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.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Autophagy, Inflammation and Metabolism (AIM) in Disease Center - Phase 2.
Deretic, V. P., Cannon, J. L., Castillo, E. F., Pu, J. J., Cassano, J. J. J., Liu, M., Mandell, M. A., Mccormick, M., Mellios, N., Rosas Lemus, M. M., Nighot, P., Prossnitz, E. R., Pu, J., Sklar, L. A., Kim, T. T. & Yang, X.
9/1/17 → 8/31/24
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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Alpha-tocopherylquinone differentially modulates claudins to enhance intestinal epithelial tight junction barrier via AhR and Nrf2 pathways
Ganapathy, A. S., Saha, K., Wang, A., Arumugam, P., Dharmaprakash, V., Yochum, G., Koltun, W., Nighot, M., Perdew, G., Thompson, T. A., Ma, T. & Nighot, P., Jul 25 2023, In: Cell Reports. 42, 7, 112705.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Autophagy Reduces the Degradation and Promotes Membrane Localization of Occludin to Enhance the Intestinal EpithelialTight Junction Barrier against Paracellular Macromolecule Flux
Saha, K., Subramenium Ganapathy, A., Wang, A., Michael Morris, N., Suchanec, E., Ding, W., Yochum, G., Koltun, W., Nighot, M., Ma, T. & Nighot, P., Mar 1 2023, In: Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. 17, 3, p. 433-449 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
6 Scopus citations -
Long-Term Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors Disrupts Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Exaggerates Experimental Colitis
Nighot, M., Liao, P. L., Morris, N., McCarthy, D., Dharmaprakash, V., Ullah Khan, I., Dalessio, S., Saha, K., Ganapathy, A. S., Wang, A., Ding, W., Yochum, G., Koltun, W., Nighot, P. & Ma, T., Apr 1 2023, In: Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. 17, 4, p. 565-579 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
3 Scopus citations -
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., 2022, In: Autophagy. 18, 9, p. 2086-2103 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
11 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 Access30 Scopus citations