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Name: Eric J.  Smart
Position Type: Chair
Appointment Start Date: 07/01/03
Appointment End Date: 06/30/08
Area of Specialty: Cardiovascular disease especially as it relates to diabetic complications.
Summary Vita: Education: 1984-1988: B.S., University of Maine-Orono, Department of Biochemistry. Advisor: Dr. Susan Hunter. Research Thesis: Distribution of osteonectin in developing chicken embryos. 1988-1992: Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Biochemistry. Thesis Advisor: Dr. Bruce Selman. Thesis Title: Isolation and complementation of a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant lacking the gamma subunit of chloroplast coupling factor one. Professional Experience: 1992-1996: Assistant Instructor/Postdoctoral Associate. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center-Dallas. Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. Advisor: Dr. Richard G.W. Anderson. 1996-2000: Assistant Professor of Physiology. University of Kentucky College of Medicine. 2000-2003: Associate Professor of Physiology (Tenured). University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Department of Physiology. 2003-2004: Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Physiology, Pediatrics Vice-Chair of Research, Barnstable-Brown Endowed Chair for Diabetes Research. University of Kentucky College of Medicine. 2004-Present: Professor of Pediatrics and Physiology, Pediatrics Vice-Chair of Research, Barnstable-Brown Endowed Chair for Diabetes Research. University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
Highest Degree: Ph.D.
Professional Affiliations: American Society of Cell Biology American Society of Physiology American Heart Association Fellow (ATVB Council) American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology American Diabetes Association Editorial Board Member: 2001-present Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 2004-present Current Nutrition and Food Science Selected Scientific Advisory Committees: 2005-2006 Chair of NIH ACIS Study Section 2002-2006 American Heart Association's Ohio Valley Affiliate Research Committee 2002-2006 Charter Member of NIH ACIS Study Section
Primary Research Focus: Cardiovascular disease especially as it relates to diabetic complications. We focus on mechanisms at the protein, cellular, and animal levels.
Key Contributions: We have made major contributions in regards to the role of lipid rafts and caveolae in regulating nitric oxide synthase activity. We have demonstrated that free fatty acids can stimulate nitric oxide generation and provide protection to endothelial cells. In addition, we have recently shown a novel mechanism to protect cells from oxidative-induced cell death.
Publications: 43. Smart EJ, De Rose RA, Farber SA. (2004) Annexin 2-caveolin 1 complexes is a target of ezetimibe and regulates intestinal cholesterol transport. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 101(10): 3450-5. 44. Gentle Chikani, Weifei Zhu, and Eric J. Smart (2004) Lipids: potential regulators of nitric oxide generation. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 287: E386-E389 45. Weifei Zhu, William V. Everson and Eric J. Smart. (2004) Estrogen in Cardiovascular disease. Current Opinion in lipidology. 15: 589-593. 46. Hennig B, Reiterer G, Toborek M, Matveev SV, Daugherty A, Smart E, Robertson LW (2005) Dietary Fat Interacts with PCBs to Induce Changes in Lipid Metabolism in Mice Deficient in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor. Environmental Health Perspectives 113(1):83-7. 47. Li XA, Guo L, Dressman JL, Asmis R, Smart EJ. (2005) A novel ligand-independent apoptotic pathway induced by SR-BI and suppressed by eNOS and HDL. J Biol Chem. 280 (19): 19087-19096 48. William V. Everson and Eric J. Smart (2005) Caveolae and the Regulation of cellular Cholesterol Homeostasis. Advances in Molecular and Cell Biology Vol.36 Chapter 2: 37-55. 49. Xiang-An Li, William V. Everson, and Eric J. Smart (2005) Caveolae, Lipid Rafts and Vascular Disease. Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine 15 (3): 92-96. 50. Ming Cui Gong, Eric J. Smart, and Alan Daughtery (2005) COX-2 Up-Regulation and Vascular Smooth Muscle Contractile Hyperreactivity in Spontaneous Diabetic db/db Mice Corresponding. Cardiovascular Research 67: 723-735. 51. Zhu, W, Smart, EJ (2005) Myristic acid stimulates endothelial nitric oxide synthase in a CD36 and an AMP kinase-dependent manner. J Biol Chem. 280 (33): 29543-29550. 52. Gudrun Reiterer, Ruth MacDonald, Jim D. Browning, Jason Morrow, Sergey V. Matveev, Alan Daugherty, Eric Smart, Michal Toborek and Bernhard Hennig (2005) Zinc deficiency increases plasma lipids and atherosclerotic markers in LDL-R-deficient mice. The Journal of Nutrition (In Press) 53. Emily L. Bradshaw, Richard N. Greenberg, Theresa Guerin, Melinda E. Wilson, Xiang-An Li, Ling Guo, Eric J. Smart (2005) Didanosine Reduces HIV Protease Inhibitor-Induced Atherosclerotic Lesion Formation In LDL-Receptor Null Mice. (Submitted) 54. Nima M. Gharavi, Nancy Baker, Kevin P. Mouillesseauz, Wimmie Yeung, Henry Honda, Xavier Hsich, Michael Yeh, Eric J. Smart and Judith A. Berliner (2005) Role of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase in the Regulation of SREBP Activation by Oxidized Phospholipids. (Submitted)