Aylin R. Rodan
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Aylin R. Rodan, MD, PhD, FASN

Languages spoken: English

  • Dr. Rodan received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Yale University. She then completed M.D./Ph.D. training in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of California San Francisco, followed by Internal Medicine residency at UCSF. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship and nephrology subspecialty training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she remained on faculty for five years prior to coming to the University of Utah. Dr. Rodan is a general nephrologist specializing in disorders of the kidney, electrolytes and high blood pressure. She oversees Nephrology Fellows in training in the outpatient and inpatient settings. She has served as Chief of the Division of Nephrology & Hypertension since 2024.

    The kidney plays a central role in maintaining homeostasis of ions and water in the body. However, the diet of early humans (low sodium, high potassium) is the opposite of the modern diet (high sodium, low potassium). Dr. Rodan’s research is focused on how the kidney responds to the high sodium, low potasium diet in ways that are both adaptive and maladaptive. Underlying the kidneys' ability to regulate salt and water is the process of ion transport, the vectorial movement of ions across cell membranes. The Rodan laboratory uses the genetic model organism Drosophila melanogaster to study ion transport processes relevant to human physiology. Projects in the lab focus on: 1) ion and water sensing by WNK kinases, which are mutated in a human disorder characterized by high blood pressure and high potassium; and 2) understanding how flies respond to high salt diet, including genes and metabolic adaptations that increase or decrease the ability to cope with high salt. The goal of the laboratory is to understand the regulatory and ion transport mechanisms underlying the response to varying diets and to translate these insights into improved understanding of renal physiology in health and disease.

    Specialties

    Board Certification

    American Board of Internal Medicine
    American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Nephrology)

  • Dr. Rodan received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Yale University. She then completed M.D./Ph.D. training in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of California San Francisco, followed by Internal Medicine residency at UCSF. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship and nephrology subspecialty training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she remained on faculty for five years prior to coming to the University of Utah. Dr. Rodan is a general nephrologist specializing in disorders of the kidney, electrolytes and high blood pressure. She oversees Nephrology Fellows in training in the outpatient and inpatient settings. She has served as Chief of the Division of Nephrology & Hypertension since 2024.

    The kidney plays a central role in maintaining homeostasis of ions and water in the body. However, the diet of early humans (low sodium, high potassium) is the opposite of the modern diet (high sodium, low potassium). Dr. Rodan’s research is focused on how the kidney responds to the high sodium, low potasium diet in ways that are both adaptive and maladaptive. Underlying the kidneys' ability to regulate salt and water is the process of ion transport, the vectorial movement of ions across cell membranes. The Rodan laboratory uses the genetic model organism Drosophila melanogaster to study ion transport processes relevant to human physiology. Projects in the lab focus on: 1) ion and water sensing by WNK kinases, which are mutated in a human disorder characterized by high blood pressure and high potassium; and 2) understanding how flies respond to high salt diet, including genes and metabolic adaptations that increase or decrease the ability to cope with high salt. The goal of the laboratory is to understand the regulatory and ion transport mechanisms underlying the response to varying diets and to translate these insights into improved understanding of renal physiology in health and disease.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Internal Medicine -Associate Professor
    Human Genetics -Adjunct Associate Professor
    Academic Divisions Nephrology & Hypertension
    Board Certification
    American Board of Internal Medicine
    American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Nephrology)

    Education history

    Research Fellow NIH/NIDDK Nephrology T32 Training Program - University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Postdoctoral Research Fellow
    Fellowship Nephrology - University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Fellow
    Postdoctoral Fellowship Genetics - University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Postdoctoral Fellow
    Residency Internal Medicine - University of California, San Francisco Resident
    Doctoral Training Genetics/Medical Scientist Training Program - University of California, San Francisco Ph.D.
    Professional Medical Medicine/Medical Scientist Training Program - University of California, San Francisco M.D.
    Undergraduate Biology - Yale University B.S.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Chvilicek MM, Titos I, Merrill CB, Cummins-Beebee PN, Chen JD, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2025). Alcohol induces long-lasting sleep deficits in Drosophila via subsets of cholinergic neurons. Curr Biol, 35(5), 1033-1046.e3. (Read full article)
    2. Ibrahim A, Rodan AR, Westenfelder C, Al-Rabadi L (2024). Gitelman syndrome patient managed with amiloride during pregnancy and lactation. BMC Nephrol, 25(1), 403. (Read full article)
    3. Rodan AR (2024). WNKs and Sodium Transporter Function in Solute Exchange with Implications for Blood Pressure Regulation as Elucidated through Drosophila. Kidney360. (Read full article)
    4. Mahmoudzadeh NH, Heidarian Y, Tourigny JP, Fitt AJ, Beebe K, Li H, Luhur A, Buddika K, Mungcal L, Kundu A, Policastro RA, Brinkley GJ, Zentner GE, Nemkov T, Pepin R, Chawla G, Sudarshan S, Rodan AR, DAlessandro A, Tennessen JM (2024). Renal L-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase activity promotes hypoxia tolerance and mitochondrial metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Metab, 102013. (Read full article)
    5. Boyd-Shiwarski CR, Rodan AR (2024). Solitary Kidney Seeks Potassium Alkali to Lower the Pressure. J Am Soc Nephrol. (Read full article)
    6. Nicholson RJ, Ramkumar N, Rodan AR (2024). Megalin as a Metabolic Modulator in the Kidney and Beyond. Function (Oxf), 5(5). (Read full article)
    7. Agarwal A, Beddhu S, Boucher R, Rao V, Ramkumar N, Rodan AR, Fang J, Wynne BM, Drakos SG, Hanff T, Cheung AK, Fang JC (2024). Evaluation of renal sodium handling in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: A pilot study. Physiol Rep, 12(9), e16033. (Read full article)
    8. Merrill CB, Titos I, Pabon MA, Montgomery AB, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2024). Iterative assay for transposase-accessible chromatin by sequencing to isolate functionally relevant neuronal subtypes. Sci Adv, 10(13), eadi4393. (Read full article)
    9. Chvilicek MM, Seguin A, Lathen DR, Titos I, Cummins-Beebee PN, Pabon MA, Mievi M, Nickel E, Merrill CB, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2024). Large analysis of genetic manipulations reveals an inverse correlation between initial alcohol resistance and rapid tolerance phenotypes. Genes Brain Behav, 23(1), e12884. (Read full article)
    10. Yarikipati P, Jonusaite S, Pleinis JM, Dominicci Cotto C, Sanchez-Hernandez D, Morrison DE, Goyal S, Schellinger J, Pnalva C, Curtiss J, Rodan AR, Jenny A (2023). Unanticipated domain requirements for Drosophila Wnk kinase in vivo. PLoS Genet, 19(10), e1010975. (Read full article)
    11. Chvilicek MM, Seguin A, Lathen DR, Titos I, Cummins-Beebe PN, Pabon MA, Miscevic M, Nickel EA, Merrill CB, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2023). Large genetic analysis of alcohol resistance and tolerance reveals an inverse correlation and suggests 'true' tolerance mutants. bioRxiv. (Read full article)
    12. Humphreys JM, Teixeira LR, Akella R, He H, Kannangara AR, Sekulski K, Pleinis J, Liwocha J, Jiou J, Servage KA, Orth K, Joachimiak L, Rizo J, Cobb MH, Brautigam CA, Rodan AR, Goldsmith EJ (2023). Hydrostatic Pressure Sensing by WNK kinases. Mol Biol Cell, 34(11), ar109. (Read full article)
    13. Boyd-Shiwarski CR, Shiwarski DJ, Griffiths SE, Beacham RT, Norrell L, Morrison DE, Wang J, Mann J, Tennant W, Anderson EN, Franks J, Calderon M, Connolly KA, Cheema MU, Weaver CJ, Nkashama LJ, Weckerly CC, Querry KE, Pandey UB, Donnelly CJ, Sun D, Rodan AR, Subramanya AR (2022). WNK kinases sense molecular crowding and rescue cell volume via phase separation. Cell, 185, 4488-4506.e20. (Read full article)
    14. Ilori TO, Liu J, Rodan AR, Verma A, Mills KT, He J, Winkler CA, Dupuis J, Anderson CAM, Waikar SS (2022). Apolipoprotein L1 Genotypes and the Association of Urinary Potassium Excretion with CKD Progression. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol, 17(10), 1477-1486. (Read full article)
    15. Merrill CB, Montgomery AB, Pabon MA, Shabalin AA, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2022). Harnessing changes in open chromatin determined by ATAC-seq to generate insulin-responsive reporter constructs. BMC Genomics, 23(1), 399. (Read full article)
    16. Balderas E, Eberhardt DR, Lee S, Pleinis JM, Sommakia S, Balynas AM, Yin X, Parker MC, Maguire CT, Cho S, Szulik MW, Bakhtina A, Bia RD, Friederich MW, Locke TM, Van Hove JLK, Drakos SG, Sancak Y, Tristani-Firouzi M, Franklin S, Rodan AR, Chaudhuri D (2022). Mitochondrial calcium uniporter stabilization preserves energetic homeostasis during Complex I impairment. Nat Commun, 13(1), 2769. (Read full article)
    17. Merrill CB, Pabon MA, Montgomery AB, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2022). Optimized assay for transposase-accessible chromatin by sequencing (ATAC-seq) library preparation from adult Drosophila melanogaster neurons. Sci Rep, 12(1), 6043. (Read full article)
    18. Schellinger JN, Sun Q, Pleinis JM, An SW, Hu J, Mercenne G, Titos I, Huang CL, Rothenfluh A, Rodan AR (2022). Chloride oscillation in pacemaker neurons regulates circadian rhythms through a chloride-sensing WNK kinase signaling cascade. Curr Biol, 32(6), 1429-1438.e6. (Read full article)
    19. Jonusaite S, Rodan AR (2021). Molecular basis for epithelial morphogenesis and ion transport in the Malpighian tubule. Curr Opin Insect Sci, 47, 7-11. (Read full article)
    20. Hyndman KA, Isaeva E, Palygin O, Mendoza LD, Rodan AR, Staruschenko A, Pollock JS (2021). Role of collecting duct principal cell NOS1β in sodium and potassium homeostasis. Physiol Rep, 9(20), e15080. (Read full article)
    21. Al-Rabadi LF, Caza T, Trivin-Avillach C, Rodan AR, Andeen N, Hayashi N, Williams B, Revelo MP, Clayton F, Abraham J, Lin E, Liou W, Zou CJ, Ramkumar N, Cummins T, Wilkey DW, Kawalit I, Herzog C, Storey A, Edmondson R, Sjoberg R, Yang T, Chien J, Merchant M, Arthur J, Klein J, Larsen C, Beck LH Jr (2021). Serine Protease HTRA1 as a Novel Target Antigen in Primary Membranous Nephropathy. J Am Soc Nephrol, 32(7), 1666-1681. (Read full article)
    22. Pleinis JM, Norrell L, Akella R, Humphreys JM, He H, Sun Q, Zhang F, Sosa-Pagan J, Morrison DE, Schellinger JN, Jackson LK, Goldsmith EJ, Rodan AR (2021). WNKs are potassium-sensitive kinases. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 320(5), C703-C721. (Read full article)
    23. Mishra P, Yang SE, Montgomery AB, Reed AR, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2021). The fly liquid-food electroshock assay (FLEA) suggests opposite roles for neuropeptide F in avoidance of bitterness and shock. BMC Biol, 19(1), 31. (Read full article)
    24. Talsness DM, Owings KG, Coelho E, Mercenne G, Pleinis JM, Partha R, Hope KA, Zuberi AR, Clark NL, Lutz CM, Rodan AR, Chow CY (2020). A Drosophila screen identifies NKCC1 as a modifier of NGLY1 deficiency. Elife, 9. (Read full article)
    25. Beyenbach KW, Schne F, Breitsprecher LF, Tiburcy F, Furuse M, Izumi Y, Meyer H, Jonusaite S, Rodan AR, Paululat A (2020). The septate junction protein Tetraspanin 2A is critical to the structure and function of Malpighian tubules in Drosophila melanogaster. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 318(6), C1107-C1122. (Read full article)
    26. Jonusaite S, Beyenbach KW, Meyer H, Paululat A, Izumi Y, Furuse M, Rodan AR (2020). The septate junction protein Mesh is required for epithelial morphogenesis, ion transport, and paracellular permeability in the Drosophila Malpighian tubule. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 318(3), C675-C694. (Read full article)
    27. Butts AR, Ojelade SA, Pronovost ED, Seguin A, Merrill CB, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2019). Altered Actin Filament Dynamics in the Drosophila Mushroom Bodies Lead to Fast Acquisition of Alcohol Consumption Preference. J Neurosci, 39(45), 8877-8884. (Read full article)
    28. Rodan AR (2019). The Drosophila Malpighian tubule as a model for mammalian tubule function. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens, 28(5), 455-464. (Read full article)
    29. Rodan AR (2019). Intracellular chloride: a regulator of transepithelial transport in the distal nephron. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens, 28(4), 360-367. (Read full article)
    30. Lakshmipathi J, Wheatley W, Kumar A, Mercenne G, Rodan AR, Kohan DE (2019). Identification of NFAT5 as a transcriptional regulator of the EDN1 gene in collecting duct. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, 316(3), F481-F487. (Read full article)
    31. Stenesen D, Moehlman AT, Schellinger JN, Rodan AR, Krmer H (2019). The glial sodium-potassium-2-chloride cotransporter is required for synaptic transmission in the Drosophila visual system. Sci Rep, 9(1), 2475. (Read full article)
    32. Rodan AR (2018). WNK-SPAK/OSR1 signaling: lessons learned from an insect renal epithelium. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, 315(4), F903-F907. (Read full article)
    33. Sun Q, Wu Y, Jonusaite S, Pleinis JM, Humphreys JM, He H, Schellinger JN, Akella R, Stenesen D, Krmer H, Goldsmith EJ, Rodan AR (2018). Intracellular Chloride and Scaffold Protein Mo25 Cooperatively Regulate Transepithelial Ion Transport through WNK Signaling in the Malpighian Tubule. J Am Soc Nephrol, 29(5), 1449-1461. (Read full article)
    34. Gonzalez DA, Jia T, Pinzon JH, Acevedo SF, Ojelade SA, Xu B, Tay N, Desrivieres S, Hernandez JL, Banaschewski T, Buchel C, Bokde ALW, Conrod PJ, Flor H, Frouin V, Gallinat J, Garavan H, Gowland PA, Heinz A, Ittermann B, Lathrop M, Martinot JL, Paus T, Smolka MN, Rodan AR, Schumann G, Rothenfluh A (2018). The Arf6 activator Efa6/PSD3 confers regional specificity and modulates ethanol consumption in Drosophila and humans. Mol Psychiatry, 23(3), 621-628. (Read full article)
    35. Shalaby NA, Pinzon JH, Narayanan AS, Jin EJ, Ritz MP, Dove RJ, Wolfenberg H, Rodan AR, Buszczak M, Rothenfluh A (2018). JmjC domain proteins modulate circadian behaviors and sleep in Drosophila. Sci Rep, 8(1), 815. (Read full article)
    36. Pinzn JH, Reed AR, Shalaby NA, Buszczak M, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2017). Alcohol-Induced Behaviors Require a Subset of Drosophila JmjC-Domain Histone Demethylases in the Nervous System. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 41(12), 2015-2024. (Read full article)
    37. Cheng CJ, Rodan AR, Huang CL (2017). Emerging Targets of Diuretic Therapy. Clin Pharmacol Ther, 102(3), 420-435. (Read full article)
    38. Rodan AR (2017). Potassium: friend or foe? Pediatr Nephrol, 32(7), 1109-1121. (Read full article)
    39. Mahajan A, Rodan AR, Le TH, Gaulton KJ, Haessler J, Stilp AM, Kamatani Y, Zhu G, Sofer T, Puri S, Schellinger JN, Chu PL, Cechova S, van Zuydam N, SUMMIT Consortium, BioBank Japan Project, Arnlov J, Flessner MF, Giedraitis V, Heath AC, Kubo M, Larsson A, Lindgren CM, Madden PAF, Montgomery GW, Papanicolaou GJ, Reiner AP, Sundstrm J, Thornton TA, Lind L, Ingelsson E, Cai J, Martin NG, Kooperberg C, Matsuda K, Whitfield JB, Okada Y, Laurie CC, Morris AP, Franceschini N (2016). Trans-ethnic Fine Mapping Highlights Kidney-Function Genes Linked to Salt Sensitivity. Am J Hum Genet, 99(3), 636-646. (Read full article)
    40. Schellinger JN, Rodan AR (2015). Use of the Ramsay Assay to Measure Fluid Secretion and Ion Flux Rates in the Drosophila melanogaster Malpighian Tubule. J Vis Exp, (105). (Read full article)
    41. Acevedo SF, Peru y Coln de Portugal RL, Gonzalez DA, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2015). S6 Kinase Reflects and Regulates Ethanol-Induced Sedation. J Neurosci, 35(46), 15396-402. (Read full article)
    42. Wu Y, Baum M, Huang CL, Rodan AR (2015). Two inwardly rectifying potassium channels, Irk1 and Irk2, play redundant roles in Drosophila renal tubule function. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 309(7), R747-56. (Read full article)
    43. Ojelade SA, Jia T, Rodan AR, Chenyang T, Kadrmas JL, Cattrell A, Ruggeri B, Charoen P, Lemaitre H, Banaschewski T, Bchel C, Bokde AL, Carvalho F, Conrod PJ, Flor H, Frouin V, Gallinat J, Garavan H, Gowland PA, Heinz A, Ittermann B, Lathrop M, Lubbe S, Martinot JL, Paus T, Smolka MN, Spanagel R, OReilly PF, Laitinen J, Veijola JM, Feng J, Desrivires S, Jarvelin MR, IMAGEN Consortium, Schumann G, Rothenfluh A (2015). Rsu1 regulates ethanol consumption in Drosophila and humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 112(30), E4085-93. (Read full article)
    44. Ojelade SA, Acevedo SF, Kalahasti G, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2015). RhoGAP18B Isoforms Act on Distinct Rho-Family GTPases and Regulate Behavioral Responses to Alcohol via Cofilin. PLoS One, 10(9), e0137465. (Read full article)
    45. Wu Y, Schellinger JN, Huang CL, Rodan AR (2014). Hypotonicity stimulates potassium flux through the WNK-SPAK/OSR1 kinase cascade and the Ncc69 sodium-potassium-2-chloride cotransporter in the Drosophila renal tubule. J Biol Chem, 289(38), 26131-26142. (Read full article)
    46. Chirinos JC, Neyra JA, Patel J, Rodan AR (2014). Hemodialysis catheter insertion: is increased PO2 a sign of arterial cannulation? A case report. BMC Nephrol, 15, 127. (Read full article)
    47. Peru Y Coln de Portugal RL, Ojelade SA, Penninti PS, Dove RJ, Nye MJ, Acevedo SF, Lopez A, Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2014). Long-lasting, experience-dependent alcohol preference in Drosophila. Addict Biol, 19(3), 392-401. (Read full article)
    48. Peru Y Coln de Portugal RL, Acevedo SF, Rodan AR, Chang LY, Eaton BA, Rothenfluh A (2012). Adult neuronal Arf6 controls ethanol-induced behavior with Arfaptin downstream of Rac1 and RhoGAP18B. J Neurosci, 32(49), 17706-13. (Read full article)
    49. Rodan AR, Baum M, Huang CL (2012). The Drosophila NKCC Ncc69 is required for normal renal tubule function. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 303(8), C883-94. (Read full article)
    50. Rodan AR, Cheng CJ, Huang CL (2011). Recent advances in distal tubular potassium handling. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, 300(4), F821-7. (Read full article)
    51. Rodan AR, Rothenfluh A (2010). The genetics of behavioral alcohol responses in Drosophila. Int Rev Neurobiol, 91, 25-51. (Read full article)
    52. Rodan AR, Huang CL (2009). Distal potassium handling based on flow modulation of maxi-K channel activity. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens, 18(4), 350-5. (Read full article)
    53. Corl AB, Rodan AR, Heberlein U (2005). Insulin signaling in the nervous system regulates ethanol intoxication in Drosophila melanogaster. Nat Neurosci, 8(1), 18-9. (Read full article)
    54. Wolf FW, Rodan AR, Tsai LT, Heberlein U (2002). High-resolution analysis of ethanol-induced locomotor stimulation in Drosophila. J Neurosci, 22(24), 11035-44. (Read full article)
    55. Rodan AR, Kiger JA Jr, Heberlein U (2002). Functional dissection of neuroanatomical loci regulating ethanol sensitivity in Drosophila. J Neurosci, 22(21), 9490-501. (Read full article)
    56. Cheng Y, Endo K, Wu K, Rodan AR, Heberlein U, Davis RL (2001). Drosophila fasciclinII is required for the formation of odor memories and for normal sensitivity to alcohol. Cell, 105(6), 757-68. (Read full article)
    57. Lin K, Dorman JB, Rodan A, Kenyon C (1997). daf-16: An HNF-3/forkhead family member that can function to double the life-span of Caenorhabditis elegans. Science, 278(5341), 1319-22. (Read full article)
    58. Rodan AR, Simons JF, Trombetta ES, Helenius A (1996). N-linked oligosaccharides are necessary and sufficient for association of glycosylated forms of bovine RNase with calnexin and calreticulin. EMBO J, 15(24), 6921-30. (Read full article)

    Review

    1. Rodan AR (2024). Circadian rhythm regulation by pacemaker neuron chloride oscillation in flies. [Review]. Physiology (Bethesda). (Read full article)
    2. Goldsmith EJ, Rodan AR (2022). Intracellular Ion Control of WNK Signaling. [Review]. Annu Rev Physiol. (Read full article)
    3. Rodan AR (2022). Regulation of Distal Nephron Transport by Intracellular Chloride and Potassium. [Review]. Nephron, 1-9. (Read full article)

    Book Chapter

    1. Rodan AR and Jenny A (2017). WNK kinases in development and disease. In Jenny A (Ed.), Protein Kinases in Development and Disease, Curr Topics Dev Biol (123, pp. 1-47). Burlington: Academic Press.

    Commentary

    1. Rodan GA, Rodan AR (2005). The family of osteoblast transcription factors is growing. Bonekey Osteovision, 2, 12-15.

    Case Report

    1. Neyra JA, Rocha NA, Bhargava R, Vaidya OU, Hendricks AR, Rodan AR (2015). Rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury in a cancer patient exposed to denosumab and abiraterone: a case report. BMC Nephrol, 16, 118. (Read full article)

    Editorial

    1. Rodan AR (2021). Still Learning from Our Patients: Hypokalemia in Patients with Lupus Nephritis. Kidney360, 2(10), 1546-1548. (Read full article)
    2. Rodan A, Dow J (2021). Editorial overview: Molecular physiology of ion transport. Curr Opin Insect Sci, 47, vii-ix. (Read full article)
    3. Rodan AR, Huang CL (2010). An emerging role for SPAK in NCC, NKCC, and blood pressure regulation. J Am Soc Nephrol, 21(11), 1812-4. (Read full article)