Email

antonyr@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor

Medicine
Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Graduate Faculty Member

Immunology and Microbiology
Baylor College of Medicine

Graduate Faculty Member

Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics
Baylor College of Medicine

Addresses

Main Office (Office)

Baylor College of Medicine
Room: N903.02 Alkek
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-2664

Education

PhD from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Houston, Texas United States

Embryonic Development, Programmed Cell Death

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

Cambridge, United Kingdom

microRNAs, Immunology

Professional Interests

• Role of Let-7 in COPD and asthma
• Omics-miRNA regulatory networks
• let-7 in inflammatory diseases of the lung

Professional Statement

We are interested in the cellular and molecular pathways of microRNAs in inflammatory diseases. Our approach is multipronged and we work with genetically modified mice and clinical samples to decipher the mechanism of action of microRNAs. We have undertaken projects to delineate the function of miRNAs involved in adaptive and/or innate immunity (i.e. miR-155, miR-22), heart failure (i.e. miR-22), and lung COPD (i.e. miR-22). Currently, my research group, is dedicated to discovering the let-7 microRNA regulatory networks (targetomics) that contribute to chronic lung inflammatory disease(s). Our most recent work is exploring how the miRNA let-7 family functions in immune cells and lung stem cells to influence inflammation and lung injury in murine models of COPD and respiratory virus infection. A more recent funded project seeks to understand the role of let-7 as a direct regulator of IL6 and IL10 utilizing novel genetically modified mice. Our combined work highlights the importance of miRNAs in a wide-range human diseases and have potential implications in miRNA-based therapeutics.

Selected Publications

• Nam JW, Rissland OS, Koppstein D, Abreu-Goodger C, Jan CH, Agarwal V, Yildirim MA, Rodriguez A, Bartel DP "Global analyses of the effect of different cellular contexts on microRNA targeting." Mol Cell. 2014 March 20; : Pubmed PMID: 24631284
• Gurha P, Wang T, Larimore AH, Sassi Y, Abreu-Goodger C, Ramirez MO, Reddy AK, Engelhardt S, Taffet GE, Wehrens XH, Entman ML, Rodriguez A "microRNA-22 promotes heart failure through coordinate suppression of PPAR/ERR-nuclear hormone receptor transcription." PLoS One. 2013 : Pubmed PMID: 24086656
• Gurha P, Abreu-Goodger C, Wang T, Ramirez MO, Drumond AL, van Dongen S, Chen Y, Bartonicek N, Enright AJ, Lee B, Kelm RJ, Reddy AK, Taffet GE, Bradley A, Wehrens XH, Entman ML, Rodriguez A "Targeted deletion of microRNA-22 promotes stress-induced cardiac dilation and contractile dysfunction." Circulation. 2012 June 5; : Pubmed PMID: 22570371
• Lu W, You R, Yuan X, Yang T, Samuel EL, Marcano DC, Sikkema WK, Tour JM, Rodriguez A, Kheradmand F, Corry DB "The microRNA miR-22 inhibits the histone deacetylase HDAC4 to promote T(H)17 cell-dependent emphysema." Nat Immunol. 2015 November ; : Pubmed PMID: 26437241

Funding

Mechanism and Function of let-7, a Novel Modulator of Emphysema - #1R01HL140398-01A1

(09/01/2018 - 08/31/2023) Grant funding from NIH (NHLBI)

PI

Role of let-7 as a Genetic Modifier of Alzheimer's Disease - #3R01HL140398-02S1

(09/19/2019 Grant funding from NIH (NIA)

PI

Molecular and Cellular Dissection of miRNAs in Controlling Allergic Airway Inflammation in Mice - #1 I01 BX004828-01A1

Grant funding from VA CSRandD Merit