Dr. Fuller-Espie

Dr. Sheryl Fuller-Espie studies innate immune responses in invertebrates using the earthworm Eisenia hortensis as a model. Her research interests include various aspects of invertebrate immunity including effects of heavy metals, environmental pollutants and pro-inflammatory cytokines on natural killer-like activity, phagocytosis, stress response, respiratory burst, and apoptosis. Her research students have received funding through the Pennsylvania Academy of Science and Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society. Laboratory instrumentation was funded through grants she received from the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Education. Additional funding for laboratory equipment and reagents has been provided through a grant to Cabrini College received from the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and the Faculty Development Grant Committee. Current research students, recent publications, and past research students are described below. Also, see links on the left for full text abstracts of student research presented at the annual Pennsylvania Academy of Science (PAS) and the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (:NCUR) meetings and other abstract titles.

 
Current undergraduate students working in Dr. Fuller-Espie's lab include Frank Bearoff, Erin Blake, Emily Bongiorno, Madeleine Minutillo, and Timothy Nacarelli (see below).

End of summer research luncheon. Left to right: Emily Bongiorno, Dr. Fuller-Espie, Frank Bearoff, Erin Blake, Tim Nacarelli and Kaitlyn Wilson. (Not shown - Maddy Minutillo.)

Recent peer-reviewed publications with undergraduate students:

Fuller-Espie S.L., Nacarelli, T., Blake, E.L. & Bearoff, F.M. (2010) The effect of oxidative stress on phagocytosis and apoptosis in the earthworm Eisenia hortensis. Invertebrate Survival Journal, 7: 89-106.

Goodfield, L. L. &  Fuller-Espie, S.L. An Analysis of the effect of PAMPS on phagocytosis by enriched hyaline amoebocyte populations in the earthworm Eisenia hortensis. 2010 Cabrini College Journal of Undergraduate Research, in press.

Goodfield, L. & Fuller-Espie, S.L. (2009) A flow cytometric analysis of the effects of PAMPs on phagocytosis in the earthworm Eisenia hortensis with enriched cell populations. Proceedings of the National Conference for Undergraduate Research.

Hill, K. M., &  Fuller-Espie. S.L. Alteration of the natural killer-like response in Eisenia hortensis immunocytes after the treatment with recombinant human cytokines IL-10, IL-12, and gamma-IFN. 2010 Cabrini College Journal of Undergraduate Research, in press.

Hill, K. & Fuller-Espie, S.L. (2009) Effects of recombinant human cytokines on the natural killer-like response in Eisenia hortensis: Cytotoxicity of invertebrate effectors revealed using a non-radioactive spectrophotometric assay. Proceedings of the National Conference for Undergraduate Research.

DeRogatis, N. & Fuller-Espie, S.L. (2009) The in vitro effects of human pro-inflammantory cytokines granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and interleukin-1 b on natural killer-like responses in Eisenia hortensis. 2009 Cabrini College Journal of Undergraduate Research, 1:195-223.

Goodfield, L., Hill, K., Grant, K., DeRogatis, N., & Fuller-Espie, S.L. (2009) The effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1b, IL-2, GM-CSF, and TNF-b on phagocytosis and cell proliferation in Eisenia hortensis.  2009 Cabrini College Journal of Undergraduate Research, 1:141-173.

Patel, M. & Fuller-Espie, S.L. (2009) Investigation of effects of 7,12 dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene (DMBA) on cell-mediated cytotoxicity in Eisenia fetida; an invertebrate model to study innate immune responses.  2009 Cabrini College Journal of Undergraduate Research, 1:224-248.

Fuller-Espie, S.L., Goodfield, L., Hill, K., Grant, K. & DeRogatis, N. (2008) Conservation of cytokine-mediated responses in innate immunity: a flow cytometric study investigating the effects of human proinflammatory cytokines on phagocytosis in the earthworm Eisenia hortensis.  Invertebrate Survival Journal, 5:124-134.

Patel, M., Francis, J., Cooper, E.L. & Fuller-Espie, S.L. (2007) Development of a flow cytometric, non-radioactive cytotoxicity assay in Eisenia fetida: An in vitro system designed to analyze immunosuppression of natural killer-like coelomocytes in response to 7, 12 dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA).  European Journal of Soil Biology, 43S1:S97-103.

Below are photos of past students who have conducted research in Dr. Fuller-Espie's lab.

Laura Goodfield and Katrina Hill, biotechnology students at Cabrini College (below) conducted research with Dr. Fuller-Espie on a project involving the investigation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and pathogen-associated molecular patterns on phagocytosis and natrual killer-like activity in E. hortensis.  Laura and Katrina both received undergraduate research grants from the Pennsylvania Academy of Science to fund laboratory supplies for their research (2007, 2008). 

Above: Laura Goodfield (left) and Katrina Hill (right) at the State Posters on the Hill event in Harrisburg, PA in October, 2008.

Dr. Fuller-Espie (front row) together with her research students (from left to right) Nicole Jones, Katrina Hill and Laura Goodfield in the Cell Culture Suite at Cabrini College (2007-2008).

Laura Goodfield and Kathleen Grant (Cabrini students) together with Alice Clark (high school intern from The Shipley School) worked during the summer with Dr. Fuller-Espie on investigating the effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines on phagocytosis in earthworms.  Alice received a high school student research grant from the Pennsylvania Academy of Science (June 2007) to help fund her laboratory reagents. 

Dr. Fuller-Espie (left) together with her summer research students (from left to right) Kathleen Grant, Laura Goodfield and Alice Clark in the Cell Culture Suite at Cabrini College.

Dr. Fuller-Espie has also studied natural killer-like activity in earthworm coelomocytes using the human erythroleukemic tumor cell line K562 as target cells and how this activity is inhibited by environmental pollutants.  This work was funded through a Faculty Development Grant (summer 2006) obtained through the Faculty Development Grant Committee, a subcommittee of Faculty Senate at Cabrini College.  Mukti Patel conducted research with Dr. Fuller-Espie in the Biological Sciences Research Laboratories in the Center for Science, Education and Technology from May 2006-May 2007.  Mukti received an undergraduate research grant from the Pennsylvania Academy of Science (September 2006) and presented this work at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science in March, 2007 (Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, 80:120-121), as well as the Undergraduate Art, Research and Scholarship Symposium at Cabrini College, April, 2007.  She also presented their work at the Infection and Immunity Forum in Philadelphia, May, 2007.  Miriam Smith also worked on this project for the fall semester (2006). 

Dr. Fuller-Espie (center) with Miriam (Rosa) Smith (left) and Mukti Patel (right) in the research lab
in the Center for Science, Education and Technology at Cabrini College, Radnor, PA

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Mukti Patel (left), Dr. Fuller-Espie (center) and Miriam (Rosa) Smith at the
Pennsylvania Academy of Science - 83rd Annual Meeting, March 31,2007, Pittsburgh, PA 

Mukti Patel with one of the poster judges at the 16th Annual Infection and Immunity Forum,
Drexel University School of Medicine, May 11, 2007, Philadelphia, PA

To view the poster that was presented at the 8th International Symposium for Earthworm Ecology in Krakow, Poland, September 4-9, 2006, follow the link on the left. This work was also accepted for publication in the European Journal of Soil Biology.