Who is Thomas Pressley?
From Ecologist to Physiologist
Thomas A. Pressley was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
For as long as he can remember, he’s enjoyed science. Of course, it
probably helped that he read a great deal of “hard” science fiction, such
as the stories of Arthur C. Clarke. Tom always imagined that he would be
some type of professor when he grew up. The life of an academic just
seemed to appeal to him from an early age. With his interest in science,
it was natural that he decided on a career as an investigator in a big
university.
Deciding What to Study
Tom grew up in a small suburb between Baltimore and
Annapolis in Maryland. When it came time for college, he was fortunate
that there was a very good university close to where he lived. He decided
to go to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Even though his friends
all referred to him as a “townie” (because he lived in the area), Johns
Hopkins University proved to be a wonderful experience. Tom focused on
ecology, thinking that he wanted to be a marine biologist. In the late
1970s, however, so did nearly everybody else, and it was very difficult to
find openings in graduate school programs. His minor was in cell biology,
and graduate programs were much more interested in recruiting him as a
biochemistry student. He decided to go to graduate school at the Medical
University of South Carolina, because they were willing to work with him
to combine his two interests.
Discovering Physiology
When Tom entered graduate school, he was interested
in how the biochemistry of organisms changes in response to different
environments. This was his way of reconciling his training in ecology with
a graduate program in biochemistry. He focused on salinity acclimation in
estuarine species, such as crabs. As he progressed in his studies, he
found that more and more of the questions he was asking were best
addressed by looking at the interactions between different systems within
the crabs. Although he graduated with a degree in biochemistry, he
realized that his work had more in common with that of the physiologists
he knew. Once he had his degree, Dr. Pressley went for postdoctoral
training at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University
in New York. There that feeling was reinforced for him, because he worked
with Isidore Edelman, whose laboratory was well-known for combining
biochemistry and physiology.
How to Find a Job
At the time that Dr. Pressley was completing his
postdoctoral training, there were two options available for people wanting
to continue in research: academia or industry. As when he was a child, he
still was really only interested in a position in academia. He was
fortunate to find one without too much trouble.
When he was looking for his first faculty position,
it certainly helped that he was coming from a well-known and respected
laboratory. Nevertheless, it was his attendance at many scientific
meetings that enabled him to make the contacts necessary to find the job
opportunities. He became aware of a position at University of Texas at
Houston because some members of that department encouraged him to apply
while visiting his poster at a meeting. He got the job and became a junior
faculty member. Later, when he began thinking about moving on, again it
was his colleagues who kept him informed of possibilities. He is now a
Professor of Physiology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
Being a Physiologist
Dr. Pressley’s primary responsibility is to conduct
physiological research as head of a group of colleagues, postdoctoral
fellows, technicians, and students. Since the early part of this century,
physiologists have known that the interior of most animal cells is
enriched in K+ and depleted in Na+ relative to the
extracellular fluid. This distribution of ions is produced by the Na,K-pump,
an intrinsic membrane protein complex that extrudes Na+ from
the cell and absorbs K+ from the exterior at the expense of
metabolic energy. Its turnover and the resulting ionic gradients are
responsible for the potential difference across the cell membrane and
indirectly control ionic balance, cellular volume, and epithelial
transport. Dr. Pressley’s work is focused on the function and regulation
of the pump and related transporters. In pursuing these studies, he is
trying to understand both how the cell controls the central problem of ion
movement across the cell membrane and the structures within the pump that
mediate that control.
As a professor in a medical school, Dr. Pressley also
has the responsibility to teach basic science to first-year medical
students, as well as to graduate students in various disciplines.
Over the years, he has also acquired various
administrative duties. He is currently the Vice-Chair of the department
and serves on the Student Promotion and Professional Conduct Committee
at Texas Tech. In addition, he serves on various committees at the
institutional level, including the Student Affairs Committee at Texas
Tech. On the national level, he is the Chair of the APS
Education Committee.
For Fun
 Dr. Pressley has an avid interest in aviation. He
spends a lot of his free time flying gliders, which he learned how to do
while he was living in Houston. The Lubbock area of West Texas is
world-famous for conditions that are friendly to gliders, and pilots come
from around the globe to fly here. He is also a computer buff and has
become his department’s unofficial computer expert, offering advice on
software, hardware, and networking. Each summer, he combines his interests
in computers and gliding by volunteering as a scorekeeper at various
glider competitions around the country. He is also the official soaring
record keeper for the State of Texas, which means that pilots who think
they’ve set a new State Record must submit all their flight documentation
to him for evaluation.
On a more serious side, Dr. Pressley also is
interested in international relations. Training in New York City gave him
the opportunity to make friends from all over the world, and he has
retained an interest in other cultures. He spent a five-month sabbatical
in France in 2002, learning about the education system and advising
students on the opportunities for study and research in the US.
Advice for Graduate Students
A wise selection of mentor and research project is
critical. Graduate students should seek the most rigorous, productive
experience they can find. Good research habits learned at an early stage
will be an advantage throughout a career.
Recent Publications
1. Carr, D.L., Carr, J.A., Willis, R.E., and Pressley, T.A. A perchlorate
sensitive iodide transporter in frogs. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.
158:9-14, 2008.
2. Pressley, T.A. The stoichiometry of the Na-K pump: one plus one doesn't
equal one.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol 295: F1313, 2008.
3. Duran, M.J., Pierre, S.V., Carr, D.L., and Pressley, T.A. The isoform-specific
region of the Na,K-ATPase catalytic subunit: Role in enzyme kinetics and
regulation by protein kinase C. Biochemistry 43: 16174-16183,
2004.
4. Carr, D.L., F. Laharrague, B. Kahn, T.A. Pressley, and J.A. Carr.
Molecular characterization of a putative sodium/iodide symporter in the
South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis.
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci.
986: 711-712, 2003.
2. Pierre, S.V., M.J. Duran, D.L. Carr, and T.A.
Pressley. Structure/function analysis of Na+-K+-ATPase
central isoform-specific region: Involvement in PKC regulation.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol 283: F1066–F1074, 2002.
3. Lodato, R.F., A.R. Khan, M.J. Zembowicz, N.W.
Weisbrodt, T.A. Pressley, Y.-F. Li, J.A. Lodato, A. Zembowicz, and F.G.
Moody. Roles of IL-1 and TNF in the decreased ileal muscle contractility
induced by lipopolysaccharide.
Am.
J. Physiol. Gastrointest Liver Physiol 276:G1356-G1362, 1999.
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