Mark Ireland, Ph.D

Education & Training:
Dr. Ireland received his Ph.D. from the Department of Anatomy at Wayne State University in 1982. He received post-doctoral training in receptor cell biology while at the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Ireland joined the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in 1986. He has been the recipient of numerous grants from the Midwest Eye-Banks and Transplantation Center and has obtained funding totalling Eighteen years from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Ireland was awarded a Career Development Chair from Wayne State University in 1994 and College Teaching Awards in 1997 and 2000.

Professional and Faculty Appointments:
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
Associate, Department of Ophthalmology

Major Research Interests:
Dr. Ireland's major research interests include molecular mechanisms affecting the differentiation of the ocular lens; the role of the cytoskeleton in cell elongation and membrane stabilization; and the endogenous regulation of differentiation-specific gene expression.

Current Research:
Ongoing work is directed at answering the following questions: 1) Do endogenous growth factors affect the terminal differentiation of the ocular lens? 2) When do endogenous mechanisms begin to exert effects on lens development? 3) How does the expression and activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor impact the terminal differentiation of the ocular lens? 4) Are signal transduction mechanisms affecting differentiation-specific gene expression altered during lens fiber formation? 5) How does cyclic AMP regulate the expression and intracellular localization of lens specific cytoskeletal proteins? These investigations utilize both animal and cell culture models to assess the effectiveness of a particular stimulus on normal and pathologic lens characteristics. Current methodologies employed include Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy, ligand binding assays, Northern blotting, nuclease protection assays; cell transfection and gene silencing.

Recent papers:

1. M.E. Ireland, D.J. Goebel, H. Maisel, D. Kiner and M.S. Poosch. Quantification and regulation of mRNAs encoding beaded filament proteins in the chick lens. Curr. Eye Res. 16:838-846, 1997. Medline

2. D.W. Kiner, L.K. Mrock and M.E. Ireland. Kinetics of cyclic AMP-dependent accumulation of novel intermediate filament proteins in cultured chick lens cells. Curr. Eye Res. 18:214-223, 1999. Medline

3. D.M. Richiert and M.E. Ireland. TGF-b elicits fibronectin secretion and proliferation in cultured chick lens epithelial cells. Curr. Eye Res. 18: 62-71, 1999. Medline

4. D.M. Richiert and M.E. Ireland. Matrix metalloproteinase secretion is stimulated by TGF-b; in cultured lens epithelial cells. Curr. Eye Res. 19: 269-275, 1999. Medline

5. M.E. Ireland, P. Wallace, A. Sandilands, M. Poosch, M. Kasper, J. Graw, A. Liu, H. Maisel, A.R. Prescott, A.M. Hutcheson, D. Goebel and R.A. Quinlan. Up-regulation of novel intermediate filament proteins in primary fiber cells: an indicator of all vertebrate lens fiber differentiation? Anatomical Record 258: 25-33, 2000. Medline

6. M.E. Ireland and L.K. Mrock. Differentiation of chick lens epithelial cells: involvement of the epidermal growth factor receptor and endogenous ligand. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 41: 183-190, 2000. Medline

7. F. Chen, L.K. Mrock and M.E. Ireland. A role for endogenous TGF-a and associated signaling pathways in the differentiation of lens fiber cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 186: 288-297, 2001. Medline

8. M. Bagchi, M. Ireland, M. Katar and H. Maisel. Heat shock proteins of chicken lens. J. Cellular Biochem. 82: 409-414, 2001. Medline

9. M.E. Ireland and L.K. Mrock. Expression and activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor in differentiating cells of the developing and post-hatching chicken lens. Exptl. Eye Res. 79: 305-312, 2004. Medline

10. M.E. Ireland. Activated epidermal growth factor receptors in the adult human lens. Exptl. Eye Res. 80: 443-445, 2005. Medline

About the Department /Graduate Studies /ResearchFaculty /Body Bequest /Vision Core Grant /Medical School Home Page /WayneStateHomePage

Return

1.	M.E. Ireland, D.J. Goebel, H. Maisel, D. Kiner and M.S. Poosch. Quantification and regulation of mRNAs encoding beaded filament proteins in the chick lens. Curr. Eye Res. 16:838-846, 1997. Medline
2.	D.W. Kiner, L.K. Mrock and M.E. Ireland. Kinetics of cyclic AMP-dependent accumulation of novel intermediate filament proteins in cultured chick lens cells. Curr. Eye Res. 18:214-223, 1999. Medline
3.	D.M. Richiert and M.E. Ireland. TGF-b elicits fibronectin secretion and proliferation in cultured chick lens epithelial cells. Curr. Eye Res. 18: 62-71, 1999. Medline
4.	D.M. Richiert and M.E. Ireland. Matrix metalloproteinase secretion is stimulated by TGF-b; in cultured lens epithelial cells. Curr. Eye Res. 19: 269-275, 1999. Medline
5.	M.E. Ireland, P. Wallace, A. Sandilands, M. Poosch, M. Kasper, J. Graw, A. Liu, H. Maisel, A.R. Prescott, A.M. Hutcheson, D. Goebel and R.A. Quinlan. Up-regulation of novel intermediate filament proteins in primary fiber cells: an indicator of all vertebrate lens fiber differentiation? Anatomical Record 258: 25-33, 2000. Medline
6.	M.E. Ireland and L.K. Mrock. Differentiation of chick lens epithelial cells: involvement of the epidermal growth factor receptor and endogenous ligand. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 41: 183-190, 2000. Medline
7.	F. Chen, L.K. Mrock and M.E. Ireland. A role for endogenous TGF-a and associated signaling pathways in the differentiation of lens fiber cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 186: 288-297, 2001. Medline
8.	M. Bagchi, M. Ireland, M. Katar and H. Maisel. Heat shock proteins of chicken lens. J. Cellular Biochem. 82: 409-414, 2001. Medline
9.	M.E. Ireland and L.K. Mrock. Expression and activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor in differentiating cells of the developing and post-hatching chicken lens. Exptl. Eye Res. 79: 305-312, 2004. Medline
10.	M.E. Ireland. Activated epidermal growth factor receptors in the adult human lens. Exptl. Eye Res. 80: 443-445, 2005. Medline