Abha Sahni, MS, PhD

Abha Sahni, MS, PhD
Associate Professor

Department of Pathology

Phone: (409) 747-2430
Lab: (409) 772-3659
Email: absahni@utmb.edu

    • Interaction of growth factors and cytokines with fibrinogen and fibrin and their role in regulating endothelial cell responses to injury.
    • Role of fibrinogen-FGF-2 interaction in cancer cell growth.
    • Fibrin(ogen)-mediated pathways of breast cancer metastasis.
    • Characterization of a novel receptors, involved in Rickettsial entry in to host endothelium.
    • Identification and characterization of microRNAs involved in Rickettsial pathogenesis.
  • BS Lucknow University, Lucknow, India Biology 1984
    MS Lucknow University, Lucknow, India Biochemistry 1986
    PhD Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow Avadh University, Faizabad, India Biochemistry 1991
  • 1999 Young Investigator award at XVIIth Congress International Society for Thrombosis & Haemostasis at Washington, DC
      Research Associate Award from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India.
      Senior Research Fellowship Award from CSIR, Govt. of India.
      National Merit Junior Research Fellowship from CSIR, Govt. of India.
  • 2009-2011 American Heart Association
    2012-Present American Society for Rickettsiology
    2013-Present American Society for Microbiology
    1. Abha Sahni, Tatjana Odrljin and Charles W. Francis (1998): Binding of basic Fibroblast growth factor to Fibrinogen and Fibrin. Journal of Biological Chemistry 273 (13): 7554-59.
    2. Abha Sahni, Lee Ann Sporn and Charles W. Francis: (1999): Fibrinogen potentiates the effect of basic Fibroblast growth factor on the proliferation of endothelial cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry 274 (21): 14936-41.
    3. Abha Sahni, Christopher A. Baker, and Charles W. Francis (2000): Fibrinogen protects Fibroblast growth factor-2 from proteolytic degradation. Thrombosis and Haemostasis 83: 736-41.
    4. Abha Sahni and Charles W. Francis (2000): Vascular endothelial growth factor binds to fibrinogen and fibrin and stimulates endothelial cell proliferation. Blood 96: 3772-78.
    5. Abha Sahni and Charles W. Francis(2003): Plasmic degradation modulates activity of fibrinogen-bound fibroblast growth factor-2. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis 1: 1271-77.
    6. Abha Sahni, O. D. Altland and C. W. Francis (2003):FGF-2 but not FGF-1 binds fibrin and supports prolonged endothelial cell growth.Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis 1: 1304-10.
    7. Alok A. Khorana, Abha Sahni, Owen D. Altland and Charles W. Francis (2003): Heparin inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation and organization is dependent on molecular weight. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 23: 2110-15.
    8. Hu Peng, Abha Sahni, P. J. Fay, S. Bellum, I. Prudovsky, T. Maciag and Charles W. Francis. (2004): Identification of a binding site on human FGF-2 for fibrinogen. Blood 103 (6): 2114 - 20.
    9. Abha Sahni, Min Guo, S. K. Sahni, and C. W. Francis (2004): Interleukin-1beta but not IL-1alpha binds to fibrinogen and fibrin and has enhanced activity in the bound form. Blood 104: 409-14.
    10. Abha Sahni, Sanjeev K. Sahni, Patricia J. Simpson-Haidairis and Charles W. Francis (2004): Fibrinogen binding potentiates FGF-2 but not VEGF induced expression of u-PA, u-PAR and PAI-1 in endothelial cells. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2 (9): 1629-36.
    11. Abha Sahni and Charles W. Francis (2004): Stimulation of endothelial cell proliferation by FGF-2 in the presence of fibrinogen requires alphaVbeta3. Blood 104 (12): 3635-41.
    12. Abha Sahni, Sanjeev K. Sahni and Charles W. Francis (2005): Endothelial cell activation by IL-1beta in the presence of fibrinogen requires alphaVbeta3. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 25: 2222-27.
    13. Abha Sahni, Alok A. Khorana, Raymond B. Baggs, Hu Peng and Charles W. Francis (2006): FGF-2 binding to fibrin(ogen) is required for augmented angiogenesis. Blood 107: 126-131.
    14. Elena Rydkina, Abha Sahni, R. B. Baggs, D. J. Silverman and S. K. Sahni (2006): Infection of human endothelial cells with spotted fever group rickettsiae stimulates cyclooxygenase-2 expression and release of vasoactive prostaglandins. Infection and Immunity 74: 5067-74.
    15. Elena Rydkina, Abha Sahni, D. J. Silverman and S. K. Sahni (2007): Comparative analysis of host cell signaling mechanism activated in response to infection with Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia typhi. Journal of Medical Microbiology 56: 896- 906.
    16. Abha Sahni, Patricia J. Simpson-Haidaris, Sanjeev K. Sahni, Gayle G. Vaday and Charles W. Francis (2008): Fibrinogen synthesized by cancer cells augments the proliferative effect of FGF-2. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis 6: 176-83.
    17. Sanjeev K. Sahni, Elena Rydkina and Abha Sahni (2008). The proteasome inhibitor MG132 induces nuclear translocation of erythroid transcription factor Nrf2 and cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA expression in human vascular endothelial cells. Thrombosis Research 122: 820-25.
    18. Abha Sahni, Maria Arevalo, Sanjeev K. Sahni and Patricia J. Simpson-Haidaris (2009): Fibrinogen induces endothelial cell permeability and promotes trans-endothelial migration of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. International Journal of Cancer 125: 577-84.
    19. Abha Sahni, Nadan Wang and Jeffrey D. Alexis (2010). UAP56 is an important regulator of protein synthesis and growth in cardiomyocytes. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 26: 393 (1):106-10.
    20. Patricia J. Simpson-Haidaris and Abha Sahni (2010): Fibrin-specific beta15-42 domain is exposed in cell-associated intact fibrinogen. International Journal of Cancer 127: 2981-86.
    21. Punsiri M. Colonne, Abha Sahni and Sanjeev K. Sahni (2011): Rickettsia conorii infection stimulates the expression of ISG15 and its protease UBP43 in human microvascular endothelial cells. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 416(1-2):153-58.
    22. Abha Sahni, Nadan Wang and Jeffrey D. Alexis (2012). UAP56 is a novel interacting partner of Bcr in regulating vascular smooth muscle cell DNA synthesis. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 420 (3):511-15.
    23. Elena Rydkina, Loel C. Turpin, Abha Sahni and Sanjeev K. Sahni (2012). Regulation of inducible heme oxygenase and cyclooxygenase isozymes in a mouse model of spotted fever group rickettsiosis. Microbial Pathogenesis 53(1): 28-36.
    24. Abha Sahni, Nadan Wang and Jeffrey D. Alexis (2013). UAP56 is an important mediator of Angiotensin II/platelet derived growth factor induced vascular smooth muscle cell DNA synthesis and proliferation. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 431(3): 636-40.
    25. Punsiri M. Colonne, Abha Sahni and Sanjeev K. Sahni (2013): Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling protein SOCS1 and UBP43 regulate the expression of type I interferon-stimulated genes in human microvascular endothelial cells infected with Rickettsia conorii. Journal of medical Microbiology 62(7):968-79.
    26. Sanjeev K. Sahni, Hema P. Narra, Abha Sahni, and David H. Walker (2013): Recent molecular insights into rickettsial pathogenesis and immunity. Future Microbiology 8 (10):1265-88.

    NIH Biosketch