Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2005

Mentor: Richard L. Kitchens, Ph.D.
Department: Internal Medicine / Infectious Diseases
Room number: Y9.316A
Mail Code: 9113
Phone number: 8-6479
E-mail: richard.kitchens@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project title: Roles of macrophage apoE in LPS traffic and infection

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 0501-286

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 0863-04-01-2

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Basic research

Brief Description of Project:
The expression of apolipoprotein E (apoE) in mice increases resistance to bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) and improves survival during bacterial infection. ApoE is a major product of differentiated macrophages, and the importance of macrophage-derived apoE in host defense is unknown. Our preliminary data suggest that endogenous apoE controls the efflux of bacterial LPS that binds to macrophages. Two general goals of our project are (i) to define the role of apoE in macrophage LPS efflux and (ii) to determine the impact of macrophage-specific expression (or deficiency) of apoE on local inflammation and resistance to bacterial infection. The summer project will focus on an aspect of goal (i) and will utilize real-time PCR and RNA knock down methods to determine the extent to which apoE expression controls LPS efflux from cultured macrophages.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
None with medical students

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