Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Dr. Prashant Nighot's research has been focused on intestinal mucosal homeostasis in health and disease. The lab is interested especially in the role of defective intestinal tight junction (TJ) barrier in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. TJ barrier defects allows penetration of luminal antigens leading to excessive immune and inflammatory response.
Recent work has focused on the role of autophagy in TJ barrier regulation. Autophagy, a cell survival mechanism, degrades unnecessary, misfolded and long-lived proteins and organelles and helps cell survive under stress. The lab's pioneering studies have shown that autophagy enhances TJ barrier via degradation of pore forming TJ protein claudin-2. Currently, the lab is conducting an NIH-funded study investigating the molecular mechanisms of autophagy regulation of TJ barrier and if autophagy-mediated enhancement of TJ barrier can prevent intestinal inflammation.
Dr. Nighot’s lab is also interested in investigating targets to combat IBD. One such recent project studies the role of aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) pathway in TJ regulation. In a collaborative study, the laboratory is using a novel, non-toxic ligand to activate AhR pathway to attenuate intestinal inflammation via enhancement of TJ barrier. Other projects in the laboratory include investigating the role of matrix metalloproteinases in intestinal inflammation and an NIH-funded study of the role of chloride channel ClC-2 in mucosal TJ barrier homeostasis.
The Nighot lab's studies employ in vivo approaches including several mouse models of intestinal inflammation, in vitro cellular and molecular methods and advanced imaging techniques to examine their hypothesis.
Teaching and educational interests
Dr. Prashant Nighot is passionate about the teaching and education of medical and graduate students. He co-directs the GI Pathophysiology course for medical students and facilitates Problem-Based Learning sessions. Dr. Nighot also teaches in Graduate courses of Cell System Biology, Cell & Integrative Physiology II, and Human Microscopic GI Anatomy.
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Autophagy, Inflammation and Metabolism (AIM) in Disease Center
Deretic, V. P., Cannon, J. L., Liu, M., Mandell, M. A., Mccormick, M., Mellios, N., Nighot, P., Prossnitz, E. R., Pu, J., Sklar, L. A. & Yang, X.
9/1/17 → 8/31/22
Project: Research project
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Regulation of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Inflammation by Autophagy
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
9/1/17 → 6/30/22
Project: Research project
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Regulation of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Inflammation by Autophagy
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
12/1/16 → 8/31/20
Project: Research project
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AP2M1 mediates autophagy-induced CLDN2 (claudin 2) degradation through endocytosis and interaction with LC3 and reduces intestinal epithelial tight junction permeability
Ganapathy, A. S., Saha, K., Suchanec, E., Singh, V., Verma, A., Yochum, G., Koltun, W., Nighot, M., Ma, T. & Nighot, P., 2021, (Accepted/In press) In: Autophagy.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
3 Scopus citations -
Bifidobacterium bifidum enhances the intestinal epithelial tight junction barrier and protects against intestinal inflammation by targeting the toll-like receptor-2 pathway in an nf-κb-independent manner
Al-Sadi, R., Dharmaprakash, V., Nighot, P., Guo, S., Nighot, M., Do, T. & Ma, T. Y., Aug 1 2021, In: International journal of molecular sciences. 22, 15, 8070.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access7 Scopus citations -
Endocytosis of Intestinal Tight Junction Proteins: In Time and Space
Nighot, P. & Ma, T., Feb 1 2021, In: Inflammatory bowel diseases. 27, 2, p. 283-290 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
5 Scopus citations -
Lactobacillus acidophilus Induces a Strain-specific and Toll-Like Receptor 2–Dependent Enhancement of Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junction Barrier and Protection Against Intestinal Inflammation
Al-Sadi, R., Nighot, P., Nighot, M., Haque, M., Rawat, M. & Ma, T. Y., May 2021, In: American Journal of Pathology. 191, 5, p. 872-884 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access16 Scopus citations -
Matrix Metalloproteinase MMP-12 Promotes Macrophage Transmigration across Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junctions and Increases Severity of Experimental Colitis
Nighot, M., Ganapathy, A. S., Saha, K., Suchanec, E., Castillo, E. F., Gregory, A., Shapiro, S., Ma, T. & Nighot, P., Oct 1 2021, In: Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. 15, 10, p. 1751-1765 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
9 Scopus citations