Harini Bagavant, Ph.D.
Research Associate Member
Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program
Research
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is a systemic autoimmune disease affecting multiple organ systems including the kidney, joints, skin and brain. Renal failure is a major cause of morbidity in Lupus patients. Another autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s syndrome affects the saliva and tear producing glands. A characteristic feature of both these diseases is an immune response to intracellular proteins. I am interested in studying how the immune responses to these self-proteins are initiated; and how this activation of the immune system leads to organ damage.
The immune system is constantly responding to the environment, particularly to microbes present on skin and mucosal surfaces. We are currently investigating whether the microbes in the mouth or the gut can initiate autoimmunity and/or influence the severity of disease. This research into the interactions between the microbiota and the immune system will give us insights into disease mechanisms. It will give us some clues on why some patients develop worse kidney disease in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or worse salivary gland dysfunction in Sjogren’s Syndrome.
Publications
Recent publications
Wolska N, Rybakowska P, Rasmussen A, Brown M, Montgomery C, Klopocki A, Grundahl K, Scofield RH, Radfar L, Stone DU, Anaya JM, Ice JA, Lessard CJ, Lewis DM, Rhodus NL, Gopalakrishnan R, Huang AJ, Hughes PJ, Rohrer MD, Weisman MH, Venuturupalli S, Guthridge JM, James JA, Sivils KL, Bagavant H, Deshmukh US. Brief Report: Patients With Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Who Are Positive for Autoantibodies to Tripartite Motif-Containing Protein 38 Show Greater Disease Severity. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016 Mar;68(3):724-9. doi: 10.1002/art.39497. PubMed PMID: 26636433; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4767665.
Szczerba BM, Kaplonek P, Wolska N, Podsiadlowska A, Rybakowska PD, Dey P, Rasmussen A, Grundahl K, Hefner KS, Stone DU, Young S, Lewis DM, Radfar L, Scofield RH, Sivils KL, Bagavant H, Deshmukh US. Interaction between innate immunity and Ro52-induced antibody causes Sjögren's syndrome-like disorder in mice. Ann Rheum Dis. 2016 Mar;75(3):617-22. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-206297. PubMed PMID: 25906316; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4526450.
Szymula A, Rosenthal J, Szczerba BM, Bagavant H, Fu SM, Deshmukh US. T cell epitope mimicry between Sjögren's syndrome Antigen A (SSA)/Ro60 and oral, gut, skin and vaginal bacteria. Clin Immunol. 2014 May-Jun;152(1-2):1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2014.02.004. PubMed PMID: 24576620; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC4004658.
Selected Publications
Bagavant H, Nandula SR, Kaplonek P, Rybakowska PD, Deshmukh US. Alum, an aluminum-based adjuvant, induces Sjögren's syndrome-like disorder in mice. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2014 Mar-Apr;32(2):251-5. PubMed PMID: 24739520; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3990870.
Nackiewicz D, Dey P, Szczerba B, Mohammad S, Kaplan JL, McNamara CA, Deshmukh US, Bagavant H. Inhibitor of differentiation 3, a transcription factor, regulates hyperlipidemia-associated kidney disease. Nephron Exp Nephrol. 2014;126(3):141-7. doi: 10.1159/000362452. PubMed PMID: 24854879; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4113412.
Scindia Y, Nackiewicz D, Dey P, Szymula A, Bajwa A, Rosin DL, Bolton WK, Okusa MD, Deshmukh U, Bagavant H. Activated CD4+ T cells target mesangial antigens and initiate glomerulonephritis. Nephron Exp Nephrol. 2012;121(1-2):e1-9. doi:10.1159/000342368. PubMed PMID: 23095207; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3606022.
Bagavant H, Scindia Y, Nackiewicz D, Nandula SR, Doran A, Cutchins A, Oldham S, Deshmukh U, McNamara C. Deficiency of a transcriptional regulator, inhibitor of differentiation 3, induces glomerulonephritis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice: a model linking hyperlipidemia and renal disease. Am J Pathol. 2011 Aug;179(2):651-60. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2011.04.029. PubMed PMID: 21801865; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3157169.
Contact
Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program, MS 24
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
825 N.E. 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Phone: (405) 271-2439
E-mail: Harini-Bagavant@omrf.org
