Immunity and Disease Prevention Research Unit : People & Places

Ph.D., Cell and Molecular Biology

Program in the School of Medicine

University of Nevada, Reno

Office:     430 West Health Sciences Dr.

                University of California

                Davis, CA 95616



Phone:    (530) 752-5156

Fax:       (530) 752-5271

Zunino Lab

Biography

Dr. Zunino received a Bachelor’s degree in biology and a PhD. in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Nevada, Reno. She received her postdoctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She then held an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Genetics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany where she studied the role of antioxidant phytochemicals as potential chemotherapeutic agents against infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is refractory to conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Dr. Zunino joined the Western Human Nutrition Research Center in 2003 to continue studies of phytochemicals and their anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. She also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis, and is a member of the American Association of Immunologists, American Association for Cancer Research, and American Society for Nutrition.

Research Program

The overall objective of Dr. Zunino’s research is to understand how antioxidant phytochemicals from fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices regulate the immune system. Dr. Zunino has recently completed a human feeding study to understand the how strawberries in the diet can affect lipids and inflammation in obese individuals. She is currently conducting a human feeding study to determine whether grapes in the diet can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in obese volunteers. Dr. Zunino is also conducting studies to examine the anti-inflammatory activities of dietary phytochemicals in autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and lupus, and is continuing studies aimed at determining the preventive value of phytochemicals in leukemia. These studies will aid in defining appropriate dietary intake levels of foods containing high concentrations of antioxidant phytochemicals that may contribute to a healthy immune system in humans.

Research Accomplishments

Found that feeding type 1 diabetic mice food containing 1% grape powder delayed the progression of diabetes and increased survival of the mice compared to mice receiving regular food.

Discovered that several antioxidant phytochemicals (from grapes, strawberries, rosemary, and feverfew) killed leukemia cells in a cell culture model by disrupting mitochondrial function.

Found that resveratrol, an antioxidant phytochemical found in grapes, increased the presence of the survival protein Bcl-2 in activated B lymphocytes, suggesting a protective role for this phytochemical in the immune system.

Selected Publications

1. Zunino, S.J., Storms, D.H., Newman, J.W., Pedersen, T.L., Keen, C.L., Ducore, J.M. 2011. Resveratrol given intraperitoneally does not inhibit the growth of high-risk t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in a NOD/SCID mouse model. International Journal of Oncology.

2. Zunino, S.J., Parelman, M.A., Freytag, T.L., Stephensen, C.B., Kelley, D.S., Mackey, B.E., Woodhouse, L.R., Bonnel, E.L. 2011. Effects of dietary strawberry powder on blood lipids and inflammatory markers in obese human subjects. British Journal of Nutrition.

3. Zunino, S.J., D.H. Storms, J.M. Ducore. 2010. Novel in vivo model of inducible multi-drug resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia with chromosomal translocation t(4;11). Cancer Lett. 296: 49-54.

4. Zunino, S.J., D.H. Storms, and J.M. Ducore. 2010. Parthenolide treatment activates stress signaling proteins in high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells with chromosomal translocation t(4;11). Int. J. Oncol. 37: 1307-1313.

5. Zunino, S.J., Zhang Y., Seeram N.P., and Storms, D.H.. 2010. Berry fruit extracts inhibit growth and induce apoptosis of high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in vitro. J. Functional Foods 2: 187-195

6. Zunino, S.J. and D.H. Storms. 2009. Carnosol delays chemotherapy-induced DNA fragmentation and morphological changes associated with apoptosis in leukemia cells. Nutr. Cancer 61: 94-102.

7. Zunino, S.J., D.H. Storms, Y. Zhang, and N.P. Seeram. 2009. Growth arrest and induction of apoptosis in high-risk leukemia cells by strawberry components in vitro. J Functional Foods 1: 153-160.

8. Zunino, S.J. and D.H. Storms. 2009. Resveratrol alters proliferative responses and apoptosis in human activated B lymphocytes in vitro. J. Nutr. 139: 1603-1608.

9. Zunino, S.J. 2009. Type 2 diabetes and glycemic response to grapes or grape products. J. Nutr. 139: 1794S-1800S.

10. Zunino, S.J., J.M. Ducore, D.H. Storms. 2007. Parthenolide induces significant apoptosis and production of reactive oxygen species in high-risk pre-B leukemia cells. Cancer Lett. 254: 119-127.

11. Zunino, S.J., D.H. Storms, and C.B. Stephensen. 2007. Diets rich in polyphenols and vitamin A inhibit type I autoimmune diabetes in nonobese diabetic mice. J. Nutr. 137: 1216-1221.

12. Zunino, S.J. and D.H. Storms. 2006. Resveratrol-induced apoptosis is enhanced in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells by modulation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. Cancer Lett. 240: 123-134.

13. Peipp, M., D. Saul, K. Barbin, J. Bruenke, S.J. Zunino, M. Niederweis, and G.H. Fey. 2004. Efficient eukaryotic expression of fluorescent scFv-fusion proteins directed against CD antigens from insect and mammalian cells. J. Immunol. Methods 285: 265-280.

14. Bruenke, J., B. Fischer, K. Barbin, K. Schreiter, Y. Wachter, K. Mahr, F. Titgemeyer, M. Peipp, S.J. Zunino, R. Repp, T. Valerius, and G.H. Fey. 2004. A recombinant bispecific single-chain Fv antibody against HLA class II and FcgRIII (CD16) triggers effective lysis of lymphoma cells. Br. J. Haematol. 125: 167-179.

15. Lang, P., K. Barbin, T. Feuchtinger, J. Greil, M. Peipp, S.J. Zunino, M. Pfeiffer, R. Handgretinger, D. Niethammer, G.H. Fey. 2004. Chimeric CD19 antibody mediates cytotoxic activity against leukemic blasts with effector cells from pediatric patients who received T-cell-depleted allografts. Blood 103: 3982-3985.

16. Kellner, C. and S.J. Zunino. 2004. Nitric oxide is synthesized in acute leukemia cells after exposure to phenolic antioxidants and initially protects against mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Cancer Lett., 215: 43-52.

17. Knott, A., Y. Mueller, S.J. Zunino, C. Berens, and W. Hillen. 2003. Conditional cell suicide using dox-dependent caspase-2 expression. J. Gene Med. 5: 343-354.

18. Peipp, M., H. Küpers, D. Saul, B. Schlierf, J. Greil, S.J. Zunino, M. Gramatzki, and G.H. Fey. 2002. A recombinant CD7-specific single-chain immunotoxin is a potent inducer of apoptosis in acute leukemic T cells. Cancer Res. 62: 2848-2855.

19. Dörrie, J., K. Sapala, and S.J. Zunino. 2002. Interferon-g increases the expression of glycosylated CD95 in B-leukemic cells: An inducible model to study the role of glycosylation in CD95-signaling and trafficking. Cytokine 18: 98-107.

20. Peipp, M., N. Simon, A. Loichinger, W. Baum, K. Mahr, S.J. Zunino, and G. H. Fey. 2001. An improved procedure for the generation of recombinant single-chain Fv antibody fragments reacting with human CD13 on intact cells. J. Immunol. Methods 251: 161-176.

21. Dörrie, J., H. Gerauer, Y. Wachter, and S.J. Zunino. 2001. Resveratrol induces extensive apoptosis by depolarizing mitochondrial membranes and activating caspase-9 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. Cancer Res. 61: 4731-4739.

22. Dörrie, J., K. Sapala, and S.J. Zunino. 2001. Carnosol-induced apoptosis and downregulation of Bcl-2 in B-lineage leukemia cells. Cancer Lett. 170: 33-39.

23. Dörrie, J., W. Schuh, A. Keil, E. Bongards, J. Greil, G.H. Fey, and S.J. Zunino. 1999. Regulation of CD95 expression and CD95-mediated cell death by interferon-g in acute lymphoblastic leukemia with chromosomal translocation t(4;11). Leukemia 13: 1539-1547.

24. Zunino, S.J., J. Bass, M. Singh, and L.J. Picker. 1996. Immunodetection of histone epitopes correlates with early stages of apoptosis in activated human peripheral T lymphocytes. Am. J. Pathol. 149(2): 653-663.

25. Zunino, S.J., L.F. Simons, J.F. Sambrook, and M.J.H. Gething. 1994. Interleukin-1 promotes hyperglycemia and insulitis in mice normally resistant to streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Am. J. Pathol. 145(3): 661-670.

26. Zunino, S.J., R.C. Bleackley, J. Martinez, and D. Hudig. 1990. RNKP-1, a novel NK-associated serine protease gene cloned from RNK-16 cytotoxic lymphocytes. J. Immunol. 144: 2001-2009.

27. Zunino, S.J. and D. Hudig. 1988. Interactions between human natural killer (NK) lymphocytes and yeast cells: human NK cells do not kill Candida albicans, although C. albicans blocks NK lysis of K562. Infect. Immun. 56(3): 564-569.

28. Zunino, S.J., N.J. Allison, C.-M. Kam, J.C. Powers, and D. Hudig. 1988. Localization, function, and gene expression of chymotrypsin-like proteases of cytotoxic RNK-16 lymphocytes. Biochem. Biophys. Acta 967: 331-340.

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