Epigenetic regulation of the Klotho / Miz 1 axis in smoking-induced emphysema.

For the successful completion of the work outlined in Seokjo Kim’s R21, the Epigenetic regulation of the Klotho / Miz 1 axis in smoking-induced emphysema, we expect to perform a large fraction ~70% of the experimental work, 100% of the animal work, and 100% of the human studies here at Northwestern, in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Most experiments outlined in the R21 require primary mouse AT2 cells, which are commercially available only from wild-type mice and are several-fold more expensive than the ones available in-house. In order to obtain AT2 cells from the genetically modified mice outlined in the R21, we will need to continue to breed these strains here at NU. Experimental work conducted here at NU will be supervised by David W. Kamp, MD (SubK-PI; Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, NU-FSM and Chief of the Pulmonary Section at the affiliated Jesse Brown VAMC), Ravi Kalhan, MD (Co-I; Associate Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, NU-FSM and director of the Northwestern Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Program), Benjamin Singer, MD (Co-I; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, NU-FSM). Jenny Hixon (Research Coordinator, NU FSM Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Program) will help supervise medical staff who will be collecting human samples for this study.