Department Staff

Professor Edward L. Hogan (MD)

Contact Information
Department of Microbiology
National University of Ireland, Galway
University Road
Galway

Tel (1): 353 (0)91 493003
Tel (2): 353 (0)95 42018
Tel (USA): 706 721 7824
Fax: 353 91 494958
E-mail: edward.hogannuigalway.ie

Current Appointments

• Professor of Microbiology, Adjunct , NUI, Galway. 2003-present
• Professor, Institute of Molecular Medicine & Genetics (IMMAG), Medical College of Georgia (M.C.G.), Augusta, Georgia, 2005-present
• Professor of Neurology, M.C.G., Augusta, GA, July 1, 2005-present
• Professor of Neurology, M.U.S.C., 2000-2005, emeritus, 2005

Past Appointments

• Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurology, Medical
      University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston, SC 1973-2000
• Professor of Biochemistry, M.U.S.C. 1973-1988
• Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, M.U.S.C., 1988-2005

Research Interests

On a background experience in clinical neurology with special interest in multiple sclerosis, and in neurochemistry focusing upon the biochemistry and immunology of myelin and demyelination, we are now studying the role of infection and particularly of mycoplasma in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. Autoimmunity is necessary in the mechanism of the inflammatory demyelination of multiple sclerosis (MS), but is insufficient to explain MS pathogenesis. An insight into MS initiation appears promising to us and prompts our current pursuit of our finding of molecular mimicry of microbial and myelin glycolipids. This is plausible as a trigger of an innate-adaptive sequence of immune response to bacterial infection that is capable of generating autoreactivity and autoimmune disease. My molecular interests have included discoveries of  new and bioactive glycoconjugates, study of mechanisms of genetic and immune demyelination, and pathways of neural damage involving calcium, calpain, and both sphingoid and cytokine mediators. The translation of this bench work to patients has fostered the recent studies of  MS pathogenesis.

A new series of myelin cerebrosides was discovered in our laboratory in 2000  that have a 3-O-acetyl-sphingosine, and increased hydrophobicity because of acyl and probably ether and/or vinyl ether derivatization of the galactose moiety. These compounds have been clearly established as myelin constituents in several ways including isolation from purified myelin of both CNS and PNS of several species including human. Their detailed structures, metabolism both biosynthesis and degradation, functonal role or roles, and pathological importance are currently being actively investigated.

We have explored the acetylated series of cerebroside derivatives (3-SAG series of myelin glycolipids; v.s.) to study of the possibility of molecular mimicry between myelin and microbial (particularly mycoplasma) acylated glycolipids as a mechanism in the pathogenesis of demyelinating diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). Theses studies include purification, characterization, and preparation of specific antibodies to the novel acetylated myelin cerbrosides, exploration of cross-reactivity between myelin and microbial especially mycoplasmal glycolipids and lipoproteins, examination of antigenic specificities of the IgG immunoglobulins that are expressed oligoclonally in the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients, determination of glycolipid-specific NK and NKT cell responses in MS patients, and assay for mycoplasma-specific nucleic acid sequences in MS and control tissues, CSF, etc.

The numerous clinical studies carried out include assay of cellular immune responses in MS and controls, search for mycoplasma-specific DNA sequences in MS and controls, assay of myelin-associated enzymes in cerebrospinal fluid, etc.

Representative recent publications (of > 600)

• Dasgupta, S., and Hogan, E.L. Chromatographic resoluton and quantitative (CRAQ) assay of tissue sphingoids and sphingolipids. J Lipid Research 42: 301-308, 2001.


• Ray, S., Schaecher, K., Shields, D.C., Hogan, E.L., and Banik, N.L. Combined TUNEL and double immunofluoresence for detecting apoptotic mononuclear phagocytes in autoimmune demyelinating disease. Brain Res Protocol 5:, 305-311, 2000.


• Shields, D.C., Tyor, W.R., Diebler, G.E., Hogan, E.L., and Banik, N.L. Increased calpain expression in activated glial and inflammatory cells in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Brain Res 784: 299-304, 1998.


• Dasgupta, S., Levery, S.B., and Hogan, E.L. Sphingosine-3-O-Acetyl Series Glycolipids (3-SAG) in Vertebrate Brain: Characterization of 3-SAGs as Novel Myelin Constituents. J Lipid Res 43: 751-761, 2002


• Dasgupta S, Ray SK,Perry, DK, Miller LG Jr, Young JA, Banik NL,and Hogan EL. Altered brain sphingolipid metabolism in multiple sclerosis (MS): Evidence for sphingoid toxicity in MS demyelination and in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). (In preparation)


• Moran, A.P., Prendergast, M.M., and Hogan, E.L. Sialosyl-galactose: A common denominator of Guillain-Barré amd related disorders. J Neurol Sci 196: 1-7, 2002.


• Dasgupta, S., Bhat, N.R., Spicer, S.S., Hogan, E.L., Furuya, s. and Hirabayashi, Y. Oligodendrocyte/myelin and neuron specificity of vertebrate brain neutral glycosphingolipids: Histochemical and cytochemical evidence for 3-O-acetyl-sphingosine series glycolipid(s). (J Neuroscience Res, in press).


• Bennion B, Dasgupta S, Hogan EL, Levery SB. Characterization of novel myelin components, 3-O-Acetyl-Sphingosine Galactosylceramides by electronspray ionization Q/oa-TOF-MS and MS/CID-MS of Li adducts. J Mass Spectrometry 42: 598, 2007.


• Casserly G, Hogan EL, Barry TB. Genus- and species-specific assay of mycoplasma nucleic acid in central nervous sytem (CNS) tissue and body fluids (serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)) from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). J Neurol Sci 253: 48-52, 2007.


• O'Keeffe J, Gately C, Counihan T, Henessey M, Leahy T, Ali E, Moran AP, Hogan EL. Flow cytometric analysis of natural killer receptor T cells in multiple sclerosis (MS). Proceedings of the Eighth International Congress of Neuroimmunology, Nagoya, Japan, October 11-15, 2006, Medimond, in press.

Ongoing Research Support

Infectious Triggers of Multiple Sclerosis, E Hogan, PI, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) Award No. RG 3473A2/3, April 2005 - March 2008,($486,770)

Nucleic acid probes for mycoplasma in MS, E Hogan, PI, NMSS Award, Pilot Grant, To National University of Ireland, Galway, May 2005 - April 2007, ($40,000)

Infection and Multiple Sclerosis National Institutes of Health R21 NS51666 E Hogan, PI This proposal explores new experimental approaches to microbial-myelin mimicries in MS. Includes study of  the immunology of glycolipid-reactive T cells (NKT, CD1-restricted) in patients with multiple sclerosis. Jan 1, 2006-Dec 31, 2007  ($250,000)

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