Professor and Chair
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
200 Westboro Road
North Grafton, MA 01536
Phone: 508-839-8788
Email: Sawkat.Anwer@tufts.edu

Research Interests:

Dr. Anwer's research objective has been to more clearly define cellular mechanisms involved in hepatic solute transport and bile formation. Solute transport from blood to bile is an important function of the liver, with accumulation of (otherwise excreted) endogenous and exogenous solutes in blood being a common feature of cholestasis. The major focus of his current research is to define the role of phosphoinositide-3-OH kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (PKB), mitogen activate protein kinase (MAPK) and protein phosphatases (PP2A and PP2B) in hepatic bile acid transport from blood to bile and apoptosis. Sinusoidal Na+/taurocholate (TC) cotransport is mediated via Na+/TC cotransport peptide (ntcp), and canalicular ATP-dependent bile acid transport is mediated via a sister P-glycoprotein (spgp). Hypotheses being tested are: 1) The short term regulation of Na+/TC cotransport by cAMP involves translocation of ntcp to the sinusoidal membrane; the translocation requires PI3K/PKB activity, involves vesicular transport and is facilitated by dephosphorylation, a process stimulated by PP2A and PP2B, and inhibited by MAPK, and 2) PI3K and MAPK stimulate canalicular ATP-dependent bile acid transport by translocating spgp to the canalicular membrane. Studies are conducted in isolated perfused rat livers, rat hepatocytes and plasma membrane vesicles, Huh7 cells stably transfected with Ntcp and in Cos cells.

Recent Publications:

Cullen KA, McCool J, Anwer MS, Webster CRL. Activation of cAMP-guanine exchange factor confers PKA-independent protection from hepatocyte apoptosis. Am J of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology 287:G334-343, 2004.

McConkey M, Gillin H, Webster CRL, Anwer MS. Cross-talk between protein kinases C zeta and B in cyclic AMP-mediated sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide translocation in hepatocytes. J Biol Chem 279: 20882-20888 2004.

Webster CRL, Srinivasulu U, Ananthanarayanan M, Suchy FJ, Anwer MS. Protein kinase B/Akt mediates cAMP- and cell swelling-stimulated Na+/taurocholate cotransport and Ntcp translocation. J Biol Chem 277:28578-28583, 2004.

Webster CRL, Blanch C, Anwer MS. Role of PP2B in cAMP-induced dephosphorylation and translocation of NTCP. Hepatology Am J of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology 281:G44-50, 2002.