Faculty Profile
Peter Mancuso, PhD, MS
- Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences
- Faculty member, Graduate Program in Immunology
Dr. Mancuso's research focuses on the impact of obesity and diabetes on pulmonary infections and systemic inflammation in chronic disease. We have used lung macrophages, leukocytes from and serum from rodents and humans to study intracellular signaling events, inflammatory mediator synthesis, glucose transport, bactericidal function, and disease outcomes in Midlife women. We have also examined the role of leptin and other adipokines on host defense functions in pulmonary immune cells, in clinical samples from humans with lung diseases, and in serum from human cohorts.
- PhD, University of Tennessee, 1996
- MS, University of Tennessee, 1987
- BS, Purdue University, 1985
Individuals with obesity and diabetes experience a greater severity of illness from respiratory tract infections. This fact was evident during the current COVID-19 pandemic and Influenza A pandemic of 2009. Dr. Mancuso's research seeks to understand why obesity and diabetes disables host defense against pulmonary infections and to identify potential therapeutic strategies to improve health outcomes. In addition, my lab has examined the role of leptin, an adipokine produced by adipose tissue, in respiratory tract infections. We study the responses of lung macrophages, peripheral blood leukocytes, and serum from rodents and humans after infection to characterize intracellular signaling events, inflammatory mediator synthesis, glucose transport, and bactericidal function. In collaboration with epidemiologist in the Study of Women Across the Nation (SWAN), we have examined associations between leptin and other adipokines with chronic disease outcomes. Current research is focused on the following areas:
- The impact of diet induced obesity on glucose transport and bactericidal function in neutrophils.
- The role of leptin receptor polymorphisms on neutrophil recruitment and host defense against bacterial pneumonia
- Adipokines as biomarkers for chronic disease risk in Midlife women
Mancuso P, Curtis JL, Weitzel AM, Griffin CA, Bouchard B, Freeman CM, Bridges D, Singer K. Diet-induced obesity in mice impairs host defense against Klebsiella pneumonia in vivo and glucose transport and bactericidal functions in neutrophils in vitro. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2022 Jan 1;322(1):L116-L128.
Everson-Rose SA, Barinas-Mitchell EJM, El Khoudary SR, Huang HH, Wang Q, Janssen I, Thurston RC, Jackson EA, Lewis ME, Karvonen-Gutierrez C, Mancuso P, Derby CA. Adipokines and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Post-Menopausal Women: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. J Am Heart Assoc. 2021 Apr 6;10(7):e019173.
Mancuso P, Bouchard B. The Impact of Aging on Adipose Function and Adipokine Synthesis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:137.
Mancuso P, Curtis JL, Freeman CM, Peters-Golden M, Weinberg JB, Myers MG Jr. Ablation of the leptin receptor in myeloid cells impairs pulmonary clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae and alveolar macrophage bactericidal function. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2018 Jul 1;315(1):L78-L86.
Mancuso P, Myers MG Jr, Goel D, Serezani CH, O'Brien E, Goldberg J, Aronoff DM, Peters-Golden M. Ablation of leptin receptor-mediated ERK activation impairs host defense against Gram-negative pneumonia. J Immunol. 2012 Jul 15;189(2):867-75.
Mancuso P, Peters-Golden M, Goel D, Goldberg J, Brock TG, Greenwald-Yarnell M, Myers MG Jr. Disruption of leptin receptor-STAT3 signaling enhances leukotriene production and pulmonary host defense against pneumococcal pneumonia. J Immunol. 2011 Jan 15;186(2):1081-90.
View full list of publications at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CQQWRkIAAAAJandhl=en
Email: [email protected]
Office: 734-615-5158
Fax: 734-647-5762
Address: 1846 SPH I, 1415 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
For media inquiries: [email protected]
Areas of Expertise: Chronic Disease, COVID-19, Diabetes, Infectious Disease, Nutrition