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Karen M Ridge

  • 4206 Citations
1989 …2024

Research output per year

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Personal profile

Research Interests

My research interests focus on the intermediate filaments (IFs), which are cytoskeletal structures that are crucial for maintaining the structural integrity of cells and tissues. In general, my lab focuses on the non-mechanical roles for the IF cytoskeleton such as how IFs regulate cell migration and cell survival, and the mechanisms by which IFs are a scaffold for stress-activated kinases and adaptor proteins. We investigated whether micromechanical forces, such as shear stress and stretch, had an effect on the keratin intermediate filament (IF) network in alveolar epithelial cells. We demonstrated that these forces resulted in altered keratin IF expression in alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cells. This work impacted the field of intermediate filament biology as it describes a mechanism by which mechanical forces and signaling molecules, such as ROS, can lead to the disassembly of the keratin IF network. More recently, we have been examining vimentin, a type III intermediate filament, that acts as a scaffold for the assembly and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. The existing paradigm for NOD-like receptor (NLR) signaling is that NLR proteins interact with an apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a C-terminal caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and or a CARD domain to form a multi-protein complex called the “inflammasome”. We revealed that optimal localization and activity of the inflammasome requires the vimentin IF network, which suggests a broad biologic role for vimentin in the regulation of NLR proteins in the lung.

Education/Academic qualification

PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago

… → 1998

Research interests

  • Aging
  • Cell Biology
  • Cytoskeleton
  • Immunology
  • Interstitial Lung Disease
  • Lung Cancer / Chest Cancer
  • Lung Injury

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Grants

Training Program In Lung Sciences

Budinger, G. S., Ridge, K. M., Sznajder, J. I. & Wunderink, R. G.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

7/1/19 → 6/30/24

Project: Research project

    • Ridge Research Core B Subproject for Institution # SP0044258

    Ridge, K. M.

    National Institute of General Medical Sciences

    9/1/18 → 7/31/22

    Project: Research project

    • Differential role of tissue-resident and monocyte-derived alveolar macrophages in the development of pulmonary fibrosis

    Bagheri, N., Bhorade, S. M., Misharin, A., Misharin, A. & Ridge, K. M.

    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

    9/25/17 → 8/31/20

    Project: Research project

    • Vimentin-mediated regulation of the inflammasome in acute lung injury

    Ridge, K. M. & Shumaker, D. K.

    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

    4/1/16 → 3/31/20

    Project: Research project

    • Regulation of NOD-like receptors in juvenile influenza A virus infection

    Coates, B. & Ridge, K. M.

    University of Utah, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

    1/1/16 → 6/30/20

    Project: Research project

    • Research Output

    Erratum: Metformin Targets Mitochondrial Electron Transport to Reduce Air-Pollution-Induced Thrombosis (Cell Metabolism (2019) 29(2) (335–347.e5), (S1550413118305862) (10.1016/j.cmet.2018.09.019))

    Soberanes, S., Misharin, A. V., Jairaman, A., Morales-Nebreda, L., McQuattie-Pimentel, A. C., Cho, T., Hamanaka, R. B., Meliton, A. Y., Reyfman, P. A., Walter, J. M., Chen, C. I., Chi, M., Chiu, S., Gonzalez-Gonzalez, F. J., Antalek, M., Abdala-Valencia, H., Chiarella, S. E., Sun, K. A., Woods, P. S., Ghio, A. J. & 12 others, Jain, M., Perlman, H., Ridge, K. M., Morimoto, R. I., Sznajder, J. I., Balch, W. E., Bhorade, S. M., Bharat, A., Prakriya, M., Chandel, N. S., Mutlu, G. M. & Budinger, G. R. S., Feb 5 2019, In : Cell Metabolism. 29, 2, 1 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate

    • 1 Scopus citations

    Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of human lung provides insights into the pathobiology of pulmonary fibrosis

    Reyfman, P. A., Walter, J. M., Joshi, N., Anekalla, K. R., McQuattie-Pimentel, A. C., Chiu, S., Fernandez, R., Akbarpour, M., Chen, C. I., Ren, Z., Verma, R., Abdala-Valencia, H., Nam, K., Chi, M., Han, S. H., Gonzalez-Gonzalez, F. J., Soberanes, S., Watanabe, S., Williams, K. J. N., Flozak, A. S. & 29 others, Nicholson, T. T., Morgan, V. K., Winter, D. R., Hinchcliff, M., Hrusch, C. L., Guzy, R. D., Bonham, C. A., Sperling, A. I., Bag, R., Hamanaka, R. B., Mutlu, G. M., Yeldandi, A. V., Marshall, S. A., Shilatifard, A., Amaral, L. A. N., Perlman, H. R., Sznajder, J. I., Christine Argento, A., Gillespie, C. T., Dematte, J., Jain, M., Singer, B., Ridge, K. M., Lam, A. P., Bharat, A., Bhorade, S. M., Gottardi, C., Budinger, GR. S. & Misharin, A., Jun 15 2019, In : American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 199, 12, p. 1517-1536 20 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

    Open Access
    • 49 Scopus citations

    A beginner’s guide to analysis of RNA sequencing data

    Koch, C. M., Chiu, S. F., Akbarpour, M., Bharat, A., Ridge, K. M., Bartom, E. T. & Winter, D. R., Aug 2018, In : American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology. 59, 2, p. 145-157 13 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article

    • 6 Scopus citations

    Future research directions in pneumonia

    Dela Cruz, C. S., Wunderink, R. G., Christiani, D. C., Cormier, S. A., Crothers, K., Doerschuk, C. M., Evans, S. E., Goldstein, D. R., Khatri, P., Kobzik, L., Kolls, J. K., Levy, B. D., Metersky, M. L., Niederman, M. S., Nusrat, R., Orihuela, C. J., Peyrani, P., Prince, A. S., Ramírez, J. A., Ridge, K. M. & 9 others, Sethi, S., Suratt, B. T., Sznajder, J. I., Tsalik, E. L., Walkey, A. J., Yende, S., Aggarwal, N. R., Caler, E. V. & Mizgerd, J. P., Jul 15 2018, In : American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. 198, 2, p. 256-263 8 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

    • 14 Scopus citations

    Inflammatory monocytes drive influenza A virus-mediated lung injury in juvenile mice

    Coates, B. M., Staricha, K. L., Koch, C. M., Cheng, Y., Shumaker, D. K., Budinger, G. R. S., Perlman, H., Misharin, A. V. & Ridge, K. M., Apr 1 2018, In : Journal of Immunology. 200, 7, p. 2391-2404 14 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

    • 17 Scopus citations