Research Overview

The Rao Laboratory seeks to understand how the intrinsic nerve circuits of the gastrointestinal tract normally regulate digestive health, and how dysfunction in these circuits leads to digestive disease.

 

Education

Undergraduate School

Washington University
2000 St. Louis MO

Graduate School

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
2007 Baltimore MD

Medical School

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
2007 Baltimore MD

Residency

Boston Combined Residency Program (BCRP)
2010 Boston MA

Fellowship

Boston Children's Hospital
2013 Boston MA

Publications

  1. Enteric glia regulate Paneth cell secretion and intestinal microbial ecology. bioRxiv. 2024 Dec 23. View Abstract
  2. Current status and future directions in food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome: An NIAID workshop report of the June 22, 2022, virtual meeting. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024 Nov 07. View Abstract
  3. Enteric Glia. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2024 Jul 01. View Abstract
  4. Reply. Gastroenterology. 2024 Aug; 167(3):630-631. View Abstract
  5. RET Signaling Persists in the Adult Intestine and Stimulates Motility by Limiting PYY Release From Enteroendocrine Cells. Gastroenterology. 2024 03; 166(3):437-449. View Abstract
  6. C. difficile intoxicates neurons and pericytes to drive neurogenic inflammation. Nature. 2023 Oct; 622(7983):611-618. View Abstract
  7. Mini-Review: Enteric glial regulation of the gastrointestinal epithelium. Neurosci Lett. 2023 05 14; 805:137215. View Abstract
  8. Low nephron endowment increases susceptibility to renal stress and chronic kidney disease. JCI Insight. 2023 02 08; 8(3). View Abstract
  9. Similarities and differences between nigral and enteric dopaminergic neurons unravel distinctive involvement in Parkinson's disease. NPJ Parkinsons Dis. 2022 Apr 22; 8(1):50. View Abstract
  10. Adult enteric Dclk1-positive glial and neuronal cells reveal distinct responses to acute intestinal injury. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2022 06 01; 322(6):G583-G597. View Abstract
  11. Diminished androgen levels are linked to irritable bowel syndrome and cause bowel dysfunction in mice. J Clin Invest. 2022 01 18; 132(2). View Abstract
  12. Light-Mediated Inhibition of Colonic Smooth Muscle Constriction and Colonic Motility via Opsin 3. Front Physiol. 2021; 12:744294. View Abstract
  13. Enteric glia worm their way into gut immunity. Immunity. 2021 12 14; 54(12):2698-2700. View Abstract
  14. Enteric glia in homeostasis and disease: From fundamental biology to human pathology. iScience. 2021 Aug 20; 24(8):102863. View Abstract
  15. Interleukin-6 produced by enteric neurons regulates the number and phenotype of microbe-responsive regulatory T cells in the gut. Immunity. 2021 03 09; 54(3):499-513.e5. View Abstract
  16. Proceedings of the 2018 Advances In Motility and In NeuroGastroenterology: AIMING for the Future Single Topic Symposium. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2020 08; 71(2):e59-e67. View Abstract
  17. The Villin1 Gene Promoter Drives Cre Recombinase Expression in Extraintestinal Tissues. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020; 10(4):864-867.e5. View Abstract
  18. Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor is essential for enteric neuronal development, maintenance, and regulation of gastrointestinal transit. J Comp Neurol. 2020 10; 528(14):2420-2444. View Abstract
  19. An increasingly complex view of intestinal motility. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 02; 17(2):72-73. View Abstract
  20. Gut-Innervating Nociceptor Neurons Regulate Peyer's Patch Microfold Cells and SFB Levels to Mediate Salmonella Host Defense. Cell. 2020 01 09; 180(1):33-49.e22. View Abstract
  21. Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor-deficiency leads to degeneration of enteric neurons and altered brain dopamine neuronal function in mice. Neurobiol Dis. 2020 02; 134:104696. View Abstract
  22. The Key to a Boy's Heart Is Through His Intestine. Gastroenterology. 2020 04; 158(5):1226-1228. View Abstract
  23. Exploring the Potential of RET Kinase Inhibition for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Preclinical Investigation in Rodent Models of Colonic Hypersensitivity. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2019 02; 368(2):299-307. View Abstract
  24. Advances in Enteric Neurobiology: The "Brain" in the Gut in Health and Disease. J Neurosci. 2018 10 31; 38(44):9346-9354. View Abstract
  25. Enteric nervous system development: what could possibly go wrong? Nat Rev Neurosci. 2018 09; 19(9):552-565. View Abstract
  26. Enteric nervous system manifestations of neurodegenerative disease. Brain Res. 2018 08 15; 1693(Pt B):207-213. View Abstract
  27. Enteric Glia Regulate Gastrointestinal Motility but Are Not Required for Maintenance of the Epithelium in Mice. Gastroenterology. 2017 10; 153(4):1068-1081.e7. View Abstract
  28. Neurogastroenterology: The dynamic cycle of life in the enteric nervous system. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 08; 14(8):453-454. View Abstract
  29. Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients With Ischemic Heart Failure Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Results From the STICH Randomized Clinical Trial (Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure). Circulation. 2017 Mar 21; 135(12):1136-1144. View Abstract
  30. The bowel and beyond: the enteric nervous system in neurological disorders. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016 09; 13(9):517-28. View Abstract
  31. Enteric glia express proteolipid protein 1 and are a transcriptionally unique population of glia in the mammalian nervous system. Glia. 2015 Nov; 63(11):2040-2057. View Abstract
  32. Perceptions of gender equality in work-life balance, salary, promotion, and harassment: results of the NASPGHAN task force survey. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2015 Apr; 60(4):481-5. View Abstract
  33. Bugs, guts, and glia: how microbiota influence enteric gliogenesis and migration. Neuron. 2015 Jan 21; 85(2):229-30. View Abstract
  34. Gremlin 1 identifies a skeletal stem cell with bone, cartilage, and reticular stromal potential. Cell. 2015 Jan 15; 160(1-2):269-84. View Abstract
  35. New NASPGHAN research agenda to target the public. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2014 Feb; 58(2):142-3. View Abstract
  36. GDE2 regulates subtype-specific motor neuron generation through inhibition of Notch signaling. Neuron. 2011 Sep 22; 71(6):1058-70. View Abstract
  37. The antioxidant enzyme Prdx1 controls neuronal differentiation by thiol-redox-dependent activation of GDE2. Cell. 2009 Sep 18; 138(6):1209-21. View Abstract
  38. Transmembrane protein GDE2 induces motor neuron differentiation in vivo. Science. 2005 Sep 30; 309(5744):2212-5. View Abstract
  39. Molecular mechanisms of RNAi: implications for development and disease. Birth Defects Res C Embryo Today. 2005 Mar; 75(1):28-42. View Abstract
  40. In vivo comparative study of RNAi methodologies by in ovo electroporation in the chick embryo. Dev Dyn. 2004 Nov; 231(3):592-600. View Abstract

Contact Meenakshi Rao