Kirabo Lab
Unraveling how immune and metabolic pathways drive hypertension and kidney disease
Translating cutting-edge discoveries into insights that can improve patient care
Annet Kirabo, PhD, and her team found that patients who eat in excess of one teaspoon of salt per day have altered gut microbiota, which leads to high blood pressure and inflammation.
The Kirabo Lab studies how immune and metabolic mechanisms drive hypertension and kidney disease, focusing on how lipid oxidation-mediated protein modifications trigger inflammation.
Our work explores how excess dietary salt activates dendritic cells, promoting renal inflammation and vascular dysfunction. Using cutting-edge translational and mechanistic approaches, we bridge basic science discoveries with patient-oriented research to understand and ultimately treat salt-sensitive cardiovascular disease.
Kirabo Lab News
Clue to salt-sensitive blood pressure found
Despite the well-established link between high salt intake and cardiovascular disease and stroke, the mechanism of SSBP is poorly understood, and it remains an untreatable cardiovascular risk with no widely available diagnostic tool.
Dr. Kirabo's lab has been studying this phenomenon for years.
Featured Publications
Myeloid-Specific JAK2 Contributes to Inflammation and Salt Sensitivity of Blood Pressure
Saleem M, Aden LA, Mutchler AL, Basu C, Ertuglu LA, Sheng Q, Penner N, Hemnes AR, Park JH, Ishimwe JA, Laffer CL, Elijovich F, Wanjalla CN, de la Visitacion N, Kastner PD, Albritton CF, Ahmad T, Haynes AP, Yu J, Graber MK, Yasmin S, Wagner KU, Sayeski PP, Hatzopoulos AK, Gamazon ER, Bick AG, Kleyman TR, Kirabo A*. Myeloid-Specific JAK2 Contributes to Inflammation and Salt Sensitivity of Blood Pressure. Circ Res. 2024 Oct 11;135(9):890-909. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.124.323595. Epub 2024 Sep 12. PMID: 39263750; PMCID: PMC11466692.
High dietary salt–induced DC activation underlies microbial dysbiosis-associated hypertension
Ferguson JF, Aden LA, Barbaro NR, Van Beusecum JP, Xiao L, Simmons AJ, Warden C, Pasic L, Himmel LE, Washington MK, Revetta FL, Zhao S, Kumaresan S, Scholz MB, Tang Z, Chen G, Reilly MP, and Kirabo A*. High dietary salt-induced dendritic cell activation underlies microbial dysbiosis-associated hypertension. JCI Insight. 2019 Jun 4;5. pii: 126241. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.126241. PMID: 31162138.
Featured on issue cover.
DC ENaC-Dependent Inflammasome Activation Contributes to Salt-Sensitive Hypertension
Pitzer A, Elijovich F, Laffer CL, Ertuglu LA, Sahinoz M, Saleem M, Krishnan J, Dola T, Aden LA, Sheng Q, Raddatz MA, Wanjalla C, Pakala S, Davies SS, Patrick DM, Kon V, Ikizler TA, Kleyman T, Kirabo A*. DC ENaC-Dependent Inflammasome Activation Contributes to Salt-Sensitive Hypertension. Circ Res. 2022:101161CIRCRESAHA122320818. Epub 2022/07/22. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.122.320818. PubMed PMID: 35862128.
Featured on issue cover.
Contact us
Thank you for your interest in our research!
For more information about the Kirabo Lab, email Dr. Kirabo.
