Research Faculty

• Patricia Preisig, Ph.D.; Professor of Internal Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Physiology.
• Daniel Biemesderfer, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor of Medicine.
• Jianchao Xu, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine.
• Heino Velàzquez, Ph.D.; Research Scientist, Internal Medicine. Lecturer, Cellular and Molecular Physiology.
• Ali Hariri, M.D.; Associate Research Scientist.
• Hatim Hassan, M.D.; Associate Research Scientist.
• R. Brent Thomson, Ph.D.; Associate Research Scientist.

Using state–of–the–art physiological, cellular, and molecular biological methods, the research faculty of the Section of Nephrology investigate a wide spectrum of nephrological questions. Several of these faculty are recent graduates of our own fellowship training program who have received five–year extramural grants that permit in–depth analysis of complex biological problems. Dr. Biemesderfer uses immunohistochemical methods and electron microscopy to study the cell biology of plasma membrane Na/H exchangers in epithelia. Dr. Thomson studies a kidney–specific cadherin. Dr. Velàzquez is investigating the cellular mechanisms of thiazide–sensitive sodium chloride transport and chloride–dependent potassium secretion by the mammalian distal tubule using in vivo and in vitro microperfusion and tissue culture techniques.

Representative publications:

Biemesderfer, D., Pizzonia, J., Abu–Alfa, A., Exner, M., Reilly, R.F., Igarashi, P. and Aronson, P.S. (1993) NHE3: a Na/H exchanger isoform of renal brush border. Am. J. Physiol. 265:F736–F742

Thomson, R.B., Igarashi, P., Biemesderfer, D., Kim, R., Abu–Alfa, A., Soleimani, M. and Aronson, P.S. (1995) Isolation and cDNA cloning of Ksp–cadherin, a novel kidney–specific member of the cadherin multigene family. J. Biol. Chem. 270:17594–17601

Velàzquez, H., Nàray–Fejes–Toth, A., Silva, T., AndTjar, E., Reilly, R.F., Desir, G., Ellison, D.H. The distal convoluted tubule of the rabbit coexpresses NaCl cotransporter and 11 beta–hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase II mRNA. Kidney Int. 54: 464–472, 1998.