of the Max - MDC

Structure of the Group
Group Leader
Prof. Dr. Dr. Friedrich C. Luft
Scientists
Dr. Atakan Aydin
Dr. Mira Choi
Dr. Maolian Gong
Prof. Dr. Ursula Göbel
PD Dr. Volkmar Gross
PD Dr. Volker Homuth
Dr. Martin Kann
Prof. Dr. Ralph Kettritz
Carsten Lindschau
Dr. Birgit Salanova
Dr. Adrian Schreiber
Dr. Sibylle von Vietinghoff
Graduate Students
Claudia Eulenberg
André Gonzales
Philipp Maass
Gergö Molnar
Nico Ruf
Technical Assistants
Irene Holfinger
Ilona Kamer
Eireen Klein
Astrid Mühl
Yvette Neuenfeld
Petra Quass
Susanne Rolle
Regina Uhlmann
Manager of Sponsored
Programs
Susannne Wissler
Hypertension-induced vasculopathy
Anette Fiebeler has focused on the mineralocorticoid receptor
(MR) as a mediator of targent organ damage. She and
her associate Gergö Molnar investigated glucocorticoidinduced
MR signaling events since persons with the metabolic
syndrome generally feature hypercorticoidism. The
studies were derived from rodents and cell culture experiments.
Rodents produce corticosterone rather than cortisol,
which focused the groups’ attention on this metabolite. The
group investigated the effects of corticosterone on early
vascular MR signaling. Corticosterone initiated extracellular
regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2) phosphorylation via a nongenomic
effect. Corticosterone stimulated c-Jun N-terminal
kinase (JNK), p38, Src, and Akt phosphorylation and potentiated
Ang II-induced signaling. The team concluded that
corticosterone induces rapid MR signaling in vascular
smooth muscle cells that involves MEK/ERK-dependent
pathways. The data suggest that glucocorticoids could contribute
to vascular disease via MR signaling, independent of
circulating aldosterone. The findings have major therapeutic
implications.
Selected Publications
von Vietinghoff, S, Busjahn, A, Schonemann, C, Massenkeil, G,
Otto, B, Luft, FC, Kettritz, R. (2006) Major histocompatibility
complex HLA region largely explains the genetic variance exercised
on neutrophil membrane proteinase 3 expression. J Am Soc
Nephrol. 17, 3185-3191.
von Vietinghoff, S, Tunnemann, G, Eulenberg, C, Wellner, M,
Cardoso, MC, Luft, FC, Kettritz, R. (2007) NB1 mediates surface
expression of the ANCA antigen proteinase 3 on human neutrophils.
Blood. 109, 4487-4493.
Ruf, N, Bähring, S, Galetzka, D, Pliushch, G, Luft, FC, Nürnberg,
P, Haaf, T, Kelsey, G, Zechner, U. (2007) Sequence-based bioinformatic
prediction and QUASEP identifying genomic imprinting
of the KCNK9 potassium channel gene in mouse and human.
Hum Mol Genet. 16, 2591-2599.
Henke, N, Schmidt-Ullrich, R, Dechend, R, Park, JK, Qadri, F,
Wellner, M, Obst, M, Gross, V, Dietz, R, Luft, FC, Scheidereit, C,
Muller, DN. (2007) Vascular endothelial cell-specific NF-κB suppression
attenuates hypertension-induced renal damage. Circ
Res. 101, 657-659.
Bähring, S, Kann, M, Neuenfeld, Y, Gong, M, Chitayat, D, Toka,
HR, Toka, O, Plessis, G, Maass, P, Rauch, A, Aydin, A, Luft, FC.
(2008) The inversion region for hypertension and brachydactyly
on chromosome 12p features multiple splicing and patient-specific
expression of non-coding RNA. Hypertension (in press).
Milestones
Dominik N. Müller was awarded the Renin-Research Prize at
the American Society of Hypertension Annual Meeting in
Chicago, IL, USA 2007. Friedrich C. Luft was awarded the
Novartis Award at the American Heart Association Council
For High Blood Pressure Research Annual Meeting in
Tucson, AZ, USA 2007. He was the sole recipient. This award
is the highest recognition in the area of hypertension-related
cardiovascular research. Friedrich C. Luft will assume new
duties in 2007 as director of the ECRC (see elsewhere).
Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Research 17