; NIH, NIAID Special Emphasis Panel, 1998; NIH, Brain Disorders and Clinical Neuroscience-4 Study Section, 1998-2003; NIH, Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors Study Section, 2003-2005; NIH, Vaccines against Microbial Diseases Study Section, 2006-2007; NIH, Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors Study Section, 2007-present.

Memberships: American Association of Immunologists, Society for Mucosal Immunology.

Summary of Research Projects

The Research projects ongoing in Dr. Bost's laboratory group can be divided into several areas.

1) Teenagers and young adults are the age group most likely to abuse a growing list of compounds known as “club drugs”.  Ecstasy, or 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), is currently one of the most popular club drugs of abuse, and we are just beginning to learn about the deleterious effects this drug can have on central nervous system function of these young adults.  While we suspect there is a link between some diseases and club drug abuse, there have been no studies to investigate whether Ecstasy might have such a deleterious effect on immune function within the central nervous system or in the periphery during microbial diseases. In collaboration with Dr. Dan Nelson, we are investigating the ability of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine to modulate the immune response of leukocytes following in vivo or in vitro exposure of this drug of abuse.  These studies will define mechanisms by which the club drug, Ecstasy, can modulate inflammatory responses following infection, and represent the first effort to link the use of Ecstasy with exacerbated diseases of young adults.

2) Murine gamma-herpesvirus 68 causes a mononucleosis-like illness in infected rodents which mimics very closely the disease seen in humans. Since this model has only recently been described, we know very little about the immune response against this virus.  The overall goal of this research is to define the host response against this virus and to investigate how this model of gammaherpesvirus infections might augment other disease states.

3) In collaboration with Dr. Piller, our laboratories are demonstrating the feasibility of expressing vaccines, toleragens, and adjuvants in transgenic soybeans.  If successful, this work will demonstrate the feasibility of an efficient expression system for production of large quantities of vaccines, toleragens, and adjuvants  which are cost-effective to produce, safe to administer, and can be shipped worldwide in a highly stable form (i.e. soybeans).  The fact that extensive procedures for processing soybeans into human consumables already exist suggest that this work could be readily translated to the production of soybean-derived formulations useful for treating humans or animals.

GRANT FUNDING

Project Period 04/01/2007 – 03/30/2011:  “MDMA alters immunity to infections of the peripheral and central nervous systems” NIH RO1DA021833-01.  Total Costs $1,008,000.  Kenneth L. Bost, Principal Investigator, Dan Nelson, Co-Investigator.

Project Period 8/01/2005 - 7/31/2008: “Efficacy of soybean-based vaccines using a model antigen” NIH R01AI061123.  Total costs $827,951.  Kenneth J. Piller, Principal Investigator, Kenneth L. Bost, Co-Investigator

Project Period 12/01/2007 – 06/30/2008: “Transgenic Soybeans Expressing a Vaccine for Swine”, North Carolina Research Competitiveness Fund.  Total direct costs $100,384.  Kenneth L. Bost, Principal Investigator, Ken Piller, Jack Odle, and Chad Stahl, Co-Investigators.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (from over 140)

132. Pascual, D.W., and Bost, K.L. Neuropeptides for mucosal immunity.   In:Handbook of Mucosal Immunology, 3rd edition (P.L. Ogra, M.E. Lamm, J. R. McGhee, J. Mestecky, W. Strober, and J. Bienenstock, eds), Academic Press, N.Y. 2005, Chapter 38.

133. Piller, K. J., T. E. Clemente, S.M Jun, C.C. Petty, S. Sato, D. W. Pascual, and K. L. Bost. Expression and immunogenicity of a K99 subunit antigen in soybean. Planta 222: 16-18, 2005.

134. Marriott, I., Gray, D.L., Rati, D.M., Fowler, V.G., Stryjewski, M.E., Levin, L.S., Hudson, M.C., and Bost, K.L. Osteoblasts produce monocyte chemotractant protein-1 in a murine model of Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis and infected human bone tissue.  Bone 37: 504-512, 2005.

135. Nelson, D.A., and Bost, K.L. Quantification of hemokinin-1 peptide production and secretion from mouse B cells.  Cell. Immunol. 237: 115-122, 2005.

136. Gasper-Smith, N., Singh, S., and Bost, K.L. Limited IL-6 production following infection with murine gammaherpesvirus 68.  Arch. Virol. 151:1423-1430, 2006.

137. Marriott, I., Bost, K.L., and Huet-Hudson, Y.M.  Sexual dimorphism in expression of receptors for bacterial lipopolysaccharide in murine macrophages: A possible mechanism for gender-based differences in endotoxic shock susceptibility.  J. Reprod. Immunol.  71:12-27, 2006.

138. Gasper-Smith, N., Marriott, I., and Bost, K.L. Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 limits naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cell activity following infection.  J. Immunol. 177:4670-4678, 2006.

139. Garg, R., Tolbert, M., Oakes, J.L., Clemente, T.E., Bost, K.L., and Piller, K.J. Chloroplast targeting of FanC, the major antigenic subunit of Escherichia coli K99 fimbriae, in transgenic soybean.  Plant Cell Rep. 26:1011-1023, 2007.

140. Nelson, D. A., Tolbert, M. D., Singh, S. J., and Bost, K.L. Expression of neuronal trace amine-associated receptor mRNAs in leukocytes.  J. Neuroimmunol. 192:21-30, 2007.

141. Nelson, D.A., Nirmaier, J.L., Singh, S.J., Tolbert, M.D. and Bost, K.L.  Ecstasy (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) limits murine gammaherpesvirus-68 induced monokine expression.  Brain, Behav. Immun. in press, 2008.

Past and Current Ph.D. Students

• Adam Elhofy, Ph.D. 2000
• James Peacock, Ph.D. 2000
• Sherine Elsawa, Ph.D. 2003
• Tian Lin, Ph.D. 2005
• Nancy Gasper, Ph.D. 2006
• Judy Oakes, Ph.D. student 2006-present
• Rebecca Powell, Ph.D. student 2007-present

Past Post-graduate Fellows

• David W. Pascual, Ph.D., 1987-1990.
• Benjamin L. Clarke, Ph.D., 1988-1990.
• Sam Bieligk, M.D., 1993-1995.
• Tammy Kincy-Cain, Ph.D., 1995-1996.
• Ian Marriott, Ph.D., 1996-1998.
• Christal C. Bowman, Ph.D. 2000-2004. 
• Renu Garg, Ph.D. 2006-present