Tollefsbol Ph.D., Trygve

Tollefsbol Ph.D., Trygve
Professor

Senior Scientist, Cancer Chemoprevention , O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
Scientist (C), Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging , School of Medicine 1999 -
Assistant Professor (S), Vision Sciences (Retired Org) , School of Optometry 2000 -
Associate Scientist (C), Vision Science Research Center (Retired Org) , Vision Sciences (Retired Org) 2002 -
Senior Scientist (C), Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering (CBSE) , School of Optometry 2008 -
Senior Scientist (C), Nutrition Obesity Res Center (NORC) , Nutrition Sciences Research 2008 -
Scientist (C), Comprehensive Diabetes Center , School of Medicine 2011 -
Professor (P), Biology , College of Arts and Sciences 2011 -
Senior Scientist (C), Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone and Autoimmunity Center (CAMBAC) , School of Medicine 2015 -
Senior Scientist (C), Global Center for Craniofacial, Oral and Dental Disorders (GC-CODED) , School of Dentistry 2017 -
Senior Scientist (C), O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center , School of Medicine 2019 -

Overview

Dr. Tollefsbol is a professor of Biology and a senior scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, Nutrition Obesity Research Center, and the Comprehensive Diabetes Center. He is director of the UAB Cell Senescence Culture Facility, which he established in 1999.

Dr. Tollefsbol holds doctorate degrees in molecular biology and osteopathic medicine and has published over 120 articles related to the fields of epigenetics, telomerase, aging, and cancer. He has received generous funding from the National Institutes of Health as well as the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), among other sources. Work from his laboratory has been featured in Women’s Health, Shape, AICR Newsletter, Nutrition Action HealthLetter, More Magazine, and AARP The Magazine, among others, with a total readership of over 30 million. He has been a Scientist in the Spotlight in ScienceNow.

Dr. Tollefsbol is series editor for Translational Epigenetics published by Elsevier. In addition, he serves as an associate editor for Frontiers in Epigenomics and for Clinical Epigenetics. He is a contributing editor of Lewin’s GENES, the classic textbook on molecular biology, and is on the editorial board of Molecular Biotechnology. Dr. Tollefsbol has been invited to give presentations on his research in many countries including Germany, China, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Sweden, as well as at various leading institutions in the US. His research has received considerable media attention both nationally and internationally and has been highlighted in eScience News and ScienceDaily. He has published over 14 co-authored and edited books on varied topics such as epigenetics, telomerase, aging, cancer, and molecular biology.

Selected Publications

Academic Article

Year	Title	Altmetric
2019	Combinatorial Epigenetics Impact of Polyphenols and Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention and Therapy 2019
2019	Prenatal epigenetics diets play protective roles against environmental pollution 2019
2019	Targeting Telomeres and Telomerase: Studies in Aging and Disease Utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 Technology. 2019
2019	Collaborative molecular epidemiology study of metabolic dysregulation, DNA methylation, and breast cancer risk among Nigerian women: MEND study objectives and design 2019
2019	Could epigenetics help explain racial disparities in chronic pain? 2019
2019	Effects of SAHA and EGCG on growth potentiation of triple-negative breast cancer cells 2019
2018	The Role of Non-Coding RNAs and Isothiocyanates in Cancer 2018
2018	Combinational proanthocyanidins and resveratrol synergistically inhibit human breast cancer cells and impact epigenetic–Mediating machinery 2018
2018	Temporal efficacy of a sulforaphane-based broccoli sprout diet in prevention of breas cancer through modulation of epigenetic mechanisms 2018
2018	Withaferin A and sulforaphane regulate breast cancer cell cycle progression through epigenetic mechanisms 2018
2018	The effects of combinatorial genistein and sulforaphane in breast tumor inhibition: Role in epigenetic regulation 2018
2018	Pterostilbene down-regulates hTERT at physiological concentrations in breast cancer cells: Potentially through the inhibition of cMyc 2018
2018	Mechanisms for the inhibition of colon cancer cells by sulforaphane through epigenetic modulation of microRNA-21 and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) down-regulation 2018
2018	Transforming cancer epigenetics using nutritive approaches and noncoding RNAs 2018
2017	Combinatorial bioactive botanicals re-sensitize tamoxifen treatment in ER-negative breast cancer via epigenetic reactivation of ERα expression 2017
2017	Impact of genistein on the gut microbiome of humanized mice and its role in breast tumor inhibition 2017
2017	Epigenetic biomarkers: Current strategies and future challenges for their use in the clinical laboratory 2017
2017	The influence of an epigenetics diet on the cancer epigenome 2017
2017	A novel combination of withaferin A and sulforaphane inhibits epigenetic machinery, cellular viability and induces apoptosis of breast cancer cells 2017
2017	Novel Combination of Withaferin A and Sulforaphane Inhibits Epigenetic Machinery, Cellular Viability and Induces Apoptosis of Breast Cancer Cells 2017
2016	Age-related epigenetic drift and phenotypic plasticity loss: Implications in prevention of age-related human diseases 2016
2016	Combinatorial epigenetic mechanisms and efficacy of early breast cancer inhibition by nutritive botanicals 2016
2016	Erratum: Erratum to “Down-regulation of hTERT and Cyclin D1 transcription via PI3K/Akt and TGF-β pathways in MCF-7 cancer cells with PX-866 and Raloxifene” [Exp. Cell Res. 344 (2016) 95–102] (Experimental Cell Research (2016) 344 (95–102) (S0014482716300623) (10.1016/j.yexcr.2016.03.022)) 2016
2016	Combinatorial PX-866 and Raloxifene Decrease Rb Phosphorylation, Cyclin E2 Transcription, and Proliferation of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells 2016
2016	Down-regulation of hTERT and Cyclin D1 transcription via PI3K/Akt and TGF-β pathways in MCF-7 Cancer cells with PX-866 and Raloxifene 2016
2016	Regulation of the telomerase reverse transcriptase subunit through epigenetic mechanisms 2016
2016	A novel combinatorial epigenetic therapy using resveratrol and pterostilbene for restoring estrogen receptor-α (ERα) expression in ERα-negative breast cancer cells 2016
2015	Epigenetic regulation of epidermal stem cell biomarkers and their role in wound healing 2015
2015	Influences of diet and the gut microbiome on epigenetic modulation in cancer and other diseases 2015
2015	Epigenetic-based combinatorial resveratrol and pterostilbene alters DNA damage response by affecting SIRT1 and DNMT enzyme expression, including SIRT1-dependent γ-H2AX and telomerase regulation in triple-negative breast cancer 2015
2015	Epigenetic reactivation of p21^CIP1/WAF1 and KLOTHO by a combination of bioactive dietary supplements is partially ERα-dependent in ERα-negative human breast cancer cells 2015
2015	The Epigenetic Impact of Cruciferous Vegetables on Cancer Prevention 2015
2015	Epigenetic linkage of aging, cancer and nutrition 2015
2015	Impact of epigenetic dietary components on cancer through histone modifications 2015
2014	Aging and energetics' 'Top 40' future research opportunities 2010-2013 2014
2014	Molecular mechanisms for inhibition of colon cancer cells by combined epigenetic-modulating epigallocatechin gallate and sodium butyrate 2014
2014	Pathway modulations and epigenetic alterations in ovarian tumorbiogenesis 2014
2014	Dietary epigenetics in cancer and aging 2014
2014	Impact of epigenetic dietary compounds on transgenerational prevention of human diseases 2014
2013	Medicinal chemistry of the epigenetic diet and caloric restriction 2013
2013	Genetics and epigenetics of lung cancer: Mechanisms and future perspectives 2013
2013	Real-time methylomic aberrations during initiation and progression of induced human mammary epithelial cell tumorigenesis 2013
2013	MicroRNAs: An emerging science in cancer epigenetics 2013
2013	Epigallocatechin gallate and sulforaphane combination treatment induce apoptosis in paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells through hTERT and Bcl-2 down-regulation 2013
2013	Epigenetic reactivation of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) by genistein enhances hormonal therapy sensitivity in ERα-negative breast cancer 2013
2013	Epigenetic Regulation of Multiple Tumor-Related Genes Leads to Suppression of Breast Tumorigenesis by Dietary Genistein 2013
2013	Analysis of biomarkers of caloric restriction in aging cells 2013
2013	Cell senescence culturing methods 2013
2013	Enhancement of cisplatin-mediated apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells through potentiating G2/M arrest and p21 upregulation by combinatorial epigallocatechin gallate and sulforaphane 2013
2012	Bioactive dietary supplements reactivate ER expression in ER-negative breast cancer cells by active chromatin modifications 2012
2012	Regulation of the human catalytic subunit of telomerase (hTERT) 2012
2012	The role of nutraceuticals in chemoprevention and chemotherapy and their clinical outcomes 2012
2012	Mitochondrial regulation of epigenetics and its role in human diseases 2012
2011	Epigenomics of ovarian cancer and its chemoprevention 2011
2011	Methylated-CpG Island recovery assay 2011
2011	Advances in epigenetic technology 2011
2011	Combined chromatin immunoprecipitation and bisulfite methylation sequencing analysis 2011
2011	DNA methylation detection: Bisulfite genomic sequencing analysis 2011
2011	Epigenetic regulation of caloric restriction in aging 2011
2011	A novel prodrug of epigallocatechin-3-gallate: Differential epigenetic hTERT repression in human breast cancer cells 2011
2011	Epigenetic diet: Impact on the epigenome and cancer 2011
2011	Insufficient DNA methylation affects healthy aging and promotes age-related health problems 2011
2011	The transposon-driven evolutionary origin and basis of histone deacetylase functions and limitations in disease prevention 2011
2011	Epigenetic regulation of Thy-1 by histone deacetylase inhibitor in rat lung fibroblasts 2011
2011	Aberrant DNA hypermethylation patterns lead to transcriptional silencing of tumor suppressor genes in UVB-exposed skin and UVB-induced skin tumors of mice 2011
2011	P16^INK4A suppression by glucose restriction contributes to human cellular lifespan extension through SIRT1-mediated epigenetic and genetic mechanisms 2011
2011	2D difference gel electrophoresis analysis of different time points during the course of neoplastic transformation of human mammary epithelial cells 2011
2010	Epigenetic targets of bioactive dietary components for cancer prevention and therapy 2010
2010	Synergistic epigenetic reactivation of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) by combined green tea polyphenol and histone deacetylase inhibitor in ERα-negative breast cancer cells 2010
2010	Sulforaphane causes epigenetic repression of hTERT expression in human breast cancer cell lines 2010
2010	Polyphenols and aging 2010
2010	Glucose restriction can extend normal cell lifespan and impair precancerous cell growth through epigenetic control of hTERT and p16 expression 2010
2010	Impact on DNA methylation in cancer prevention and therapy by bioactive dietary components 2010
2009	Retinoid-induced histone deacetylation inhibits telomerase activity in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells 2009
2009	Genistein depletes telomerase activity through cross-talk between genetic and epigenetic mechanisms 2009
2009	DNA methylation impacts on learning and memory in aging 2009
2009	Differential expression of epigenetic modulators during human embryonic stem cell differentiation 2009
2009	Strategies targeting telomerase inhibition 2009
2009	Epigenetic modifications of the estrogen receptor β gene in epithelial ovarian cancer cells 2009
2009	Regulation of Thy-1 Expression by Histone Modifications in Lung Fibroblast. 2009
2008	Thy-1 promoter hypermethylation: A novel epigenetic pathogenic mechanism in pulmonary fibrosis 2008
2008	EGCG inhibits mammary cancer cell migration through inhibition of nitric oxide synthase and guanylate cyclase 2008
2008	Gene-environment interactions and epigenetic basis of human diseases 2008
2008	Epigenetic regulation of telomerase in retinoid-induced differentiation of human leukemia cells 2008
2008	An overview of epigenetic assays 2008
2008	Epigenetic and genetic mechanisms contribute to telomerase inhibition by EGCG 2008
2008	The novel retinoid, 9cUAB30, inhibits telomerase and induces apoptosis in HL60 cells 2008
2007	A method to detect DNA methyltransferase I gene transcription in vitro in aging systems 2007
2007	A method to study the expression of DNA methyltransferases in aging systems in vitro 2007
2007	Aging cell culture: Methods and observations 2007
2007	Techniques for analysis of biological aging 2007
2007	The low-toxicity 9-cis UAB30 novel retinoid down-regulates the DNA methyltransferases and has anti-telomerase activity in human breast cancer cells 2007
2007	Evidence of extra-telomeric effects of hTERT and its regulation involving a feedback loop 2007
2007	Methods of telomerase inhibition. 2007
2007	RNA interference using a plasmid construct expressing short-hairpin RNA. 2007
2007	Retrovirus-mediated RNA interference. Targeting hTERT through stable expression of short-hairpin RNA. 2007
2007	hTERT knockdown in human embryonic kidney cells using double-stranded RNA. 2007
2006	Telomerase inhibition in cancer therapeutics: Molecular-based approaches 2006
2006	Integrins and cancer: Gene expression, epigenetics and metastasis 2006
2006	Loss of the human polycomb group protein BMI1 promotes cancer-specific cell death 2006
2005	The epigenetics of breast carcinogenesis and metastasis 2005
2005	Epigenetic control of telomerase and modes of telomere maintenance in aging and abnormal systems 2005
2005	The impact of metabolism on DNA methylation 2005
2005	Increased thymocyte proliferative response to IL-7 and IL-2 at young age is associated with rapid age-related thymic involution in BXD mice 2005
2004	Novel approaches for RNA interference and their application in cancer therapy 2004
2004	Genetic and epigenetic modulation of telomerase activity in development and disease 2004
2004	Epigenetic regulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter activity during cellular differentiation 2004
2004	Telomerase inhibition by retinoids precedes cytodifferentiation of leukemia cells and may contribute to terminal differentiation 2004
2004	EGCG down-regulates telomerase in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells, leading to suppression of cell viability and induction of apoptosis. 2004
2004	Methods of epigenetic analysis. 2004
2004	Profiling DNA methylation by bisulfite genomic sequencing: problems and solutions. 2004
2003	Telomerase, Telomerase Inhibition, and Cancer 2003
2003	Epigenetic control of hTERT expression and telomerase activity in differentiating leukemia HL60 cells. 2003
2003	Induction of endogenous telomerase (hTERT) by c-Myc in WI-38 fibroblasts transformed with specific genetic elements 2003
2003	Transcriptional control of the DNA methyltransferases is altered in aging and neoplastically-transformed human fibroblasts 2003
2003	Control mechanisms in the regulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase expression in differentiating human teratocarcinoma cells 2003
2003	Analysis of telomerase activity and detection of its catalytic subunit, hTERT 2003
2003	Assessment of telomere length and factors that contribute to its stability 2003
2003	Aging, cancer and nutrition: The DNA methylation connection 2003
2003	Telomeres, telomerase, and telomerase inhibition: Clinical implications for cancer 2003
2002	Control of telomerase gene expression in differentiating human teratocarcinoma cells 2002
2001	Differential maintenance and de novo methylating activity by three DNA methyltransferases in aging and immortalized fibroblasts 2001
2001	Telomeres and telomerase: Basic science implications for aging 2001
2001	Activity, function, and gene regulation of the catalytic subunit of telomerase (hTERT) 2001
2001	Correlation of hTERT expression with in vitro morphological changes in senescent and retinoic acid-treated cells-acid-treated 2001
2001	Mechanisms for telomerase gene control in aging cells and tumorigenesis 2001
1998	Analysis in Escherichia coli of the effects of in vivo CpG methylation catalyzed by the cloned murine maintenance methyltransferase 1998
1997	Control of methylation spreading in synthetic DNA sequences by the murine DNA methyltransferase 1997
1995	Mammalian DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and characterized 1995
1994	Molecular resurrection of an extinct ancestral promoter for mouse L1 1994
1993	Mechanisms for methylation-mediated gene silencing and aging 1993
1990	The protein synthetic surge in response to mitogen triggers high glycolytic enzyme levels in human lymphocytes and occurs prior to DNA synthesis 1990
1987	The effects of aging on phosphofructokinase induction during lymphocyte mitogenesis in relation to DNA and protein synthesis. 1987
1987	Gene expression of carbohydrate metabolism in cellular senescence and aging. 1987
1986	Expression of intracellular biochemical defects of lymphocytes in aging: Proposal of a general aging mechanism which is not cell-specific 1986
1986	Role of Protein Molecular and Metabolic Aberrations in Aging, in the Physiologic Decline of the Aged, and in Age‐Associated Diseases 1986
1985	Carbohydrate metabolism in transforming lymphocytes from the aged 1985
1985	Culture kinetics of glycolytic enzyme induction, glucose utilization, and thymidine incorporation of extended‐exposure phytohemagglutinin‐stimulated human lymphocytes 1985
1985	Decreased protein synthesis of transforming lymphocytes from aged humans: Relationship to impaired mitogenesis with age 1985
1985	Molecular basis of the accumulation of abnormal proteins in progeria and aging fibroblasts. 1985
1984	Werner's syndrome: An underdiagnosed disorder resembling premature aging 1984
1984	The effect of age on the accumulation of labile triosephosphate isomerase and thymidine incorporation in pokeweed mitogen stimulated human lymphocytes 1984
1982	Increased lability of triosephosphate isomerase in progeria and Werner's syndrome fibroblasts 1982
1981	Impaired glycolysis of human lymphocytes during aging 1981
1980	Proteolytic modification of human phosphoglycerate kinase from lymphoblasts 1980

Book

Year	Title	Altmetric
2016	Medical Epigenetics 2016
2016	Preface 2016
2015	Personalized Epigenetics 2015
2015	Preface 2015
2014	Transgenerational Epigenetics 2014
2013	Preface. Ed. 1048. 2013
2013	Preface. Ed. 1048. 2013
2012	Epigenetics in Human Disease 2012
2012	Preface 2012
2012	Epigenetics in Human Disease 2012
2011	Handbook of Epigenetics 2011
2011	Handbook of Epigenetics 2011
2010	Epigenetics of aging 2010
2010	Preface 2010
2007	Telomerase Inhibition Strategies and Protocols 2007
2007	Methods in Molecular Biology: Preface. Ed. 371. 2007
2004	Epigenetics Protocols 2004

Chapter

Year	Title	Altmetric
2016	An Overview of Medical Epigenetics. 3-7. 2016
2016	Epigenetic modifications by dietary phytochemicals in cancer prevention. 577-588. 2016
2015	Epigenetics of Personalized Medicine. 3-13. 2015
2015	Epigenetic Biomarkers: New Findings, Perspectives, and Future Directions in Diagnostics. 1-18. 2015
2014	Outline of Epigenetics. 27-44. 2014
2014	Transgenerational Epigenetics. 1-8. 2014
2012	Epigenetic Approaches to Cancer Therapy. 111-125. 2012
2012	Epigenetics of Human Disease. 1-6. 2012
2011	Epigenetics: The new science of genetics. 1-6. 2011
2010	Dietary effect on epigenetics during the aging process. 407-416. 2010
2010	Environmental effects on age-associated epigenetics. 417-429. 2010
2010	Epigenetics and the aging process. 1-8. 2010
2010	Role of epigenetics in age-related long-term memory loss. 275-281. 2010
2010	Telomerase control by epigenetic processes in cellular senescence. 191-204. 2010
2009	Telomerase regulation in response to green tea. 365-382. 2009
2009	978-1-4200-4579-6. 197-214. 2009

Research Overview

Dr. Tollefsbol's research is primarily involved with cancer and aging epigenetics, the underlying mechanisms of cancer and aging and novel therapeutic approaches to cancer. This work has also involved translational research on breast and ovarian cancer as well as other cancers. The single most important risk factor for developing cancer is age; therefore, both cancer and aging have been a focus of his research.

Epigenetic processes are heritable changes that do not involve mutations, but rather, modifications of DNA or its associated proteins and Dr. Tollefsbol's laboratory is interested in these processes as controllers of gene expression in cancer and aging in general. We are interested in discovering novel approaches of modifying epigenetic gene expression in cancers and aging and the translational potential of epigenetic-modulating nutritional compounds in inhibiting cancer and impacting aging. The laboratory is using or has plans to use many cutting-edge technological developments in cancer and aging genetics and translational research such as chromatin immunoprecipitation-genomic bisulfite sequencing, ChIP-seq, and MeDIP-seq.

Studies on the role of telomerase in cancer and aging have made many lists of the most important future research areas in biological sciences. Dr. Tollefsbol's laboratory is also interested in the epigenetic regulation of the gene that produces telomerase (hTERT) and in unraveling the mysteries of how this gene relates to cancer and aging. Located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and synthesized by the enzyme telomerase, telomeres maintain the length of chromosomes. The majority of human cancer cells express high levels of telomerase and inhibition of telomerase activity kills the cancer cells without effect on most normal somatic cells.

Dr. Tollefsbol’s laboratory directs a Cell Senescence Culture Facility that provides various types of aging cells to investigators nationwide. This facility is one of only a few of this type in the United States and is designed to not only facilitate studies of aging, but to also participate in new investigations in the mechanisms of cellular aging and age-related diseases such as cancer.

Epigenetics, Telomerase, Cancer Prevention, Aging, Molecular Biology, Gene Regulation