Endothelin in Cholangitis

One of my projects evaluates the role of endothelin (ET) signaling in a model of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). ET is an angiogenic signaling factor that is mostly known for it's role in cardiovascular diseases. ET has 3 isoforms (ET-1, ET-2, ET-3) that signal through 2 receptors (ET-A, ET-B). Our work aims to understand how ET-A and ET-B regulate damage in models of PSC.

My interest is on the ET-dependent signaling that occurs between biliary cells and other cells in the surrounding niche. We have a specific interest on biliary-endothelial crosstalk and angiogenesis, and how these mechanisms mediate injury during PSC. Some preliminary findings identify that cholangiocytes express angiogenic factors that can promote endothelial cell angiogenesis, and biliary expression of angiocrine factors can be mediated by ET-A signaling.

This work has culminated in the publication of a manuscript that evaluated how blocking ET-A may alleviate damage in a model of PSC. We also utilized human PSC samples to understand the translational aspect of our work. Please read the manuscript using the link to the left. We also generated a co-staining technique that allows for visualization of a cell of interest and liver fibrosis together. An editorial discussing this technique can also be found to the left.