Sathish Srinivasan, Ph.D.

The heart pumps blood, which carries oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body. Plasma is released from blood vessels to nourish the tissues. The lymphatic system functions to return this tissue fluid to blood circulation. A condition called lymphedema results when the lymphatic vasculature is damaged. Accumulating fluids cause swelling in the tissues that can lead to infections, inflammation and pain. Surgical damage to lymphatic vessels causes lymphedema in millions of people every year. Currently, only conservative treatments like massage and compression bandages are available. In my lab, we are studying the genes and signaling pathways responsible for the development and growth of the lymphatic vasculature.

We also focus on the role of the valves that regulate fluid flow within the vascular system. Valves are present within lymphatic vessels, veins and in the heart. A range of diseases such as spider veins, varicose veins, lymphedema and cardiac valve defects occur if the valves are not formed correctly or if they are damaged by injury or disease. By studying the genes responsible for the formation or functioning of valves, we can develop better strategies to repair these problems.

My goals are to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating lymphatic and valvular endothelial cell development and maintenance.

The mammalian lymphatic vasculature is important for returning the extravasated plasma fluids in tissue space back to blood circulation, absorption of digested lipids from the intestine and in immune surveillance. Lymphedema is a disfiguring and mobility restricting disease that results due to the abnormal functioning of the lymphatic vasculature. Lymphedema is a common disorder that results either due to mutations in genes that regulate lymphatic vascular development or more often due to infection or surgical damage to the lymphatic vessels. Lymphatic vasculature is also considered as a major route for tumor metastasis especially melanoma and breast cancer. Despite its importance, diagnosis of lymphatic disorders and the identification of new targets to treat those ailments are limited.

Valves regulate the unidirectional flow of fluids (blood or lymph) in the mammalian vascular system. Valves are present in the heart, veins and the lymphatic vessels and are crucial for the normal physiology of the cardiovascular system. In addition, there is also a unique type of valve known as the lymphovenous valve that regulates the return of lymph fluid including all of the digested lipids (approximately 2 liters per day in an average human being) back to venous circulation.

Congenital cardiac valve defects are common causes for childhood mortality and morbidity. Calcification of cardiac valves occurs in approximately 10% of people who are at least 65 years old. This leads to valvular stenosis that could result in atherosclerosis, pulmonary edema, thromboembolism, cardiac hypertrophy and sudden cardiac death. A high-fat diet is known to aggravate this disease. Infection and non-infection (cancer) related endocarditis also damages cardiac valves.

In the aging population a range of venous valve defects such as spider veins, varicose veins and venous insufficiency are common. Incompetent venous valves results in ineffective blood flow causing pooling of blood and thrombosis. This result in embolism, problems in wound healing and tissue necrosis. In severe cases this leads to the stroke or amputation of the limbs.

Defects in formation or functioning of lymphatic valves cause lymphedema. Lymphectomy performed during breast cancer treatment frequently damages both lymphatic vessels and valves resulting in lymphedema.

No information is currently available regarding lymphovenous valves in human disease although using mouse models, I have recently demonstrated that defects in these valves could lead to lymphedema and chylothorax (Srinivasan and Oliver 2011). I believe that similar to the other cardiovascular valves they are likely to undergo aging related degeneration.

Despite their importance our understanding of valves during normal development and in disease is limited. With increase in the median age of the general population and with improving treatment options for cancer we have an urgent need to better understand the biology of valves and develop treatment methodologies to treat valve disorders beyond conventional synthetic replacement valves that are associated with significant mortality and morbidity.

Despite their differences, the development of both lymphatic and valvular endothelial cells is regulated by a common set of transcription factors and signaling molecules. Our goal is to understand these molecular mechanisms and translate this knowledge into effective treatments.

Education
B.Tech., Anna University, Chennai, India, 1999
Ph.D., Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, 2003

Honors and Awards
2003 Morris F. Shaffer and Margret H.D. Smith-Shaffer Award for Excellence in Research, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
2003 Keystone Symposia Scholarship, Keystone Symposium on Molecular Targets for Cancer Therapy, Banff, Canada
2005 Award for Best Scientific Talk, Vanderbilt University retreat on developmental biology, Paris Landing State Park, TN
2006 Outstanding Poster Award, Developmental vascular biology workshop II, North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVB), Asilomar, CA
2008 Travel Award, Developmental vascular biology workshop III, North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVB), Asilomar, CA
2010 Travel Award, Developmental vascular biology workshop IV, North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVB), Asilomar, CA

Membership
North American Vascular Biology Organization

Joined OMRF Scientific Staff in 2013

Recent Publications

Cha B, Srinivasan RS. Mechanosensitive β-catenin signaling regulates lymphatic vascular development. BMB Rep. 2016 Jul 7. pii: 3609. [Epub ahead of print] [Abstract] PMID: 27418286

Cha B, Geng X, Mahamud MR, Fu J, Mukherjee A, Kim Y, Jho EH, Kim TH, Kahn ML, Xia L, Dixon JB, Chen H, Srinivasan RS. Mechanotransduction activates canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling to promote lymphatic vascular patterning and the development of lymphatic and lymphovenous valves. Genes Dev. 2016 Jun 16. [Epub ahead of print] [Abstract] PMID: 27313318

Crosswhite PL, Podsiadlowska JJ, Curtis CD, Gao S, Xia L, Srinivasan RS, Griffin CT. CHD4-regulated plasmin activation impacts lymphovenous hemostasis and hepatic vascular integrity. J Clin Invest. 2016 Jun 1;126(6):2254-66.  [Abstract] PMCID: PMC4887170

Selected Publications

*Dong Y, Wu H, Rahman HN, Liu Y, Pasula S, Tessneer KL, Cai X, Liu X, Chang B, McManus J, Hahn S, Dong J, Brophy ML, Yu L, Song K, Silasi-Mansat R, Saunders D, Njoku C, Song H, Mehta-D’Souza P, Towner R, Lupu F, McEver RP, Xia L, Boerboom D, Srinivasan RS, Chen H. Motif mimetic of epsin perturbs tumor growth and metastasis. J Clin Invest. 2016 Mar 21. pii: 87344. [Abstract] [Epub ahead of print]  PMID: 26999611

Munger SJ, Geng X, Srinivasan RS, Witte MH, Paul DL, Simon AM. Segregated Foxc2, NFATc1 and Connexin expression at normal developing venous valves, and connexin-specific differences in the valve phenotypes of Cx37, Cx43, and Cx47 knockout mice. Dev Biol. 2016 Mar 4. pii: S0012-1606(15)30258-X. [Abstract] [Epub ahead of print]

Rahman HA, Wu H, Dong Y, Pasula S, Wen A, Sun Y, Brophy ML, Tessneer KL, Cai X, McManus J, Chang B, Kwak S, Rahman NS, Xu W, Fernandes C, Mcdaniel JM, Xia L, Smith L, Srinivasan RS, Chen H. Selective Targeting of a Novel Epsin-VEGFR2 Interaction Promotes VEGF-Mediated Angiogenesis. Circ Res. 2016 Feb 15. pii: CIRCRESAHA.115.307679. [Epub ahead of print] [Abstract]

Geng X, Cha B, Mahamud MR, Lim KC, Silasi-Mansat R, Uddin MK, Miura N, Xia L, Simon AM, Engel JD, Chen H, Lupu F, Srinivasan RS. Multiple mouse models of primary lymphedema exhibit distinct defects in lymphovenous valve development. Dev Biol. 2016 Jan 1;409(1):218-33. Epub 2015 Nov 2.  [Abstract] PMCID: PMC4688075

* Liu X, Pasula S, Song H, Tessneer KL, Dong Y, Hahn S, Yago T, Brophy ML, Chang B, Cai X, Wu H, McManus J, Ichise H, Georgescu C, Wren JD, Griffin C, Xia L, Srinivasan RS, Chen H. Temporal and spatial regulation of epsin abundance and VEGFR3 signaling are required for lymphatic valve formation and function. Sci Signal 7:ra97, 2014. [Abstract]

Yang Y, Garcia-Verdugo JM, Soriano-Navarro M, Srinivasan RS, Scallan JP, Singh MK, Epstein JA, Oliver G. Lymphatic endothelial progenitors bud from the cardinal vein and intersomitic vessels in mammalian embryos. Blood 120:2340-2348, 2012. [Abstract]

View all publications in PubMed

Cardiovascular Biology Research Program, MS 45
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
825 N.E. 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

Phone: (405) 271-3550
Fax: (405) 271-3137
E-mail: sathish-srinivasan@omrf.org

Xin Geng, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist

Tijs Louwies, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Boksik Cha, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Anna Nawrocka
Research Trainee (Polish Student Exchange Program)

Lijuan Chen
Research Assistant

Riaj Mahamud
Graduate Student

Anita James
Administrative Assistant III