| Publications :: | Assistant
Professor of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Nephrology 
Dr. Xiaobin Han has spent more than 10 years studying the amino acid
taurine and its regulation by the kidney. Taurine is critical for
normal renal, retinal, and central nervous system development in humans
and other mammals. Dr. Han has cloned the gene for the rat taurine
transporter (TauT) and demonstrated that its expression can be regulated
by various factors, including dietary manipulation and over- or under-expression
of other genes. His studies have shown that expression of TauT is
down-regulated by the p53 tumor suppressor gene in renal cells. Elevated
levels of p53 have been found in the kidneys of an animal model of
acute renal failure induced by administration of cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic
agent whose effectiveness is limited by its toxicity to kidney cells.
Dr. Han has shown that forced over-expression of TauT attenuates cisplatin-induced
apoptosis (cell death) of renal cells, leading to the hypothesis that
TauT functions as an anti-apoptotic gene and plays an important role
in protecting renal cells from drug-induced nephrotoxicity. Because
expression of the taurine transporter gene, and therefore taurine
transport into cells, can be influenced by the availability of external
taurine, these investigations may provide information that will be
of therapeutic value in protecting the kidneys of cancer patients
treated with cisplatin. Dr. Han plans to create two lines of genetically
altered mice to test the effect of altered expression of TauT on cisplatin-induced
cell death in vivo. He is also in the process of identifying the specific
elements of the taurine transporter gene that are involved in the
adaptive regulation of TauT by dietary manipulation. These studies
will help to define the role of taurine in protection against kidney
damage and help to better understand the nature of renal adaptive
regulation of the taurine transporter gene. |
Han X, Budreau AM, Chesney RW: Transcriptional repression of
taurine transporter gene (TauT) by p53 in renal cells. J Biol Chem 2002; 277(42):39266-39273. Han X, Chesney RW. Regulation of taurine transporter gene (TauT) by cisplatin. Pediatr Nephrol 2005; 20(8):1067-1072 Han X, Patters AB, Jones DP, Zelikovic I, Chesney RW. The taurine transporter: mechanisms of regulation. Acta Physiol 2006; 187:61-73 Han X, Chesney RW. Is TauT an anti-apoptotic gene in renal cells? Adv Exp Med Biol 2006; 583:59-68 Han X, Chesney RW. Mechanisms of regulation of TauT expression – a complex interplay of regulatory systems. Adv Exp Med Biol 2006; 583:79-90. Xu L, Han X, Chesney RW, Birrer M. Regulation of TauT by c-jun oncogene. J Biol Chem 2006 (under revision) |