Edwin L. Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D. - Biographical Sketch
Professor, Laboratory of Comparative Immunology, Department of Neurobiology
David Geffen School Of Medicine at UCLA
Associate Member, Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

Research Interests

My general research interests fall into several categories. First, immunobiology, second, comparative immunology with another subspecialization in invertebrate immunology. I have focused on an evolutionary approach in order to more fully understand the evolutionary basis for the origin and intricacies of the human immune system, including its cells, molecular products, and major organs (eg, tonsils). What has emerged is that the ancient immune systems of invertebrates more closely resemble the innate, natural, nonspecific non-clonal immune system of mammals including humans. The human immune system still depends upon its own "prehistoric" system but has evolved those characteristics that appeared later in fishes, amphibians, reptiles birds and mammals. This type of immune system is adaptive, induced, specific and clonal. The most highly significant conclusion and implication of invertebrate immune studies centers around the steadfast survival of invertebrates for millions of years despite the constant threat of extinction by microbial and neoplastic pathogens that destroy homeostasis. Clearly, if we could understand how invertebrates have managed this type of survival strategy, we might be able to design similar strategies to assist human survival in the face of infectious diseases often caused by microbes that are resistant to microbial flora. Since the protective system of importance is the immune system that guards against infectious pathogens, what better starting point to search for mechanisms of fighting pathogens than to examine long lived organisms, presumed relatives of extinct species? To understand major events in the development of immune competence, we have used several animal models: invertebrates (notably earthworms and tunicates, the latter group representing the protochordate ancestors of vertebrates including humans). Using cytofluorimetric analysis, microscopy, and mouse anti-human monoclonal antibodies, two types of leukocytes have been identified in earthworms: 1) small (8-11 µm) electron dense cells (SC) that stain by mAbs for epitopes present on human cell adhesion molecules (CD11a, CD45RA, CD45RO, CDw49b, CD54) and those for Beta 2-microglobulin and Thy-1; and 2) large (12-15 µm) electron lucent cells (LC) negative for these same markers; by serologic methods Beta 2-microglobulin had been previously demonstrated . Both cell types were negative for other CD and MHC class I and class II markers. Recently, we have extended this work showing that the small cells kill the tumor cell target K562 and that a component of the cytotoxic reaction may involve a primitive perforin molecule. The perforin gene transcript and its protein in the earthworm leukocytes has been analyzed utilizing immunohistochemistry, Western blot analysis and a mouse perforin antibody. RT-PCR and southern blot analysis were performed by perforin specific synthesizing primer and probe based on the human perforin cDNA sequence. Perforin antibody reacted with cytoplasmic granules in only small but not in large leukocytes. These cells also reacted with Thy-1 antibody. Molecular size of earthworm perforin analyzed by Western blot was about 70kDa. The perforin mRNAs from earthworm leukocytes, mouse spleen cells and human PBL revealed the same size which was identified by RT-PCR and southern blot analysis. These data indicated that perforin may be associated with earthworm leukocytes. The presence of a variety of molecules suggests that they have been conserved during evolution as common features of immune surveillance.

Publications

Cooper EL.
 Is There Room for Paradox in CAM? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2007 Jun;4(2):135-7. No abstract available.
PMID: 17549229 [PubMed - in process]

 

Cooper EL.
On the Road to an Impact Factor for eCAM. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2007 Mar;4(1):1-2. No abstract available.
PMID: 17342234 [PubMed - in process]

 

Edwin L. Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D.
Professor
Laboratory of Comparative Immunology
Department of Neurobiology
David Geffen School Of Medicine at UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles California 90095-1763
Tel: (310) 825-9567; Fax: (310) 825-2224
email: cooper@mednet.ucla.edu