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Katherine Perschbacher


katherine-perschbacher@uiowa.edu
Mentor: Justin Grobe, Ph.D., FAHA
Lab Room: 2-307 BSB
Lab Phone: 319-353-5803

The Role of RGS Proteins in Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a serious cardiovascular condition characterized by late gestational onset of hypertension and can lead to multisystem organ failure and death. Our lab has demonstrated a significant relationship between elevated plasma levels of vasopressin (AVP) during the first six weeks of gestation in women who later developed preeclampsia. AVP activates signaling cascades through V1A and V2 receptors, which signal through Gαq11 and Gαs second messenger systems. RGS proteins in the RGS-B/R4 family act as a brakes on G-protein signaling cascades by accelerating GTP hydrolysis of Gαq/11 subunits to stop second messenger activation. We are investigating the potential role of RGS-B/R4 proteins in the predisposition of women to preeclampsia.

Perschbacher KJ, Deng G, Fisher RA, Gibson-Corley KN, Santillan MK, Grobe JL. Regulators of G-Protein Signaling in Cardiovascular Function During Pregnancy. Physiol Genomics. 2018 Apr 27. doi: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00037.2018. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 29702036.

Honors and Awards

  • Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Award, 2017
  • American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellowship (17PRE33660633), 2017
  • Honorable Mention: Three Minute Thesis Competition, 2017