Richard Lifton, MD, PhD
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
The common human diseases that account for the vast majority of morbidity and mortality in human populations are known to have underlying inherited components. Advances in human genetics have made the identification of genetic variants contributing to these traits feasible. Such identification promises to revolutionize the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to these disorders. We have gone on from these starting points to use biochemistry and animal models to define the mechanisms linking genotype and phenotype. These findings have provided new insight into normal and disease biology, are identifying new pathways underlying disease pathogenesis, and are identifying new targets for development of novel therapeutics.
Specialized Terms: Molecular genetics of common human diseases
Extensive Research Description
By investigation of rare families recruited from around the world with extreme phenotypes suggesting genetic causation, we have identified genes that cause to these traits, putting a molecular face on their pathogenesis. In 2009 we reduced to practice the rapid and inexpensive sequencing of all genes in the genome and have used this platform for discovery of rare mutations with large effect in cardiovascular disease, cancer, kidney disease, skin disease and immunologic disease. These studies have revealed new pathways and mechanisms that regulate metabolic traits including blood pressure, bone mass, and electrolyte homeostasis, and genes that when mutated cause diverse diseases including heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, cancer, autoinflammatory disease, skin disease and congenital heart disease. These studies have defined new strategies for disease gene discovery and point to the opportunity to determine the consequence of mutation of every gene in the human genome.
Coauthors
Research Interests
Genetics; Hyperaldosteronism; Mutation; Nephrology; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous
Research Image
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Selected Publications
- Genomic landscape of cutaneous T cell lymphomaChoi J, Goh G, Walradt T, Hong BS, Bunick CG, Chen K, Bjornson RD, Maman Y, Wang T, Tordoff J, Carlson K, Overton JD, Liu KJ, Lewis JM, Devine L, Barbarotta L, Foss FM, Subtil A, Vonderheid EC, Edelson RL, Schatz DG, Boggon TJ, Girardi M, Lifton RP. Genomic landscape of cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Nature Genetics 2015, 47: 1011-1019. PMID: 26192916, PMCID: PMC4552614, DOI: 10.1038/ng.3356.
- Mutation of NLRC4 causes a syndrome of enterocolitis and autoinflammationRomberg N, Al Moussawi K, Nelson-Williams C, Stiegler AL, Loring E, Choi M, Overton J, Meffre E, Khokha MK, Huttner AJ, West B, Podoltsev NA, Boggon TJ, Kazmierczak BI, Lifton RP. Mutation of NLRC4 causes a syndrome of enterocolitis and autoinflammation. Nature Genetics 2014, 46: 1135-1139. PMID: 25217960, PMCID: PMC4177367, DOI: 10.1038/ng.3066.
- Recurrent activating mutation in PRKACA in cortisol-producing adrenal tumorsGoh G, Scholl UI, Healy JM, Choi M, Prasad ML, Nelson-Williams C, Kunstman JW, Korah R, Suttorp AC, Dietrich D, Haase M, Willenberg HS, Stålberg P, Hellman P, Åkerström G, Björklund P, Carling T, Lifton RP. Recurrent activating mutation in PRKACA in cortisol-producing adrenal tumors. Nature Genetics 2014, 46: 613-617. PMID: 24747643, PMCID: PMC4074779, DOI: 10.1038/ng.2956.
- Mineralocorticoid Receptor Phosphorylation Regulates Ligand Binding and Renal Response to Volume Depletion and HyperkalemiaShibata S, Rinehart J, Zhang J, Moeckel G, Castañeda-Bueno M, Stiegler AL, Boggon TJ, Gamba G, Lifton RP. Mineralocorticoid Receptor Phosphorylation Regulates Ligand Binding and Renal Response to Volume Depletion and Hyperkalemia. Cell Metabolism 2013, 18: 660-671. PMID: 24206662, PMCID: PMC3909709, DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2013.10.005.
- De novo mutations in histone-modifying genes in congenital heart diseaseZaidi S, Choi M, Wakimoto H, Ma L, Jiang J, Overton JD, Romano-Adesman A, Bjornson RD, Breitbart RE, Brown KK, Carriero NJ, Cheung YH, Deanfield J, DePalma S, Fakhro KA, Glessner J, Hakonarson H, Italia MJ, Kaltman JR, Kaski J, Kim R, Kline JK, Lee T, Leipzig J, Lopez A, Mane SM, Mitchell LE, Newburger JW, Parfenov M, Pe’er I, Porter G, Roberts AE, Sachidanandam R, Sanders SJ, Seiden HS, State MW, Subramanian S, Tikhonova IR, Wang W, Warburton D, White PS, Williams IA, Zhao H, Seidman JG, Brueckner M, Chung WK, Gelb BD, Goldmuntz E, Seidman CE, Lifton RP. De novo mutations in histone-modifying genes in congenital heart disease. Nature 2013, 498: 220-223. PMID: 23665959, PMCID: PMC3706629, DOI: 10.1038/nature12141.
- Recessive mutations in DGKE cause atypical hemolytic-uremic syndromeLemaire M, Frémeaux-Bacchi V, Schaefer F, Choi M, Tang WH, Le Quintrec M, Fakhouri F, Taque S, Nobili F, Martinez F, Ji W, Overton JD, Mane SM, Nürnberg G, Altmüller J, Thiele H, Morin D, Deschenes G, Baudouin V, Llanas B, Collard L, Majid MA, Simkova E, Nürnberg P, Rioux-Leclerc N, Moeckel GW, Gubler MC, Hwa J, Loirat C, Lifton RP. Recessive mutations in DGKE cause atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Nature Genetics 2013, 45: 531-536. PMID: 23542698, PMCID: PMC3719402, DOI: 10.1038/ng.2590.
- Mutations in kelch-like 3 and cullin 3 cause hypertension and electrolyte abnormalitiesBoyden LM, Choi M, Choate KA, Nelson-Williams CJ, Farhi A, Toka HR, Tikhonova IR, Bjornson R, Mane SM, Colussi G, Lebel M, Gordon RD, Semmekrot BA, Poujol A, Välimäki MJ, De Ferrari ME, Sanjad SA, Gutkin M, Karet FE, Tucci JR, Stockigt JR, Keppler-Noreuil KM, Porter CC, Anand SK, Whiteford ML, Davis ID, Dewar SB, Bettinelli A, Fadrowski JJ, Belsha CW, Hunley TE, Nelson RD, Trachtman H, Cole TR, Pinsk M, Bockenhauer D, Shenoy M, Vaidyanathan P, Foreman JW, Rasoulpour M, Thameem F, Al-Shahrouri HZ, Radhakrishnan J, Gharavi AG, Goilav B, Lifton RP. Mutations in kelch-like 3 and cullin 3 cause hypertension and electrolyte abnormalities. Nature 2012, 482: 98-102. PMID: 22266938, PMCID: PMC3278668, DOI: 10.1038/nature10814.
- K+ Channel Mutations in Adrenal Aldosterone-Producing Adenomas and Hereditary HypertensionChoi M, Scholl UI, Yue P, Björklund P, Zhao B, Nelson-Williams C, Ji W, Cho Y, Patel A, Men CJ, Lolis E, Wisgerhof MV, Geller DS, Mane S, Hellman P, Westin G, Åkerström G, Wang W, Carling T, Lifton RP. K+ Channel Mutations in Adrenal Aldosterone-Producing Adenomas and Hereditary Hypertension. Science 2011, 331: 768-772. PMID: 21311022, PMCID: PMC3371087, DOI: 10.1126/science.1198785.
- Mitotic Recombination in Patients with Ichthyosis Causes Reversion of Dominant Mutations in KRT10Choate KA, Lu Y, Zhou J, Choi M, Elias PM, Farhi A, Nelson-Williams C, Crumrine D, Williams ML, Nopper AJ, Bree A, Milstone LM, Lifton RP. Mitotic Recombination in Patients with Ichthyosis Causes Reversion of Dominant Mutations in KRT10. Science 2010, 330: 94-97. PMID: 20798280, PMCID: PMC3085938, DOI: 10.1126/science.1192280.
- Sites of Regulated Phosphorylation that Control K-Cl Cotransporter ActivityRinehart J, Maksimova YD, Tanis JE, Stone KL, Hodson CA, Zhang J, Risinger M, Pan W, Wu D, Colangelo CM, Forbush B, Joiner CH, Gulcicek EE, Gallagher PG, Lifton RP. Sites of Regulated Phosphorylation that Control K-Cl Cotransporter Activity. Cell 2009, 138: 525-536. PMID: 19665974, PMCID: PMC2811214, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.05.031.
Clinical Trials
| Conditions | Study Title |
|---|---|
| Diseases of the Cardiovascular System; Genetics - Adult; Genetics - Pediatric | Congenital Heart Disease GEnetic NEtwork Study (CHD GENES) |