Senior lecturer
Ph.D. (2010)
- Ph.D. - Ben Gurion University of The Negev
- Post-doctoral Fellow - National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- The Biophysical Basis of Ion Transport Pathology
- Our major interest is in the mechanism and function of transmembrane proteins mediating the transport of electrolytes and metabolic products as it relates to disease states. Our research focuses on Slc26 transporters since very little was known about members of this family, however, a rapidly growing number of human diseases that are linked to disruption of genes encoding Slc26 transporters underscores their physiological importance. To date, our study of the Slc26 proteins revealed very unique electrophysiological behaviors that cannot be explained based on our knowledge of current structural models of cation transporters and, hence, the establishment of new models was required. Using bioinformatics tools and various experimental techniques we have established a novel structure-function and protein-protein interaction models of Slc26 transporters utilizing computer modeling and experimental results in-vitro and in-vivo. Our study of biophysical, biochemical and functional properties of Slc26 mediated ion transport had a major impact on our understanding of Cl-, pH and carboxylic acid homeostasis mechanisms and metabolism under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Publications and funding summary / representative publications and grants
- 1. Park, M., Ohana, E., Choi, S. Y., Lee, M. S., Park, J. H., and Muallem, S. (2014) Multiple roles of the SO4(2-)/Cl-/OH- exchanger protein Slc26a2 in chondrocyte functions. The Journal of biological chemistry 289 , 1993-2001
- 2. Ohana, E., Shcheynikov, N., Moe, O. W., and Muallem, S. (2013) SLC26A6 and NaDC-1 transporters interact to regulate oxalate and citrate homeostasis. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 24 , 1617-1626
- 3. Ohana, E. (2013) Transepithelial ion transport across duct cells of the salivary gland. Oral diseases
- 4. Hong, J. H., Yang, D., Shcheynikov, N., Ohana, E., Shin, D. M., and Muallem, S. (2013) Convergence of IRBIT, phosphatidylinositol (4,5) bisphosphate, and WNK/SPAK kinases in regulation of the Na+-HCO3- cotransporters family. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 110 , 4105-4110
- 5. Park, S., Hong, J. H., Ohana, E., and Muallem, S. (2012) The WNK/SPAK and IRBIT/PP1 pathways in epithelial fluid and electrolyte transport. Physiology 27 , 291-299
- 6. Ohana, E., Shcheynikov, N., Park, M., and Muallem, S. (2012) Solute carrier family 26 member a2 (Slc26a2) protein functions as an electroneutral SOFormula/OH-/Cl- exchanger regulated by extracellular Cl. The Journal of biological chemistry 287 , 5122-5132
- 7. Lee, M. G., Ohana, E., Park, H. W., Yang, D., and Muallem, S. (2012) Molecular mechanism of pancreatic and salivary gland fluid and HCO3 secretion. Physiological reviews 92 , 39-74
- 8. Ohana, E., Shcheynikov, N., Yang, D., So, I., and Muallem, S. (2011) Determinants of coupled transport and uncoupled current by the electrogenic SLC26 transporters. The Journal of general physiology 137 , 239-251
- 9. Yang, D., Shcheynikov, N., Zeng, W., Ohana, E., So, I., Ando, H., Mizutani, A., Mikoshiba, K., and Muallem, S. (2009) IRBIT coordinates epithelial fluid and HCO3- secretion by stimulating the transporters pNBC1 and CFTR in the murine pancreatic duct. The Journal of clinical investigation 119 , 193-202
- 10. Ohana, E., Yang, D., Shcheynikov, N., and Muallem, S. (2009) Diverse transport modes by the solute carrier 26 family of anion transporters. The Journal of physiology 587 , 2179-2185
- 11. Ohana, E., Hoch, E., Keasar, C., Kambe, T., Yifrach, O., Hershfinkel, M., and Sekler, I. (2009) Identification of the Zn2+ binding site and mode of operation of a mammalian Zn2+ transporter. The Journal of biological chemistry 284 , 17677-17686
- 12. Ohana, E., Sekler, I., Kaisman, T., Kahn, N., Cove, J., Silverman, W. F., Amsterdam, A., and Hershfinkel, M. (2006) Silencing of ZnT-1 expression enhances heavy metal influx and toxicity. Journal of molecular medicine 84 , 753-763
- 13. Segal, D., Ohana, E., Besser, L., Hershfinkel, M., Moran, A., and Sekler, I. (2004) A role for ZnT-1 in regulating cellular cation influx. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 323 , 1145-1150
- 14. Palty, R., Ohana, E., Hershfinkel, M., Volokita, M., Elgazar, V., Beharier, O., Silverman, W. F., Argaman, M., and Sekler, I. (2004) Lithium-calcium exchange is mediated by a distinct potassium-independent sodium-calcium exchanger. The Journal of biological chemistry 279 , 25234-25240
- 15. Ohana, E., Segal, D., Palty, R., Ton-That, D., Moran, A., Sensi, S. L., Weiss, J. H., Hershfinkel, M., and Sekler, I. (2004) A sodium zinc exchange mechanism is mediating extrusion of zinc in mammalian cells. The Journal of biological chemistry 279 , 4278-4284