Possible Rotation Projects:
- Sex differences in kidney injury, and links to miRNAs.
- Estrogen regulation of miRNAs.
- Role of insulin in miRNA regulation in the distal nephron, links to diabetes.
Training Technologies Used:
- Epithelial tissue culture techniques
- Epi-fluorescent, confocal & live-cell microscopy
- RNA and small RNA extraction/isolation from cell and tissue samples
- Protein techniques (western blot, protein labeling, immunoprecipitation, pull-downs)
- DNA techniques (plasmid DNA amplification, mutagenesis)
- RT-PCR & qPCR
- Electrophysiological recordings (Ussing chamber transepithelial voltage clamp, membrane capacitance measurements)
- Knockdown techniques using si/sh-RNA and lipidic & electroporation transfection.
- in vivo mouse models
- Cell isolation and primary culture from mouse kidney tissue
- Kidney tubule isolation
- Tissue preparation (sectioning and imaging)
- microRNA microarrays
- mRNA genome arrays
- Computational biology prediction algorithms
- in situ hybridization (kidney tissue)
- Knockout mouse models
- Studies using primary human airway cultures
- Next generation/deep sequencing
- Ph.D. in Cell Biology from University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, 2002
- B.Sc.(Med)(Hons) in Cell Biology from University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, 1995
- B.Sc. in Zoology from University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, 1994
Kolski-Andreaco A, Taiclet S, Myerburg MM, Sembrat J, Bridges RJ, Straub AC, Wills ZP, Butterworth MB, Devor DC.. (2024). Potentiation of BKCa channels by cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator correctors VX-445 and VX-121. J Clin Invest. 2024 Jul 2;134(16):e176328. doi: 10.1172/JCI176328. PMID: 38954478
Farrell C.E., Liu X., Yagan N.O., Suda A.C., Cerqueira D.M., Bodnar A.J., Kashlan O.B., Subramanya A.R., Ho J., Butterworth M.B. (2024) MicroRNA-19 is regulated by aldosterone in a sex-specific manner to alter kidney sodium transport. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 1;326(1):C282-C293. PMID: 3804729
Kolski-Andreaco A, Balut CM, Bertuccio CA, Wilson AS, Rivers WM, Liu X, Gandley RE, Straub AC, Butterworth MB, Binion DG, Devor DC. (2022) Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors (HDACi) Increase Expression of KCa2.3 (SK3) in Primary Microvascular Endothelial Cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 322(3):C338-C353 PMID:35044858
Butterworth, M.B. (2021). Non-coding RNAs and the mineralocorticoid receptor in the kidney. Mol. Cell Endocrinol. 521:111115. PMID: 33301840
Ozbaki-Yagan, N., Liu, X., Bodnar, A.J., Ho, J. and Butterworth, M.B. (2020). Aldosterone-induced microRNAs act as feedback regulators of mineralocorticoid receptor signaling in kidney epithelia. FASEB J. 34(9):11714-11728. PMID: 32652691
Espiritu E.B., Crunk A.E., Bais A., Hochbaum D., Cervino A.S., Phua Y.L., Butterworth M.B., Goto T., Ho J., Hukriede N.A., Cirio M.C. (2018). The Lhx1-Ldb1 complex interacts with Furry to regulate microRNA expression during pronephric kidney development. Scientific Reports. 8(1):16029. PMID: 30375416
Butterworth MB. (2018). Role of microRNAs in aldosterone signaling. Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension. 27(5):390-394. PMID: 30074910
Klemens, C.A, Edinger, R.S, Kightlinger, L., Liu, X. and Butterworth, M.B. (2017). Ankyrin G Expression Regulates Apical Delivery of the Epithelial Sodium Channel (ENaC). J. Biol. Chem. 292(1):375-385. PMID: 27895120
Liu X, Edinger RS, Klemens CA, Phua YL, Bodnar AJ, LaFramboise WA, Ho J, Butterworth MB. (2016). A MicroRNA Cluster miR-23∼24∼27 Is Upregulated by Aldosterone in the Distal Kidney Nephron where It Alters Sodium Transport. J Cell Physiol. 232(6):1306-1317. PMID: 27636893
Edinger. R.S., Coronnello. C., Bodnar, A.J., LaFramboise, W.A., Benos, P.V., Ho, J., Johnson, J.P and Butterworth, M.B. (2014). Aldosterone regulates microRNAs in the CCD to alter sodium transport. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 25 (11):2445-57.
We study the regulation of non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), in the kidney. We use various techniques to explore the impact of steroid hormones (estrogen and aldosterone) on miRNA regulation in the kidney and investigate the role of miRNAs in kidney injury and renal disease. Recent work is focused on the role of sex-specific microRNAs in acute kidney injury (AKI) and kidney disease progression.
