Medical Microbiology and Immunology : Randall G. Worth, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
E-mail Address: randall.worth@utoledo.edu
Office Phone Number: 419-383-5192
Community Science website: http://myprofile.cos.com/rande

Lab Homepage

• Investigation of pathways involving Fc gammaR's and pattern recognition receptors in their capacity to mediate pathogen destruction

• Role of calcium waves in phagolysosome biogenesis.

• Mechanisms of pathogen avoidance of phagolysosome fusion.

Dr. Worth is interested in signaling complexes involved in host destruction of pathogens. Many pathogens have acquired the ability to survive within such host cells as epithelial cells, macrophages and neutrophils by altering the signaling dynamics of these cells to inhibit degradation in phagolysosomes. These responses could be mediated by receptor specific targeting or alteration of intracellular signaling pathways. In either event, an interesting field of study has emerged to understand the complexities of intracellular communication and trafficking between host cells and pathogens.

Dr. Worth received his Ph.D. in Biology from noted Biophysicist/Neutrophil Biologist Dr. Howard R. Petty at Wayne State University. He then went on to the University of Pennsylvania for post-doctoral training in molecular biology under Dr. Alan D. Schreiber.  Dr. Worth was promoted to Research Associate at Penn before coming to the Medical University of Ohio in 2005.

Current grant funding:
Arthritis Foundation - Role of FcgRllA LTL motif in degradation of lgG complexes

Representative Publications:

Book Chapter:

Worth, R.G ., A.D. Schreiber. Fc receptors and phagocytosis. In. Molecular Mechanisms of Phagocytosis. Landes Publishers. In press. Online version: http://www.eurekah.com/chapter.php?chapid=2201&bookid=138&catid=36

Refereed Publications:

Worth, R.G., C.D. Chien, P. Chien, M.P. Reilly, S.E. McKenzie S.E., A.D. Schreiber  2006. Platelet FcgammaRIIA binds and internalizes IgG-containing complexes.  Exp. Hematol. 34: 1490-1495.  

Huang, Z.-Y., Barreda, Z.R., Worth, R.G., Indik, Z.K., Kim, M.K., Chien, P., Schreiber, A.D.  2006. Differential kinase requirements in human and mouse Fc-gamma receptor phagocytosis and endocytosis.  J. Leuk. Biol. 80:1553-62.

Huang, Z.-Y., Hunter, S., Kim, M.-K., P.Chien, Worth, R.G., Indik, Z.K., and Schreiber, A.D.  2004. The monocyte Fcgamma receptors FcgammaRI/gamma and FcgammaRIIA differ in their interaction with Syk and with Src-related tyrosine kinases.  J. Leuk. Biol. 76:491-499.

Worth, R.G., Kim, M.-K., Jones, B.A., Daniels, A.B., Dickstein, R., Hunter, S., Chien, P., Schreiber, A.D.  2003. Differing structural requirements for FC gammaRIIA mediated signaling events.  Allergy Clin. Immunol. Int'l. Supplement 2, p197-200.   

Kim, M-K, Hwang, P.-H.,  Huang, Z.-Y., Jones, B.A., Sato, N., Hunter, S. Kim-Han, T.-H,  Worth, R.G.,  Indik, Z.K.,  Schreiber, A.D.  2003.  Signal sequence Fc gamma receptor transmembrane domains: Role in cell surface expression, gamma chain interaction and phagocytosis.  Blood.  101:4479-4484.

*Worth, R.G., Kim, M-K., Kindzelskii, A.L., Petty, H.R.,  Schreiber, A.D.  2003.  Signal sequence within Fc gammaRIIA controls calcium wave propagation patterns: apparent role in phagolysosome fusion. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 100:4533-4538. * Reviewed in Research Roundup, “Calcium waves in membrane fusion,” J. Cell Biol. 161:221.

Petty, H.R., Worth, R.G., Todd III, R.F.  2002. Interactions of integrins with their partner proteins in leukocyte membranes.  Immunol. Res. 25:75-95.

Worth, R.G.,  Esper, R.M., Warra, N.S., Rosenspire, A.J., Todd, III, R.F., Petty, H.R.  2001.  Mercury inhibition of neutrophil activity: evidence of aberrant cellular signaling and incoherent cellular metabolism.  Scan. J. Immunol. 53:49-55.

Ben-Ozer, E.Y., Warra, N.S., Esper, R.M., Worth, R.G., Kindzelskii, A.L., McCabe, M.J., Rosenspire, A.J., Petty, H.R. 2000.  Mercuric chloride damages cellular DNA by a non-apoptotic mechanism.  Mut. Res. 470:19-27.

Petty, H.R., R.G. Worth, A.L. Kindzelskii 2000. Imaging sustained dissipative patterns in the metabolism of individual living cells. Phys. Rev. Let. 84:2754-2757.

Worth, R.G., L. Mayo-Bond, J.G.J. van de Winkle, R.F. Todd III, H.R. Petty 1996. CR3 ( am b2; CD11b/CD18) restores IgG-dependent phagocytosis in transfectants expressing a phagocytosis defective Fc gammaRIIA (CD32) tail minus mutant. J. Immunol. 157:5660-5665.