Department of Medicine
Faculty Profiles by Division

Department of Medicine

Faculty Profiles
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photo Alison B Kohan, PhD

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Associate Professor of Medicine

Email: akohan@pitt.edu

Phone: 412-383-2546
Contact
Office: W1056 Biomedical Science Tower
200 Lothrop Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
 
Phone: 412-383-2546
Fax: 412-648-3290
E-mail: akohan@pitt.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Emily Welsh
Address: W1026 Biomedical Science Tower
200 Lothrop Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Email: ejw74@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-648-9770
Fax: 412-648-3290
Education and Training
Education
BS, University of Arizona, 2000
MA, West Virginia University, 2003
PhD, West Virginia University, 2009
Training
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Cincinnati, 2013
Research Interest
Dr. Kohan is an expert in the field of intestinal lipoproteins and their metabolism, and the interaction between chylomicron metabolism and inflammation. The consequences of dysfunction in these physiological processes are inflammatory bowel disease and altered whole-body lipid metabolism. Dr. Kohan has made major contributions to understanding the role of chylomicron synthesis and secretion to metabolic and inflammatory disease. She has shown that apolipoprotein C-III, a significant cardiovascular risk factor, plays a critical role in regulating enterocyte cellular metabolism and chylomicron secretion.Dr. Kohan also discovered that the apoC-III content of chylomicrons has a significant role in regulating CD4+T cells and Foxp3+Treg metabolism. Dr. Kohan has also pioneered the primary murine organoid model to study lipoprotein synthesis and secretion by enterocytes. Dr. Kohan’s long-term research goal is to identify and understand mechanisms of intestinal lipoprotein formation, intestinal lipoprotein regulation of immune cells during disease, and to determine how this intestinal lipoprotein/immune system interaction contributes to cardio-metabolic disease progression. Her specific academic mission is to identify and develop clinical treatments based on these findings.
Publications
Selected Publications:
Schlotter, F., de Freitas, R.C.C., Rogers, M.A., Blaser, M.C., Wu, P.J., Higashi, H., Halu, A., Iqbal, F., Andraski, A.B., Rodia, C.N., Kuraoka, S., Wen, J.R., Creager, M., Pham, T., Hutcheson, J.D., Body, S.C., Kohan, A.B., Sacks, F.M., Aikawa, M., Singh, S.A., Aikawa, E. ApoC-III is a novel inducer of calcification in human aortic valves. J Biol Chem. 2020; 296: 100193.
Li, D., Rodia, C. N., Johnson, Z. K., Bae, M., Muter, A., Heussinger, A. E., Tambini, N., Longo, A. M., Dong, H., Lee, J. Y., Kohan, A. B. Intestinal basolateral lipid substrate transport is linked to chylomicron secretion and is regulated by apoC-III. J Lipid Res. 2019; 60(9): 1503-1515.
Botteri, G., Montori, M., Gumà, A., Pizarro, J., Cedó, L., Escolà-Gil, J. C., Li, D., Barroso, E., Palomer, X., Kohan, A. B., Vázquez-Carrera, M. VLDL and apolipoprotein CIII induce ER stress and inflammation and attenuate insulin signalling via Toll-like receptor 2 in mouse skeletal muscle cells. Diabetologia. 2017; 60(11): 2262-2273.
West. G., Rodia, C., Li, D., Johnson, Z., Dong, H., Kohan, A. B. Key differences between apoC-III regulation and expression in intestine and liver. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2017; 491(3): 747-753.
Jattan, J., Rodia, C., Li, D., Diakhate, A., Dong, H., Bataille, A., Shroyer, N. F., Kohan, A. B. Using primary murine intestinal enteroids to study dietary TAG absorption, lipoprotein synthesis, and the role of apoC-III in the intestine. J Lipid Res. 2017; 58(5): 853-865.
Kohan, A. B., Yang, Q., Xu, M., Lee, D., Tso, P. Monosodium glutamate inhibits the lymphatic transport of lipids in the rat. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2016; 311(4): G648-G654.
Kohan, A. B. Apolipoprotein C-III: a potent modulator of hypertriglyceridemia and cardiovascular disease. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2015; 22(2): 119-25.
Kohan, A. B., Wang, F., Lo, C. M., Liu, M., Tso, P. ApoA-IV: current and emerging roles in intestinal lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and satiety. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2015; 308(6): G472-81.
Wang, F., Kohan, A. B., Dong, H. H., Yang, Q., Xu, M., Huesman, S., Lou, D., Hui, D. Y., Tso, P. Overexpression of apolipoprotein C-III decreases secretion of dietary triglyceride into lymph. Physiol Rep. 2014; 2(3): e00247.
Kohan, A. B., Howles, P. N., Tso, P. Methods for studying rodent intestinal lipoprotein production and metabolism. Curr Protoc Mouse Biol. 2012; 2: 219-230.
Sponsored Research/Activities
Title: DETERMINING THE ROLE OF apoC-III IN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, & Kidney Disease
Grant Number: R01 DK118239
Start Year: 2020
End Year: 2024
Notable Achievements
Finalist for the 2019 ATVB Irving Page Award, 2019
Outstanding Mentor, McNair Scholars Program at the University of Connecticut, 2017

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

Department of Medicine
1218 Scaife Hall
3550 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Email:  chairoff@pitt.edu
Phone:  412-648-9636
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