John Rawls
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor
Overview
We seek to understand how the intestinal microbiome contributes to vertebrate physiology and disease. To that end, we leverage complementary zebrafish and mouse models to study the integrative physiology of host-microbiome interactions. This work has identified novel and conserved mechanisms by which intestinal bacteria regulate dietary fat metabolism and systemic innate immunity. We also apply genomic approaches in these animal models to understand the transcriptional regulatory pathways utilized by the intestinal epithelium to mediate host responses to the microbiome. Using this approach, we have identified mechanisms of transcriptional and chromatin regulation that have been conserved during vertebrate evolution and also contribute to modern human diseases such as the inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, and diabetes. To further advance our understanding of obesity pathophysiology, we developed the zebrafish as a model system for studying adipose tissues and identifying new environmental and genetic regulators of adiposity. We are also engaged in translational research in humans and animal models to define microbial and metabolic determinants of obesity and efficacy of weight loss intervention. Grounded in comparative and integrative physiology, our research program has been effective in discovering ancient mechanisms of host-microbiome interaction that are conserved across animal taxa and contribute to the etiology of modern human diseases. These insights are advancing our understanding of host-microbiome relationships in vertebrate physiology and identifying novel therapeutic targets for human diseases ranging from inflammatory bowel disease to obesity to neurological disorders.
Positions
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor in the School of Medicine
2023 School of Medicine
Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology in the School of Medicine
2020 School of Medicine
Professor in Medicine in the School of Medicine
2020 School of Medicine
Professor of Cell Biology in the School of Medicine
2022 School of Medicine
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute in the School of Medicine
2013 School of Medicine
Education
B.S. 1996
1996 Emory University
Ph.D. 2001
2001 Washington University in St. Louis
Publications, Grants & Awards
- Grants (51)
- Awards (8)
- Academics Articles (112)
- Conference Pages (24)
- Book Sections (7)
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Science Foundation
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
International Anesthesia Research Society
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
Carnegie Institution of Washington
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
University of Oregon
National Institutes of Health
American Society of Hematology
National Institutes of Health
University of Miami
North Carolina Biotechnology Center
National Institutes of Health
Massachusetts General Hospital
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
Pew Scholars Program
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
National Science Foundation
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
North Carolina Biotechnology Center
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
Baylor College of Medicine
University of Oregon
American Academy of Microbiology
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Kavli Frontiers of Science Program
Pew Charitable Trust
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
Washington University School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine
Annu Rev Microbiol
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Faseb Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
Journal of Neuroinflammation
Child Obes
Bmc Genomics
Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Obesity (Silver Spring)
Nature Communications
Cell Host Microbe
Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol
Nature Communications
Cell Host Microbe
Nature Microbiology
Chemical Senses
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Scientific Reports
Frontiers in Immunology
Nat Methods
Pediatr Infect Dis J
Zebrafish
Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Scientific Reports
Current Pediatrics Reports
Pediatr Infect Dis J
Plos Biology
Dis Model Mech
Methods in Cell Biology
Methods in Cell Biology
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Brain Behav Immun
Cell Host Microbe
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Gut Microbes
Cell Microbiol
Development (Cambridge, England)
Dis Model Mech
Appl Environ Microbiol
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology : the Official Clinical Practice Journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
Gastroenterology
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove
Cell Host Microbe
Gastroenterology
Methods in Cell Biology
Methods in Cell Biology
Curr Opin Immunol
Gut Microbes
Gastroenterology
Cell Host Microbe
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Developmental Biology
Developmental Biology
Development (Cambridge, England)
Developmental Biology
Development (Cambridge, England)
Development (Cambridge, England)
The Journal of Cell Biology
Gastroenterology
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
Cancer Research
Faseb Journal
Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.)
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Faseb Journal
The Journal of Immunology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Pediatric Pulmonology
Matrix Biology : Journal of the International Society for Matrix Biology
Developmental Biology
Developmental Biology
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS, THE HUMAN MICROBIOME, AND HEALTH RISK: A RESEARCH STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS, THE HUMAN MICROBIOME, AND HEALTH RISK: A RESEARCH STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS, THE HUMAN MICROBIOME, AND HEALTH RISK: A RESEARCH STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS, THE HUMAN MICROBIOME, AND HEALTH RISK: A RESEARCH STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS, THE HUMAN MICROBIOME, AND HEALTH RISK: A RESEARCH STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS, THE HUMAN MICROBIOME, AND HEALTH RISK: A RESEARCH STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS, THE HUMAN MICROBIOME, AND HEALTH RISK: A RESEARCH STRATEGY
Offices & Contact
Durham, NC
27710 323A CARL Building, Box 3580
Durham, NC
27710