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Carl Luer

Senior Scientist & Program Manager

Marine Biomedical Research Program

Today's Research for Tomorrow's Oceans
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Contact:

caluer@mote.org

941-388-4441, ext321

Biography:

Since joining Mote Marine Laboratory in 1979 to initiate and manage a marine biomedical research program, Dr. Luer has been involved with several studies utilizing sharks, skates, and rays as model systems and sources of research material. His projects include characterization of the histological and biochemical responses of sharks and skates to potent chemical carcinogens, research on skate reproductive physiology and embryonic development, age and growth studies and tooth replacement studies with nurse sharks, investigations into the cellular immunology of sharks and skates, characterization of the culture medium from short-term culture of shark epigonal cells that demonstrates potent tumor cell inhibitory activity, identification of antimicrobial activity in stingray epidermal mucus secretions, and characterization of the healing response of experimental wounds in stingrays.

Education:

BA in German, Duke University
MA in Zoology, University of South Florida
PhD in Biochemistry, University of Kansas Medical Center

Current Publications

Doupnik CA, Luer CA, Walsh CJ, Restivo J, Brick J (2024). Bioactive properties of venoms isolated from whiptail stingrays and the search for molecular mechanisms and targets. Pharmaceuticals, 17(4), 488. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17040488
Sergei P. Boudko, Aspirnauts, Vadim K. Pedchenko, Elena N. Pokidysheva, Alena M. Budko, Rachel Baugh , Patrick Toby Coates, Aaron L. Fidler, Heather M. Hudson, Sergey V. Ivanov, Carl Luer, Tetyana Pedchenko, Robert L. Preston, Mohamed Rafi, Roberto Vanacore, Gautam Bhave, Julie K. Hudson, and Billy G. Hudson (2023). Collagen IV of basement membranes: III. Chloride pressure is a primordial innovation that drives and maintains the assembly of scaffolds. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 299(11), 105318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105318
Lisnerov‡, M., Fiala, I., Cantatore, D., Irigoitia, M., Timi, J., Peckov‡, H., Bartosova-Sojkova, P., Sandoval, C.M., Luer, C., Morris, J., Holzer, A.S. (2020). Mechanisms and Drivers for the Establishment of Life Cycle Complexity in Myxozoan Parasites. Biology, 9.0(1.0), 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9010010

Additional Publications

Luer, C. A. and K. P. Wong. 1978. Altered erythrocyte membrane proteins in sickle cell patients associated with the severity of the disease. Biochem. Med. 19:95 107.
 
Luer, C. A. and K. P. Wong. 1978. The effects of pH and temperature on the circular dichroism of human erythrocyte membranes. Biophysi¬cal Chem. 9:15 22.
 
Luer, C. A. and K. P. Wong. 1979. The conformation of Escherichia coli ribosomal protein L7/Ll2 in solution: hydrodynamic, spectro¬scopic, and conformation prediction studies. Biochemistry 18:2019 2027.
 
Luer, C. A. and K. P. Wong. 1980. The conformational stability of ribosomal protein L7/Ll2: The effects of pH, temperature and guani¬dinium chloride. Biochemistry 19:176 183.
 
Bodine, A. B., C. A. Luer and S. Gangjee. 1984. Determination of cerulo¬plasmin and other copper transport ligands in the blood sera of the nurse shark and clearnose skate. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 77B:779 783.
 
Luer, C. A. and P. W. Gilbert. 1985. Mating behavior, egg deposition, incubation period, and hatching in the clearnose skate, Raja eglanteria. Env. Biol. Fish. 13:161 171.
 
Bodine, A. B., C. A. Luer and S. Gangjee. 1985. A comparative study of monooxygenase activity in elasmobranchs and mammals: activation of the model pro carcinogen aflatoxin B1 by liver preparations of calf, nurse shark and clearnose skate. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 82C:255 257.
 
Bodine, A. B., C. A. Luer, S. A. Gangjee and C. J. Walsh. 1989. In vitro metabolism of the pro-carcinogen aflatoxin B1 by liver preparations of the calf, nurse shark, and clearnose skate. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 94C:447 453.
 
Luer, C. A., P. C. Blum and P. W. Gilbert. 1990. Rates of tooth replace¬ment in the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum. Copeia 1990(1):182 191.
 
Carrier, J. C. and C. A. Luer. 1990. A comparison of growth between captive and free nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum. Copeia 1990(3):686 692.
 
Goldstein, L., C. A. Luer and P. C. Blum. 1990. Taurine accumulation by the hearts of embryonic skates, Raja eglanteria. J. Exp. Biol. 150:449 452.
 
Crow, G. L., C. A. Luer and C. Barker. 1990. Comparison of serum iron and serum copper levels in captive and wild nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum). J. Aquaric. Aquat. Sci. 5:79 84.
 
Leverone, J. R., C. A. Luer and J. M. Lawrence. 1991. The effect of cations on the specific activities of pyruvate kinase and glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase of Luidia clathrata (Say). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 99B:259 264.
 
Bass, N. M., J. A. Manning and C. A. Luer. 1991. Isolation and characterization of fatty acid binding protein in the liver of the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum. Comp. Biochem. Physiol 98A:355 362.
 
Sivak, J. G. and C. A. Luer. 1991. Optical development of the ocular lens of an elasmobranch, Raja eglanteria. Vision Research 31:373 382.
 
Luer, C. A. and P. W. Gilbert. 1991. Elasmobranch fish: Oviparous, viviparous and ovoviviparous. Oceanus 34:47 53.
 
Kendall, C., S. Valentino, A. B. Bodine and C. A. Luer. 1992. Flow cytometric DNA analysis of nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) and clearnose skate (Raja eglanteria) peripheral red blood cells. J. Fish. Biol. 41:123-129.
 
Goldstein, L., C. A. Luer and P. C. Blum. 1993. Taurine transport characteristics of the embryonic skate (Raja eglanteria) heart. J. Exp. Biol. 182:291-295.
 
Conrad, G. W., A. Q. Paulsen and C. A. Luer. 1994. Embryonic development of the cornea in the eye of the clearnose skate, Raja eglanteria. I. Stromal development in the absence of an endothelium. J. Exptl. Zool., 269:263-276.
 
Kendall, C., S. Valentino, A. B. Bodine, and C. A. Luer. 1994. Triploidy in a nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum). Copeia 1994(3):825-827.
 
Anderson, M. A., C. T. Amemiya, C. A. Luer, R. T. Litman and G. W. Litman. 1994. Complete genomic sequence and patterns of transcription of a member of an unusual family of closely related, chromosomally dispersed immunoglobulin gene clusters in Raja. Internat. Immunol., 6: 1661-1670.
 
Takami, S., C. A. Luer and P. P. C. Graziadei. 1994. Microscopic structure of the olfactory organ of the clearnose skate, Raja eglanteria. Anat. Embryol. 190:211-230.
 
Pardue, M. T., C. A. Luer, M. G. Callender, B. R. Chou and J. G. Sivak. 1995. The absence of a photopic influence on the refractive development of the embryonic eye of the clearnose skate, Raja eglanteria. Vision Res. 35:1675-78.
 
Luer, C. A., C. J. Walsh, A. B. Bodine, J. T. Wyffels and T. R. Scott. 1995. The elasmobranch thymus: Anatomical, histological, and preliminary functional characterization. J. Exptl. Zool., 273:342-354.
 
Goldstein, L., E. M. Davis-Amaral, P. C. Blum and C. A. Luer. 1995. The role of anion channels in osmotically activated taurine release from embryonic skate (Raja eglanteria) heart. J. Exp. Biol., 198:2635-2637.
 
Rast, J. P., M. K. Anderson, S. Strong, C. Luer, R. T. Litman and G. W. Litman. 1997. α, β, γ and δ T cell antigen receptor genes arose early in vertebrate phylogeny. Immunity, 6:1-11.
 
Musch, M. W., C. A. Luer, E. M. Davis-Amaral and L. Goldstein. 1997. Hypotonic stress induces translocation of the osmolyte channel protein pICln in embryonic skate (Raja eglanteria) heart. J. Exptl. Zool., 277:460-463.
 
Sisneros, J. A., T. C. Tricas and C. A. Luer. 1998. Response properties and biological function of the skate electrosensory system during ontogeny. J. Comp. Physiol., 183:87-99.
 
Walsh, C. J. and C. A. Luer. 1998. Comparative phagocytic and pinocytic activities of leucocytes from peripheral blood and lymphomyeloid tissues of the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum Bonaterre) and the clearnose skate (Raja eglanteria Bosc). Fish Shellfish Immunol., 8:197-215.
 
Hensley, R. A., M. J. McCoid and C. A. Luer. 1998. Litter variation in the Atlantic guitarfish (Rhinobatidae: Rhinobatos lentiginosus) with comments on distribution in the Gulf of Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist. 43:501-504.
 
Anderson, M. K., S. J. Strong, R. T. Litman, C. A. Luer, C. T. Amemiya, J. P. Rast and G. W. Litman. 1999. A long form of the skate IgX gene exhibits a striking resemblance to the new shark IgW and IgNARC genes. Immunogenetics, 49:56-67.
 
Rasmussen, L. E. L., D. L. Hess and C. A. Luer. 1999. Alterations in serum steroid concentrations in the clearnose skate, Raja eglanteria: Correlations with season and reproductive status. J. Exp. Zool.284:575-585.
 
Miracle, A. L., M. K. Anderson, R. T. Litman, C. J. Walsh, C. A. Luer, E. V. Rothenberg and G. W. Litman. 2001. Complex expression patterns of lymphocyte-specific genes during the development of cartilaginous fish implicate unique lymphoid tissues in generating an immune repertoire. Internat. Immunol. 13:567-580.
 
Walsh, C. J., J. T. Wyffels, A. B. Bodine and C. A. Luer. 2002. Dexamethasone-induced apoptosis in immune cells from peripheral circulation and lymphomyeloid tissues of juvenile clearnose skates, Raja eglanteria. Dev. Comp. Immunol. 26:623-633.
 
Manire, C. A., C. J. Walsh, H. L. Rhinehart, D. E. Colbert, D. R. Noyes and C. A. Luer. 2003. Alterations in blood and urine parameters in Florida manatees, Trichechus manatus latirostris, from simulated conditions of release following rehabilitation. J. Zoo Biol. 22:103-120.
 
Anderson, M. K., R. Pant, A. L. Miracle, X. Sun, C. A. Luer, C. J. Walsh, J. C. Telfer, G. W. Litman and E. V. Rothenberg. 2004. Evolutionary origins of lymphocytes: Ensembles of T cell and B cell transcriptional regulators in a cartilaginous fish. J. Immunol. 172:5851-5860.
 
Eason, D. D., R. T. Litman, C. A. Luer, W. Kerr and G. Litman. 2004. Expression of individual immunoglobulin genes occurs in an unusual system consisting of multiple independent loci. Eur. J. Immunol. 34:2551-2558.
 
Walsh, C. J., C. A. Luer and D. R. Noyes. 2005. Effects of environmental stressors on lymphocyte proliferation in Florida manatees, Trichechus manatus latirostris. Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol. 103:247-256.
 
Wyffels, J. T., C. J. Walsh, C. A. Luer and A. B. Bodine. 2005. In vivo exposure of clearnose skates, Raja eglanteria, to ionizing X-radiation: Acute effects on the thymus. Dev. Comp. Immunol. 29(4):315-331.
 
Walsh, C. J., J. D. Toranto, C. T. Gilliland, D. R. Noyes, A. B. Bodine and C. A. Luer. 2006. Nitric oxide production by nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) and clearnose skate (Raja eglanteria) peripheral blood leucocytes. Fish Shellfish Immunol. 20:40-46.
 
Walsh, C. J., C. A. Luer, A. B. Bodine, C. A. Smith, H. L. Cox, D. R. Noyes and M. Gasparetto. 2006. Elasmobranch immune cells as a source of novel tumor cell inhibitors: Implications for public health. Integr. Comp. Biol. 46:1072-1081.
 
Wyffels, J. T., C. A. Luer, C. J. Walsh and A. B. Bodine. 2007. In vivo exposure of clearnose skates, Raja eglanteria, to ionising X-radiation: Acute effects on the peripheral blood, spleen, and epigonal and Leydig organs. Fish Shellfish Immunol., 23:401-418.
 
Luer, C. A., C. J. Walsh, J. T. Wyffels, and A. B. Bodine. 2007. Normal embryonic development in the clearnose skate, Raja eglanteria, with experimental observations on artificial insemination. Env. Biol. Fish., 80 (2-3):239-255.
 
Gillis, J. A., M. S. Modrell, R. G. Northcutt, K. C. Catania, C. A. Luer and C. V. H. Baker. 2012. Electrosensory ampullary organs are derived from lateral line placodes in cartilaginous fishes. Development, 139:3142-3146.
 
Walsh, C. J., C. A. Luer, J. E. Yordy, T. Cantu, J. Miedema, S. R. Leggett, B. Leigh, P. Adams, M. Ciesla, C. Bennett and A. B. Bodine. 2013. Epigonal conditioned media from bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo, induces apoptosis in a T-cell leukemia cell line, Jurkat E6-1. Marine Drugs, 11:3224-3257. 

Ritchie, K.B., M. Schwarz, J. Mueller, V.A. Lapacek, D. Merselis, C.J. Walsh and C. A. Luer. 2017. Survey of antibiotic-producing bacteria associated with the epidermal mucus layers of rays and skates. Front. Microbiol. 8:1050. doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01050. 

Luer, C., Walsh, C. (2018). Potential Human Health Applications from Marine Biomedical Research with Elasmobranch Fishes. Fishes, 3(4), 47. doi:10.3390/fishes3040047

Book chapters

Luer, C. A. 1989. Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) as animal models for biomedical research. In: "Nonmammalian Models for Biomedical Research." (A. Woodhead, ed.) CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 121 147.
 
Luer, C. A., C. J. Walsh and A. B. Bodine. 2004. The immune system of sharks, skates, and rays. In: “Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives.” (J. Carrier, J. Musick and M. Heithaus, eds.) CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. pp. 369-395.
 
Walsh, C. J. and C.A. Luer. 2004. Elasmobranch hematology: Identification of cell types and practical applications. In: “Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual: Proceedings of the First International Elasmobranch Husbandry Symposium, 2001.” (M. Smith, D. Warmolts, D. Thoney and R. Hueter, eds.) Special Publication of the Ohio Biological Survey, Number 16, Columbus, OH. pp. 309-326.
 
Luer, C. A., C. J. Walsh and A. B. Bodine. 2012. Recent Advances in Elasmobranch Immunology. In: “Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives.” 2nd Edition. (J. Carrier, J. Musick and M. Heithaus, eds.) CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. pp., 403-420.
 
Luer, C.A., C.J. Walsh and A.B. Bodine. 2015. Sites of Immune Cell Production in Elasmobranch Fishes: Lymphomyeloid Tissues and Organs. In: “Immunobiology of the Shark.” (S Smith, R Sim and M Flajnik, eds.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 79-88.

Walsh, C. J. and C.A. Luer. 2015. Leukocyte function in elasmobranch species: Phagocytosis/chemotaxis. In: “Immunobiology of the Shark.” (S Smith, R Sim and M Flajnik, eds.).  CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 105-122.
 
Walsh, C. J. and C.A. Luer. 2015. In Vitro Culture of Elasmobranch Cells. In: “Immunobiology of the Shark.” (S Smith, R Sim and M Flajnik, eds.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 255-266.