HCK - PI Helga Vitzthum - Hamburg Center for Kidney Health

Laboratory for renal transport physiology

Helga Vitzthum

Helga Vitzthum

Mission Statement

“Understanding the integrative regulation of renal tubular transporters for the maintainance of electrolyte and acid-base homeostasis”

— Helga Vitzthum, PhD

Team Members

PhD Student

Kimberely Dreger

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Technician

Leya Eckermann

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Technician

Katrin Möller

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MD Student

Helena Pham

Research

©Helga Vitzthum

Each renal nephron is composed of the glomerulus that filters the blood, and the renal tubule that changes the composition of the filtrate by reabsorbing ‘needed’ molecules from the urine and secreting ‘unwanted’ molecules into the urine. The tubule is subdivided in the proximal tubule, the loop of Henle, and the distal tubule, which is lastly connected to the collecting duct.

Besides intact glomerular filtration, perfect regulation of the tubular transport processes is essential for maintaining healthy kidney function. Tubular transport processes are orchestrated by numerous hormones such as aldosterone. The group of Dr. Helga Vitzthum focuses on the impact of non-hormonal factors in the regulation of tubular function, such as the influence of the blood electrolyte composition. As such the group could already show that potassium regulates sodium reabsorption in the distal tubule. Currently, we are analyzing how chloride and bicarbonate alter aldosterone sensitivity in the collecting duct.

Helga Vitzthum, PhD

Research Group Leader

Institute of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)

Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

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CV

Current Position

Scientist, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Prof. Dr. Heimo Ehmke

University Training

1990 - 1994	Study of biology (Diplom), University of Regensburg, Germany (final exam grade 1.2)
1988 - 1990	Study of chemistry and biology (Lehramt Gymnasium), University of Regensburg, Germany (intermediate exam grade 1.5)

Academic qualifications

1995- 2020	Research course ‘Methods in computational neuroscience’, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
1994 -1997	Dr. rer. nat. thesis, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Prof. Dr. Kai Hansen

Previous professional career

Scientific postgraduate education:

1997 - 2004

Post-Doc, Department of Physiology, University of Regensburg, Prof. Dr. Armin Kurtz

Selected publications

1.	Polyhydramnios, Transient Antenatal Bartter's Syndrome, and MAGED2 Mutations. Laghmani K, Beck BB, Yang SS, Seaayfan E, Wenzel A, Reusch B, Vitzthum H, Priem D, Demaretz S, Bergmann K, Duin LK, Göbel H, Mache C, Thiele H, Bartram MP, Dombret C, Altmüller J, Nürnberg P, Benzing T, Levtchenko E, Seyberth HW, Klaus G, Yigit G, Lin SH, Timmer A, de Koning TJ, Scherjon SA, Schlingmann KP, Bertrand MJ, Rinschen MM, de Backer O, Konrad M, Kömhoff M. N Engl J Med. 2016;374(19):1853-63.
2.	Regulation of the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter by cGMP/cGMP-dependent protein kinase I after furosemide administration. Limmer F, Schinner E, Castrop H, Vitzthum H, Hofmann F, Schlossmann J. FEBS J. 2015;282(19):3786-98.
3.	Disruption of vascular Ca2+-activated chloride currents lowers blood pressure.. Heinze C, Seniuk A, Sokolov MV, Huebner AK, Klementowicz AE, Szijártó IA, Schleifenbaum J, Vitzthum H, Gollasch M, Ehmke H, Schroeder BC, Hübner CA. J Clin Invest. 2014;124(2):675-86.
4.	Functional coupling of renal K+ and Na+ handling causes high blood pressure in Na+ replete mice. Vitzthum H, Seniuk A, Schulte LH, Müller ML, Hetz H, Ehmke H. J Physiol. 2014;592(5):1139-57.
5.	Targeted mutation of SLC4A5 induces arterial hypertension and renal metabolic acidosis. Gröger N, Vitzthum H, Fröhlich H, Krüger M, Ehmke H, Braun T, Boettger T. Hum Mol Genet. 2012;21(5):1025-36.