Postdoctoral Research Position
Curriculum Vitae
Research
Interest
The main research interests of
our laboratory are focused on two areas of investigation:
-
Environmental
Cardiology: We are dissecting the mechanisms by which
exposure to air particulate matter promotes atherosclerosis
and ischemic heart disease and studying gene-environment
interactions of relevance in the development of
cardiovascular disease. In recent years, we have found that
air pollutant chemicals such as those present in diesel
exhaust particles are able to synergize with oxidized
phospholipids generated within oxidized LDL, in the
promotion of proatherogenic genes in vascular endothelial
cells. We have also determined that inhalation of ambient
ultrafine particles lead to systemic prooxidant and
proinflammatory effects that result in the development of
dysfunctional HDL and enhancement of atherosclerotic
lesions.
-
Biology of
vascular oxidative stress: We are interested in genes and
pathways of relevance in the oxidative stress generated in
vascular inflammatory entities such as atherosclerosis and
ischemia reperfusion. We have determined that heme
oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an important antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory protective gene and together with its
transcriptional regulator Nrf2, they may play a central role
in orchestrating the antioxidant defense of vascular cells.
However, while HO-1 is an anti-atherogenic gene, Nrf2
promotes atherosclerosis instead partly due to the
regulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism and
cholesterol transport. This underscores t]he complexity of
reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling in vascular cells.
We are currently studying how HO-1 expression modulates
various inflammatory pathways via the use of genetic and
biochemical approaches.
Representative Publications
Araujo JA,
Meng L, Tward A, Hancock WW, Zhai Y, Lee A, Iyer S, Buelow R,
Busuttil RW, Shih DM, Lusis AJ, Kupiec-Weglinski JW. Systemic
rather than local heme oxygenase-1 overexpression improves
cardiac allograft outcomes in a new transgenic mouse. J Immunol
2003: 171: 1572-80.
Orozco LD,
Kapturczak MH, Barajas B, Wang X, Weinstein MM, Wong J, Deshane
J, Bolisetty S, Shaposhnik Z, Shih D, Agarwal A, Lusis AJ,
Araujo JA. Heme oxygenase-1 expression in macrophages plays
a beneficial role against atherosclerosis. Circ Res 2007; 100:
1703-11.
Gong KW, Zhao W,
Li N, Barajas B, Kleinman M, Sioutas C, Horvath S, Lusis AJ, Nel
A, Araujo JA. Air pollutant chemicals and oxidized lipids
exhibit genome wide synergistic effects on endothelial cells.
Genome Biol 2007; 8: R149.
Araujo JA,
Barajas B, Kleinman M, Wang X, Bennett B, Gong KW, Navab M,
Harkema J, Sioutas C, Lusis AJ, Nel A. Ambient particulate
pollutants in the ultrafine range promote early atherosclerosis
and systemic oxidative stress. Circ Res 2008; 102: 589-96.
Barajas B, Che N, Ying F, Rowshanrad A, Gong KW, Orozco L, Wang
X, Castellani L, Reue K, Lusis AJ, Araujo JA. NF-E2
Related Factor 2 Promotes Atherosclerosis by Effects on Plasma
Lipoproteins and Cholesterol Transport that Overshadow
Antioxidant Protection. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2011; 31:
58-66. |
