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Alexander Staruschenko

Alexander Staruschenko, PhD

Professor, College of Medicine Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology

Contact Info

Education

  • PhD, Cell Biology, Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2003
  • MS, Physiology, St. Petersburg State University, 1999

Interdisciplinary and Emerging Signature Programs

  • Allergy, Immunology & Infectious Disease
  • Cardiovascular
  • Cardiovascular Sciences
  • Cellular and Molecular Biology

Research Interests

  • The research in my laboratory is focused on understanding the mechanisms regulating ion channel activity and electrolyte homeostasis in the control of kidney function and blood pressure. My laboratory is well-equipped to perform patch-clamp analysis, tissue imaging, tubular perfusion, and long-term chronic studies of blood pressure and renal disease in various rodent models.
  • I have served as PI or co-PI on several funded projects, including the currently active R01 awards from NIH and VA Merit award. Research in my lab also has a very collaborative nature, and I helped as Co-I to many investigators. I also mentored a number of students, postdocs, and junior faculty.

Awards/Honors

  • Eminent Scholar (Medical College of Wisconsin - 2018)
  • Mid-Career Award for Research Excellence (American Heart Association - 2017)
  • Established Investigator Award (American Heart Association - 2016)
  • Young Scholars Award (American Society of Hypertension - 2015)
  • Young Investigator Award (American Physiological Society - 2013)
  • Lazaro J. Mandel Young Investigator Award (American Physiological Society - 2011)
  • Ryuji & Ueno Foundation Award (American Physiological Society - 2010)
  • Carl W. Gottschalk Research Scholar (American Society of Nephrology - 2008)
  • Keynote Speaker (AHA Hypertension 2024 Scientific Sessions - 2024)
  • Excellence in Mentoring Award (Department of Veterans Affairs - 2024)
  • Distinguished Researcher Award (American Society of Nephrology - 2022)

Memberships

  • Member, FAHA (American Heart Association, 2010 - Present)
  • Member, FASN (American Society of Nephrology, 2007 - Present)
  • Member, FAPS (American Physiological Society, 2004 - Present)

Recent Publications

  • Palygin O, Klemens CA, Isaeva E, Levchenko V, Spires DR, Dissanayake LV, Nikolaienko O, Ilatovskaya DV, Staruschenko A. Characterization of purinergic receptor 2 signaling in podocytes from diabetic kidneys. iScience. 24(6) : 102528, 2021.
  • Spires DR, Palygin O, Levchenko V, Isaeva E, Klemens CA, Khedr S, Nikolaienko O, Kriegel A, Cheng X, Yeo JY, Joe B, Staruschenko A. Sexual dimorphism in the progression of type 2 diabetic kidney disease in T2DN rats. Physiological genomics. 53(6) : 223-234, 2021.
  • Schlingmann KP, Renigunta A, Hoorn EJ, Forst AL, Renigunta V, Atanasov V, Mahendran S, Barakat TS, Gillion V, Godefroid N, Brooks AS, Lugtenberg D, Lake J, Debaix H, Rudin C, Knebelmann B, Tellier S, Rousset-Rouvière C, Viering D, de Baaij JHF, Weber S, Palygin O, Staruschenko A, Kleta R, Houillier P, Bockenhauer D, Devuyst O, Vargas-Poussou R, Warth R, Zdebik AA, Konrad M. Defects in KCNJ16 Cause a Novel Tubulopathy with Hypokalemia, Salt Wasting, Disturbed Acid-Base Homeostasis, and Sensorineural Deafness. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN. 32(6) : 1498-1512, 2021.
  • Bohovyk R, Fedoriuk M, Isaeva E, Shevchuk A, Palygin O, Staruschenko A. Scanning ion conductance microscopy of live human glomerulus. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine. 25(9) : 4216-4219, 2021.
  • Klemens CA, Chulkov EG, Wu J, Hye Khan MA, Levchenko V, Flister MJ, Imig JD, Kriegel AJ, Palygin O, Staruschenko A. Loss of Chloride Channel 6 (CLC-6) Affects Vascular Smooth Muscle Contractility and Arterial Stiffness via Alterations to Golgi Calcium Stores. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979). 77(2) : 582-593, 2021.
  • Manis AD, Palygin O, Isaeva E, Levchenko V, LaViolette PS, Pavlov TS, Hodges MR, Staruschenko A. Kcnj16 knockout produces audiogenic seizures in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat. JCI insight. 6(1) , 2021.
  • Golosova D, Palygin O, Bohovyk R, Klemens CA, Levchenko V, Spires DR, Isaeva E, El-Meanawy A, Staruschenko A. Role of opioid signaling in kidney damage during the development of salt-induced hypertension. Life science alliance. 3(12) , 2020.
  • Nikolaienko O, Isaeva E, Levchenko V, Palygin O, Staruschenko A. Behavioral, metabolic, and renal outcomes of 1-month isolation in adolescent male Dahl salt-sensitive rats. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology. 319(6) : R684-R689, 2020.
  • Staruschenko A, Bhalla V, Rangaswami J. SGLT2 inhibitors: diabetic kidney disease and beyond. American journal of physiology. Renal physiology. 319(5) : F780-F781, 2020.
  • Dissanayake LV, Spires DR, Palygin O, Staruschenko A. Effects of uric acid dysregulation on the kidney. American journal of physiology. Renal physiology. 318(5) : F1252-F1257, 2020.
  • Pavlov TS, Palygin O, Isaeva E, Levchenko V, Khedr S, Blass G, Ilatovskaya DV, Cowley AW, Staruschenko A. NOX4-dependent regulation of ENaC in hypertension and diabetic kidney disease. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 34(10) : 13396-13408, 2020.
  • Rangaswami J, Bhalla V, de Boer IH, Staruschenko A, Sharp JA, Singh RR, Lo KB, Tuttle K, Vaduganathan M, Ventura H, McCullough PA. Cardiorenal Protection With the Newer Antidiabetic Agents in Patients With Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 142(17) : e265-e286, 2020.
  • Rinschen MM, Palygin O, Guijas C, Palermo A, Palacio-Escat N, Domingo-Almenara X, Montenegro-Burke R, Saez-Rodriguez J, Staruschenko A, Siuzdak G. Metabolic rewiring of the hypertensive kidney. Science signaling. 12(611) , 2019.
  • Manis AD, Palygin O, Khedr S, Levchenko V, Hodges MR, Staruschenko A. Relationship between the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and renal Kir5.1 channels. Clinical science (London, England : 1979). 133(24) : 2449-2461, 2019.
  • Isaeva E, Fedoriuk M, Bohovyk R, Klemens CA, Khedr S, Golosova D, Levchenko V, El-Meanawy A, Palygin O, Staruschenko A. Vibrodissociation method for isolation of defined nephron segments from human and rodent kidneys. American journal of physiology. Renal physiology. 317(5) : F1398-F1403, 2019.
  • Khedr S, Palygin O, Pavlov TS, Blass G, Levchenko V, Alsheikh A, Brands MW, El-Meanawy A, Staruschenko A. Increased ENaC activity during kidney preservation in Wisconsin solution. BMC nephrology. 20(1) : 145, 2019.
  • Palygin O, Spires D, Levchenko V, Bohovyk R, Fedoriuk M, Klemens CA, Sykes O, Bukowy JD, Cowley AW, Lazar J, Ilatovskaya DV, Staruschenko A. Progression of diabetic kidney disease in T2DN rats. American journal of physiology. Renal physiology. 317(6) : F1450-F1461, 2019.
  • Klemens CA, Brands MW, Staruschenko A. Postprandial effects on electrolyte homeostasis in the kidney. American journal of physiology. Renal physiology. 317(6) : F1405-F1408, 2019.
  • Ilatovskaya DV, Levchenko V, Pavlov TS, Isaeva E, Klemens CA, Johnson J, Liu P, Kriegel AJ, Staruschenko A. Salt-deficient diet exacerbates cystogenesis in ARPKD via epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). EBioMedicine. 40: 663-674, 2019.
  • Parnell SC, Magenheimer BS, Maser RL, Pavlov TS, Havens MA, Hastings ML, Jackson SF, Ward CJ, Peterson KR, Staruschenko A, Calvet JP. A mutation affecting polycystin-1 mediated heterotrimeric G-protein signaling causes PKD. Human molecular genetics. 27(19) : 3313-3324, 2018.
  • Miller BS, Blumenthal SR, Shalygin A, Wright KD, Staruschenko A, Imig JD, Sorokin A. Inactivation of p66Shc Decreases Afferent Arteriolar K Channel Activity and Decreases Renal Damage in Diabetic Dahl SS Rats. Diabetes. 67(11) : 2206-2212, 2018.
  • Palygin O, Ilatovskaya DV, Levchenko V, Klemens CA, Dissanayake L, Williams AM, Pavlov TS, Staruschenko A. Characterization of purinergic receptor expression in ARPKD cystic epithelia. Purinergic signalling. 14(4) : 485-497, 2018.
  • Spires D, Ilatovskaya DV, Levchenko V, North PE, Geurts AM, Palygin O, Staruschenko A. Protective role of Trpc6 knockout in the progression of diabetic kidney disease. American journal of physiology. Renal physiology. 315(4) : F1091-F1097, 2018.
  • Palygin O, Ilatovskaya DV, Levchenko V, Endres BT, Geurts AM, Staruschenko A. Nitric oxide production by glomerular podocytes. Nitric oxide : biology and chemistry. 72: 24-31, 2018.
  • Staruschenko A. Beneficial Effects of High Potassium: Contribution of Renal Basolateral K Channels. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979). 71(6) : 1015-1022, 2018.
  • Ilatovskaya DV, Blass G, Palygin O, Levchenko V, Pavlov TS, Grzybowski MN, Winsor K, Shuyskiy LS, Geurts AM, Cowley AW, Birnbaumer L, Staruschenko A. A NOX4/TRPC6 Pathway in Podocyte Calcium Regulation and Renal Damage in Diabetic Kidney Disease. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN. 29(7) : 1917-1927, 2018.
  • Palygin O, Evans LC, Cowley AW, Staruschenko A. Acute In Vivo Analysis of ATP Release in Rat Kidneys in Response to Changes of Renal Perfusion Pressure. Journal of the American Heart Association. 6(9) , 2017.
  • Palygin O, Levchenko V, Ilatovskaya DV, Pavlov TS, Pochynyuk OM, Jacob HJ, Geurts AM, Hodges MR, Staruschenko A. Essential role of Kir5.1 channels in renal salt handling and blood pressure control. JCI insight. 2(18) , 2017.
  • Ilatovskaya DV, Palygin O, Levchenko V, Endres BT, Staruschenko A. The Role of Angiotensin II in Glomerular Volume Dynamics and Podocyte Calcium Handling. Scientific reports. 7(1) : 299, 2017.
  • Palygin O, Levchenko V, Evans LC, Blass G, Cowley AW, Staruschenko A. Use of Enzymatic Biosensors to Quantify Endogenous ATP or H2O2 in the Kidney. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE. (104) , 2015.
  • Pavlov TS, Levchenko V, Ilatovskaya DV, Palygin O, Staruschenko A. Impaired epithelial Na+ channel activity contributes to cystogenesis and development of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease in PCK rats. Pediatric research. 77(1-1) : 64-9, 2015.
  • Endres BT, Priestley JR, Palygin O, Flister MJ, Hoffman MJ, Weinberg BD, Grzybowski M, Lombard JH, Staruschenko A, Moreno C, Jacob HJ, Geurts AM. Mutation of Plekha7 attenuates salt-sensitive hypertension in the rat. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111(35) : 12817-22, 2014.
  • Ilatovskaya DV, Palygin O, Chubinskiy-Nadezhdin V, Negulyaev YA, Ma R, Birnbaumer L, Staruschenko A. Angiotensin II has acute effects on TRPC6 channels in podocytes of freshly isolated glomeruli. Kidney international. 86(3) : 506-14, 2014.
  • Pavlov TS, Levchenko V, O''Connor PM, Ilatovskaya DV, Palygin O, Mori T, Mattson DL, Sorokin A, Lombard JH, Cowley AW, Staruschenko A. Deficiency of renal cortical EGF increases ENaC activity and contributes to salt-sensitive hypertension. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN. 24(7) : 1053-62, 2013.
  • Ilatovskaya DV, Palygin O, Levchenko V, Staruschenko A. Pharmacological characterization of the P2 receptors profile in the podocytes of the freshly isolated rat glomeruli. American journal of physiology. Cell physiology. 305(10) : C1050-9, 2013.
  • Palygin O, Levchenko V, Ilatovskaya DV, Pavlov TS, Ryan RP, Cowley AW, Staruschenko A. Real-time electrochemical detection of ATP and H₂O₂ release in freshly isolated kidneys. American journal of physiology. Renal physiology. 305(1) : F134-41, 2013.
  • Staruschenko A, Brooks HL. O''Brien Kidney Research Centers. American journal of physiology. Renal physiology. 319(6) : F1042, 2020.
  • Ilatovskaya DV, Pavlov TS, Levchenko V, Staruschenko A. ROS production as a common mechanism of ENaC regulation by EGF, insulin, and IGF-1. American journal of physiology. Cell physiology. 304(1) : C102-11, 2013.
  • Ilatovskaya DV, Staruschenko A. Single-channel analysis of TRPC channels in the podocytes of freshly isolated Glomeruli. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.). 998: 355-69, 2013.
  • Pavlov TS, Ilatovskaya DV, Levchenko V, Li L, Ecelbarger CM, Staruschenko A. Regulation of ENaC in mice lacking renal insulin receptors in the collecting duct. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 27(7) : 2723-32, 2013.
  • Staruschenko A. Regulation of transport in the connecting tubule and cortical collecting duct. Comprehensive Physiology. 2(2) : 1541-84, 2012.
  • Kwon M, Pavlov TS, Nozu K, Rasmussen SA, Ilatovskaya DV, Lerch-Gaggl A, North LM, Kim H, Qian F, Sweeney WE, Avner ED, Blumer JB, Staruschenko A, Park F. G-protein signaling modulator 1 deficiency accelerates cystic disease in an orthologous mouse model of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109(52) : 21462-7, 2012.
  • Karpushev AV, Levchenko V, Ilatovskaya DV, Pavlov TS, Staruschenko A. Novel role of Rac1/WAVE signaling mechanism in regulation of the epithelial Na+ channel. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979). 57(5) : 996-1002, 2011.
  • Ilatovskaya DV, Pavlov TS, Levchenko V, Negulyaev YA, Staruschenko A. Cortical actin binding protein cortactin mediates ENaC activity via Arp2/3 complex. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 25(8) : 2688-99, 2011.
  • Pavlov TS, Chahdi A, Ilatovskaya DV, Levchenko V, Vandewalle A, Pochynyuk O, Sorokin A, Staruschenko A. Endothelin-1 inhibits the epithelial Na+ channel through betaPix/14-3-3/Nedd4-2. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN. 21(5) : 833-43, 2010.
  • Staruschenko A, Jeske NA, Akopian AN. Contribution of TRPV1-TRPA1 interaction to the single channel properties of the TRPA1 channel. The Journal of biological chemistry. 285(20) : 15167-15177, 2010.
  • Staruschenko A, Adams E, Booth RE, Stockand JD. Epithelial Na+ channel subunit stoichiometry. Biophysical journal. 88(6) : 3966-75, 2005.