Trygve Tollefsbol Ph.D.

Trygve Tollefsbol Ph.D.
Professor

Senior Scientist, Cancer Chemoprevention , O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
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 -
Senior Scientist (C), Integrative Center for Aging Research , School of Medicine 2020 -

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
2020	The epigenetic link between polyphenols, aging and age-related diseases. Genes. 11:1-21. 2020
2020	Maternal Epigenetic Regulation Contributes to Prevention of Estrogen Receptor-negative Mammary Cancer with Broccoli Sprout Consumption. Cancer Prevention Research. 13:449-462. 2020
2020	The Epigenetic Connection Between the Gut Microbiome in Obesity and Diabetes. Frontiers in Genetics. 10. 2020
2020	SAHA and EGCG Promote Apoptosis in Triple-negative Breast Cancer Cells, Possibly through the Modulation of cIAP2 2020
2019	MicroRNAs and Epigenetics Strategies to Reverse Breast Cancer. Cells. 8. 2019
2019	Combinatorial epigenetics impact of polyphenols and phytochemicals in cancer prevention and therapy. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 20. 2019
2019	Prenatal epigenetics diets play protective roles against environmental pollution. Clinical Epigenetics. 11. 2019
2019	Targeting Telomeres and Telomerase: Studies in Aging and Disease Utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 Technology.. Cells. 8. 2019
2019	Collaborative molecular epidemiology study of metabolic dysregulation, DNA methylation, and breast cancer risk among Nigerian women: MEND study objectives and design. Journal of Global Oncology. 2019. 2019
2019	Effects of SAHA and EGCG on growth potentiation of triple-negative breast cancer cells. Cancers. 11. 2019
2018	Combinational proanthocyanidins and resveratrol synergistically inhibit human breast cancer cells and impact epigenetic–Mediating machinery. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 19. 2018
2018	Temporal efficacy of a sulforaphane-based broccoli sprout diet in prevention of breas cancer through modulation of epigenetic mechanisms. Cancer Prevention Research. 11:451-464. 2018
2018	Withaferin A and sulforaphane regulate breast cancer cell cycle progression through epigenetic mechanisms. Experimental Cell Research. 368:67-74. 2018
2018	The effects of combinatorial genistein and sulforaphane in breast tumor inhibition: Role in epigenetic regulation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 19. 2018
2018	Pterostilbene down-regulates hTERT at physiological concentrations in breast cancer cells: Potentially through the inhibition of cMyc. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 119:3326-3337. 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. Current Cancer Drug Targets. 18:97-106. 2018
2018	Transforming cancer epigenetics using nutritive approaches and noncoding RNAs. Current Cancer Drug Targets. 18:32-38. 2018
2017	Epigenetic biomarkers: Current strategies and future challenges for their use in the clinical laboratory. Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences. 54:529-550. 2017
2017	The influence of an epigenetics diet on the cancer epigenome. Epigenomics. 9:1153-1155. 2017
2017	A novel combination of withaferin A and sulforaphane inhibits epigenetic machinery, cellular viability and induces apoptosis of breast cancer cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 18. 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. Epigenomics. 8:1637-1651. 2016
2016	Combinatorial epigenetic mechanisms and efficacy of early breast cancer inhibition by nutritive botanicals. Epigenomics. 8:1019-1037. 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)). Experimental Cell Research. 345:255. 2016
2016	Combinatorial PX-866 and Raloxifene Decrease Rb Phosphorylation, Cyclin E2 Transcription, and Proliferation of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 117:1688-1696. 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. Experimental Cell Research. 344:95-102. 2016
2016	Regulation of the telomerase reverse transcriptase subunit through epigenetic mechanisms. Frontiers in Genetics. 7. 2016
2015	Epigenetic regulation of epidermal stem cell biomarkers and their role in wound healing. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 17. 2015
2015	Influences of diet and the gut microbiome on epigenetic modulation in cancer and other diseases. Clinical Epigenetics. 7. 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. BMC Cancer. 15. 2015
2015	Impact of Nutrition on Non-Coding RNA Epigenetics in Breast and Gynecological Cancer. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2. 2015
2015	The Epigenetic Impact of Cruciferous Vegetables on Cancer Prevention. Current Pharmacology Reports. 1:46-51. 2015
2015	Impact of epigenetic dietary components on cancer through histone modifications. Current Medicinal Chemistry. 22:2051-2064. 2015
2014	Aging and energetics' 'Top 40' future research opportunities 2010-2013. F1000Research. 3. 2014
2014	Molecular mechanisms for inhibition of colon cancer cells by combined epigenetic-modulating epigallocatechin gallate and sodium butyrate. Experimental Cell Research. 324:40-53. 2014
2014	Pathway modulations and epigenetic alterations in ovarian tumorbiogenesis. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 229:393-406. 2014
2014	Dietary epigenetics in cancer and aging. Cancer Treatment and Research. 159:257-267. 2014
2014	Impact of epigenetic dietary compounds on transgenerational prevention of human diseases 2014
2013	Medicinal chemistry of the epigenetic diet and caloric restriction. Current Medicinal Chemistry. 20:4050-4059. 2013
2013	Genetics and epigenetics of lung cancer: Mechanisms and future perspectives. Current Cancer Therapy Reviews. 9:97-110. 2013
2013	Real-time methylomic aberrations during initiation and progression of induced human mammary epithelial cell tumorigenesis. Epigenomics. 5:155-165. 2013
2013	MicroRNAs: An emerging science in cancer epigenetics. Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics. 3. 2013
2013	Epigallocatechin gallate and sulforaphane combination treatment induce apoptosis in paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells through hTERT and Bcl-2 down-regulation. Experimental Cell Research. 319:697-706. 2013
2012	Regulation of the human catalytic subunit of telomerase (hTERT). Gene. 498:135-146. 2012
2012	Mitochondrial regulation of epigenetics and its role in human diseases. Epigenetics. 7:326-334. 2012
2011	Epigenomics of ovarian cancer and its chemoprevention. Frontiers in Genetics. 2. 2011
2011	Epigenetic regulation of caloric restriction in aging. BMC Medicine. 9. 2011
2011	A novel prodrug of epigallocatechin-3-gallate: Differential epigenetic hTERT repression in human breast cancer cells. Cancer Prevention Research. 4:1243-1254. 2011
2011	Epigenetic diet: Impact on the epigenome and cancer. Epigenomics. 3:503-518. 2011
2011	Insufficient DNA methylation affects healthy aging and promotes age-related health problems. Clinical Epigenetics. 2:349-360. 2011
2011	The transposon-driven evolutionary origin and basis of histone deacetylase functions and limitations in disease prevention. Clinical Epigenetics. 2:97-112. 2011
2011	Epigenetic regulation of Thy-1 by histone deacetylase inhibitor in rat lung fibroblasts. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 45:16-23. 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. Carcinogenesis. 32:597-604. 2011
2010	Epigenetic targets of bioactive dietary components for cancer prevention and therapy. Clinical Epigenetics. 1:101-116. 2010
2010	Polyphenols and aging. Current Aging Science. 3:34-42. 2010
2010	Impact on DNA methylation in cancer prevention and therapy by bioactive dietary components. Current Medicinal Chemistry. 17:2141-2151. 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. International Journal of Cancer. 125:286-296. 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.. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 179. 2009
2008	Thy-1 promoter hypermethylation: A novel epigenetic pathogenic mechanism in pulmonary fibrosis. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 39:610-618. 2008
2008	EGCG inhibits mammary cancer cell migration through inhibition of nitric oxide synthase and guanylate cyclase. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 375:162-167. 2008
2008	Gene-environment interactions and epigenetic basis of human diseases. Current Issues in Molecular Biology. 10:25-36. 2008
2008	Epigenetic and genetic mechanisms contribute to telomerase inhibition by EGCG. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 103:509-519. 2008
2008	Epigenetic regulation of telomerase in retinoid-induced differentiation of human leukemia cells. International Journal of Oncology. 32:625-631. 2008
2007	Evidence of extra-telomeric effects of hTERT and its regulation involving a feedback loop. Experimental Cell Research. 313:322-330. 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. International Journal of Oncology. 30:641-650. 2007
2006	Telomerase inhibition in cancer therapeutics: Molecular-based approaches. Current Medicinal Chemistry. 13:2875-2888. 2006
2006	Integrins and cancer: Gene expression, epigenetics and metastasis. Current Genomics. 7:323-331. 2006
2005	The epigenetics of breast carcinogenesis and metastasis. Current Genomics. 6:129-135. 2005
2005	The impact of metabolism on DNA methylation. Human Molecular Genetics. 14. 2005
2005	Epigenetic control of telomerase and modes of telomere maintenance in aging and abnormal systems. Frontiers in Bioscience. 10:1779-1796. 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. Gene. 340:1-10. 2004
2004	Epigenetic regulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter activity during cellular differentiation 2004
2004	EGCG down-regulates telomerase in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells, leading to suppression of cell viability and induction of apoptosis.. International Journal of Oncology. 24:703-710. 2004
2003	Epigenetic control of hTERT expression and telomerase activity in differentiating leukemia HL60 cells.. American Journal of Human Genetics. 73:336-336. 2003
2003	Induction of endogenous telomerase (hTERT) by c-Myc in WI-38 fibroblasts transformed with specific genetic elements. Gene. 316:57-65. 2003
2003	Control mechanisms in the regulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase expression in differentiating human teratocarcinoma cells. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 306:650-659. 2003
2003	Analysis of telomerase activity and detection of its catalytic subunit, hTERT. Analytical Biochemistry. 315:1-21. 2003
2002	Control of telomerase gene expression in differentiating human teratocarcinoma cells. Gerontologist. 42:3-4. 2002
2002	Differential maintenance and de novo methylating activity by three DNA methyltransferases in aging and immortalized fibroblasts. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 84:324-334. 2002
2001	Activity, function, and gene regulation of the catalytic subunit of telomerase (hTERT). Gene. 269:1-12. 2001
1998	Analysis in Escherichia coli of the effects of in vivo CpG methylation catalyzed by the cloned murine maintenance methyltransferase. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 245:670-678. 1998
1995	Mammalian DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and characterized. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 270:18543-18550. 1995
1990	The protein synthetic surge in response to mitogen triggers high glycolytic enzyme levels in human lymphocytes and occurs prior to DNA synthesis. Biochemical medicine and metabolic biology. 44:282-291. 1990
1986	Expression of intracellular biochemical defects of lymphocytes in aging: Proposal of a general aging mechanism which is not cell-specific. Experimental Gerontology. 21:129-148. 1986
1985	Carbohydrate metabolism in transforming lymphocytes from the aged. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 123:417-424. 1985
1985	Culture kinetics of glycolytic enzyme induction, glucose utilization, and thymidine incorporation of extended‐exposure phytohemagglutinin‐stimulated human lymphocytes. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 122:98-104. 1985
1985	Molecular basis of the accumulation of abnormal proteins in progeria and aging fibroblasts.. Basic Life Sciences. 35:427-442. 1985
1984	Werner's syndrome: An underdiagnosed disorder resembling premature aging. AGE. 7:75-88. 1984
1984	The effect of age on the accumulation of labile triosephosphate isomerase and thymidine incorporation in pokeweed mitogen stimulated human lymphocytes. Journal of Gerontology. 39:398-405. 1984
1980	Proteolytic modification of human phosphoglycerate kinase from lymphoblasts. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 205:280-282. 1980
	Nutritional combinatorial impact on the gut microbiota and plasma short-chain fatty acids levels in the prevention of mammary cancer in Her2/neu estrogen receptor-negative transgenic mice

Book

Year	Title	Altmetric
2017	Handbook of epigenetics: The new molecular and medical genetics 2017
2017	Preface 2017
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
2017	An overview of epigenetics. 1-6. 2017
2017	DNA and Histone Methylation in Epigenetics. 1-15. 2017
2016	An Overview of Medical Epigenetics. 3-7. 2016
2016	Epigenetic modifications by dietary phytochemicals in cancer prevention. 577-588. 2016
2016	Epigenetic Biomarkers: New Findings, Perspectives, and Future Directions in Diagnostics. 1-18. 2016
2015	Epigenetics of Personalized Medicine. 3-13. 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