Romy Kursawe, Ph.D.

Research Assistant IV

Try to understand how genetic variation in non-coding, regulatory DNA sequences alter islet gene expression to contribute to islet dysfunction and type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Visit The Stitzel Lab

After working at Yale for seven years studying type 2 diabetes in obese adolescents, I came to JAX in 2014 to join the Stitzel lab. Using a broad spectrum of genetic and epigenetic techniques (e.g., ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, ChIA-PET, ATAC-seq) to study the epigenome of human islets and rodent beta-cell lines we are able to identify “stretch”enhancers involved in type 2 diabetes. By breaking them using CRISPR-Cas9 we will investigate altered gene expression and insulin signaling to understand their function.

Selected Publications

40 Van Name M, Giannini C, Santoro N, Jastreboff AM, Kubat J, Li F, Kursawe R, Savoye M, Duran E, Dziura J, Sinha R, Sherwin RS, Cline G, Caprio S. Blunted suppression of acyl-ghrelin in response to fructose ingestion in obese adolescents: the role of insulin resistance. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015 Mar; 23(3):653-61
54 Perry RJ, Camporez JG, Kursawe R, Titchenell PM, Zhang D, Perry CJ, Jurczak MJ, Abudukadier A, Han MS, Zhang XM, Ruan HB, Yang X, Caprio S, Kaech SM, Sul HS, Birnbaum MJ, Davis RJ, Cline GW, Petersen KF, Shulman GI. Hepatic acetyl CoA links adipose tissue inflammation to hepatic insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Cell. 2015 Feb 12; 160(4):745-758
32 Savoye M, Caprio S, Dziura J, Camp A, Germain G, Summers C, Li F, Shaw M, Nowicka P, Kursawe R, Depourcq F, Kim G, Tamborlane WV. Reversal of early abnormalities in glucose metabolism in obese youth: results of an intensive lifestyle randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 2014 Feb; 37(2):317-24
9 Santoro N, Caprio S, Giannini C, Kim G, Kursawe R, Pierpont B, Shaw MM, Feldstein AE. Oxidized fatty acids: A potential pathogenic link between fatty liver and type 2 diabetes in obese adolescents?. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2014 Jan 10; 20(2):383-9
0 Kursawe R, Santoro N. Metabolic syndrome in pediatrics. Adv Clin Chem. 2014; 65:91-142
35 Giannini C, Feldstein AE, Santoro N, Kim G, Kursawe R, Pierpont B, Caprio S. Circulating levels of FGF-21 in obese youth: associations with liver fat content and markers of liver damage. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Jul; 98(7):2993-3000
46 Kumashiro N, Yoshimura T, Cantley JL, Majumdar SK, Guebre-Egziabher F, Kursawe R, Vatner DF, Fat I, Kahn M, Erion DM, Zhang XM, Zhang D, Manchem VP, Bhanot S, Gerhard GS, Petersen KF, Cline GW, Samuel VT, Shulman GI. Role of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 on lipid-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in rats. Hepatology. 2013 May; 57(5):1763-72
39 Santoro N, Feldstein AE, Enoksson E, Pierpont B, Kursawe R, Kim G, Caprio S. The association between hepatic fat content and liver injury in obese children and adolescents: effects of ethnicity, insulin resistance, and common gene variants. Diabetes Care. 2013 May; 36(5):1353-60
42 Kursawe R, Caprio S, Giannini C, Narayan D, Lin A, D'Adamo E, Shaw M, Pierpont B, Cushman SW, Shulman GI. Decreased transcription of ChREBP-α/β isoforms in abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue of obese adolescents with prediabetes or early type 2 diabetes: associations with insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Diabetes. 2013 Mar; 62(3):837-44
29 Kim G, Giannini C, Pierpont B, Feldstein AE, Santoro N, Kursawe R, Shaw M, Duran E, Goldberg R, Dziura J, Caprio S. Longitudinal effects of MRI-measured hepatic steatosis on biomarkers of glucose homeostasis and hepatic apoptosis in obese youth. Diabetes Care. 2013 Jan; 36(1):130-6
34 Santoro N, Zhang CK, Zhao H, Pakstis AJ, Kim G, Kursawe R, Dykas DJ, Bale AE, Giannini C, Pierpont B, Shaw MM, Groop L, Caprio S. Variant in the glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) gene is associated with fatty liver in obese children and adolescents. Hepatology. 2012 Mar; 55(3):781-9
50 Gillum MP, Kotas ME, Erion DM, Kursawe R, Chatterjee P, Nead KT, Muise ES, Hsiao JJ, Frederick DW, Yonemitsu S, Banks AS, Qiang L, Bhanot S, Olefsky JM, Sears DD, Caprio S, Shulman GI. SirT1 regulates adipose tissue inflammation. Diabetes. 2011 Dec; 60(12):3235-45

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Romy Kursawe, Ph.D.

Research Assistant IV

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Selected Publications