Dr. Rebecca Bullard-Dillard
Associate Professor and Chair,
Dept. of Biology,
School of Natural Science & Mathematics
Education
B.S, 1990
Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Ph.D, 1996
Chemistry ( Biochem Emphasis), University of South Carolina
Description of Research Projects
Project 1:
My laboratory is engaged in an effort to produce an expression clone for a plant immunohomolog of the Sm autoantigen protein B/B’ associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. This clone will be used in future investigations to produce protein for dietary studies in MRL/l mice through which the possible connection between oral tolerance mechanisms abnormalities and lupus disease severity can be examined.
Projects 2 & 3:
We are also working in collaboration with faculty from the University of South Carolina on two genomics projects.One project is an effort to produce an intermediate density genome map for Peromyscus. The other is an effort to sequence the small RNAs from both rice and maize. In particular the lupus project will offer an ideal opportunity for interaction with MUSC researchers. Claflin University does not at present have animal research facilities so collaborations established through this program could allow for the gathering of preliminary data for use in a full-scale collaborative grant application to the NIH.
Publications (7)
Julie L Weston Glenn, Chin-Fu Chen, Adrienne Lewandowski, Chun-Huai Cheng, Clifton M Ramsdell, Rebecca Bullard-Dillard, Jianguo Chen, Michael J Dewey and Travis C Glenn. Expressed sequence tags from Peromyscus testis and placenta tissue: analysis, annotation, and utility for mapping. Submitted July 31, 2007 to BMC Genomics.
Omar Bagasra, Mohammed Alsayari, Rebecca Bullard-Dillard, and Mohamed A. Daw.The Libyan HIV Outbreak: How do we find the truth? Libyan J Med, 2007 AOP: 070221
Bagasra, O., Bullard-Dillard, R., Bagasra, A.U., Pasterner, J.P. The survival of viviparous mammals may be due to expression of endogenous retroviruses during gestation. In preparation
Bagasra, O., Bullard-Dillard, R., Rishi, I., Baidouri, H., Abbasi, J.A., Kajdacsy-Balla, A., Pestaner, J.P., Skecel, M., and Tubbs, R. Prostate Cancer in African American Men is Associated with the Down-Regulation of Zinc Transporters, Applied Immunochemistry and Molecular Morphology, 2003, Sept 121 (3) 253-60
Bagasra, O., Bullard-Dillard, R., Tisdale, V.A. Geslani, G., Hanson, J. In Situ PCR-Principles and Probe Design (accepted) Biomedical Engineering, 2002.
Bullard-Dillard, R., Creek, K.E., Scrivens, W.L., Tour, J. In vivo effects of fullerenes using 14C-labeled C60. Bioorganic Chem. 24: 376-385, 1996
Bullard-Dillard, R., Chen, J., Pelsue, S., Dao, V., Agris, P.F. Anti-Sm autoantibodies of
systemic lupus erythematosus cross-react with dietary plant proteins. Immunological Invest. 21(3): 193-202, 1992.
Technical Publication
Keil, D.; Warren, D. A.; Jenny, M.; EuDaly, J.; Dillard, R. (1999). Final Report: Effects of Ammonium Perchlorate on Immunotoxicological, Hematological, and Thyroid Parameters in B6C3F1 Female Mice. Environmental Protection Agency, Report no. DSWA01-97-0008.
Posters/Abstracts/Presentations (16)
Jianguo Chen, Rebecca Bullard-Dillard , Julie Weston , Michael Dewey, Ping Liang, Dorrie Main, Travis Glenn . Analysis of Placenta and Testis ESTs from Peromyscus. Human Genome Meeting HGM Helsinki, Finland, May 31 - June 3, 2006
Jianguo Chen, Rebecca Bullard-Dillard. “Gene Quantification and Detection of Point Mutation with Thermostable DNA Ligase and Flap Endonuclease”. Poster presentation, Mutation Detection, 2005. Santorini, Greece, May 31-June 4, 2005
Jianguo Chen, Chantal Braithwaiter, Hermes Exeter, Rebecca Bullard-Dillard, Julie Weaton, Michael Dewey, Lei Song, Liang Ping, Dorrie Main and Travis Glenn. “Analysis of Peromyscus Genome”. Poster presentation, Human Genome Meeting. Kyoto, Japan. April 18-21, 2005
Michael J Dewey, Stephanie Napier, Julie L Weston, Rebecca Bullard-Dillard, Chantal Braithwaite, Hermes Exeter, and Travis C Glenn. “Development of Peromyscus Genomics: Peromyscus Genome Project Development of Expressed Sequence Tags”. Poster and Oral presentation, 2nd Annual HHMI Project SC-LIFE State Research Colloquium, Claflin University, Orangeburg SC, April 3, 2004
Michael J Dewey, Clifton M Ramsdell, Julie L Weston, Rebecca Bullard-Dillard, Chantal Braithwaite, Hermes Exeter, and Travis C Glenn. “Development of Peromyscus Genomics”. Poster Presentation, SC BRIN Bioinformatics Research Conference, Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms, SC, March 15, 2004.
Antley, P., Bagasra, O., and Bullard-Dillard, R. The Effects of Melatonin on the Proliferation Rate of SiHa Cells. Presented at the 1st Annual SC LIFE Colloquium of Undergraduate Research, Benedict College, Columbia South Carolina, April 5th 2003
Hasan, Z., Tisdale, H.N. and Bullard-Dillard, R. A case Study on Institutional Effectiveness at Baccalaureate Degree-Granting Institutions. Presented at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, San Antonio, Texas, December 10, 2002.
Bagasra, O., Bullard-Dillard, R., Rishi, I., Baidouri, H., Abbasi, A., Kajdacsy-Balla, A., Pestaner, J.P., Skacel, M., Tubbs, R. Prostate cancer in African Americans is associated with the down-regulation of zinc transporters. Presented at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, San Francisco, California, April 6-10,2002
Bullard-Dillard, R., Ekpenuma, S., Flomer, W, Boyer Jones, E., Lovelace-Robertson, L, and Tisdale, V. Common Curriculum, In-House Guest Lectures and Peer-Tutorials: A Collaborative Model for a Proseminar in the Sciences. Presented at the Partnership in Excellence 7th Annual HBCU Faculty Development Symposium, Jackson, Mississippi, October 20-22, 2000
Hasan, Z., McIver, B., Bormann, D., Johnson, D., Whitford, D., and Bullard-Dillard, R. Grassroots Faculty Development to Enhance Student Learning. Presented at the 6th Annual Lilly Conference on College & University Teaching South , Athens, Georgia, February 11-13, 2000
Jenny, M.J., Keil, D.E., Warren, D.A., Bullard-Dillard, R, Eudaly, J. Effects of ammonium perchlorate on thyroid, hematological and immunological parameters in B6C3F1 mice. 38th Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology, New Orleans, Louisiana, March14th -18th, 1999.
Jenny, M.J., Keil, D.E., Warren, D.A., Bullard-Dillard, R, Eudaly, J. Effects of Ammonium Perchlorate in B6C3F1 Mice on Thyroid, Hematological and Immunological Parameters. Presented at the 33rd Annual MUSC Student Research Day '98, Friday, November 6, 1998.
Bullard-Dillard, R., Stokes, B.R., Davis, Chinna, Montgomery, Lashay. Use of paper plasmids in biotechnical laboratory instruction. Presented at South Carolina Science Council meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, December 28, 1997.
Scrivens, W. A., Tour, J., Bullard-Dillard, R., Creek, K.E. In vivo metabolism studies of Buckminsterfullerenes using 14C-labeled C60. Presented at the 187th meeting of The Electrochemical Society, Reno, Nevada, May 21, 1995
Bullard-Dillard, R., Chen, J., Agris, P.F. Dietary plant proteins as antigens of systemic lupus erythematosus autoantibodies. FASEB J. 4: 3837, 1990.
Bullard-Dillard, R., Chen, J., Agris, P.F. Dietary plant proteins as antigens of systemic lupus erythematosus autoantibodies. Presented at the American College of Rheumatology Meeting, Richmond, Virginia, March 30, 1990
Book Contributions
Anoruo, Bagasra, Bullard-Dillard, Geslani, Boyer Jones and Tisdale. 2002. Claflin University Custom Lab Manuals for Biology Health and the Environment.
Shelp, Taylor, Jackson and Bullard-Dillard. 1999. Claflin College Biology Lab Manual. Brooks/Cole Publishing, Pacific Grove, CA.
5) Links
The Lupus Foundation of America http://www.lupus.org/newsite/index.html
Peromyscus Stock Center at the University of South Carolina http://stkctr.biol.sc.edu/
6) Lab Personnel:
Recent MS student Graduates: Kassidy Lillard and Adaena Gonzales.
Current Undergraduate Researcher: Meaghan Chapman, Junior Biotechnology major.
