Donald Tillitt, PhD
Dr. Don Tillitt is a Research Toxicologist at the Columbia Environmental Research Center.
Don has been at the Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) since 1989, then part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He leads research on the effects of chemicals on fish and wildlife, with an emphasis on reproduction and development in fish. His research interests focus on developmental effects of persistent chemicals in fish. Multiple levels of biological organization are generally evaluated in his research efforts, with endpoints consisting of molecular, biochemical, histology, and behavioral-level effects. Recent research projects in his laboratory include: 1) effects of PCBs and dioxins on development in sturgeon species; 2) causes and effects of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiencies on Great Lakes salmonines; 3) effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on sexual differentiation and gonad development in fish; and 4) transgenerational epigenetic effects on endocrine disrupting chemicals across vertebrate taxa. Don has served in a variety of capacities for the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, currently serves as an Editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Don has adjunct professor appointments in the Biological Sciences and the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. He serves on graduate student advisory committees, offers guest lectures, and has taught Environmental Toxicology since 1992.
Professional Experience
2013-present Senior Scientist, USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO
1989-2012 Research Chemist, USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO
1983-1989 Graduate Assistant, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Environmental Toxicology, Michigan State University, 1989
M.S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 1986
B.S. Ag. Biochemistry, Michigan State University, 1981
B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 1981
Affiliations and Memberships*
2010-present Adjunct Professor, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
1991-present Adjunct Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
1991-2010 Adjunct Professor, Biochemistry Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
1983-present Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
American Fisheries Society (lifetime member)
International Association of Great Lakes Research (lifetime member)
Science and Products
Regulation of subcellular localization of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR)
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induces apoptotic cell death and cytochrome P4501A expression in developing Fundulus heteroclitus embryos
Cytochrome P450 1A expression in midwater fishes: Potential effects of chemical contaminants in remote oceanic zones
Accumulation of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin by rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) at environmentally relevant dietary concentrations
Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in fish as a biomarker of chemical exposure
PCBs, liver lesions, and biomarker responses in adult walleye (Stizostedium vitreum vitreum) collected from Green Bay, Wisconsin
Comparing polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and patterns in the Saginaw River using sediment, caged fish, and semipermeable membrane devices
Evaluation of planar halogenated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in estuarine sediments using ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase induction of H4IIE cells
Effects of methyl testosterone exposure on sexual differentiation in medaka, Oryzias latipes
Comparison of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to gas chromatography (GC) - measurement of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in selected US fish extracts
An in vivo model fish system to test chemical effects on sexual differentiation and development: exposure to ethinyl estradiol
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Selected methods for monitoring chemical contaminants and their effects in aquatic ecosystems
Science and Products
Regulation of subcellular localization of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR)
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induces apoptotic cell death and cytochrome P4501A expression in developing Fundulus heteroclitus embryos
Cytochrome P450 1A expression in midwater fishes: Potential effects of chemical contaminants in remote oceanic zones
Accumulation of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin by rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) at environmentally relevant dietary concentrations
Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in fish as a biomarker of chemical exposure
PCBs, liver lesions, and biomarker responses in adult walleye (Stizostedium vitreum vitreum) collected from Green Bay, Wisconsin
Comparing polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and patterns in the Saginaw River using sediment, caged fish, and semipermeable membrane devices
Evaluation of planar halogenated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in estuarine sediments using ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase induction of H4IIE cells
Effects of methyl testosterone exposure on sexual differentiation in medaka, Oryzias latipes
Comparison of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to gas chromatography (GC) - measurement of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in selected US fish extracts
An in vivo model fish system to test chemical effects on sexual differentiation and development: exposure to ethinyl estradiol
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Selected methods for monitoring chemical contaminants and their effects in aquatic ecosystems
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government