Education and Outreach

Adam J. Kuhl, Ph.D.

Division of Biological Sciences

Adam J. Kuhl, Ph.D.

Education

B.S., animal science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1998.
Ph.D., coastal sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, Mississippi, 2004.
Postdoctoral training, Division of Biological Sciences, CIIT Centers for Health Research, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 2005-present.

Research

Testicular dysgenesis is a collection of disorders that affect the development of male reproductive health. These disorders include cryptorchidism, hypospadias, testicular cancer, and poor semen quality. Exposure to environmental chemicals during critical periods of development in utero has been implicated in the development of testicular dysgenesis. My research at The Hamner under the direction of Dr. Kevin Gaido involves a mechanism through which environmental chemicals can induce abnormal male reproductive tract development. Specifically, I am studying how phthalate esters inhibit testosterone synthesis in fetal rat leydig cells. Phthalate exposure in utero likely triggers a two-step mechanism, with an early response (within 1-3 hr) resulting in a 50% reduction in testosterone levels and a later response (6-24 hr) accounting for the remaining 50%. I am exploring transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of genes involved in both responses as well as other possible mechanisms such as RNA degradation and protein-protein interactions.

Publications

Kuhl, A.J., Ross, S.M., Gaido, K.W. 2007. C/ebp ß, but not SF-1, modulates the phthalate-induced dysregulation of rat fetal testicular steroidogenesis. Endocrinology. In press.

Kuhl, A.J., Ross, S.M., Gaido, K.W. 2007. Using a Comparative In Vivo DNase I Footprinting Technique to Analyze Changes in Protein-DNA Interactions Following Phthalate Exposure J.Biochem. Mo.l Toxicol. In press.

Kuhl, A.J., Brouwer, M. 2006. Exposure to a mixture of antagonistic endocrine disruptors reveals that increased brain aromatase is not critical for medaka sex reversal. Environ. Health Perspect. 114(4):500-6.

Kuhl, A.J., Manning, C.S., Brouwer, M. 2005. Brain Aromatase in Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes): Molecular characterization and role in xenoestrogen induced sex reversal. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Bio. 96(1):67-77.