Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology

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Thomas Taylor-Clark

Thomas Taylor-Clark, PhD

Associate Chair for Research, College of Medicine Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology

Contact Info

Education

  • PHD, Pharmacology, University College London, 2004

Interdisciplinary and Emerging Signature Programs

  • Allergy, Immunology & Infectious Disease
  • Cardiovascular
  • Environmental & amp; Global Health
  • Neuroscience
  • Pulmonary Physiology

Research Interests

  • Our interests lie in the role of nociceptive (defensive) sensory nerves in health and disease. Aberrant nociceptor stimulation contributes to unpleasant/debilitating sensations and inappropriate reflexes. Our focus is primarily on the sensory nerves of the airways. Activation of these nerves leads to cough, mucus secretion, bronchospasm, wheeze. In addition, activation of airway nerves contributes to autonomic regulatory control of the heart.
  • To gain understanding of these events we study the electrical excitability of sensory nerves, investigating the interaction of inflammation, oxidative stress and inhaled pollutants (e.g. particulate matter and ozone) on receptors and ion channels expressed on nociceptive sensory nerves. Using a combination of electrophysiological, imaging and molecular biological techniques we are able to study ion channel/receptor function and nerve activation at multiple levels, from single channels to single cells to intact tissue to preclinical models.

Recent Publications

  • Taylor-Clark T. Histamine in allergic rhinitis. Advances in experimental medicine and biology. 709: 33-41, 2011.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, Undem BJ. Sensing pulmonary oxidative stress by lung vagal afferents. Respiratory physiology & neurobiology. 178(3) : 406-13, 2011.
  • Hooper JS Taylor-Clark T. Irritant inhalation evokes P wave morphological changes in spontaneously hypertensive rats via reflex modulation of the autonomic nervous system Front Physiol. : 12:642299, 2021.
  • Stanford KR Hadley SH Barannikov I Ajmo JM Bahia PK Taylor-Clark TE. Antimycin A-induced mitochondrial dysfunction activates vagal sensory neurons via ROS-dependent activation of TRPA1 and ROS-independent activation of TRPV1 Brain Res. , 2019.
  • Taylor-Clark TE. A nervous S1P of the lung: activation of airway nerves by sphingosine-1-phosphate J Physiol. , 2019.
  • Hooper JS Stanford KR Alencar PA Alves NG Breslin JW Dean JB Morris KF Taylor-Clark T. Nociceptive pulmonary-cardiac reflexes are altered in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. J Physiol.. , 2019.
  • Deering-Rice CE, Memon T, Lu Z, Romero EG, Cox J, Taylor-Clark T, Veranth JM, Reilly CA. Differential Activation of TRPA1 by Diesel Exhaust Particles: Relationships between Chemical Composition, Potency, and Lung Toxicity. Chemical research in toxicology. 32(6) : 1040-1050, 2019.
  • Stanford KR Taylor-Clark TE. Mitochondrial modulation-induced activation of vagal sensory neuronal subsets by antimycin A, but not CCCP or rotenone, correlates with mitochondrial superoxide production PLoS One. 13(5) : e0197106, 2018.
  • Stanford KR, Ajmo JM, Bahia PK, Hadley SH, Taylor-Clark TE. Improving redox sensitivity of roGFP1 by incorporation of selenocysteine at position 147. BMC research notes. 11(1) : 827, 2018.
  • Trujillo AN, Katnik C, Cuevas J, Cha B, Taylor-Clark TE, Breslin JW. Modulation of Mesenteric Collecting Lymphatic Contractions by Sigma-1 Receptor Activation and Nitric Oxide Production. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology. : ajpheart.00702.2016, 2017.
  • Hooper JS, Hadley SH, Morris KF, Breslin JW, Dean JB, Taylor-Clark TE. Characterization of cardiovascular reflexes evoked by airway stimulation with allylisothiocyanate, capsaicin, and ATP in Sprague-Dawley rats. Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 120(6) : 580-91, 2016.
  • Taylor-Clark TE. Role of reactive oxygen species and TRP channels in the cough reflex. Cell Calcium. , 2016.
  • Bahia PK, Parks TA, Stanford KR, Mitchell DA, Varma S, Stevens SM, Taylor-Clark TE. The exceptionally high reactivity of Cys 621 is critical for electrophilic activation of the sensory nerve ion channel TRPA1. The Journal of General Physiology. 147(6) : 451-65, 2016.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, Wu KY, Thompson JA, Yang K, Bahia PK, Ajmo JM. Thy1.2 YFP-16 transgenic mouse labels a subset of large-diameter sensory neurons that lack TRPV1 expression. PloS One. 10(3) : e0119538, 2015.
  • Taylor-Clark TE. Oxidative stress as activators of sensory nerves for cough. Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 35: 94-9, 2015.
  • Taylor-Clark TE. Peripheral neural circuitry in cough. Current Opinion in Pharmacology. 22: 9-17, 2015.
  • Hadley SH, Bahia PK, Taylor-Clark TE. Sensory nerve terminal mitochondrial dysfunction induces hyperexcitability in airway nociceptors via protein kinase C. Molecular pharmacology. 85(6) : 839-48, 2014.
  • Undem BJ, Taylor-Clark T. Mechanisms underlying the neuronal-based symptoms of allergy. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 133(6) : 1521-34, 2014.
  • Nesuashvili L, Hadley SH, Bahia PK, Taylor-Clark TE. Sensory Nerve Terminal Mitochondrial Dysfunction Activates Airway Sensory Nerves via Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels. Molecular pharmacology. 83(5) : 1007-19, 2013.
  • Hooper JS, Hadley SH, Mathews A, Taylor-Clark TE. Store-operated calcium entry in vagal sensory nerves is independent of Orai channels. Brain research. 1503: 7-15, 2013.
  • Bahia PK, Bennett ES, Taylor-Clark TE. Reductions in external divalent cations evoke novel voltage-gated currents in sensory neurons. PloS one. 7(2) : e31585, 2012.
  • McAlexander MA, Taylor-Clark T. The role of transient receptor potential channels in respiratory symptoms and pathophysiology. Advances in experimental medicine and biology. 704: 969-86, 2011.
  • Brozmanova M, Ru F, Surdenikova L, Mazurova L, Taylor-Clark T, Kollarik M. Preferential activation of the vagal nodose nociceptive subtype by TRPA1 agonists in the guinea pig esophagus. Neurogastroenterology and motility : the official journal of the European Gastrointestinal Motility Society. 23(10) : e437-45, 2011.
  • Nassenstein C, Taylor-Clark TE, Myers AC, Ru F, Nandigama R, Bettner W, Undem BJ. Phenotypic distinctions between neural crest and placodal derived vagal C-fibres in mouse lungs. The Journal of physiology. 588(Pt 23) : 4769-83, 2010.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, Undem BJ. Ozone activates airway nerves via the selective stimulation of TRPA1 ion channels. The Journal of physiology. 588(Pt 3) : 423-33, 2010.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, Kiros F, Carr MJ, McAlexander MA. Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 mediates toluene diisocyanate-evoked respiratory irritation. American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology. 40(6) : 756-62, 2009.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, Nassenstein C, McAlexander MA, Undem BJ. TRPA1: a potential target for anti-tussive therapy. Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics. 22(2) : 71-4, 2009.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, Ghatta S, Bettner W, Undem BJ. Nitrooleic acid, an endogenous product of nitrative stress, activates nociceptive sensory nerves via the direct activation of TRPA1. Molecular pharmacology. 75(4) : 820-9, 2009.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, Undem BJ, Macglashan DW, Ghatta S, Carr MJ, McAlexander MA. Prostaglandin-induced activation of nociceptive neurons via direct interaction with transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1). Molecular pharmacology. 73(2) : 274-81, 2008.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, McAlexander MA, Nassenstein C, Sheardown SA, Wilson S, Thornton J, Carr MJ, Undem BJ. Relative contributions of TRPA1 and TRPV1 channels in the activation of vagal bronchopulmonary C-fibres by the endogenous autacoid 4-oxononenal. The Journal of physiology. 586(14) : 3447-59, 2008.
  • Nassenstein C, Kwong K, Taylor-Clark T, Kollarik M, Macglashan DM, Braun A, Undem BJ. Expression and function of the ion channel TRPA1 in vagal afferent nerves innervating mouse lungs. The Journal of physiology. 586(6) : 1595-604, 2008.
  • Taylor-Clark TE. Insights into the mechanisms of histamine-induced inflammation in the nasal mucosa. Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics. 21(3) : 455-60, 2008.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, Nassenstein C, Undem BJ. Leukotriene D4 increases the excitability of capsaicin-sensitive nasal sensory nerves to electrical and chemical stimuli. British journal of pharmacology. 154(6) : 1359-68, 2008.
  • Taylor-Clark T, Undem BJ. Transduction mechanisms in airway sensory nerves. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 101(3) : 950-9, 2006.
  • Taylor-Clark TE, Kollarik M, MacGlashan DW, Undem BJ. Nasal sensory nerve populations responding to histamine and capsaicin. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 116(6) : 1282-8, 2005.
  • Taylor-Clark T, Foreman J. Histamine-mediated mechanisms in the human nasal airway. Current opinion in pharmacology. 5(3) : 214-20, 2005.
  • Taylor-Clark T, Sodha R, Warner B, Foreman J. Histamine receptors that influence blockage of the normal human nasal airway. British journal of pharmacology. 144(6) : 867-74, 2005.