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Anne E. Kwitek, PhD
Anne E. Kwitek, PhD

Anne E. Kwitek, PhD

Professor, Physiology & Medicine

Locations

  • Physiology

Contact Information

Education

BS, Biology and Chemistry, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point
PhD, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics, University of Iowa

Biography

Dr. Anne Kwitek is a tenured Professor in the Department of Physiology. She earned her PhD in Genetics at the University of Iowa then came to MCW as a postdoctoral fellow. After growing the ranks to Associate Professor at MCW, Dr. Kwitek was recruited back to the University of Iowa where she remained until her return to MCW in 2019.

Dr. Kwitek is an animal and human geneticist whose research revolves around the genetics of complex disease with an emphasis on hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome (MetS). She currently has two major laboratory research interests. The first involves understanding the genetic susceptibility to complex human diseases, with a focus on obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiometabolic disease. The approach involves integrating genetics, genomics, and other ‘omics’ approaches to identify genes and mechanisms leading to complex disease using rat models and human populations. She is also studying how genomic variation affects and is affected by environmental stimuli to influence susceptibility to cardiometabolic disease.

Dr. Kwitek also leads the Rat Genome Database (RGD) and is a member of the Alliance of Genome Resources (Alliance). The goal of RGD (and the Alliance) is to provide a research platform that delivers the data and tools necessary for investigators to advance preclinical and translational research. This involves acquiring, validating, and integrating comprehensive genetic, genomic, phenotype and disease datasets for rat as well as human, mouse and other mammals used as human disease models. RGD has numerous disease portals dedicated to providing a centralized disease-based data and analysis environment for diseases such as obesity and metabolic syndrome, diabetes, renal disease, and cardiovascular disease to name a few.

Research Areas of Interest

  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Computational Biology
  • Database Management Systems
  • Databases, Genetic
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Genetic Linkage
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genome, Human
  • Genomics
  • Hypertension

MCW Program / Core Facilities

  • Biomedical Engineering (PhD)
  • CTSI Obesity Ensemble
  • Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences
  • Physiology (PhD)

Research Interests

Dr. Kwitek’s major research focus involves understanding the genetic susceptibility to complex human diseases, with a focus on obesity, hypertension, and cardiometabolic disease. The approach involves integrating genetics, genomics, and other ‘omics’ approaches to identify genes and mechanisms leading to complex disease using rat models and human populations. Her studies also involve how genomic variation affects and is affected by environmental stimuli to influence susceptibility to cardiometabolic disease.

Publications

  • Krüppel-like factor 4 in transcriptional control of the three unique isoforms of Agouti-related peptide in mice.

    (Ritter ML, Wagner VA, Balapattabi K, Opichka MA, Lu KT, Wackman KK, Reho JJ, Keen HL, Kwitek AE, Morselli LL, Geurts AM, Sigmund CD, Grobe JL.) Physiol Genomics. 2024 Mar 01;56(3):265-275 PMID: 38145289 PMCID: PMC10866620 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85185200180 12/25/2023

  • Use of Artificial Intelligence in Improving Outcomes in Heart Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

    (Armoundas AA, Narayan SM, Arnett DK, Spector-Bagdady K, Bennett DA, Celi LA, Friedman PA, Gollob MH, Hall JL, Kwitek AE, Lett E, Menon BK, Sheehan KA, Al-Zaiti SS, American Heart Association Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young; Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention; Council on Hypertension; Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease; and Stroke Council.) Circulation. 2024 Feb 28 PMID: 38415358 02/28/2024

  • Mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant attenuates preeclampsia-like phenotypes induced by syncytiotrophoblast-specific Gαq signaling.

    (Opichka MA, Livergood MC, Balapattabi K, Ritter ML, Brozoski DT, Wackman KK, Lu KT, Kozak KN, Wells C, Fogo AB, Gibson-Corley KN, Kwitek AE, Sigmund CD, McIntosh JJ, Grobe JL.) Sci Adv. 2023 Dec;9(48):eadg8118 PMID: 38039359 PMCID: PMC10691776 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85178323055 12/01/2023

  • Updates to the Alliance of Genome Resources Central Infrastructure Alliance of Genome Resources Consortium.

    (Alliance of Genome Resources Consortium .) bioRxiv. 2023 Nov 22 PMID: 38045425 PMCID: PMC10690154 12/04/2023

  • The Power of the Heterogeneous Stock Rat Founder Strains in Modeling Metabolic Disease.

    (Wagner VA, Holl KL, Clark KC, Reho JJ, Lehmler HJ, Wang K, Grobe JL, Dwinell MR, Raff H, Kwitek AE.) Endocrinology. 2023 Nov 02;164(12) PMID: 37882530 PMCID: PMC10637104 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85176509096 10/26/2023

  • A revamped rat reference genome improves the discovery of genetic diversity in laboratory rats.

    (de Jong TV, Pan Y, Rastas P, Munro D, Tutaj M, Akil H, Benner C, Chen D, Chitre AS, Chow W, Colonna V, Dalgard CL, Demos WM, Doris PA, Garrison E, Geurts AM, Gunturkun HM, Guryev V, Hourlier T, Howe K, Huang J, Kalbfleisch T, Kim P, Li L, Mahaffey S, Martin FJ, Mohammadi P, Ozel AB, Polesskaya O, Pravenec M, Prins P, Sebat J, Smith JR, Solberg Woods LC, Tabakoff B, Tracey A, Uliano-Silva M, Villani F, Wang H, Sharp BM, Telese F, Jiang Z, Saba L, Wang X, Murphy TD, Palmer AA, Kwitek AE, Dwinell MR, Williams RW, Li JZ, Chen H.) bioRxiv. 2023 Sep 28 PMID: 37214860 PMCID: PMC10197727 05/22/2023

  • Rare disease research resources at the Rat Genome Database.

    (Kaldunski ML, Smith JR, Brodie KC, De Pons JL, Demos WM, Gibson AC, Hayman GT, Lamers L, Laulederkind SJF, Thorat K, Thota J, Tutaj MA, Tutaj M, Vedi M, Wang SJ, Zacher S, Dwinell MR, Kwitek AE.) Genetics. 2023 Aug 09;224(4) PMID: 37119810 PMCID: PMC10411567 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85167481442 04/30/2023

  • Genetic background in the rat affects endocrine and metabolic outcomes of bisphenol F exposure.

    (Wagner VA, Holl KL, Clark KC, Reho JJ, Dwinell MR, Lehmler HJ, Raff H, Grobe JL, Kwitek AE.) Toxicol Sci. 2023 Jun 28;194(1):84-100 PMID: 37191987 PMCID: PMC10306406 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85164065947 05/16/2023

  • The Rat Genome Database: Genetic, Genomic, and Phenotypic Data Across Multiple Species.

    (Laulederkind SJF, Hayman GT, Wang SJ, Kaldunski ML, Vedi M, Demos WM, Tutaj M, Smith JR, Lamers L, Gibson AC, Thorat K, Thota J, Tutaj MA, de Pons JL, Dwinell MR, Kwitek AE.) Curr Protoc. 2023 Jun;3(6):e804 PMID: 37347557 PMCID: PMC10335880 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85162756259 06/22/2023

  • 2022 updates to the Rat Genome Database: a Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) resource.

    (Vedi M, Smith JR, Thomas Hayman G, Tutaj M, Brodie KC, De Pons JL, Demos WM, Gibson AC, Kaldunski ML, Lamers L, Laulederkind SJF, Thota J, Thorat K, Tutaj MA, Wang SJ, Zacher S, Dwinell MR, Kwitek AE.) Genetics. 2023 May 04;224(1) PMID: 36930729 PMCID: PMC10474928 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85159551813 03/18/2023

  • The Gene Ontology knowledgebase in 2023.

    (Gene Ontology Consortium, Aleksander SA, Balhoff J, Carbon S, Cherry JM, Drabkin HJ, Ebert D, Feuermann M, Gaudet P, Harris NL, Hill DP, Lee R, Mi H, Moxon S, Mungall CJ, Muruganugan A, Mushayahama T, Sternberg PW, Thomas PD, Van Auken K, Ramsey J, Siegele DA, Chisholm RL, Fey P, Aspromonte MC, Nugnes MV, Quaglia F, Tosatto S, Giglio M, Nadendla S, Antonazzo G, Attrill H, Dos Santos G, Marygold S, Strelets V, Tabone CJ, Thurmond J, Zhou P, Ahmed SH, Asanitthong P, Luna Buitrago D, Erdol MN, Gage MC, Ali Kadhum M, Li KYC, Long M, Michalak A, Pesala A, Pritazahra A, Saverimuttu SCC, Su R, Thurlow KE, Lovering RC, Logie C, Oliferenko S, Blake J, Christie K, Corbani L, Dolan ME, Drabkin HJ, Hill DP, Ni L, Sitnikov D, Smith C, Cuzick A, Seager J, Cooper L, Elser J, Jaiswal P, Gupta P, Jaiswal P, Naithani S, Lera-Ramirez M, Rutherford K, Wood V, De Pons JL, Dwinell MR, Hayman GT, Kaldunski ML, Kwitek AE, Laulederkind SJF, Tutaj MA, Vedi M, Wang SJ, D'Eustachio P, Aimo L, Axelsen K, Bridge A, Hyka-Nouspikel N, Morgat A, Aleksander SA, Cherry JM, Engel SR, Karra K, Miyasato SR, Nash RS, Skrzypek MS, Weng S, Wong ED, Bakker E, Berardini TZ, Reiser L, Auchincloss A, Axelsen K, Argoud-Puy G, Blatter MC, Boutet E, Breuza L, Bridge A, Casals-Casas C, Coudert E, Estreicher A, Livia Famiglietti M, Feuermann M, Gos A, Gruaz-Gumowski N, Hulo C, Hyka-Nouspikel N, Jungo F, Le Mercier P, Lieberherr D, Masson P, Morgat A, Pedruzzi I, Pourcel L, Poux S, Rivoire C, Sundaram S, Bateman A, Bowler-Barnett E, Bye-A-Jee H, Denny P, Ignatchenko A, Ishtiaq R, Lock A, Lussi Y, Magrane M, Martin MJ, Orchard S, Raposo P, Speretta E, Tyagi N, Warner K, Zaru R, Diehl AD, Lee R, Chan J, Diamantakis S, Raciti D, Zarowiecki M, Fisher M, James-Zorn C, Ponferrada V, Zorn A, Ramachandran S, Ruzicka L, Westerfield M.) Genetics. 2023 May 04;224(1) PMID: 36866529 PMCID: PMC10158837 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85164785564 03/04/2023

  • Cell-specific transcriptome changes in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus in a mouse deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt model of hypertension.

    (Wagner VA, Deng G, Claflin KE, Ritter ML, Cui H, Nakagawa P, Sigmund CD, Morselli LL, Grobe JL, Kwitek AE.) Front Cell Neurosci. 2023;17:1207350 PMID: 37293629 PMCID: PMC10244568 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85161193387 06/09/2023