Brenda Rodgers

Research Interests

• Role of environmental toxicants in activation/suppression of gene expression
• Genetic instability due to chronic, low-dose radiation exposure
• Sensitivity of vital demographic characters in populations exposed to environmental contaminants
• Evolutionary implications of chromosomal variation and evolution of radioresistance
• Human health effects from exposure to environmental toxicants

Selected Publications

1. Rodgers, B. E., R. K. Chesser, and R. J. Baker. 2000. Genetic diversity of Clethrionomys glareolus from highly contaminated sites in the Chornobyl, Ukraine region. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry19:2130-2135.
2. Rodgers, B. E., J. K. Wickliffe, C. J. Phillips, R. K. Chesser, and R. J. Baker. 2001. Experimental exposure of naïve bank voles, Clethrionomys glareolus, to the Chornobyl, Ukraine environment: a test of radioresistance. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 20:1936-1941.
3. Rodgers, B. E., R. K. Chesser, J. K. Wickliffe, C. J. Phillips, and R. J. Baker. 2001. Subchronic exposure of BALB/c and C57BL/6 strains of Mus musculus to the radioactive environment of the Chornobyl exclusion zone. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry20:2830-2835.
4. Torous, D.K. et al. 2001.Flow cytometric enumeration of micronucleated reticulocytes: High transferability among 14 laboratories. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 38(1). 59-68.
5. Wickliffe, J. K., R. K. Chesser, B. E. Rodgers, and R. J. Baker. 2002. Assessing the genotoxicity of chronic environmental irradiation by using mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) at Chornobyl, Ukraine. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry21:1249-1254.
6. Wickliffe, J.K., A.M. Bickham, B.E. Rodgers, R.K. Chesser, C.J. Phillips, S.P. Gaschak, and J.A. Goryanaya, I. Chizhevsky, R.J. Baker. 2003. Exposure to chronic low-dose radiation at Chornobyl does not induce point mutations in Big Blue mice. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis42:11-18.
7. Chesser, R.K., M. Bondarkov, R.J. Baker, J.K. Wickliffe, and B.E. Rodgers. 2004. Reconstruction of radioactive plume characteristics along Chernobyl's Western Trace. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 71:147-157.
8. Meeks, H. N., J. K. Wickliffe, S. R. Hoofer, R. K. Chesser, B. E. Rodgers, and R. J. Baker. 2007. Mitochondrial control region variation in bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) is not related to Chernobyl radiation exposure. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry26: 361-369.
9. Rodgers, B.E. and K.M. Holmes. 2008. Radio-adaptive response to environmental exposures at Chernobyl. Dose Response6:209-221.  
10. Chesser, R.K. and B.E. Rodgers. 2008. Near-Field Radioactive Particle Dynamics and Empirical Fallout Patterns in Chernobyl's Western and Northern Plumes. Atmospheric Environment42:5124-39.