Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
Janet S. Lee, MD
 |
Assistant Professor of Medicine UPMC Montefiore Hospital - NW628 3459 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Phone: 412-692-2210 |
Bio
Dr. Lee received her doctoral degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1995. She completed her internship and residency training at University of Alabama at Birmingham, and then went onto pursue a Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship at University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. During her post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. Lee pursued basic research in chemokine-chemokine receptor interactions, leukocyte migration and recruitment related to the pathogenesis of lung inflammation and injury. In 2004, she joined the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
Clinical Interests
Dr. Lee’s clinical interest and focus is acute lung injury and the management of the critically ill patient. Her clinical service is primarily focused in the Medical Intensive Care Unit of the University Hospital. She is actively involved in research training and teaching of Pulmonary and Critical Care fellows.
Academic and Research Interests
Dr. Lee’s research interests include chemokine-mediated lung inflammation, and the role of chemokines in altering the lung microenvironment’s response to injury. One primary focus of the laboratory is the role of Duffy antigen chemokine binding protein as a model for examining in vivo consequences of erythrocyte membrane protein alterations during red cell storage. We are interested in how red cell transfusion can provide a secondary signal for the development of acute lung inflammation and injury in a murine model of endotoxemia. Another focus of the laboratory is the chemokine CX3CL1 and its cognate receptor CX3CR1 in the propagation and accumulation of divergent immune cell populations within the lungs following inflammatory stimuli such as chronic cigarette smoke exposure.
 |
Red cell and endothelial cells cooperatively interact to mobilize chemokines from local tissue to systemic circulation. One mechanism of regulating inflammatory chemokine concentrations is the Duffy antigen, a minor blood group antigen, expressed on red cells of most individuals and upregulated on endothelium during inflammatory states. |
 |
Red cell transfusion and augmentation of existing lung inflammation and injury. Understanding the mechanisms of erythrocyte alterations during red cell storage and its in vivo consequences may provide insight into a common issue in the critically ill. |
 |
CX3CR1 is expressed by lung macrophages and increased during cigarette smoke exposure. CX3CR1 cells in murine lungs (green, panel B) and coexpression with a macrophage marker Mac3 (orange, panel D). Control immunostaining with rabbit IgG (panel A) and Mac3 expression alone (red, panel C). |
Key Publications
Mangalmurti NS, Xiong Z, Hulver M, Ranganathan M, Liu XH, Oriss T, Rubin M, Triulzi D, Choi A, Lee JS*. Loss of Red cell Chemokine Scavenging Promotes Transfusion Related Lung Inflammation. Blood Nov 2008 (In Press).
McComb JG, Ranganathan M, Liu XH, Pilewski JM, Ray P, Watkins SC, Choi AM, Lee JS. CX3CL1 Upregulation is Associated with Recruitment of CX3CR1+ Mononuclear Phagocytes and T Lymphocytes in the Lungs during Cigarette Smoke Induced Emphysema. Am J Pathol 2008 Oct;173(4):949-61. Epub 2008 Sep 4.
Lee JS*, Wurfel MM, Matute-Bello G, Frevert CW, Rosengart MR, Ranganathan M, Wong VW, Holden T, Sutlief S, Richmond A, Peiper SC, Martin TR. The Duffy Antigen Modifies Systemic and Local Tissue Chemokine Responses Following LPS Stimulation. J Immunol 2006 Dec 1;177(11):8086-94.