Gertrude Case Buehring, Ph.D.
Professor of Virology
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
PHONE: (510) 642-3870
FAX: (510) 642-6350
LOCATION: 61-A Koshland Hall
MAILING ADDRESS: 16 Barker Hall, MC 7354
E-MAIL: buehring@berkeley.edu
Courses
- PH162A: Public Health Microbiology
- PH266: Viruses and Human Cancer
Research Interests
- Viral etiology of human breast cancer
- Bovine leukemia virus and its possible role in causing human breast cancer
- Development of early diagnostic tests for breast cancer
Current Projects
The following projects relate to our overall hypothesis that bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infects humans and could potentially cause cancer: 1) Does infection/transfection of normal human breast cells with BLV in culture cause them to acquire charactieristics of a malignant cell? 2) Is there a correlation among human serum antibodies to BLV, presence of BLV in leukocytes, and presence of BLV in breast tissues within individual humans? This is important in determining if blood serum or cells could be used diagnostically to identify women at risk of developing breast cancer. 3)Can women infected with BLV pass the virus to their children transplacentally or through breast milk? 4) Are other human organs besides breast infected by BLV and could it be associated with cancer in these organs?
Selected Publications
Joshi D, Buehring G. Are viruses associated with human breast cancer? Scrutinizing the molecular evidence. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, Jan. 25, 2012 (Epub ahead of print)
Lee L, Scarratt WK, Buehring GC, Saunders GK. Bovine leukemia virus infection in a juvenile alpaca with multicentric lymphoma. Canadian Veterinary Journal (in press)
Baltzell K, Buehring GC, Krishnamurthy S, Kuerer H, Shen HM, Sison J. Limited evidence of human papillomavirus in breast tissue using in situ molecular methods. Cancer 118: 1212-1220, 2012
Baltzell K, Buehring GC, Krishnamurthy S, Kuerer H, Shen HM, Sison J. Epstein-Barr virus seldom found in mammary epithelium of breast cancer tissue using in situ molecular methods. Breast Cancer Res Treat 132:267-274, 2012.
Zhao X, Jimenez-Sanchez C, Sentsui H, Buehring G. Sequence polymorphisms in the long terminal repeat of bovine leukemia virus: Evidence for selection pressure in regulatory sequences. Virus Res 124: 113-124, 2007.
Zhao X, McGirr KM, Buehring GC. Evolutionary influences on overlapping reading frames in the bovine leukemia virus pXBL region. Genomics 89: 502-511, 2007.
Zhao X, Buehring GC. Natural genetic variations in bovine leukemia virus envelope gene: Possible effects of selection and escape. Virology 366:150-165, 2007.
McGirr KM, Buehring GC. Variation in the tax/rex region of the human T cell leukemia/bovine leukemia virus group: Evolutionary consequences in this overlapping reading frame. Virus Genes 32:229-239, 2006.
Buehring GC, Philpott SM, Choi KY. Humans have antibodies reactive with bovine leukemia virus. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses 19: 1105-1113, 2003.
Phillpott SM, Buehring GC. Defective DNA repair in cells infected with human T-cell leukemia/bovine leukemia virus group. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 91:933-942, 1999.
Other Interests
- Expert Panel on Misidentification and Cross-Contamination of Cell Lines
- American Society for Microbiology branch lecturer, 2011-2013
- Fulbright Scholar Award for research/teaching in Costa Rica, 2002-2003
- Otto Sartorius Excellence in Research Award, 2003
- Cornelius L. Hopper Scientific Achievement Awards: 2000, 2002
Profile updated: August 8,, 2012