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Principal Investigator

THEILIG Franziska

Associate Professor of Anatomy

Questions addressed

Our group is interested on the mechanisms of volume retention with a focus on proteinuric diseases, on proximal tubular functions and endocytosis as well as signaling events occurring within epithelial cells.
We are using in vivo and in vitro models to address the following questions:
► Volume retention in proteinuric diseases
What occurs in the urine of proteinuric patient that activates the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)? What kind of hormone might be responsible? Is there an unidentified protease which could cleave ENaC and therefore activate it?
► Endocytosis
What kind of role plays calcium within the endocytotic process?
► Epithelial expression of gap junction channels
What are the main functions of connexins within the tubular epithelium? Do they form gap junction channels between cells or hemichannels on the apical or basolateral membrane? Does the expression of connexins have an impact on tubular transport mechanisms?
► Progression of chronic kidney disease
How is a primary glomerular disease transmitted onto the tubulointerstitium? What kind of role plays the hypoxia within the disease progression? What are the mechanisms for epithelial degeneration?