Center for Alaska Native Health Research
Institute of Arctic Biology
311 Irving I Building
Department of Biology and Wildlife
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775

Research Interests

Education

• 1988-1992 Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Leslie Kozak, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine
• 1983-1988 Doctorate, Thesis advisor: Dr. Richard Odessey, Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
• 1982-1983 Doctoral Candidate, Department of Physiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
• 1977-1982 Bachelor of Arts, Chemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

Professional Experience

• 1997-present Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Arctic Biology and the Department of Biology and Wildlife; University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska
• 2005-2006 Visiting Fellow, Wolfson College, Cambridge University
• 1998-2000 Visiting Associate Research Scientist, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Molecular Genetics at Columbia University
• 1998-1999 Visiting Research Scientist in the Division of Endocrinology, Nutrition and Diabetes of the Department of Medicine at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Obesity Research Center in New York City
• 1992-1997 Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Arctic Biology and the Department of Biology and Wildlife; University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska

Grants

• 2001-2006: NIH Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence Grant (co-PI) Building a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for Alaska Native Health Research.
• 2004-2005: NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitiveness in Research (EPSCOR), Integrative Physiology Focus Area Leader.
• 2001-2004: NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitiveness in Research (EPSCOR), Genomics Research Focus Area Leader.
• 2001-2004: Department of Defense EPSCoR (Office of Naval Research grant) Molecular Mechanisms of Metabolic Suppression: Protein synthesis and mitochondrial respiration in a hibernating ground squirrel model.
• 1999-2000: NIH Senior Career Fellowship Award: Molecular genetics of obesity in Alaska Natives
• 1998-2001: American Heart Association: Multi-tissue regulation of energy expenditure by uncoupling proteins
• 1996-2000: NSF CAREER Award: mRNA turnover during mammalian hibernation
• 1993-1997: NIH First Award: Sympathetically mediated gene expression in brown fat
• 1996-1997: Amgen: Effect of mouse recombinant leptin in arctic ground squirrels
• 1996-1998: American Heart Association Graduate Training Grant.
• 1995: American Heart Association Graduate Student Training Grant (co-PI)
• 1994: NSF: Development of an automated DNA sequencing core facility (co-PI)
• 1988-1990: National Research Service Award
• 1985-1988: National Research Service Award
• 1988: Who's Who in American Universities and Colleges
• 1987: Sigma Xi research presentation first place award

Memberships

• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• North American Association for the Study of Obesity
• American Society for Human Genetics

Students and Postdocs

Graduate Students

Current

• Renee Pasker, M.S. in Biology (expected completion 2007)
• Kate McGlone, M.S. in Biology (expected completion 2008)
• Dominick Lemas, M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (starting Fall 2007)

Former

• Qun Chen, M.S. 1996, Thesis title: Elucidation of cold-inducible and tissue-specific protein-DNA interactions in the 5' flanking region of the mouse uncoupling protein gene by in vivo footprinting.
• Austin Biery, M.S. 1996, Thesis title: Association of the beta 3-adrenergic receptor polymorphism with obesity in Native Alaskans.
• Olav Ormseth, M.S. 1997, Thesis title: Involvement of leptin in the regulation seasonal obesity in arctic ground squirrels.
• Steve LePage, M.S. 2000, Thesis Title: Characterization of cold-inducible and tissue-specific protein-DNA interactions regulating uncoupling protein gene expression.
• Jamie Barger, PhD. 2002. Thesis Title: Physiological role of uncoupling proteins in arctic ground squirrels.
• Erik Harrington, M.S. 2003. Thesis Title: Genetics of Obesity in Alaska Natives.

Postdoctoral Fellows

• Dr. Gabriella Antunez de Mayolo (2003-5)
• Dr. Anna Goropashnaya (2004-6)
• Dr. Vadim Fedorov (2004-6)

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Selected Publications

• Boyer, B. B., Mohatt, G. V., Plaetke, Herron, J., Stanhope, K.L., Stephensen, C., Havel, P.J. and the CANHR Project team (in press) Metabolic syndrome in Yup’ik Eskimos: The Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) study. Obesity.
• Mohatt, G. V., Plaetke, R., Klejka, J., Luick, B., Lardon, C., Bersamin, A., Hopkins, S, Dondanville, M, Herron, J., and Boyer, B. B. (2007) The Center for Alaska Native Health Research Study: A community based participatory research study of obesity and chronic disease-related protective and risk factors. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 66(1):8-18 (pdf).
• Boyer, B. B., Mohatt, G. V., Pasker, R. L., Drew, E. M., and McGlone, K. K. (2007) Sharing results from complex disease genetics studies: A community based participatory research approach. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 66(1):19-30 (pdf).
• Barger, J. L. Barnes, B. M., and Boyer, B. B. (2006). Regulation of UCP1 and UCP3 in arctic ground squirrels and correlation with mitochondrial proton leak. Journal of Applied Physiology. 101(1):339-347 (pdf).
• Yan J, Burman A, Nichols C, Alila L, Showe LC, Showe MK, Boyer BB, Barnes BM, Marr TG. (2006). The Detection of Differential Gene Expression in Brown Adipose Tissue of Hibernating Arctic Ground Squirrels Using Mouse Microarrays. Physiol Genomics. 25(2):346-353 (pdf).
• Boyer, B. B., G.V. Mohatt, C. Lardon, R. Plaetke, B.R. Luick, S.H. Hutchison, G. Antunez de Mayolo, E. Ruppert, A. Bersamin. (2005). Building a community-based participatory research center to investigate obesity and diabetes in Alaska Natives. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 64(3):281-290 (pdf).
• Boyer, B.B. M. Heo, D.B. Allison, N.T. Lievenstein, I.S. Cho, Z. Wang, S.B. Heymsfield. (2004) Comparison of body composition methodologies: Determining what is most practical for the hospital, research laboratory or remote field study. International Journal of Body Composition Research 2:115-124 (pdf).
• Barger JL, Brand MD, Barnes BM, Boyer BB. (2003) Tissue-specific depression of mitochondrial proton leak and substrate oxidation in hibernating arctic ground squirrels. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. (2003) May;284(5):R1306-13 (pdf)
• Shechter I, Dai P, Roseman MA, Gupta SD, Boyer BB, Guan G. (2003) Low temperature effect on the sterol-dependent processing of SREBPs and transcription of cholesterol and fatty acid related genes in HepG2 cells. J Lipid Res. 2003 Aug; 44(8):1581-90 (pdf)
• M Heo, RL Leibel, Kevin R. Fontaine, BB Boyer, WK Chung, M Koulu, MK Karvonen, U Pesonen, A Rissanen, M Laakso, MIJ Uusitupa, Y Chagnon, C Bouchard, PA Donohoue, TL Burns, AR Shuldiner, K Silver, RE Andersen, O Pedersen, S Echwald, TIA Sørensen, P Behn, MA Permutt, KB Jacobs, RC Elston, DJ Hoffman, DB Allison. (2002) A meta-analytic investigation of linkage and association of common leptin receptor (LEPR) polymorphisms with body mass index and waist circumference. International Journal of Obesity 26:640-646 (pdf).
• M Heo, RL Leibel, BB Boyer, WK Chung, M Koulu, MK Karvonen, U Pesonen, A Rissanen, M Laakso, MIJ Uusitupa, Y Chagnon, C Bouchard, PA Donohoue, TL Burns, AR Shuldiner, K Silver, RE Andersen, O Pedersen, S Echwald, TIA Sørensen, P Behn, MA Permutt, KB Jacobs, RC Elston, DJ Hoffman, DB Allison. (2001) Pooling analysis of genetic data: the association of leptin receptor (LEPR) polymorphisms with variables related to human adiposity. Genetics 159:1163-1178 (pdf).
• Knight, J. E., Narus, E. N., Martin, S. L., Jacobsson, A., Barnes, B. M., Boyer, B. B. (2000) mRNA Stability and Polysome Loss in Hibernating Arctic Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus parryii). Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:6374-6379. (pdf)
• Yu, X. X., Barger, J. L., Boyer, B. B., Brand, M. D., Pan, G., Adams, S. H. (2000) Impact of endotoxin on UCP homolog mRNA abundance, thermoregulation, and mitochondrial proton leak kinetics. Am J Physiol 279:E433-46. (pdf)
• Boyer, B. B., and B. M. Barnes (1999). Molecular and Metabolic Aspects of Hibernation. BioScience 49:713-724 (pdf).
• Boyer, B. B., B. M. Barnes, B. B. Lowell, D. Grujic (1998) Differential regulation of uncoupling protein gene homologues in multiple tissues of hibernating ground squirrels. Am. J. Physiology 275:R1232-1238. (pdf)
• Boyer, B. B., O. A. Ormseth, L. Buck, M. Nicolson, M. A. Pelleymounter and B. M. Barnes (1997) Leptin prevents post-hibernation weight gain, but does not reduce energy expenditure in arctic ground squirrels. Comp. Biochem. Phys. 118C:405-412 (pdf).
• Biery, A. J., S. O. E. Ebbesson, A. R. Shuldiner, and B. B. Boyer (1997) The b3-adrenergic receptor Trp64Arg polymorphism and obesity in Alaskan Eskimos. Int. J. Obesity 21:1176-1179. (pdf)
• Ackerman, S. L., L. P. Kozak, L. A. Rund, S. A. Przyborski, B. B. Boyer, B. B. Knowles (1997) The mouse rostral cerebellar malformation gene encodes a UNC-5-like protein. Nature 386:838-842. (pdf)
• Ormseth, O. A., M. Nicolson, M. A. Pelleymounter, B. B. Boyer (1996) Leptin inhibits prehibernation hyperphagia and reduces body weight in arctic ground squirrels. Am. J. Physiology:271:R1775-R1779 (pdf).
• Lowell, B. B., S-Susulic, V., Hamann, A., Lawitts, J. A., Himms-Hagen, J., Boyer, B. B., Kozak, L. P., and Flier, J. S. (1996) Transgenic ablation of brown adipose tissue. Molecular and Genetic Aspects of Obesity. Edited by George A. Bray and Donna H. Ryan, Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge and London, Volume 5, p. 593-608.
• Boyer, B. B., O. A. Ormseth, M. Nicolson, and MA. Pelleymounter (1996) Is leptin involved in the seasonal control of appetite in hibernating mammals. Adaptations to the Cold, Tenth International Hibernation Symposium. Edited by Stewart Nicol and Fritz Geiser, University of New England Press, Armidale p. 237-244.
• Testut, P., Renard, CA., Terradillos, O., Vitvitski-Trepo, L., Tekaia, F., Degott, C., Blake, J., Boyer, B., and Buendia, MA (1996) A new hepadnavirus endemic in arctic ground squirrels in Alaska J. Virology 70:4210-4219. (pdf)
• Kozak, U. C., Kopecky, J., Teisinger, J. Enerback, S. Boyer, B., Kozak, L. P. (1994) An Upstream enhancer regulating brown-fat-specific expression of the mitochondrial uncoupling protein gene. Mol. Cell. Biol. 14:59-67 (pdf).
• Lowell, B. B., S-Susulic, V., Hamann, A., Lawitts, J. A., Himms-Hagen, J., Boyer, B. B., Kozak, L. P., and Flier, J. S. (1993) Development of obesity in transgenic mice after genetic ablation of brown adipose tissue. Nature 366:740-742 (pdf).
• Boyer, B. B., Barnes, B. M., Kopecky, J., Jacobsson, A. and Hermanska, J. (1993) Molecular control of prehibernation brown fat growth in arctic ground squirrels. Life in the Cold, Ecological, Physiological, and Molecular Mechanisms. Edited by C. Carey, G. Florant, Bruce Wunder and B. Horwitz., p. 483-491.
• Boyer, B. B. and Kozak, L. P. (1991) The mitochondrial uncoupling protein gene in brown fat: Correlation between DNase I hypersensitivity and expression in transgenic mice. Mol. Cell. Biol. 11:4147-4156 (pdf).
• Boyer, B. B. and Odessey, R., (1991) Kinetic characterization of branched chain ketoacid dehydrogenase. Archiv. Biochem. Biophys. 285:1-7.
• Boyer, B. B. and Odessey, R., (1990) Quantitative control analysis of branched chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex activity by feedback inhibition. Biochem. J. 271: 523-528. (pdf)