F. Gary Toback, M.D., Ph.D.

Primary:

Professor, Nephrology Section, Medicine

Secondary:

Committee on Cellular and Molecular Physiology
Committee on Cancer Biology

Education:
Degree Year Institution Area
AB
   1963
   Columbia University (cum laude)    Biochemistry
MD
1967
New York University

Medicine
Residency
1969
Case Western Reserve University
Internal Medicine
Fellowship
1973
Boston University
Biochemistry
PhD
   1974
   Boston University
  Biochemistry
Fellowship
1974
Harvard Medical School
Nephrology


Phone: (773) 702-1476
E-Mail: gtoback@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Address: AMB S507 (MC 5100)
Web page:
 http://med-www02.bsd.uchicago.edu/faculty_internet/faculty_profile.asp?empl_id=365

Research Summary

Mechanisms by which novel autocrine renal and gastric epithelial cell growth factors mediate wound healing

Work in this laboratory is focused on identifying, purifying and characterizing autocrine growth factors that mediate wound healing after epithelial injury as occurs in acute renal failure and gastric ulcers.  A novel kidney cell growth factor released by scrape-wounded monkey renal epithelial cell cultures has been purified, and a synthetic peptide derived from its amino acid sequence has been used to speed recovery following toxic and ischemic acute renal failure in rats.  In addition, a previously undescribed protein, specifically expressed in secretory mucous granules of human, murine and porcine gastric antrum surface cells has been cloned and expressed.  Experimentally, it has potent cytoprotective, wound healing, and mitogenic properties that appear to be epithelial specific and receptor-mediated.  Studies now under way suggest that this novel gastric cell growth factor exerts its cytoprotective effect by stimulating tyrosine kinase activity, prolonging expression of heat shock proteins 25 and 70, and stabilizing the tight junctional proteins occludin and ZO-1 following oxidant injury.

Selected Publications

Toback, F.G.  Regeneration after acute tubular necrosis. Kidney International, 41:226-246, 1992.

Pawar, S., S. Kartha and F.G. Toback.  Differential gene expression in migrating renal epithelial cells after wounding.  Journal of Cellular Physiology, 165:556-565, 1995.

Wagener, O.E., J.C. Lieske and F.G. Toback.  Molecular and cell biology of acute renal failure: new therapeutic strategies. New Horizons, 3, 634-649, 1995.

Nigam, S.K., W. Lieberthal, M.R. Hammerman, R. Safirstein, R.C. Harris, F.G. Toback and Humes, H.D.  Acute renal failure III.  The role of growth factors in the process of renal regeneration and repair. American Journal of Physiology: Renal Physiology, 279:F3-F11, 2000.

Martin, T.E., M.M. Walsh-Reitz, S. Bhattacharyya, K.L. Agarwal and F.G. Toback.  The mitogenic activity of AMP-18, a novel gastric antrum mucosal protein, and some specific peptide domains on epithelial cells in culture.  (submitted).  

Updated 12/16/02.