Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a rising epidemic associated with overnutrition and thus with obesity, type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Although high-producing ruminants can spontaneously develop fatty liver disease during late pregnancy and early lactation, it is in fact as a result of insufficient dietary intake, therefore not well reflecting the initiation of the disease in human.

We have recently established a nutritional model for fatty liver in sheep which is based on high-calorie diet at limited physical activity. This novel large-animal model allows for investigation of the capacity of various treatments to modulate hepatic steatosis, and can serve as a sensitive and well-controlled platform for pre-clinical testing of potential therapies.  

Research in the lab is focused on:

1. Pathophysiology of fatty liver in sheep.

2. Development of therapies for pregnancy toxemia and ketosis.

3. NAFLD and metabolic syndrome from sheep to human.

Selected Publications

^*Corresponding author

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

2. 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.  

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.