Environmental Health Sciences Research Center

EHSRC Investigator Detail

COEC

Joseph Zabner, M.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine - Pulmonary
Email: joseph-zabner@uiowa.edu
Phone: (319) 335 8459
Lab Web Site:
EHSRC Role(s):	Member, Inflammation and Innate Immunity Research Cluster

Dr. Zabner has significant experience at basic CF research, clinical CF research, and the care of patients with lung disease, including CF. Several aspects of his research would be best classified as translational research. His basic research focuses in two areas, gene transfer to airway epithelia, including the basic mechanisms and development of new approaches to gene transfer, and investigation of the pathogenesis of CF airway disease, including mechanisms of electrolyte transport and bacterial killing. The main goal of his current gene therapy efforts include work is to improve efficiency of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to the airways. Dr. Zabner's laboratory is also involved in delineating mechanisms of altered NaCl concentration in the airway surface fluid (ASF) of CF as compared to non-CF epithelia. To address these questions, he uses primary cultures of normal and CF airway epithelia to measure ion concentrations of ASF. Three different methods including ion-selective electrodes, measurement of ASF in which the capillary pressure of the cilia is replaced by osmotic pressure from a non-absorbed osmolyte, and radioactive tracers studied at equilibrium, are used to address these issues. The results of these studied are central to understanding how the lack of CFTR Cl- channels causes CF lung disease.

Recent Publications

Vermeer PD, McHugh J, Rokhlina T, Vermeer DW, Zabner J, Welsh MJ. Vaccinia Virus Entry, Exit, and Interaction with Differentiated Human Airway Epithelia. J Virol. 2007 Jun 20; [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 17581984 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Excoffon KJ, Gansemer N, Traver G, Zabner J. Functional effects of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor glycosylation on homophilic adhesion and adenoviral infection. J Virol. 2007 Jun;81(11):5573-8. Epub 2007 Mar 21.
Stoltz DA, Ozer EA, Ng CJ, Yu JM, Reddy ST, Lusis AJ, Bourquard N, Parsek MR, Zabner J, Shih DM. Paraoxonase-2 deficiency enhances Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing in murine tracheal epithelia. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2007 Apr;292(4):L852-60. Epub 2006 Nov 22.
Gelbman BD, Heguy A, O'Connor TP, Zabner J, Crystal RG. Upregulation of pirin expression by chronic cigarette smoking is associated with bronchial epithelial cell apoptosis. Respir Res. 2007 Feb 8;8:10.
Moskwa P, Lorentzen D, Excoffon KJ, Zabner J, McCray PB Jr, Nauseef WM, Dupuy C, Banfi B. A novel host defense system of airways is defective in cystic fibrosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007 Jan 15;175(2):174-83. Epub 2006 Nov 2.
Durairaj L, Launspach J, Watt JL, Mohamad Z, Kline J, Zabner J. Safety assessment of inhaled xylitol in subjects with cystic fibrosis. J Cyst Fibros. 2007 Jan;6(1):31-4. Epub 2006 Jun 15.
Vermeer PD, Panko L, Karp P, Lee JH, Zabner J. Differentiation of human airway epithelia is dependent on erbB2. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2006 Aug;291(2):L175-80. Epub 2006 Feb 17.
Excoffon KJ, Avenarius MR, Hansen MR, Kimberling WJ, Najmabadi H, Smith RJ, Zabner J. The Coxsackievirus and Adenovirus Receptor: a new adhesion protein in cochlear development. Hear Res. 2006 May;215(1-2):1-9. Epub 2006 May 6.
Durairaj L, Neelakantan S, Launspach J, Watt JL, Allaman MM, Kearney WR, Veng-Pedersen P, Zabner J. Bronchoscopic assessment of airway retention time of aerosolized xylitol. Respir Res. 2006 Feb 16;7:27.
Keriel A, Rene C, Galer C, Zabner J, Kremer EJ. Canine adenovirus vectors for lung-directed gene transfer: efficacy, immune response, and duration of transgene expression using helper-dependent vectors. J Virol. 2006 Feb;80(3):1487-96.
Vermeer PD, Panko L, Welsh MJ, Zabner J. erbB1 functions as a sensor of airway epithelial integrity by regulation of protein phosphatase 2A activity. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jan 20;281(3):1725-30. Epub 2005 Nov 17.
Seiler MP, Miller AD, Zabner J, Halbert CL. Adeno-associated virus types 5 and 6 use distinct receptors for cell entry. Hum Gene Ther. 2006 Jan;17(1):10-9.