Anne Kwitek, PhD

Contact Information

Office: 2-252 BSB 
Phone: 319-384-2934 
Faculty Profile


Brief description of current research:

Dr. Kwitek is an animal and human geneticist whose research revolves around dissecting the genetic components of complex disease with an emphasis on hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Using genome-wide approaches such as QTL mapping, positional cloning, transcriptomics, and high-throughput sequencing, Dr. Kwitek’s studies have identified loci and genes involved in diabetes and cardiovascular disease in both rat models and human populations. Her current work is focused on combining traditional positional cloning approaches with systems genetics and gene targeting in rats to identify genes and linked pathways involved in the Metabolic Syndrome.

3 most influential diabetes/obesity/metabolism publications:

  • Gilibert S, Bataillard A, Nussberger J, Sassard J, Kwitek AE.: Implication of Chromosome 13 on hypertension and associated disorders in Lyon Hypertensive (LH) Rats. J Hypertens 27(6):1186-1193, 2009. PMCID: PMC2915542
  • Fuller JM, Bogdani M, Tupling TD, Jensen RA, Pefley R, Manavi S, Cort L, Blankenhorn EP, Mordes JP, Lernmark A, Kwitek AE.: Genetic Dissection Reveals Diabetes Loci Proximal to the Gimap5 Lymphopenia Gene. Physiol Genomics 38(1):89-97, 2009. PMCID: PMC2696149
  • Atanur SS, Diaz AG, Maratou K, Sarkis A, Rotival M, Game L, Tschannen MR, Kaisaki PJ, Otto GW, John Ma MC, Keane TM, Hummel O, Saar K, Chen W, Guryev V, Gopalakrishnan K, Garrett MR, Joe B, Citterio L, Bianchi G, McBride M, Dominiczak A, Adams DJ, Serikawa T, Flicek P, Cuppen E, Hubner N, Petretto E, Gauguier D, Kwitek A, Jacob H, Aitman TJ. Genome Sequencing Reveals Loci under Artificial Selection that Underlie Disease Phenotypes in the Laboratory Rat. Cell 154(3):691-703, 2013. PMID: 23890820

Quote:

Are obesity and diabetes caused by nurture or nature?  The answer is … yes!