The health status and productivity of farm animals are vastly dependent on their energetic standing, such that significant deviations in their energy balance results in metabolic morbidity. In high-producing ruminants, the primary metabolic adverse outcomes of energy deficiency are ketosis and fatty liver, which are the underlying drivers of major metabolic disorders, i.e., lactation ketosis and pregnancy toxemia.

Intringuinly, both ketosis and fatty liver are also key determinants of prominent human metabolic disorders, such as diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, our research investigations in energy metabolism and of the pathophysiology of ketosis and fatty liver in sheep are of relevance to both agricultural and biomedical sciences.

Research in the lab is focused on:

• Fatty Liver, pathophysiology and therapy development.
• Ketosis and preganancy toxemia sheep.
• Diabetes ketoacidosis.
  

Selected Publications

*corresponding author

1. Kalyesubula, M., Mopuri, R, Rosov, A., Edery N, Moallem, U., Dvir, H*. High-dose thiamine therapy prevents experimental fatty liver driven by overnutrition. Disease Models & Mechanisms (In press).

2. Mopuri, R^§, Kalyesubula, M^§., Rosov, A., Edery N, Moallem, U., Dvir, H*. Improved Folch method for liver-fat quantification (2021). Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 7, 3-7. ^§Contributed equally.

3. Kalyesubula, M., Mopuri, R., Rosov, A., Alon, T., Edery, N., Moallem, U., Dvir, H*. Hyperglycemia-stimulating diet induces liver steatosis in sheep (2020). Scientific Reports. 10, 1-12.

4. Kalyesubula, M., Rosov, A., Alon, T., Moallem, U., Dvir, H*. Intravenous infusions of glycerol versus propylene glycol for the regulation of negative energy balance in sheep: A randomized trial (2019). Animals. 9(10):731.

5. Gulab C., Srivastava, D.A., Pandaranayaka, E.P.J., Manasherova, E., Prutzky, Dov., Elad, Y., Frenkel, O., Dvir, H. and Harel, A. Characterization of the role of a non-GPCR membrane bound CFEM protein in pathogenicity and germination in Botrytis cinerea (2020). Microorganisms 8(7): 1043.

6. Ross , M, Obolensky, A., Averbukh, E., Ezra-Elia, R., Yamin, E., Honig, H., Dvir, H., Rosov, AT.,  Hauswirth, W.W., Gootwine, E.,  Banin, E., Ofri, R*. Naturally-occurring myopia and loss of cone function in a sheep model of achromatopsia (2020). Scientific Reports  10(1):19314.

7. Ross , M., Obolensky, A., Averbukh, E., Ezra-Elia, R., Yamin, E., Honig, H., Dvir, H., Rosov, AT.,  Hauswirth, W.W., Gootwine, E.,  Banin, E., Ofri, R*. Evaluation of photoreceptor transduction efficacy of capsid-modified AAV vectors following intravitreal and subretinal delivery in sheep (2020). Human Gene Therapy. 31 (13-14), 719-729.

8. Alon, T., Rosov, AT., Livshits, L., Dvir, H., Gootwine, E., Moallem, U. The distinctive short-term response of late-pregnant prolific ewes to propylene glycol or glycerol drenching (2020). Journal of Dairy Science. 103 (11), 10245-57.

9. Dvir, H*. Kornitzer, D*. CFEM Protein Csa2 (2018).  Encyclopedia of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry Online, John Wiley & Sons.

10. Nasser, L. Weissman, Z. Pinsky, M. Amartely, A. Dvir, H*. and Kornitzer, D.*.  Heme-iron acquisition by fungal pathogens (2016). Nature Microbiology 12;1(11):16156.         

11. Dvir, H*. Shah, M. Girardi, E. Guo, L^s. Farquhar, M.G and Zajonc, D.M. Atomic structure of the autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia phosphotyrosine-binding domain in complex with the LDL-receptor tail (2012). PNAS 109 (18) 6916-21.

12. Dvir, H. Wang, J. Ly, N. Dascher, C.C. and Zajonc, D.M. Structural basis for lipid antigen recognition in avian immunity (2010). Journal of Immunology, 184 (5) 2504-11. Editor’s Highlight.

13. Prafulla, A. Dvir, H. Choe, S. and Slesinger, P.A. Evidence for a discrete alcohol pocket involved in GIRK channel activation (2009). Nature Neuroscience, 12 (8) 988-985.

14. Dvir, H. Harel, M. Bon, S. Liu W.Q. Garbay, C. Sussman, J.L. Massoulié, J. and Silman, I. The Synaptic Acetylcholinesterase Tetramer Assembles Around a Polyproline-II Helix (2004). EMBO Journal 23 (22) 4394-405.

15. Dvir, H. Harel, M. McCarthy, A.H. Toker, L. Silman, I. Furterman, A.H. and Sussman, J.L. X-ray structure of human acid b-glucosidase, the defective enzyme in Gaucher disease (2003). EMBO Reports 4 (7) 1-6.

16. Dvir, H. Silman, I. Harel, M. Rosenberry, T and Sussman, J.L. Acetylcholinesterase: From 3D Structure to Function (2010). Chemico-Biological Interactions, 187 (1-3) 10-22.

17. Dvir, H. Valera, E. and Choe, S. Structure of the MthK RCK in complex with cadmium (2010). Journal of Structural Biology, 171 (2) 231-7.

18. Dvir, H. Wong, D.M. Harel, M. Barril, X. S. Orozc, M. Luque, F.J. Munoz-Torrero, D. Camps, P. Rosenberry, T.L. Silman, I. and Sussman, J.L. 3D structure of Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase complexed with Huprine X at 2.1 Å resolution: kinetic and molecular dynamic correlates (2002). Biochemistry 41 (9) 2970-81.

19. Dvir, H. Jiang, H.L. Wong, M.D. Harel, M. Chetrit, M. He, X.C. Jin, G.Y. Yu, G.L. Tang, X.C. Silman, I. Bai, D.L. and Sussman, J.L. X-ray structures of Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase complexed with (+)-Huperzine A and (-)-Huperzine B: Structural evidence for an active site rearrangement (2002). Biochemistry 41 (35) 10810-8.

OPEN POSITIONS

• Postdoctoral position Liver Metabolism & Sheep Physiology.

• Postdoctoral position in Diabetic Sheep & Therapy.

• M.Sc. and Ph.D. positions in Fatty Liver Pathophysiology.