PHYSIOLOGY NEWS

Physiology

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY FACULTY

Zhongjie Sun, MD, PhD, FAHA Professor and Chair

Thomas A. Gerwin Chair of Excellence in Physiology

Adebowale Adebiyi, PhD Professor

Julio Cordero-Morales, PhD Associate Professor

Ioannis Dragatsis, PhD Professor

Zheng Fan, PhD Professor

Jonathan H. Jaggar, PhD Maury W. Bronstein Professor

Salvatore Mancarella, PhD Associate Professor

Elena Parfenova, PhD Professor

Kaushik Parthasarathi, PhD Associate Professor

Gadiparthi N. Rao, PhD George and Elizabeth Malloy Professor

Radhakrishna Rao, PhD Professor

Donald B. Thomason, PhD Professor

Dean, College of Graduate Health Sciences

Gabor J. Tigyi, MD, PhD Van Vleet Professor

Valeria Vásquez, PhD Associate Professor

Junwang Xu, PhD Associate Professor

Modar Kassan, PhD Assistant Professor

Djamel Lebeche, PhD Professor

Ki-Suk Kim, PhD Assistant Professor

WELCOMING DR. KI-SUK KIM ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

The department is pleased to introduce our newest assistant professor, Dr. Ki-Suk Kim. Kim initially presented his seminar titled, “Bariatric Surgery Induces Intestinal Stemness via Bile Acid Signaling” in January 2022. He visited our department in-person in March, after which he was selected for the role. He began his role officially at the start of June. Dr. Kim is a pioneer of the intestinal GPCR nutrient sensors, and an expert in the field of incretin system that regulates energy balance and glucose homeostasis. His current research is focused on the role of intestinal stem cell differentiation in the metabolic success of bariatric surgery. He has also developed and utilized both in vivo (using bariatric surgery-operated, pharmacological, and genetic rodent models) and in vitro (intestinal organoid and cell lines) studies. Dr. Kim has over two dozen grant writing experiences including an awarded NIDDK-K01. He has also given a number of awarded presentations at international conferences including the Obesity Week and Keystone Symposia. He has authored papers in over 40 peer-reviewed publications.

Prior to joining our department, he served as a Research Instructor within the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He also held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship within the Department of Sugery at the University of Michigan. He completed his bachelor’s degree in molecular and life science at the Hanyang University. He followed this with a master’s and doctorate in biochemistry from Kyung Hee University. When he’s not researching, he enjoys spending time with his family.

IN-PERSON SEMINARS ARE BACK

After a nearly two-year hiatus, the Department of Physiology has resumed its in-person seminar series. The return of these meetings often also marks the first time in two years that faculty have been present in the same room. “Being able to see each other and interact in person is not taken for granted – community is central to our mission as a department and university, and we’re grateful to have this opportunity,” adds seminar coordinator, MC Mullins. Keeping in the theme of community, Dr. Alex Dopico, chair of the UTHSC Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology and hosted by Dr. Sal Mancarella, gave the first in-person seminar of 2022. He was followed by Dr. Jon Jaggar’s guest from the University of Maryland, Dr. Thomas Longden. The department has also had the pleasure of virtually hosting Dr. Leonard Tsiokas, guest of Dr. Jaggar, and Dr. Alicia McDonough, guest of Dr. Zhongjie Sun, this year. The department looks forward to hosting more in-person seminar guests, in addition to virtual guests, as the year progresses.

DR. JONATHAN JAGGAR PUBLISHES TWO ARTICLES IN eLIFE

Dr. Jonathan Jaggar, Maury W. Bronstein Professor of Physiology, and members of the Jaggar laboratory have published two articles in eLife since the last circulation of the departmental newsletter. The first article, entitled, “A plasma membrane-localized polycystin-1/polycystin-2 complex in endothelial cells elicits vasodilation” appears in the March 1, 2022, issue of the publication. In this article, Dr. Jaggar, along with his team and collaborative partners, demonstrate that PC-1 regulates arterial contractility through the formation of an interdependent signaling complex with PC-2 in ECs. Moreover, they show that flow stimulates PC-1/PC-2 clusters in the EC plasma membrane, leading to eNOS, IK channel, and SK channel activation, vasodilation, and a reduction in blood pressure. These findings are significant to enhancing our understand of a mysterious ion channel and its role in vascular function.

Dr. Jaggar also published an article entitled, “STIMulating blood pressure” which was published March 24, 2022. Dr. Jaggar, along with his team and partners, showed how the protein STIM1 helps to maintain membrane coupling sites in smooth muscle cells that regulate arterial contractility and blood pressure. The mission of eLife is to help scientists accelerate discovery by operating a platform for research communication that encourages and recognizes the most responsible behaviors in science. This highly respected publication is also led by scientists, who aspire to create an equitable and timely review process. Each of Dr. Jaggar’s full articles can be found using their respective full citations below:

Charles E MacKay, Miranda Floen, M Dennis Leo, Raquibul Hasan, Tessa AC Garrud, Carlos Fernández-Peña, Purnima Singh, Kafait U Malik, Jonathan H Jaggar (2022) A plasma membrane-localized polycystin-1/polycystin-2 complex in endothelial cells elicits vasodilation eLife 11:e74765. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.74765

Tessa AC Garrud, Jonathan H Jaggar (2022) Arteries: STIMulating blood pressure eLife 11:e77978. https://doi.org/10.7554/ eLife.77978

To learn more about Dr. Jaggar and his research, please contact him at jjaggar@uthsc.edu. For more information about eLife, please visit https://elifesciences.org/.

POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR DR. RAVI KUMAR AWARDED AN AHA FELLOWSHIP

Dr. Ravi Kumar, a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Adebiyi’s laboratory, was selected to receive an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship. Dr. Kumar’s award is titled, “Mechanical stretch-driven oxyradical generation and endothelin signaling in neonatal renal vascular endothelial cells.”

Dr. Kumar joined our department after receiving his doctorate in zoology from Banaras Hindu University. Dr. Kumar also attended Kumaun University, where he earned his master’s degree, and University of Delhi, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. The department congratulates Dr. Kumar on this prestigious honor. To learn more about Dr. Kumar and his research in Dr. Adebiyi’s lab, please contact him at fravikum@uthsc.edu.

DR. KAUSHIK PARTHASARATHI WINS GOLDEN APPLE AWARD

Please join the department in congratulating Dr. Parthasarathi on his recent Golden Apple Award, which he recieved for his fall 2021 endocrine, reproductive and GI course. Golden Apple Awards, based on excellence in medical student teaching, are voted upon annually by the students of the College of Medicine. These awards are presented for each course medical students take during their first two years as part of their preclinical curriculum. Dr. Parthasarathi’s receipt of this award is a testament to his reputation for outstanding teaching and his dedication to serving the university and future generation of scientists.

DRS. SUE CHIN LEE AND MELANIE DACHEAUX

Publish Paper In Cancers

Dr. Sue Chin Lee, an associate professor of physiology, and Dr. Melanie Dacheaux, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Tigyi’s lab, have recently published a paper in Cancers. The paper titled, “Prometastatic Effect of ATX Derived from Alveolar Type II Pneumocytes and B16-F10 Melanoma Cells” apearded in the March 2022 issue of the publication. The paper seeks to determine whether ATX derived from alveolar type II epithelial (ATII) pneumocytes could modulate the progression of lung metastasis, which has not yet been evaluated. The results highlight the contribution of host ATII cells as a stromal source of ATX in the progression of melanoma lung metastasis.

Cancers is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal on oncology. It publishes article types including research papers, reviews, editorials, communications and more. Its aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. The journal also aims to reduce unnecessary repetitiveness and encourage a more fair, equitable publishing process.

The full citation for this work can be found below: Dacheux MA, Lee SC, Shin Y, Norman DD, Lin KH, E S, Yue J, Benyó Z, Tigyi GJ. Prometastatic Effect of ATX Derived from Alveolar Type II Pneumocytes and B16-F10 Melanoma Cells. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Mar 21;14(6):1586. doi: 10.3390/cancers14061586.

To learn more about Dr. Lee or Dr. Dacheux, please contact them at their respective emails: slee84@uthsc.edu and mdacheux@uthsc.edu.

Graduate Student Jeremiah Afolabi

SELECTED AS VITA SCHOLAR

Jeremiah Afolabi, a graduate student in Dr. Adebiyi’s lab, was recently selected as a Vanderbilt Integrated Training Alliance (VITA) Scholar. The VITA Scholars program brings biomedical doctoral candidates to Vanderbilt to present their research, learn about the Vanderbilt community and resources, obtain training in scientific communication from the Alan Alda Center, and establish a durable, personal mentoring relationship with a Vanderbilt faculty member. This utterly unique opportunity in biomedical sciences training provides high value for students as they progress to the next stages in their scientific careers. The department congratulates Jeremiah on this honor.

Graduate Student Olufunke Falayi

AWARDED THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY

MARTIN FRANK DIVERSITY TRAVEL AWARD

Olufunke Falayi, D.V.M., a graduate student in Dr. Adebiyi’s lab, was selected as a 2022 award recipient for the American Physiological Society Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award. The award is intended to facilitate collaboration and travel for those pursuing in physiological sciences.

More specifically, the program is aimed to increase active participation in and networking at scientific meetings, including APS conferences, among trainees and early career faculty who are from groups historically underrepresented in the physiological sciences. The award comes with travel reimbursement as well as unique opportunities for mentorship and networking. Ms. Falayi joined our department after receiving a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and master’s degree from the University of Ibadan. The department congratulates her on this wonderful award!

DR. JUNWANG XU

PUBLISHES TWO ARTICLES IN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCE

Since the last circulation of our newsletter, Dr. Xu, along with his team and partners, published two papers in the International Journal of Molecular Science. The first paper titled, “Discovery of Small Molecule Activators of Chemokine Receptor CXCR4 That Improve Diabetic Wound Healing” appears in the February 2022 issue of the journal and demonstrates the clinical potential of small molecule CXCR4 agonists as novel therapies for pathologic wound healing in diabetes.

The second paper titled, “LncRNA MALAT1 Modulates TGF-1-Induced EMT in Keratinocyte” appears in the October 2021 issue of the journal. This paper investigates the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), MALAT1, in transforming growth factor beta 1(TGF1)-induced EMT of human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells. The research shows that lncRNA MALAT1 is involved in TGF1-induced EMT of human HaCaT cells and it also provides new understanding for the pathogenesis of diabetic wounds.

The full citation for each of the papers can be found below:

Xu J, Hu J, Idlett-Ali S, Zhang L, Caples K, Peddibhotla S, Reeves M, Zgheib C, Malany S, Liechty KW. Discovery of Small Molecule Activators of Chemokine Receptor CXCR4 That Improve Diabetic Wound Healing. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Feb 16;23(4):2196. doi: 10.3390/ ijms23042196.

Zhang L, Hu J, Meshkat BI, Liechty KW, Xu J. LncRNA MALAT1 Modulates TGF-1-Induced EMT in Keratinocyte. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Oct 30;22(21):11816. doi: 10.3390/ijms222111816.

To learn more about Dr. Xu’s research, please contact him at jxu61@uthsc.edu.