Steven M Grassl, PhD

Current Appointments

• Associate Professor of Pharmacology
• Associate Professor of CHP-Physician Assistant Studies

Hospital Campus

• Downtown

Education & Fellowships

• Postdoctoral Fellow: Yale University School of Medicine, 1985, Physiology
• PhD: Cornell University Medical College, 1983, Physiology

Publications

Link to PubMed (Opens new window. Close the PubMed window to return to this page.)

Research Abstract

Molecular Mechanisms Mediating Transport of Organic Anions by the Renal Proximal Tubule and Nutrients by the Human Placenta.

The mammalian renal proximal tubule serves an important function by rapidly clearing the blood of many potentially toxic organic compounds arising directly from the diet or indirectly from metabolic conversion. In this regard, the organic anion secretory pathway has evolved to mediate the excretion of a wide array of negatively charged organic compounds. Our interest is to identify and characterize the function and molecular structure of lumenal and basolateral transport mechanisms mediating intracellular organic anion secretion across the renal proximal tubule. Normal growth and development of the human fetus is critically dependent upon an adequate delivery of maternal blood-borne nutrients across the placental epithelium. At the cellular level net maternal to fetal transfer of metabolites arises from the polarized distribution of membrane proteins mediating active and passive transport at the apical and basolateral membrane of placental syncytiotrophoblast cells. Our interest is to identify and characterize the function and molecular structure of apical and basolateral membrane transport mechanisms mediating transplacental nutrient transfer.

Selected References

Race, J.A., Grassl, S.M., Williams, W.J. and Holtzman, E. Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Two Novel Human Renal Organic Anion Transporters (hOAT1) and hOAT2). Biochem. Biophys. Res. Com. 255: 508-514, 1999.

Grassl, S.M. Thiamine transport in human placental brush border membrane vesicles. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1371: 213-222, 1998.