Dr. Wang's graduate research at Georgia State University featured rabbit proximal tubule perfusion to examine the toxicity of cadmium and methylmercury in proximal tubules. She used that early experience in her postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Jeff Sands, who is an established expert in translational approaches to renal physiology at Emory University School of Medicine.
During her postdoctoral training, she perfected her ability to microdissect and perfuse individual inner medullary collecting ducts (IMCDs) from various rodent models. Using the perfused tubule technique she has investigated three areas of urea transporter regulation. Her first project attempted to explain why protein kinase A stimulation only accounted for part of the total UT-A1 response to increased cAMP. The second major area she investigated was the regulation of UT-A1 transporter activity by protein kinase C (PKC), the subject of her AHA postdoctoral research award.
After she became an instructor of medicine at Emory, she improved her perfusion skills in order to measure osmotic water permeability. Her recent research investigates the regulation of both UT-A1 and AQP2 by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). These studies suggested alternate regulatory routes that are independent of PKA and led to her consideration of the role of the vasoactive hormone adrenomedullin in the regulation of urea transporter and water channel activities. In her investigations of urine concentrating transporters she has established collaborations with scientists outside of Emory and have published several manuscripts on the subject.
Contact Information
Yanhua Wang, PhD
Woodruff Memorial Building (WMB), Room 338F
1639 Pierce Drive, NE
Atlanta, GA 30322