Polycystic Kidney Disease

Jinghua Hu is an Associate Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He uses various model systems to study the correlation between cilia dysfunction and cilia-related diseases (collectively known as ciliopathies). The long-term goals of Dr. Hu's laboratory are to understand how cilia form and function; determine the pathogenesis underlying ciliopathies; and design therapies to prevent, delay or halt disease progression. The major experimental approaches used in Dr. Hu's laboratory include molecular genetics, biochemistry, real-time imaging and model organisms. Dr. Hu's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and PKD Foundation, among other organizations. Yong Yu is an Associate Professor and Graduate Director for Biological Sciences, Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Neurobiology at St John’s University. The research in Yu lab is focusing on the molecular mechanisms of assembly, function and regulation of ion channels and membrane receptors. Currently they are interested in the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, proteins which are essential for sensory physiology and have been shown to play crucial roles in human diseases. So far, TRP channels has been shown to be involved in the formation of sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, temperature, and pain sensation. They use cultured mammalian cells, Xenopus oocytes and zebrafish as model systems, and study structure and function of ion channels and receptors with a combined molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, x-ray crystallography, and electrophysiology approach. Research in Yu lab is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

• 1. Biochemical Analysis of the Polycystin-1 Complexity Generated by Proteolytic Cleavage at the G Protein-Coupled Receptor Proteolysis Site. 2. Structural Determination of the Polycystin-2 Channel by Electron Cryo-Microscopy. 3. Recording Ion Channels in Cilia Membranes. 4. Electrophysiological Recording of a Gain-of-Function Polycystin-2 Channel with a Two-Electrode Voltage Clamp. 5. Functional Studies of PKD2 and PKD2L1 through Opening the Hydrophobic Activation Gate. 6. Analyzing the GPCR Function of Polycystin-1. 7. Methods to Study the Vasculature in ADPKD. 8. Energy Metabolism, Metabolic Sensors, and Nutritional Interventions in Polycystic Kidney Disease. 9. “Kidney in a Dish” Organoids for PKD. 10. Rodent Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Models. 11. Using C. elegans as a Model in PKD. 12. Approaches to Studying Polycystic Kidney Disease in Zebrafish. 13. Investigation of DNA Methylation in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease. 14. Molecular Diagnosis of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.