Nanduri R. Prabhakar, Ph.D.

Dr. Prabhakar is a leading authority in the field of O2 sensing and physiological consequences of chronic hypoxia. Substantial population of adult humans and nearly 50% of premature infants experience chronic intermittent hypoxia as a consequence of sleep-disordered breathing manifested as recurrent apneas. People with recurrent apneas develop serious morbidities including hypertension, ventilatory abnormalities, myocardial infarctions, metabolic syndrome and even stroke. Using rodent and cell culture models of intermittent hypoxia, Dr. Prabhakar’s lab identified novel signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms underlying the morbidity associated with chronic intermittent hypoxia.

Kline, D.D., Peng, Y.J., Manalo, D.J., Semenza, G.L., and Prabhakar, N.R. Impaired ventilatory responses to chronic hypoxia and defective carotid body function in mice partially deficient for HIF-1ï¡. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 99:2, 821-826, 2002.

Peng, Y.J., Overholt, J.L., Kline, D., Kumar, G.K. and Prabhakar, N.R. Induction of sensory long-term facilitation in the carotid body by intermittent hypoxia: implications for recurrent apneas. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., Aug 19;100(17):10073-8, 2003.

Yuan, G., Nanduri, J, Bhaskar, R.C. Semenza, G.L, and N.R. Prabhakar. Ca2+/calmodulin kinase-dependent activation of HIF-1 in cells subjected to intermittent hypoxia. J. Biol. Chem., 280:4321-8, 2005.

Peng, Y.J., Yuan, G., Ramakrishnan, D., Sharma, S.D., Bosch-Marce, M., Kumar, G.K., Semenza, G.L. and Prabhakar N.R. Heterozygous HIF-1 deficiency impairs carotid body-mediated cardio-respiratory responses and ROS generation in mice exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia. J. Physiol., Sep 14, 2006; [Epub ahead of print].

Prabhakar, N.R., Dick, T.E., Nanduri, J. and Kumar, G.K. Systemic, cellular and molecular analysis of chemoreflex-mediated sympathoexcitation by chronic intermittent hypoxia. Exp Physiol., Jan;92(1):39-44, 2007. Epub 2006 Nov 23.