Mote Marine Laboratory

Dr. Luer joined Mote Marine Laboratory in 1979 to develop a Marine Biomedical Research Program using marine animals as model systems and sources of biological material for research in physiology, biochemistry and immunology. Much of his research is designed to understand the relatively low incidence of cancer and infectious disease displayed by the elasmobranch fishes, with the goal of applying this knowledge to develop novel therapeutic agents for treatment of human disease. His research interests also include the reproductive physiology and developmental biology of elasmobranch fishes.
Of particular significance in this program is the clearnose skate, which is routinely bred in captivity at Mote and whose resulting embryos and offspring have been extensively utilized in both research and education.
Dr. Luer is Past President of the American Elasmobranch Society, an international society dedicated to the scientific study of sharks, skates and rays.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biochemistry, University of Kansas Medical Center Kansas City, KS
Ph.D. Biochemistry, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
M.A. Zoology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
A.B. German, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

• Adjunct Professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
• Special Credentialing to the Graduate Faculty, Department of Biology, University of South Florida. Served as Committee Member for three Masters Degree students and Chaired the Examining Committee for one Doctoral Degree student.
• Special Credentialing to the Graduate Faculty, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of South Florida College of Medicine. Served as Committee Member for one Doctoral Student.
  
• Courtesy Associate Professor, Department of Biology, University of Central Florida. Served as Committee Member for one Masters Degree student.
• Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI.
• Professional Achievement Award, University of South Florida, 2001 Distinguished Alumni Awards Program
• Advisory Board, Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center, New College of Florida, Sarasota, Fla.

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.  Biophysi­cal Chem.  9:15‑22.

Luer, C.A. and K.-P. Wong.  1979.  The conformation of Escherichia coli ribosomal protein L7/Ll2 in solution: hydrodynamic, spectro­scopic, 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 guani­dinium chloride.  Biochemistry  19:176‑183.

Bodine, A.B., C.A. Luer and S. Gangjee.  1984.  Determination of cerulo­plasmin 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.  Environmental Biology of Fishes  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 replace­ment 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. Exp. 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., 35:1675-1678.

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. Exp. 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.A. 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 pICl_n in embryonic skate (Raja eglanteria) heart.  J.  Exp. 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, Cathy J., Jason D. Toranto, C. Taylor Gilliland, David R. Noyes, Ashby B. Bodine and Carl A. Luer. 2006. Nitric oxide production by nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) and clearnose skate (Raja eglanteria) peripheral blood leucocytes.  Fish and Shellfish Immunology 20: 40-46.

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.

Walsh, Catherine J., Carl A. Luer, A.B. Bodine, Clayton A. Smith, Heather L. Cox, David R. Noyes and Maura Gasparetto. 2006. Elasmobranch immune cells as a source of novel tumor cell inhibitors: Implications for public health. Integr. Comp. Biol. 46:1072-1081.

Wyffels, Jennifer T., Carl A. Luer, Cathy J. Walsh and Ashby 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.

Books Edited
Development of Non-teleost Fishes. Yvette W. Kunz, Carl A. Luer and B. G. Kapoor, editors. 2009. Science Publishers, Inc. Enfield (NH), in press

Department: Directorate of Marine Biology & Conservation