Frank Sylvester Associate Professor Biomedical Science Department 221 Padnos Allendale, MI 49401 Phone: 331-8707 Fax: 331-2090 email: sylvestf@gvsu.edu OFFICE HOURS: See available times here, or by appointment

(For more detail on the sections that follow, see my personal C.V.)

EDUCATION/TRAINING
Postdoctoral fellow, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2002
PhD (Physiology) Medical College of Wisconsin, 2002
M.A. (Biology) Drake University, 1997
B.S. (Animal Science) Cornell University, 1993

RESEARCH INTERESTS
My lab investigates the acute effects of androgens on coronary and pulmonary arteries. We are currently testing the hypothesis that the acute administration of androgens alters the function of important blood vessels by modulating specific signal transduction pathways. We also hypothesize that these alterations in blood vessel function are organ- and androgen-specific. We have been attempting to delineate the signal transduction pathway(s) responsible for inducing a relaxation of the smooth muscle present in the wall of the blood vessels. These studies utilize both physiology and molecular biology techniques. Since cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, it is our hope that these studies will contribute to an improved understanding of the role of steroids in promoting cardiovascular health.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. F.A. Sylvester, J.C. Frisbee, and J.H. Lombard. Longitudinal differences in vascular control mechanisms in isolated resistance arteries of the rat cremaster muscle. Microvasc. Res. 60:160-167, 2000.

2. J.C. Frisbee, F.A. Sylvester, and J.H. Lombard. Contribution of extrinsic factors and intrinsic vascular alterations to reduced arteriolar reactivity with high salt diet and hypertension. Microcirculation. 7:281-289, 2000.

3. J.C. Frisbee, F.A. Sylvester, and J.H. Lombard. High-salt diet impairs hypoxia-induced cAMP production and hyperpolarization in rat skeletal muscle arteries. Am. J. Physiol. 281:H1808-H1815, 2001.

4. F.A. Sylvester, D.W. Stepp, J.C. Frisbee, and J.H. Lombard. High-salt diet depresses acetylcholine reactivity proximal to NOS activation in cerebral arteries. Am. J. Physiol. 283:H353-H363, 2002.

5. J.H. Lombard, F.A. Sylvester, S.A. Phillips, and J.C. Frisbee. High-salt diet impairs vascular relaxation mechanisms in rat middle cerebral arteries. Am. J. Physiol. 284:H1124-H1133, 2003.

6. S.A. Phillips, F.A. Sylvester, and J.C. Frisbee. Oxidant stress and constrictor reactivity impair cerebral artery dilation in obese Zucker rats. Am. J. Physiol. 288:R522-530, 2005.