Anderson, Troy
Ph.D. 2006 anderst@vt.edu
Virginia Tech Info
Degree Being Pursued: Ph.D.Bio Brief
Dr. Troy Anderson was selected as a runner-up winner of the 2007 American Chemical Society Agrochemicals Division Young Scientists Research Recognition Award based on his dissertation research at K-State. He presented his research at a special recognition symposium during the American Chemical Society meetings in Chicago.
Research
The triazine herbicide atrazine is one of the most extensively used pesticides in the agricultural and residential areas of the U.S. and is routinely detected in many surface and ground waters that neighbor these areas. Typically regarded as a safe and selective pre- and post-emergence herbicide, atrazine reportedly interacts synergistically with many organophosphate (OP) insecticides increasing the toxicity of OPs to a variety of non-target organisms, although, the mechanism directing this interaction is currently unknown. It is hypothesized that atrazine may induce certain cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, therefore, enhancing the oxidative activation process and in vivo toxicity of OPs. However, many other genes certainly may be induced or suppressed upon atrazine exposure. I am currently conducting a toxicogenomic analysis of atrazine-treated Chironomus tentans in order to provide insightful information on the molecular mechanisms conferring the synergistic effects of atrazine on OPs. In this study, I am comparing gene expression profiles of atrazine-treated and untreated C. tentans utilizing an innovative technique called restriction fragment differential display-PCR (RFDD-PCR). Presently, I have cloned and sequenced an assortment of novel up-regulated and down-regulated genes in atrazine-treated C. tentans. These up- and down-regulated genes are currently being verified using a C. tentans cDNA library. In addition, I am conducting Northern analyses of both time- and dose-dependent responses of the up- and down-regulated genes in atrazine-treated C. tentans.Publications
Jin-Clark, Y., T. D. Anderson, and K. Y. Zhu. 2008. Effect of alachlor and metolachlor on toxicity of chlorpyrifos and major detoxification enzymes in the aquatic midge, Chironomus tentans (Diptera: Chironomidae). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 54: 645-652.
Anderson, T. D., Y. Jin-Clark, K. Begum, S. R. Starkey, and K. Y. Zhu. 2008. Gene expression profiling reveals decreased expression of two hemoglobin genes associated with increased consumption of oxygen in Chironomus tentans exposed to atrazine: a possible mechanisms for adapting to oxygen deficiency. Aquatic Toxicology 86: 148-156.
Zhu, K.Y., S. Heise, J.Z. Zhang, T.D. Anderson, and S.R. Starkey. 2007. Comparative studies on effects of three chitin synthesis inhibitors on common malaria mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of Medical Entomology 44: 1047-1053
Rakotondravelo, M. L., T. D. Anderson, R. E. Charlton, and K. Y. Zhu. 2006. Sublethal effects of three pesticides on larval survivorship, growth, and macromolecule production in the aquatic midge, Chironomus tentans (Diptera: Chironomidae). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 51: 352-359.
Rakotondravelo, M. L., T. D. Anderson, R. E. Charlton, and K. Y. Zhu. 2006. Sublethal effects of three pesticides on activities of selected target and detoxification enzymes in the aquatic midge, Chironomus tentans (Diptera: Chironomidae). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 51: 360-366.
Anderson, T. D. and K. Y. Zhu. 2004. Synergistic and antagonistic effects of atrazine on the toxicity of organophosphorodithioate and organophosphorothioate insecticides to Chironomus tentans (Diptera: Chironomidae). Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology 80: 54-64.