Kenneth A. Volk, PhD
Research Profile

• Fetal programming— The Program in Developmental Origins of Disease is focused on the emerging realization that many adulthood diseases have their roots in events that take place early in life, including in utero. Maternal stress can "program" the fetus in a way that leads to early adult onsets of hypertension, atherosclerosis and diabetes. We are studying the mechanism of the link between maternal stressors such as under-nutrition and steroid hormones and disease in animal models.
• Renal component of blood pressure control— The control of blood pressure requires delicate balance between inputs from many different organ systems. The brain, heart, vasculature, and kidneys all play significant roles. My interest has been in sodium reabsorption by the distal nephron which impacts body fluid retention and therefore, blood volume and pressure.
• Reactive oxygen species (ROS) as second messengers— ROS have been identified as second messengers in the control of blood pressure by central sympathetic input, vascular reactivity and cell proliferation. These systems are at the core of the metabolic syndrome often associated with fetal programming and are therefore likely to be involved in the mechanism.
• Vascular cell biology— Alterations in vascular cell proliferation as influenced by ROS and fetal programming are actively being investigated in our laboratory. Growth rates, apoptosis, and cell cycle transitions of cultured endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells are being studied.
• Cellular electrophysiology— My PhD and post-doctoral training was as a patch clamper studying the biophysical properties of ion channels in a variety of cell types.

Research Team /Lab Members:
Fred Lamb, MD, PhD, Critical Care, Pediatrics
Jeff Segar, MD, Neonatology, Pediatrics
Tom Scholz, MD, Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatrics
Robert Roghair, MD, Neonatology, Pediatrics

Affiliations:

• Department of Pediatrics

Model System:

• Mouse model of fetal programming using nutritional deficiency and steroid hormone manipulations
• Sheep model of fetal programming using steroid hormone administration
• Cell culture of vascular cells for proliferation measurements
• Epithelial cell culture on permeable filters for electrophysiological measurements of ion transport

Recent Publications:

1. Volk, K. A., R. F. Husted, et al. (2005). "Overexpression of the epithelial Na+ channel gamma subunit in collecting duct cells: interactions of Liddle's mutations and steroids on expression and function." J Biol Chem 280(18): 18348-54.
2. Itani, O. A., S. D. Auerbach, et al. (2002). "Glucocorticoid-stimulated lung epithelial Na(+) transport is associated with regulated ENaC and sgk1 expression." Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 282(4): L631-41.
3. Volk, K. A., P. M. Snyder, et al. (2001). "Regulation of epithelial sodium channel activity through a region of the carboxyl terminus of the alpha -subunit. Evidence for intracellular kinase-mediated reactions." J Biol Chem 276(47): 43887-93.