Fields of Research
- Intracellular signaling
- Molecular basis of the disease
- Intracellular Ion Channels
Research Summary
Elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which intracellular chloride channels mediate metabolic disorders and associated cardiovascular diseases
Research Statement
Diabetes is a global epidemic affecting around 540 million people worldwide. Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death amongst the diabetic patients. The impaired cardiac contractility observed in diabetic patients is attributed to the aberrant activity of cation channels. Yet, the impact of anion channels on this diabetic complications is understudied. Our lab strives to bridge this gap, by understanding the molecular mechanisms by which intracellular chloride channels present in the mitochondria and their associated membranes determine cardiac structure-function defects in diabetes. We also focus on understanding the mechanistic role of intracellular chloride channels in diabetes. Our lab utilizes cellular and animal models, molecular biology and biochemical approaches, cardiac physiology and electrophysiology to address these questions.
Awards and Honors
Diabetes Research Center New Investigator Award 2024-2025
American Heart Association Career Development Award 2020-2023
American Heart Association Post Doctoral Fellowship 2017-2019
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Fellowship
Devasena Ponnalagu
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington
Graduate Program in Molecular Cell Biology (MCB)
UW Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (UW NORC)
Devasena Ponnalagu
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington
Graduate Program in Molecular Cell Biology (MCB)
UW Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (UW NORC)
Faculty
- Building:
- Health Sciences
- Room:
- K-540B
- Box:
- 357750
- Phone:
- 206-685-5165
- Web Link:
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2731-9778
Lab
- Building:
- Health Sciences
- Room:
- K-560
- Box:
- 357750
- Web Link:
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2731-9778
Devasena Ponnalagu
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington
Graduate Program in Molecular Cell Biology (MCB)
UW Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (UW NORC)
Devasena Ponnalagu
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington
Graduate Program in Molecular Cell Biology (MCB)
UW Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (UW NORC)
Devasena Ponnalagu
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington
Graduate Program in Molecular Cell Biology (MCB)
UW Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (UW NORC)
Select Publications
Ponnalagu D, Hamilton S, Sanghvi S, Antelo D, Schwieterman N, Hansra I, Xu X, Gao E, Edwards JC, Bansal SS, Wold LE, Terentyev D, Janssen PML, Hund TJ, Khan M, Kohut AR, Koch WJ, Singh H. CLIC4 localizes to mitochondrial-associated membranes and mediates cardioprotection. Sci Adv. 2022 Oct 21;8(42):eabo1244. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9586484.
Ponnalagu D*, Hussain AT, Thanawala R, Meka J, Bednarczyk P, Feng Y, Szewczyk A, Gururaja Rao S, Bopassa JC, Khan M, Singh H. 2019. Chloride channel blocker IAA-94 increases myocardial infarction by reducing calcium retention capacity of cardiac mitochondria. Life Sci; 235:116841. *Co-corresponding author. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7664129
Ponnalagu D, Gururaja Rao S, Farber J, Xin W, Hussain AT, Shah K, Tanda S, Berryman M, Edwards JC, and Singh H. 2016. Molecular identity of cardiac mitochondrial chloride intracellular channel proteins. Mitochondrion: 27, 6-14. PubMed PMID: 26777142.
Ponnalagu, D. and A. Karande. 2013. Mapping the apoptosis-inducing domain of an immunomodulatory protein: Glycodelin A. Molecular and cellular biochemistry, 377:131–141. PubMed PMID: 23392770
Publications
Devasena Ponnalagu
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington
Graduate Program in Molecular Cell Biology (MCB)
UW Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (UW NORC)