Jeffrey M. Peters, PhD
- Distinguished Professor of Molecular Toxicology & Carcinogenesis
- Deputy Director, The Penn State Cancer Institute
University Park, PA 16802
- Email jmp21@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-1387
Areas of Expertise
- Molecular toxicology and carcinogenesis
- Nuclear receptors
- Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors
- Cancer
- Lipid metabolism
Websites
Education
- Postdoctoral fellowship, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
- Postdoctoral fellowship, Institute of Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of California, Davis, CA
- PhD, Nutrition Science, University of California, Davis, CA
- BS, Dietetics, University of California, Davis, CA
Graduate Programs
- Molecular Cellular Integrative Biosciences (MCIBS)
- Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology
- Pathobiology
Research
Our laboratory studies the role of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in the regulation of homeostasis, toxicology and carcinogenesis. PPARs are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily and are critical modulators of environmental and dietary stimulii. For example fatty acids and metabolic derivatives of fatty acids derived primarily from dietary sources are known ligands that can activate PPARs. Moreover, environmental chemicals can also activate PPARs, such as perfluorinated chemicals and phthalate monesters that are currently a major health concern. Acting as regulatory transcription factors, the PPARs modulate gene expression of target genes containing peroxisome proliferator responsive elements in response to ligand activation. Numerous genes that modulate lipid metabolism are regulated by PPARα, PPARβ/δ and PPARγ ligands/activators, and are clinically relevant for a number of diseases including diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis and cancer. In addition to transcriptional regulation, PPARs can also epigenetically regulate transcription by interacting with other proteins including NF-κB. Our laboratory uses “knockout", transgenic mouse models, and high affinity agonists and antagonists to delineate the roles of PPARs, with a particular interest in epithelial and liver cancer. Through our studies, we are elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which exogenous (dietary) and endogenous (metabolic sources) lipids specifically modulate human health. We are particularly interested in delineating how natural compounds found in dietary constituents can activate PPARs with the goal of identifying new molecules/proteins that can be targeted with existing approaches to improve the efficacy of chemoprevention and chemotherapy. Our studies will likely lead to the identification of specific macronutrients that will effectively activate PPARs so that dietary formulations of agricultural products can be developed that will improve human and animal health and prevent serious diseases.
Publications
Differential hepatic activation of mouse and human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α by perfluorohexane sulfonate
Toxicological Sciences, Khan, Yahya, Schmidt, Annalee M., Oldro, Kyle J., Zhu, Xiaoyang, Kramer, Angelina R., Hamilton, Sarah R., Bleil, Katherine O., Krisko, Ryan M., Zitzow, Jeremiah D., Tian, Yuan, Chang, Shu Ching, Walter, Vonn, Cohen, Samuel M., Gonzalez, Frank J., Patterson, Andrew D., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2025
2023–2024 Toxicological Sciences Paper of the Year
Toxicological Sciences, Cory-Slechta, Deborah, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2025
Thank You, ToxSci 2024 Reviewers
Toxicological Sciences, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2024
Chlorpyrifos modulates the mouse gut microbiota and metabolic activity
Environmental International, Nichols, Robert G., Rimal, Bipin, Hao, Fuhua, Peters, Jeffrey Maurice, Davenport, Emily R., Patterson, Andrew D., 2024
Sphingosine Kinase 2 Regulates Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Nuclear Translocation and Target Gene Activation
Advanced Science, Yokoyama, Shigetoshi, Koo, Imhoi, Aibara, Daisuke, Tian, Yuan, Murray, Iain Alexander, Collins, Stephanie L., Coslo, Denise M., Kono, Mari, Peters, Jeffrey Maurice, Proia, Richard L., Gonzalez, Frank J., Perdew, Gary H., Patterson, Andrew D., 2024
Activation of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-β/δ (PPARβ/δ) in Keratinocytes by Endogenous Fatty Acids
Biomolecules, Zhu, Bokai, Zhu, Xiaoyang, Borland, Michael G., Ralph, Douglas H., Chiaro, Christopher R., Krausz, Kristopher W., Ntambi, James M., Glick, Adam B., Patterson, Andrew D., Perdew, Gary H., Gonzalez, Frank J., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2024
2022-2023 Toxicological Sciences: Paper of the Year
Toxicological Sciences, Will, Yvonne, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2024
Accumulation of Linoleic Acid by Altered Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-α Signaling Is Associated with Age-Dependent Hepatocarcinogenesis in Ppara Transgenic Mice
Metabolites, Zhu, Xiaoyang, Liu, Qing, Patterson, Andrew D., Sharma, Arun K., Amin, Shantu G., Cohen, Samuel M., Gonzalez, Frank J., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2023
2021-2022 Toxicological Sciences paper of the year
Toxicological Sciences, Guo, Lei, Peters, Jeffrey, 2023
Cannabidiolic acid activates the expression of the PPARβ/δ target genes in MDA-MB-231 cells
Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Hirao-Suzuki, Masayo, Takayuki, Koga, Takiguchi, Masufumi, Peters, Jeffrey M., Takeda, Shuso, 2022
The role of mouse and human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α in modulating the hepatic effects of perfluorooctane sulfonate in mice
Toxicology, Su, S, Billy, Laura, Chang, Sue, Gonzalez, Frank, Patterson, Andrew D., Peters, Jeffrey, 2022
Targeting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ (pparβ/δ) for the treatment or prevention of alcoholic liver disease
Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, Koga, Takayuki, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2021
Diminished Hepatocarcinogenesis by a Potent, High-Affinity Human PPARα Agonist in PPARA-Humanized Mice
Toxicological Sciences, Foreman, Jennifer E., Koga, Takayuki, Kosyk, Oksana, Kang, Boo Hyon, Zhu, Xiaoyang, Cohen, Samuel M., Billy, Laura J., Sharma, Arun K., Amin, Shantu, Gonzalez, Frank J., Rusyn, Ivan, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2021
Species Differences between Mouse and Human PPARα in Modulating the Hepatocarcinogenic Effects of Perinatal Exposure to a High-Affinity Human PPARα Agonist in Mice
Toxicological Sciences, Foreman, Jennifer E., Koga, Takayuki, Kosyk, Oksana, Kang, Boo Hyon, Zhu, Xiaoyang, Cohen, Samuel M., Billy, Laura J., Sharma, Arun K., Amin, Shantu, Gonzalez, Frank J., Rusyn, Ivan, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2021
Current Challenges and Recent Developments in Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics
Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry, Collins, Stephanie, Koo, Imhoi, Peters, Jeffrey, Smith, Philip B., Patterson, Andrew D., 2021
Moving forward with ToxSci
Toxicological Sciences, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2020
Change is Good: What is New for ToxSci?
Toxicological Sciences, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2020
Perfluorooctane sulfonate alters gut microbiota-host metabolic homeostasis in mice
Toxicology, Zhang, Limin, Rimal, Bipin, Nichols, Robert, Tian, Yuan, Smith, Philip B., Hatzakis, Emmanuel, Chang, Shu-Ching, Butenhoff, John, Peters, Jeffrey, Patterson, Andrew D., 2020
Regulatory mechanisms mediated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ in skin cancer
Molecular Carcinogenesis, Peters, Jeffrey M., Kim, Dae J., Bility, Moses T., Borland, Michael G., Zhu, Bokai, Gonzalez, Frank J., 2019
Continuing a Legacy: Adapting to Ensure the Bright Future of ToxSci
Toxicological Sciences, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2019
Interplay Between the Host, the Human Microbiome, and Drug Metabolism
Human Genomics, Nichols, Robert, Peters, Jeffrey, Patterson, Andrew D., 2019
Unraveling the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ (PPARβ/δ) expression in colon carcinogenesis
npj Precision Oncology, Peters, Jeffrey, Walter, Vonn, Patterson, Andrew David, Gonzalez, Frank, 2019
The Evolution of Carcinogenesis
Toxicological Sciences, Peters, Jeffrey M., Gonzalez, Frank J., 2018
Inhibition of tumorigenesis by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-dependent cell cycle blocks in human skin carcinoma cells
Toxicology, Borland, Michael, Kehres, Ellen, Lee, C, Wagner, Ashley, Shannon, Brooke, Albrecht, Prajakta, Zhu, Bokai, Gonzalez, Frank, Peters, Jeffrey, 2018
Lipid metabolism and lipophagy in cancer
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Maan, Meenu, Peters, Jeffrey, Dutta, Mainak, Patterson, Andrew D., 2018
Molecular Regulation of Carcinogenesis: Friend and Foe
Toxicological Sciences, Patterson, Andrew D., Gonzalez, Frank, Perdew, Gary, Peters, Jeffrey, 2018
The PPARα-dependent rodent liver tumor response is not relevant to humans: addressing misconceptions
Archiv fur Toxikologie, Corton, J. Christopher, Peters, Jeffrey M., Klaunig, James E., 2018
Mechanisms: Xenobiotic Receptor-Mediated Toxicity, Perdew, G. H., Murray, I. A., Patterson, A. D., Peters, J. M., 2018
Perfluorooctane sulfonate-induced hepatic steatosis in male sprague dawley rats is not attenuated by dietary choline supplementation
Toxicological Sciences, Bagley, Bradford D., Chang, Shu Ching, Ehresman, David J., Eveland, Alan, Zitzow, Jeremiah D., Parker, George A., Peters, Jeffrey M., Wallace, Kendall B., Butenhoff, John L., 2017
Four-week dietary supplementation with 10- and/or 15-fold basal choline caused decreased body weight in Sprague Dawley rats
Toxicology and Industrial Health, Bagley, Bradford D., Chang, Shu Ching, Ehresman, David J., Eveland, Alan, Parker, George A., Peters, Jeffrey M., Butenhoff, John L., 2017
PPARβ/δ and PPARγ inhibit melanoma tumorigenicity by modulating inflammation and apoptosis
Toxicological Sciences, Borland, Michael G., Yao, Pei Li, Kehres, Ellen M., Lee, Christina, Pritzlaff, Amanda M., Ola, Elizabeth, Wagner, Ashley L., Shannon, Brooke E., Albrecht, Prajakta P., Zhu, Bokai, Kang, Boo Hyon, Robertson, Gavin P., Gonzalez, Frank J., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2017
Flipping a citrate switch on liver cancer cells
Journal of Biological Chemistry, Peters, Jeffrey M., 2017
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ inhibits human neuroblastoma cell tumorigenesis by inducing p53- and SOX2-mediated cell differentiation
Molecular Carcinogenesis, Yao, Pei Li, Chen, Liping, Dobrzański, Tomasz P., Zhu, Bokai, Kang, Boo Hyon, Müller, Rolf, Gonzalez, Frank J., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2017
Isolation, characterization, and purification of macrophages from tissues affected by obesity-related inflammation
Journal of Visualized Experiments, Allen, Joselyn N., Dey, Adwitia, Nissly, Ruth, Fraser, James, Yu, Shan, Balandaram, Gayathri, Peters, Jeffrey M., Hankey-Giblin, Pamela A., 2017
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ modulates mast cell phenotype
Immunology, Yao, Pei Li, Morales, Jose L., Gonzalez, Frank J., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2017
Omics Approaches to Probe Microbiota and Drug Metabolism Interactions
Chemical Research in Toxicology, Nichols, Robert G., Hume, Nicole E., Smith, Philip B., Peters, Jeffrey M., Patterson, Andrew D., 2016
Regulation of cytochrome P450 2B10 (CYP2B10) expression in liver by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ modulation of SP1 promoter occupancy
Journal of Biological Chemistry, Koga, Takayuki, Yao, Pei Li, Goudarzi, Maryam, Murray, Iain A., Balandaram, Gayathri, Gonzalez, Frank J., Perdew, Gary H., Fornace, Albert J., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2016
Perfluorooctane sulfonate-choline ion pair formation: A potential mechanism modulating hepatic steatosis and oxidative stress in mice
Toxicological Sciences, Zhang, Limin, Krishnan, Prasad, Ehresman, David J., Smith, Philip B., Dutta, Mainak, Bagley, Bradford D., Chang, Shu Ching, Butenhoff, John L., Patterson, Andrew D., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2016
Ligand activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ suppresses liver tumorigenesis in hepatitis B transgenic mice
Toxicology, Balandaram, Gayathri, Kramer, Lance R., Kang, Boo Hyon, Murray, Iain A., Perdew, Gary H., Gonzalez, Frank J., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2016
The ron receptor tyrosine kinase regulates macrophage heterogeneity and plays a protective role in diet-induced obesity, atherosclerosis, and hepatosteatosis
Journal of Immunology, Yu, Shan, Allen, Joselyn N., Dey, Adwitia, Zhang, Limin, Balandaram, Gayathri, Kennett, Mary J., Xia, Mingcan, Xiong, Na, Peters, Jeffrey M., Patterson, Andrew, Hankey-Giblin, Pamela A., 2016
PPARβ/δ selectively regulates phenotypic features of age-related macular degeneration
Aging, Choudhary, Mayur, Ding, Jin dong, Qi, Xiaoping, Boulton, Michael E., Yao, Pei Li, Peters, Jeffrey M., Malek, Goldis, 2016
Establishing the Role of PPARβ/δ in Carcinogenesis
Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, Peters, Jeffrey M., Gonzalez, Frank J., Müller, Rolf, 2015
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-D (PPARD) coordinates mouse spermatogenesis by modulating extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-dependent signaling
Journal of Biological Chemistry, Yao, Pei Li, Chen, Li Ping, Hess, Rex A., Müller, Rolf, Gonzalez, Frank J., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2015
M-CSF from cancer cells induces fatty acid synthase and PPARβ/δ activation in tumor myeloid cells, leading to tumor progression
Cell Reports, Park, Jonghanne, Lee, Sang Eun, Hur, Jin, Hong, Eun Byeol, Choi, Jae Il, Yang, Ji Min, Kim, Ju Young, Kim, Young Chan, Cho, Hyun Jai, Peters, Jeffrey M., Ryoo, Seung Bum, Kim, Young Tae, Kim, Hyo Soo, 2015
Inhibition of testicular embryonal carcinoma cell tumorigenicity by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ- and retinoic acid receptor-dependent mechanisms
Oncotarget, Yao, Pei Li, Chen, Li Ping, Dobrzanski, Tomasz P., Phillips, Dylan A., Zhu, Bokai, Kang, Boo Hyon, Gonzalez, Frank J., Peters, Jeffrey M., 2015
Targeting Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-β/δ (PPARβ/δ) for Cancer Chemoprevention
Current Pharmacology Reports, Peters, Jeffrey, Yao, P, Gonzalez, F, 2015
