CV

Personal data

Birthdate and -place: March 28, 1967, Copenhagen, Denmark
Private address: H.A. Clausensvej 25, 2820 Gentofte; phone (+45) 33143464/mobile 20991555
Work address: Dept. of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 13, Universitetsparken, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; phone (+45) 35321546; [email protected]
Present occupation: Associate professor
Private status: Married, two children (1999, 2005)

Education and positions

2006 - Associate Professor, Dept. of Biology, University of Copenhagen
2003-2006 Assistant professor, Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Copenhagen
2001-2003 Visiting scientist, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA
2000-2003 Research adjunct (Carlsberg foundation), August Krogh Inst., University of Copenhagen
1998-2000 Clinical Research, H. Lundbeck A/S, Valby, Denmark
1998 Awarded the Ph.D. degree, August Krogh Institute, University of Copenhagen
1997 Visiting scientist, Katholieke Universitet, Leuven, Belgium
1995 Visiting scientist, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA
1995-1998 Ph.D. student, August Krogh Institute, University of Copenhagen
1991-1994 Masters degree, University of Copenhagen, biology (incl. 1 year at UC London).
1991 Degree in applied arts, Danish School of Design
1987 Bachelor of science, biology

Recent international scientific oral communications/invited talks 

Biophysical society int. meeting 2003 TX, USA; MDI Biological laboratories, ME, USA 2003; 3rd international symposium cell volume and cell signalling, OH, USA 2003; NorFa meeting Salt and Water transport, Gålå 2004; Red Cell Club annual meeting 2004, Missouri, USA; Sandbjerg meeting on membrane transport 2006; Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, CA 2006; Hepatology, Düsseldorf 2006; Experimental Biology Washington 2007; Gordon conference on Cell Volume Regulation, Aussois, France, 2007; Cell Volume Control-Function, Salzburg, Austria 2007; Keio School of Med. Microcirculation symposium, Davis, CA, 2008; IUPS meeting Kyoto 2009 (invited).

Honors and grants since 2002 include

Direktoer Ib Henriksens fond (2002); New investigator award, Mount Desert Island Biological laboratories (MDIBL), ME, USA (2003); The Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen fellowship, MDIBL (2003); Carlsberg Foundation (2003); Augustinus fonden (2004); Gangstedfonden (2004); Fonden af 1870 (2004); Midtjyske bladfond (2004), Fonden for Natur og Univers (2006-07; 2007-09); Danish Cancer Society (co-applicant; 2006-07); Danish National Research Council (co-applicant; 2005-); Novo Nordisk foundation, 2007; Fonden for Natur og Univers (coapplicant 2008-2010); Carlsberg Foundation (2008).

Teaching experience includes

Biochemistry (1995-1997), Cell signaling PhD course (1998); Fluorescence techniques summer university (2001); 2003 to current: teaches and coordinates courses in Cell Biology and Developmental Biology, Univ. of Cph., Bachelor and Grad. level; Biological Membranes, Drug Targets & Absorption Barriers PhD course, FARMA, KU (2004); Bachelor, Masters, and Ph.D. student supervision, -examination, and -opponentship.

Referee-, opponent-, grant evaluator-, editor, and other positions of trust include

Grant evaluator: National Science Foundation, USA (2002, 2007); Reviewer: J. Physiol. (Lond.); Exp. Cell Res.; Am. J. Physiol.; Cell. Physiol. Biochem.; Oncology; Eur J Physiol; J Cereb Blood Flow Metab; PhD thesis opponent/committee chair: 2006, 2007; Guest editor Acta Phsyiologica 2006; Dept. of Biology committees on communication (2004-), and education (2007-).

Academic society memberships

Danish Biochemical society (2000-); Biophysical society (2001-); Am. physiological society (2003-); MDI Biological Laboratories (2003-); Scand. Physiological Society (2006-); Am. Society for Cell Biology (2007).

Total peer-reviewed scientific publications

1 editorial, 13 review articles, 34 original papers, and more than 35 published abstracts

Primary fields of research

The NHE1 lab

Our overall objective is to increase the understanding of the regulation, physiology, and structure-function relationship of the ubiquitous plasma membrane Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1).

NHE1 is a member of the SLC9A family of Na+/H+ exchanger proteins. NHE1 is a highly conserved protein with central roles in the control of cell volume, intracellular pH, and cytoskeletal organization. Consequently, many pivotal cellular functions, including migration, proliferation, and cell death are dependent on NHE1.

Excessive NHE1 activity has been shown to play a major role in, on the one hand, cell damage and death after ischemia-reperfusion injuries (e.g. after a stroke or heart attack) and on the other hand, in several aspects of cancer development, including the accelerated growth and migratory/invasive properties of cancer cells.

Both the regulation and function of NHE1 are highly complex. NHE1 is activated by intracellular acidification, by a wide array of hormones and growth factors, and by osmotic cell shrinkage and other physical stimuli. In addition to being an ion transporter, NHE1 also plays physiological roles which are at least in part independent of the ions transported, but rather reflecting its functions as a scaffold for F-actin binding and cellular signaling.

The 3D structure of NHE1 is unknown, as are the locus and mechanism of ion translocation and interaction with commercially available inhibitors developed for clinical use. Given the widespread clinical importance of excessive NHE1 activity, and the paucity of data regarding the mechanisms by which carriers such as NHE1 mediate ion exchange, these issues are of substantial interest both in terms of basic research and in a clinical context. The tail region of NHE1 is known to be important for NHE1 regulation and function, however, the structure of this region is also essentially unelucidated.

Our research interests fall in two broad categories:

• Studies of the regulation and physiology of NHE1, in particular with respect to the roles of NHE1 in cell migration and in the cellular stress response
• Structure-function studies of the transmembrane and cytosolic regions of NHE1
  

For further information, please see our NHE1 lab homepage: http://www1.bio.ku.dk/english/research/cu/cf/nhe1/

Selected recent publications

Pedersen, S.F., and Cala, P.M. 2004. Comparative biology of the ubiquitous Na+/H+ exchanger, NHE1: lessons from erythrocytes. J. Exp. Zool., 301A:569-578

Pedersen, S.F., Owsianik, G., and Nilius, B. 2005. TRP channels: an overview. Cell Calcium 38: 233-252

Pedersen, S.F. 2006. The Na+/H+ exchanger NHE1 in stress-induced signal transduction: Implications for cell proliferation and cell death. Eur J Physiol. 452(3):249-59

Pedersen, S.F., O'Donnell, M.E., Anderson, S.E., Cala, P.M. 2006. Physiology and Pathophysiology of Na+/H+ exchange and Na+,K+,2Cl- cotransport. Am J Physiol 291(1):R1-25

Pedersen SF, Darborg BV, Rentsch ML, and Rasmussen M. 2007. Regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways by the plasma membrane Na+/H+ exchanger, NHE1. Arch Biochem Biophys, 462(2):195-201

Hoffmann EK, Lambert, IH, Pedersen, SF. 2007. Mechanisms and physiology of cell volume regulation in vertebrates. Physiological Reviews, accepted after revision

Pedersen, S.F., King, S.A., Rigor, R.R., Zhuang, Z., Warren, J.M., and Cala, P.M. 2003. Molecular cloning of NHE1 from Winter flounder RBCs: activation by osmotic shrinkage, cAMP, and calyculin A. Am. J. Physiol. 284:C1561-C1576

Holt, M.E.V., King, S.A, Cala,P.M., and Pedersen, S.F. 2006. Regulation of the Pleuronectes Americanus Na+/H+ exchanger, paNHE1, by osmotic shrinkage, b-adrenergic stimuli, and inhibition of Ser/Thr protein phosphatases. Cell Biochem Biophys, 45(1):1-18

Rentsch ML, Ossum CG, Hoffmann EK, Pedersen SF. 2007. Roles of the Na+/H+ exchanger, NHE1, in regulation of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase and cell death after chemical anoxia in NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Eur J Physiol. 454(4):649-62

Pedersen SF, King SA, Nygaard EB, Rigor RR, Cala PM. 2007. NHE1 inhibition by amiloride- and benzoyl guanidine-type compounds: Inhibitor binding loci deduced from chimeras of NHE1 homologues with endogenous differences in inhibitor sensitivity. J. Biol. Chem. 282(27):19716-27

Pedersen SF, Darborg BV, Rasmussen M, Nylandsted J, Hoffmann EK. 2007. The Na+/H+ exchanger, NHE1, differentially regulates mitogen-activated protein kinase subfamilies after osmotic shrinkage in Ehrlich Lettre Ascites cells. Cell Physiol Biochem, 20(6):735-750

Rasmussen M, Alexander RT, Darborg BV, Møbjerg N, Hoffmann EK, Kapus A, Pedersen SF. 2007. Osmotic cell shrinkage activates ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins: Activation mechanisms and physiological implications. Am. J. Physiol. 294(1):C197-212

Schneider L, Stock CM ,Dieterich P, Satir P, Schwab A, Christensen ST, Pedersen SF. 2008. The Na+/H+ exchanger, NHE1, plays a central role in directed fibroblast migration stimulated by PDGFRa signalling in the primary cilium. J. Cell Biol., submitted