Department of Internal Medicine
Nephrology Faculty
Medical School:
University of Madras at Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
Residency:
District General Hospital, Sunderland, UK
Royal Hallamshire and Northern General Hospitals, University of Sheffield, UK
Fellowship:
Case Western Reserve University
Christie P. Thomas, M.D.
Professor
The research in Dr. Thomas' lab is focused on the regulation of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel. This channel mediates aldosterone responsive sodium reabsorption in the collecting ducts and is mutated in certain forms of genetic hypertension and in salt-wasting syndromes. Dr. Thomas has defined the molecular structure of the human channel subunit genes. He is evaluating the mechanisms that regulate expression of these genes and sgk1 and Nedd4-2, two proteins that control the activity of the epithelial sodium channel. Understanding regulatory mechanisms involved in sodium transport pathways should provide new approaches in the diagnosis and therapy of patients with hypertension. Dr. Thomas also has a research interest in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, a uniquely human disorder of pregnancy characterized by proteinuria and hypertension. He is investigating the biogenesis and the function of soluble Flt1, a circulating inhibitor of angiogenesis that has been implicated in the development of preeclampsia. His work is supported by the NIH and the VA. He is a faculty member in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program.
Dr. Thomas' clinical interests are in renal transplantation and in genetic disorders of the kidney. He is the medical director of the Kidney and Kidney Pancreas Transplant Program at the University of Iowa Organ Transplant Center and at the VA Medical Center. He is also the director of the Iowa Medical Student Research Program and the Associate Director of the Iowa Doris Duke Clinical Scholars Program.
Links of Interest
- Community of Science Profile
- Medical Student Research Program
- Iowa City Free Medical Clinic
- Physicians for Social Responsibility
- Physicians for a National Health Program
Honors, Awards, and Organizations
- Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine & Subspecialty Board in Nephrology
- American College of Physicians, Fellow
- American Heart Association, Fellow
- American Society of Nephrology, Fellow
- Royal College of Physicians, UK, Fellow
- Established Investigator, American Heart Association, 2000-2004
- Career Investigator, American Lung Association, 2000-2003
- Board of Directors, Iowa Donor Network
- Member, UNOS Living Donor Committee
- Editorial Board, Kidney International
- Editorial Board, American Journal of Physiology
- Volunteer, Iowa City Free Medical Clinic
Recent Publications
- T homas, C.P., Liu, K.Z. and Vats, H.S. Medroxyprogesterone acetate binds the glucocorticoid receptor to stimulate a ENaC and sgk1 expression in collecting duct epithelia. Am J Physiol:Renal Physiol 290: F306-F312, 2006.
- Nair, R., Katz, D.A. and Thomas, C.P. Diffuse glomerular crescents and peritubular deposits in a transplant kidney. Am J Kid Dis 48:174-178, 2006.
- Thomas, C.P., Andrews J.A., Liu, K.Z. Intronic polyadenylation signal sequences and alternate splicing generate human soluble Flt1 transcript variants and regulate the abundance of soluble Flt1 in the placenta. FASEB J. 21: 3885-3895, 2007.
- Shanmugham, I., Cheng, G., Terranova, P.F., Thrasher, J.B., Thomas, C.P. and Li, B. Serum/glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase-1 facilitates androgen receptor-dependent cell survival. Cell Death and Differentiation 14: 2085-94, 2007.
- Thomas, C.P., Erlandson, J.C., Edghill, E.L., Hattersley, A.T. and Stolpen, A. A genetic syndrome of chronic renal failure with multiple renal cysts and early onset diabetes. Kidney International, 74: 1094-1099, 2008.
- Raikwar, N.S. and Thomas, C.P. Nedd4-2 isoforms ubiquitinate individual epithelial sodium channel subunits and reduce surface expression and function of the epithelial sodium channel. AM J Physiol: Renal Physiol 294: F1157-65, 2008. PMC2424110.
- Raikwar, N.S., Snyder, P.M and Thomas, C.P. An evolutionarily conserved N-terminal Sgk1 variant with enhanced stability and improved function. Am J Physiol:Renal Physiol 295: F1440-8, 2008. PMC2653283.
- Chan, M.R., Thomas, C.P., Smith, R.J, .H, Torrealba, J., Samaniego, M. Recurrent atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome associated with Factor I mutation in a living related renal transplant recipient. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 53: 321-326, 2009.
- Thomas, C.P., Andrews J.A., Raikwar, N.S., Kelley, E.A., Herse, F., Dechend, R., Golos, T.G. and Liu, K.Z. A recently evolved novel trophoblast-enriched sFlt1 variant is upregulated in hypoxia and in preeclampsia. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 94: 2252-2254, 2009. PMC 2708964.
- Agrawal, N.,Nair, R., McChesney, L.P., Tuteja, S., Suneja, M. and Thomas, C.P. Unrecognized acute phosphate nephropathy in a kidney donor with consequent poor allograft outcome. American Journal of Transplantation 9: 1-5, 2009.