Courses taught at FDU

Comparative Anatomy
Human Physiology
Human Biology

Research Interests

For my Doctoral thesis I studied thyroid hormone-directed brain development using rats as a model.  During gestation thyroid hormone regulates gene expression in the developing central nervous system and is absolutely crucial for proper neurological development.  The goal of the lab was to elucidate which genes and processes thyroid hormone regulates during development, as there is much that is still not known about the specifics of thyroid hormone action in the developing brain.  A second focus of the lab was on toxins called Polychlorinated Biphenyls(PCBs), that are thought to interfere with thyroid hormone action.  PCBs are part of a larger group of industrial pollutants called “endocrine disrupters”.  My last project was a screen to identify genes whose expression is altered in response to PCB exposure in fetal rat brains.  I intend to continue to investigate the function of these genes in Drosophila melonogaster.

Education

Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
B.A., University of San Diego

Recent publications

Gauger, KJ, S Giera, DS Sharlin, R Bansal, E Iannacone, and RT Zoeller (2007).  Polychlorinated Biphenyls 105 And 118 Form Thyroid Hormone Receptor Agonists Following Cytochrome P450 1A1 Activation In Rat Pituitary GH3 Cells.  Environmental Health Perspectives, 115, v11:1623-1630

Iannacone, EA, Yan, AW, Gauger, KJ, Dowling, ALS, Zoeller, RT (2002). Thyroid Hormone Exerts Site-Specific Effects on SRC-1 and NcoR Expression Selectively in the Neonatal Rat Brain.  Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 186:49-59

Zoeller, RT, Dowling, ALS, Herzig CTA, Iannacone, EA, Gauger, KJ, Bansal, R (2002).  Thyroid Hormone Brain Development, and the Environment.  Environmental Health Perspectives.  110 (suppl 3): 355-361.

Dowling, ALS, Iannacone, EA, Zoeller, RT (2001) Hypothyroidism Selectively Affects the Expression of Neuroendocrine-Specific Protein-A mRNA in the Fetal Rat Brain.  Endocrinology 142(1) 390-399.

Recent conference presentations

New England Endocrinology Conference, 2002, Oral presentation: The Effects of PCB Exposure on Gene Expression in the Fetal Rat Brain, Eric Iannacone, Ruby Bansal, R.T. Zoeller

U-Mass Neuroscience Symposium, 2001, Poster presentation: Do Polychlorinated Biphenyls Interfere with Non-Genomic Actions of Thyroid Hormones,  Eric A. Iannacone, Alan P. Farwell, R. Thomas Zoeller

Center for Neuroendocrine Studies Symposium, (U-Mass), 2000 Poster Presentation: Do Polychlorinated Biphenyls Interfere with Non-Genomic actions of Thyroid Hormones,  Eric A. Iannacone, Alan P. Farwell, R. Thomas Zoeller