Pulmonary Biology

Vrushank G. Davé, MS, PhD

Title

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Pulmonary Biology

Email

vrushank.dave@chmcc.org

Phone

513-636-3323

Fax

513-636-7868 (lab) 513-636-8410 (office)

Credentials

Research Scholar: Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation, 1996-2001
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Molecular Cardiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 1994-1996
PhD: Molecular Biology, J.N. University, New Delhi, India, 1994
MSc: Biotechnology, M.S. University, Baroda, India, 1987
BSc: Biochemistry, St. Xavier's College, A'bad, India, 1985

Awards and Honors

Ohio Cancer Research Associate Grant, 2007-2009
American Heart Association (AHA), Research Grant (BGIA), 2005-2007
Invited Speaker, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, CSHL Meeting on "Protein Phosphorylation & Cell Signaling," 2005
Invited Speaker, "Lung Surfactant: Cellular & Molecular Biology", FASEB (SRC), Saxton Rivers, Vermont, 2004
American Lung Association (ALA), National Research Grant (2 Years), 2003-2005

Research

Dr. Davé's has focused on elucidating hierarchical transcriptional/signal transduction networks that are important in lung development and in lung cancer. In addition, he is trying to identify the origin and properties of lung stem/progenitor cells involved in the formation of the lung structure during development and following injury. Dr. Davé is using mouse models and biochemical approaches to address some of the above questions. The areas that are pursued are 1) Respiratory epithelial cell differentiation and maturation 2) Epithelial cell polarity and cancer 3) Epigenetic signatures in lung development and cancer and 4) Target gene selectivity as revealed by structural studies on transcription factor-DNA interactions on gene promoters.

Research Grants and Contracts

AHA Scientist Development Grant (National): Calcineurin Effectors in Pulmonary Homeostasis; 01/01/08-12/31/2011; Principal Investigator

OCRA-5307, Ohio Cancer Research Associate Grant: PTEN/PI3K/AKT Pathway in Lung cancer; 07/01/07-06/30/2009; Principal Investigator

Publications, Most Recent

Davé V, Wert SE, Tanner T, Thitoff AR, Loudy DE, Whitsett JA. Conditional Deletion of Pten Causes Bronchiolar Hyperplasia.Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2008; 38(3):337-45.

Maeda Y, Davé V, Whitsett JA. Transcriptional Control of Lung Morphogenesis.Physiol Rev 2007;87:219-44.

Davé V, Childs T, Xu Y, Ikegami M, Besnard V, Maeda Y, Wert SE, Neilson JR, Crabtree GR, Whitsett JA. Calcineurin/Nfat signaling is required for perinatal lung maturation and function.J Clin Invest 2006;116(10):2597-609.

Chaney BA, Clark-Baldwin K, Davé V, Ma J, Rance M. Solution structure of the K50 class homeodomain PITX2 bound to DNA and implications for mutations that cause Rieger syndrome.Biochemistry 2005;44:7497-511.

Davé V, Childs T, Whitsett J. Nuclear factor of activated T cells regulates transcription of the surfactant protein D gene (Sftpd) via direct interaction with thyroid transcription factor-1 in lung epithelial cells.J Biol Chem 2004;279(33):34578-88.

Davé V, Zhao C, Yang F, Tung C-S, Ma J. Reprogrammable recognition codes in Bicoid homeodomain-DNA -interaction.Mol Cell Biol 2000;20:7673-84.

Davé V, Zhao C, Yang F, Scarborough T, Ma J. Target selectivity of Bicoid dependent on non-consensus site recognition.Mol Cell Biol 2000;20:8112-23.