Education

Awards

1978-1983 American Heart Association Established Investigatorshipbr
1981- The Grace Pickford Medal: Award from International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology (Award started in 1980)
2000 Assembly of the Professors at the College de France, Lectureship Medal
2006 August Krogh Distinguished Lectureship, American Physiological Society
2007 The 60th Niigata Nippo Culture Award, Science and Scholarly Activity Division, Niigata, Japan

Research Interest

My research focuses on the humoral control of cardiovascular and renal homeostasis in intact and pathological states using integrative and comparative approaches. The questions addressed in intact animals are further pursued at the tissue, cellular, and molecular levels. We use comparative approaches because they elucidate evolutionary perspectives of physiological functions and processes and provide unique animal models for biomedical research. Current resear ch includes three projects 1) vascular adaptation to high blood pressure and injury in intact and atherogenic vessels in fowl: Specifically the role of hemodynamic factors on development of neointima/atherosclerosis lesions, VSM phenotypes, extracellular matrix-integrin linkage, and protein profiles (biomarkers) of lesion-prone aorta have been examined at tissues and cellular levels. 2) Renin-angiotensin system and angiotensin receptors/signaling; biology of the renin-angiotensin cascade, and more recently, maturation-dependent of modulation of endothelial and VSM angiotensin receptor expressions are being investigated. 3) Comparative physiology of urine dilution and concentration, transport properties of renal tubules, and countercurrent urine concentration mechanism have been examined in intact animal and isolated perfused tubules. Aquaporin water channel homologues (qAQP1, qAQP2, qAQP4) have been identified and characterized in quail kidney.  The role of AQP2 in fetal programming of adult water homeostasis is currently being studied.

Techniques Utilized:

• Intact animal preparations for blood pressure, heart rate, pulse pressure recording
• In vitro aortic ring, isometric tension
• In vitro perfusion of single renal tubule for measurement of ion and water flux, and effects of drugs and hormones
• Cytosolic calcium signaling in isolated aortic smooth muscles and cultured cells using fura-2 indicator and fluorospectrophotometer and imaging system
• Cell migration, growth rate (thymidine incorporation) assays
• RT-PCR and immunoblot (Western) for extracellular matrix proteins and alpha smooth muscle actin
• PCR coning for aquaporin water channels; Gene mutation
• Histology, histochemistry, electronmicroscopic examination for vascular and renal biology
• Confocal laser microscopy for visualization of aquaporin water channels (immunofluorescent analysis
• radioimmunoassay, radioenzymatic assay for angiotensin, catecholamines
• radioligand binding for angiotensin receptors
• Two-dimensional electrophoresis
  

Research Support

NIH grant 3 R01 HL 52881-10-13, Hiroko Nishimura (PI)
Title:  Avian vascular function

NSF grant IOB 0615359, Hiroko Nishimura (PI)         
Title:  Does prenatal undernutrition impair body fluid homeostasis in birds?-Role of aquaporin2

Selected Publications

From a total of 90 publications:

• Nishimura, H. Countercurrent urine concentration in birds In: New Insights in Vertebrate Kidney Function. J. A. Brown, R. J. Balment, C. J. Rankin (eds.) Cambridge , Cambridge Univ. Press 1993, pp. 189-212 .
• Osono, E., and H. Nishimura. Control of sodium chloride transport in the thick ascending limb of Henle in avian nephron. Am. J. Physiol. 267:  R455-R462, 1994.
• Nishimura, H., O. E. Walker, C. M. Patton, A. B. Madison, A. T. Chiu, and J. Keiser. Novel vascular angiotensin receptor subtypes and signal     pathway in fowl. Am. J. Physiol. 267: R1174-R1181, 1994.
• Kamimura, K., H. Nishimura, and J. R. Bailey. Blockade of ß-adrenoceptor in control of blood pressure in fowl. Am. J. Physiol. 269: R914-R922,   1995.
• Nishimura, H., C. Koseki, and T. B. Patel. Water transport in the collecting duct of Japanese quail. Am. J. Physiol. R1535-R1543, 1996.
  
• Nishimura, H., Z.-L. Qin, and T. Shimada. Evolution of angiotensin receptors and signaling. In: Advances in Comparative Endocrinology, S. Kawashima, S. Kikuyama (eds.) Bologna, Italy, Monduzzi Editore, 199 7, Vol. 2, pp. 1299-1305.
• Qin, Z.-L., and H. Nishimura. Calcium signaling in fowl aortic smooth muscle increases during maturation but is impaired in neointimal plaques. J. Exp. Biol. 201: 1695-1705, 1998.
• Shimada, T., and H. Nishimura. Control of vascular smooth muscle cell growth in fowl. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 112: 115-128, 1998.
• Qin, Z.-L., H.-Q. Yan, and H. Nishimura. Vascular angiotensin II receptor and calcium signaling in toadfish. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 115: 122-131, 1999.
• Kuykindoll, R., H. Nishimura, D. B. Thomason, and S. K. Nishimoto.  Osteopontin protein expression in spontaneously developed neointima in fowl.  J. Exp. Biol. 203 (part 2): 273-282, 2000.
• Nishimura, H.  Comparative renal physiology.  In:  Handbook of Physiological Sciences:  Physiology of Kidney and Body Fluid Regulation. Fujimori, M., and M. Imai (Eds.).  Tokyo:  Igakushoin, 2000, pp.102-140.
• Nishimura, H., H. Z. Xi, L. Zhang, H. Kempf, R. F. Wideman, and P. Corvol.  Maturation-dependent neointima formation in fowl aorta.  Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 130 (Part A): 39-54, 2001.
• Nishimura, H.  Angiotensin receptors and signaling; evolution and perspectives.  Comp. Physiol. Biochem. 128 (Part A):11-30, 2001.
• Nishimura, H., Z. Fan, and L. Zhang.  Renal handling of water in vertebrates.  In:  Perspectives in Comparative Endocrinology; Unity and Diversity. Goos, H. J. Th., R. K. Rastogi, H. Vaudry, and R. Pierantoni (Eds.).  Bologna, Italy:  Monduzzi Editore, 2001, pp. 733-743.
• Nishimura, H., and Z. Fan.  Sodium and water transport and urine concentration in avian kidney.  In:  Osmoregulation and Drinking in Aquatic and Terrestrial Vertebrates.  Hazon, N., and G. Flik (Eds.).  Oxford, U.K.:  Bios Sci Publisher, 2002, pp. 129-152.
• Nishimura, H., and Z. Fan.  Regulation of water movement.  In:  Proceedings, APS Comparative Physiology Conference, ?Regulation of vertebrate renal function:  a comparative approach.?  Dantzler, W. H., and E. J. Braun (Eds.).  Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 136:479-498, 2003.
• Nishimura, H., Y. Yang, C. Hubert, J.M. Gasc, K. Ruijtenbeek, J. DeMey, H.A.J. Struijiker Boudier, P. Corvol P.  Maturation-dependent changes of a angiotensin receptor expression in fowl.  Am J Physiol 285 (Reg Integ Comp Physiol):  R231-R242, 2003.
• Nishimura, H.  Phylogeny and ontogeny of the renin-angiotensin system.  In:  Angiotensin, edited by T. Unger and B. A. Scholkens.  Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, Vol. 163, part 1.  Berlin:  Springer-Verlag, 2004, pp 31-70.
• Ruiz-Feria, C.A., D. Zhang, and H. Nishimura.  Age- and sex-dependent changes in pulse pressure in fowl aorta.  Comp. Biochem. Physiol., Part A, Molecular Integr. Physiol. 137: 311-320, 2004.
• Ruiz-Feria, C.A., Y. Yang, and H. Nishimura. Do incremental increases in blood pressure elicit neointimal plaques through endothelial injury?  Am. J. Physiol. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 287:R1486-R1493, 2004.
  
• Yang, Y., Y. Cui, W. Wang, L. Zhang, S. Sasaki, Z. Fan, and H. Nishimura. Molecular and functional characterization of a vasotocin-sensitive aquaporin water channel in quail kidney.  Am. J. Physiol. Reg. Integ. Comp. Physiol. 287:R915-R924, 2004.
  
• Yang Y, Cui Y, Fan Z, Nishimura H.  Two distinct aquaporin-4 cDNAs isolated from medullary cone of quail kidney.  Comp. Biochem. Physiol., Part A, Molecular Integr. Physiol.  147:84-93, 2007.
  
• Nishimura H, Yang Y, Kuykindoll RJ, Fan Z, Yamaguchi K, Yamamoto T.  Aquaporin-2 water channel in developing quail kidney:  possible role in programming adult fluid homeostasis.  Am. J. Physiol. Regul Integr Comp Pysiol. 293: R2147-2158, 2007.
  
• Nishimura, H.  Phylogeny of the renin-angiotensin system and its biomedical implications.  In:  Juxtaglomerular Apparatus.  A.  Gomez (ed.) Elsevier Science, Ireland (in press).
  
• Nishimura, H.  Body fluid homeostasis and aquaporins in birds.  In: Body Fluid Homeostasis, Asakura, Tokyo, Japan (in press).
  
• Nishimura, H.  Urine concentration and avian aquaporin water channel.  In: Proceedings for the 2007  International Conference for Aquaporins, Pflugers Achives European J of Physiol (DOI: 10.1007/s00424-008-0469-6) (in press)