Brad Ferguson

Associate Professor | Graduate Program Director

Office: 775-784-6278
Email: bferguson@unr.edu
Building: HMS
Room: 154
Mailstop: 202

Summary

My lab is focused on understanding signaling and gene regulatory mechanisms that link metabolic disease to pathological cardiac remodeling and ultimately heart failure. In particular the lab is focused on delineating epigenetic mechanisms that regulate pathological cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis under conditions of obesity and diabetes. DNA is tightly wrapped around proteins called histones to form chromatin. Post-translational modification (e.g. acetylation and methylation) of histone tails represents one epigenetic mechanism that can alter gene expression. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone acetyltransferases (HATs) are one group of enzymes that can target histone tails for acetylation/deacetylation to regulate gene transcription.

Our lab uses an integrative, translational research approach that encompasses bioinformatics, in vitro cell culture, and in vivo animal models to:

Understand how acetylation/deacetylation links metabolic disease (obesity and diabetes) to pathological cardiac remodeling and dysfunction.
Elucidate dietary food components that act as epigenetic modifiers as well as elucidate a role for dietary epigenetic modifiers on pathological cardiac signaling, gene expression, and remodeling.

Lastly, camaraderie and teamwork are emphasized in my lab to create an exciting and productive environment geared to translate basic discoveries into potential therapies for cardio-metabolic disease.

Education

B.S., Appalachian State University, 2003
M.S., University of North Carolina, Greensboro, 2005
Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Greensboro, 2011

Publications

Abstracts

DUSP5 functions in a feedback loop to suppress angiotensin-dependent smooth muscle cell proliferation and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

2015

Experimental Biology (2015): Boston, MA.

Ferguson BS, Demos-Davies KM, Cavasin MA, Horita HN, Weiser-Evans M, McKnight RA, Lane RH, and McKinsey TA.

Books

Nutritional Epigenomics, Volume 14

2019

In Nutritional Epigenomics (vol. 14, pp. 478). Elsevier. Paperback ISBN: 9780128168431 eBook ISBN: 9780128173107

Ferguson, B. (Editor)

Journals

Class I HDAC inhibitors attenuate dexamethasone-induced muscle atrophy via increased protein kinase C (PKC) delta phosphorylation.

2023

Cellular Signalling, 110, 110815

Habibian, J. S., Bolino, M., Qian, A., Woolsey, R., Quilici, D., Petereit, J., & Ferguson, B. S.

Emodin Inhibited Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy in Response to Angiotensin-Induced Hypertension and Altered the Gut Microbiome.

2023

Biomolecules, 13(9), 1274

Evans, L., Price, T., Hubert, N., Moore, J., Shen, Y., Athukorala, M., Frese, S., & Ferguson, B. S.

HDAC8 regulates protein kinase D phosphorylation in skeletal myoblasts in response to stress signaling.

2023

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 650, 81-86

Habibian, J. S., Bolino, M. J., & Ferguson, B. S.

Modestly increased incidence of ketosis in caloric restriction does not significantly alter the effects of caloric restriction.

2022

J Nutritional Health Aging. 2022 2022;26(7):657-662

Ferguson BS, Sahoo P, McGrail E, Francois A, Stratton MS.

DUSP5-mediated inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation suppresses pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy.

2021

American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 321(2), H382–H389

Ferguson, B. S., Wennersten, S. A., Demos-Davies, K. M., Rubino, M., Robinson, E. L., Cavasin, M. A., … McKinsey, T. A.

Effects of dim artificial light at night on locomotor activity, cardiovascular physiology, and circadian clock genes in a diurnal songbird.

2021

Environmental Pollution, Vol. 282

Alaasam, V. J., Liu, X., Niu, Y., Habibian, J. S., Pieraut, S., Ferguson, B. S., … Ouyang, J. Q.

The interplay between diet, gut microbes, and host epigenetics in health and disease.

2021

The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 95, 108631

Shock, T., Badang, L., Ferguson, B., & Martinez-Guryn, K.

Emodin and emodin-rich rhubarb inhibits histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and cardiac myocyte hypertrophy

2020

Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

Evans, L., Bender, A., Burnett, L., Godoy, L., Shen, Y., Staten, D., Zhou, T., Angermann, J. E., Ferguson, B.

Therapeutic potential for HDAC inhibitors in the non-epigenomic regulation of heart failure.

2019

Future Medicinal Chemistry

Romanick, S., Ferguson, B.

YY1 Is a Cis-regulator in the Organoid Models of High Mammographic Density.

2019

Bioinformatics

Cheng, Q., Khoshdeli, M., Ferguson, B., Jabbari, K., Zang, C., Parvin, B.

Dual-specificity phosphatases regulate mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in adipocytes in response to inflammatory stress.

2018

Cellular Signaling, Vol 53, Jan. 2019, Pages 234-245

Ferguson, B., Nam, H., Morrison, R.

Food bioactive HDAC inhibitors in the epigenetic regulation of heart failure.

2018

Nutrients 2018, 10(8)

Evans, L. W., Ferguson, B.

Sodium proprionate and sodium butyrate effects on histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity, histone acetylation, and inflammatory gene expression in bovine mammary epithelial cells.

2018

Journal of Animal Science

Silva, L., Ferguson, B., Avila, A., Faciola, A. P.

The crosstalk between acetylation and phosphorylation: Emerging new roles for HDAC inhibitors in the heart.

2018

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Habibian, J., Ferguson, B.

Natural product inhibitors of acetyl-lysine erasers in the prevention and treatment of heart failure.

2017

Functional Foods in Health and Disease, 7(8), 577-603.

Evans, L. W., Romanick, S. S., Ferguson, B.

Polyphenols: Novel Signaling Pathways.

2017

Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2017 Nov 29. doi: 10.2174/1381612824666171129204054.

Ricketts, M.-L., Ferguson, B.

Prolactin and hydrocortisone impact TNFa-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and inflammation of bovine mammary epithelial (MAC-T) cells.

2017

Journal of Animal Science.

Silva, L., Ferguson, B., Faciola, A. P.

Targeting the epigenome: Screening bioactive compounds that regulate histone deacetylase activity

2017

Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2017, 1600744.

L. D. Godoy, J. E. Lucas, A. J. Bender, S. S. Romanick, B. S. Ferguson,

Therapeutic Potential for Natural Product HDAC Inhibitors in Heart Failure.

2017

Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Pharmacology

Evans, L. W., Romanick, S. S., Ferguson, B.

A grape seed procyanidin extract inhibits HDAC activity leading to increased Pparalpha phosphorylation and target-gene expression.

2016

Molecular nutrition & food research 2016. DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201600347

Downing LE, Ferguson BS, Rodriguez K, Ricketts ML.

Curcumin Inhibits 3T3-L1 Preadipocyte Proliferation by Mechanisms Involving Post-transcriptional p27 Regulation.

2016

Biochem Biophys Rep.

Ferguson BS, Nam H, Morrison RF.

Histone deacetylase 3 regulates the inflammatory gene expression program of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes

2016

Ann Rheum Dis

Angiolilli C, Kabala PA, Grabiec AM, Van Baarsen IM, Ferguson BS, Fernandez BM, McKinsey TA, Tak PP, Mascagni P, Baeten DL, Reedquist KA

Histone deacetylation contributes to low extracellular superoxide dismutase expression in human idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

2016

Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol.

Nozik-Grayck E, Woods C, Stearman RS, Venkataraman S, Ferguson BS, Swain K, Bowler RP, Geraci MW, Ihida-Stansbury K, Stenmark KR, McKinsey TA, Domann FE.

Inflammatory cytokines epigenetically regulate rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocyte activation by suppressing HDAC5 expression

2016

Ann Rheum Dis.

Angiolilli C, Grabiec AM, Ferguson BS, Ospelt C, Malvar Fernandez B, van Es IE, van Baarsen LG, Gay S, McKinsey TA, Tak PP, Baeten DL, Reedquist KA.

Modulation of IL-27 in adipocytes during inflammatory stress.

2016

Obesity (Silver Spring).

Nam H, Ferguson BS, Stephens JM, Morrison RF.

Signal-Dependent Recruitment of BRD4 to Cardiomyocyte Super-Enhancers Is Suppressed by a MicroRNA

2016

Cell Rep.

Stratton MS, Lin CY, Anand P, Tatman PD, Ferguson BS, Wickers ST, Ambardekar AV, Sucharov CC, Bradner JE, Haldar SM, McKinsey TA

Mitogen-Dependent Regulation of DUSP1 Governs ERK and p38 Signaling During Early 3T3-L1 Adipocyte Differentiation.

2015

J Cell Physiol.

Ferguson BS, Nam H, Stephens JM, Morrison RF.

Non-sirtuin histone deacetylases in the control of cardiac aging.

2015

J Mol Cell Cardiol.

Ferguson BS, McKinsey TA.

Promiscuous actions of small molecule inhibitors of the protein kinase D-class IIa HDAC axis in striated muscle.

2015

FEBS Lett.

Lemon DD, Harrison BC, Horn TR, Stratton MS, Ferguson BS, Wempe MF, McKinsey TA.

Class I HDACs regulate angiotensin II-dependent cardiac fibrosis via fibroblasts and circulating fibrocytes.

2014

J Mol Cell Cardiol.

Williams SM, Golden-Mason L, Ferguson BS, Schuetze KB, Cavasin MA, Demos-Davies K, Yeager ME, Stenmark KR, McKinsey TA.

HDAC6 Contributes to Pathological Responses of Heart and Skeletal Muscle to Chronic Angiotensin II Signaling.

2014

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. Vol. no. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00149

Demos-Davies K, Ferguson BS, Cavasin M, Mahaffey J, Williams SM, Spiltoir J, Schuetze KB, Horn T, Chen B, Ferrera C, Scellini B, Pirooddi N, Tesi C, Poggesi C, Jeong M, and Mckinsey TA.

Tubulin hyperacetylation is adaptive in cardiac proteotoxicity by promoting autophagy.

2014

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.

McLendon PM, Ferguson BS, Osinska H, Bhuiyan MS, James J, McKinsey TA, Robbins J.

Impact of obesity on IL-12 family gene expression in insulin responsive tissues.

2013

Biochim Biophys Acta.

Nam H, Ferguson BS, Stephens JM, Morrison RF.

Signal-dependent repression of DUSP5 by class I HDACs controls nuclear ERK activity and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

2013

Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (2013);110(24):9806-11

Ferguson BS, Harrison BC, Jeong MY, Reid BC, Wempe MF, Wagner FF, Holson EB, and McKinsey TA.

Impact of reference gene selection for target gene normalization on experimental outcome using real-time qRT-PCR in adipocytes.

2010

PLoS One.

Ferguson BS, Nam H, Hopkins RG, Morrison RF.