Jennifer C. Sullivan, PhD, FAHA

Professor

 Phone: (706) 721-9796
 Fax: (706) 721-7299
 Email: jensullivan@augusta.edu
 Office: CB-2204
 Lab: CB-2210

Current Projects

1. Greater cell death in male SHR contributes to sex differences in BP: Necrosis is a pathologic form of cell death that induces an inflammatory response, and immune cell activation contributes to the development and maintenance of hypertension. Because male SHR have a higher BP and a more pro-inflammatory T cell profile than female SHR, experiments tested the hypothesis that greater necrotic cell death in male SHR exacerbates increases in BP and contributes to the pro-inflammatory T cell profile.  We found that greater necrotic cell death in male SHR exacerbates maturation-induced increases in BP with age contributing to sex differences in BP.  However, although necrosis is pro-inflammatory in both sexes, it is unlikely to explain sex differences in the renal T cell profile. Ongoing studies are further assessing the role of apoptotic cell death on BP control and the T cell profile, as well as the mechanisms driving greater necrotic cell death in males.
   
   
2. Females have more anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive Tregs than males: Numerous ongoing studies are aims at better understanding both the implications for sex differences in Tregs as well as the mechanisms mediating increases in Tregs in females vs. males. Using DOCA-salt hypertensive rats we have recently shown that greater Tregs in females attenuates DOCA-salt induced increases in BP.  Depleting Tregs abolished the sex difference in BP by increasing BP only in females; depleting Tregs has no effect on BP in males.  Ongoing studies are further examining how greater Tregs lower BP in the females. We are also examining the role of nitric oxide in promoting Tregs differentiation and proliferation, as inhibition of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase prevents the ability of females to upregulate Tregs and abolishes sex differences in Tregs. Finally, we are examining sex differences in Treg recruitment. There are no sex differences in Tregs in the spleen, a lymphoid organ, and removing the spleen abolishes the sex difference in renal Tregs. Therefore understanding the mechanisms regulating immune cell recruitment could provide novel insight into how males vs. females regulate the T cell profile in key organs responsible for BP control.
   
   
3. A chronic high-fat diet (HFD) compromises the cardiovascular protection typically observed in females:  Diets high in saturated fats are increasingly linked to the development of hypertension, yet the mechanisms by which a high saturated fat diet increases BP remain unresolved. Moreover, although young women are typically protected from hypertension relative to age-matched men, epidemiological and basic science studies suggest that this cardiovascular protection is compromised by chronic consumption of a diet high in saturated fat.   Since the adipose tissue functions as an endocrine organ that modulates immune cell recruitment/activation and BP, and T cells are central to the development and maintenance of hypertension, ongoing studies are examining the impact of a chronic HFD on BP, body fat composition, and immune cell infiltration and activation in males vs. females. Studies are using male and female Dahl salt-sensitive rats randomized to a normal-fat or high-fat diet from 5 to 15 weeks of age. To date, studies suggest that females have greater increases in BP than males, and this is associated with greater increases in percent body fat in females. These studies are ongoing.
   
   
4. Vascular congestion is central to mediating sex differences in AKI: AKI is a major clinical problem. The prognosis of patients with AKI remains poor, and patients that recover from AKI are at increased risk for developing chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. Clinical and pre-clinical studies further indicate that the male gender is a risk factor for the incidence and severity of AKI. Ongoing studies are designed to better understand the mechanisms by which females are protected from renal ischemic injury. We have found that male SHR have prolonged vascular congestion in the renal medulla compared to both female SHR and normotensive male Sprague-Dawley rats. Moreover, preventing the development of vascular congestion by pre-treatment with heparin prevents the development of injury in the males. The mechanisms mediating congestion in both sexes are currently being investigated.

Awards and Accomplishments

2018      Mid-Career Awardee - Hypertension Council 
2017      American Journal of Hypertension's John Laragh Research Award
2017      Augusta University Faculty Senate Outstanding Faculty Award from The Graduate School
2016      Augusta University Authentic Women Leaders Pilot Pipeline Program
2016      American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Comparative and Integrative Physiology Star Reviewer
2015      Chair, APS Sex and Gender-Related Research Interest Group
2014      Named the 2015 APS Renal Section Young Investigator 
2013      Promoted with tenure 
2013      Selected as Associate Editor for AJP:Renal Physiology 
2013      Selected as Cardiorenal Study Section Co-Chair; American Heart Association 
2013      Named Chair of the Augusta University Women’s Health Research Interest Group in the Div. of Clinical Translational Science 
2011      Recipient of GHSU Outstanding Young Basic Science Faculty Award 
2011      Recipient of GHSU Research Institute Emerging Scientist Award 
2010      Named Fellow of the American Heart Association and the Council for High Blood Pressure Research 
2007      Recipient of Consortium for Southeastern Hypertension Control Arthur Guyton New Investigator Award 
2007      Named the APS Water and Electrolyte Homeostasis Section New Investigator 
2008      Recipient of Kidney Council New Investigator Travel Award 
2006      Recipient of Merck New Investigator Award

Recent Lab Personnel Achievements

Dr. Sullivan's Faculty Profile

Lab Meeting Schedule

LAB PERSONNEL

Kasey Belanger Graduate Student	Riyaz Mohamed, PhD Assistant Research Scientist
Lindsey Ramirez Graduate Student

^{Pictured left to right: Lindsey Ramirez, Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, Kasey Belanger, Steve Haigh, Elinor Mannon, Mahmoud Abdelbary, Dr. Paul O'Connor (2021)}

 

^{Pictured left to right: Lindsey Ramirez, Sarah Ray, Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, Elinor Mannon, Kasey Belanger, Mahmoud Abdelbary, Maggie Sullivan, Dr. Ellen Gillis, Kelly Sullivan, Elizabeth Snyder, Dr. Paul O'Connor, Dr. Riyaz Mohamed (2021)}

^{Pictured left to right: Mahmoud Abdelbary, Kasey Belanger, Lindsey Ramirez, Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, Jackie Musall, Dr. Ellen Gillis, Dr. Riyaz Mohamed (2019)}

 

^{Pictured left to right: Ryan Crislip, Jackie Musall, Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, Dr. Ellen Gillis, Lia Taylor (2016)}

 

^{Pictured left to right: Ryan Crislip, Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, A Tipton, M. Zimmerman}

 

^{Dr. Sullivan with students}