I am tenure track Assistant Professor of Physiology at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center and Choctaw Nation Chair in Adult Endocrinology studying the developmental origins of obesity and its prevention. Specifically, I investigate how maternal derived fatty acids (especially from mothers with metabolic dysfunction) might condition neonatal adipogenesis and future obesity risk. My lab has developed several novel methods to elucidate the cellular and molecular diversity of adipocyte stem-like cells in mice. Through customized flow cytometry, bulk and single cell RNA-sequencing, and lipid mass spectrometry, we are beginning to understand the molecular and cellular cues that control developmental patterning of adipose tissue stem-like cells early in life. This includes the potential for differentiation and subtype heterogeneity, particularly during postnatal fat depot growth when metabolic programming is greatly influenced by infant dietary nutrients.
In conjunction with several clinical collaborations, I leverage ongoing studies of maternal obesity, human infant adipogenesis, milk fat quality, and composition of maternal fatty acid intake to build a bridge between basic and clinical research. In addition, owing to specific expertise in use of mass spectroscopy (lipid analysis/metformin quantification), I have applied these skills with other collaborators to investigate how cross talk between local fatty acid metabolism in obesity influences breast cancer growth and metastasis.
Clinical/Research Interests:
- Adipose tissue biology and development
- Metabolic programming
- Physiology of fatty acid biology (especially early in life)
Funding:
R03 DK122189-01 (Rudolph, PI) 07/01/2019-06/30/2021
NIH/NIDDK
Early life n‐3 fatty acids increase novel ‘Adipogenesis‐regulatory’ cells to condition adipogenesis in a NR2F2 dependent manner
K01 DK109079 (Rudolph, PI) 07/15/2017 - 07/14/2021
NIH/NIDDK
Early Life Fatty Acid Exposures Dictate Obesity Predisposition
R01 AR075412 (Horsley, PI; Rudolph, Site-PI) 04/01/2019-03/31/2024 NIH/NIAMS
Adipocyte lipolysis regulates skin repair
R01 AR076938 (Horsley, PI; Rudolph, Site-PI) 12/1/2019 – 11/31/2024 NIH/NIAMS
Mechanism and impact of Intradermal adipocyte remodeling in skin fibrosis
R56 AR060295 (Horsley. PI; Rudolph, Site-PI) 09/01/2018-08/31/2019 NIH/NIAMS
Extrinsic Regulation of Epidermal Homeostasis
Select Publications:
- Rudolph MC, Jackman MR, Presby DM, Houck JA, Webb PG, Johnson GC, Soderborg TK, de la Houssaye BA, Yang IV, Friedman JE, MacLean PS. Low Neonatal Plasma n-6/n-3 PUFA Ratios Regulate Offspring Adipogenic Potential and Condition Adult Obesity Resistance.Diabetes. 2018 Apr;67(4):651-661. doi: 10.2337/db17-0890. Epub 2017 Nov 14. PubMed PMID: 29138256; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5860857.
- Zwick RK, Rudolph MC, Shook BA, Holtrup B, Roth E, Lei V, Van Keymeulen A, Seewaldt V, Kwei S, Wysolmerski J, Rodeheffer MS, Horsley V. Adipocyte hypertrophy and lipid dynamics underlie mammary gland remodeling after lactation.Nat Commun. 2018 Sep 4;9(1):3592. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05911-0. PubMed PMID: 30181538; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6123393.
- Young BE, Levek C, Reynolds RM, Rudolph MC, MacLean P, Hernandez TL, Friedman JE, Krebs NF. Bioactive components in human milk are differentially associated with rates of lean and fat mass deposition in infants of mothers with normal vs. elevated BMI.Pediatr Obes. 2018 Oct;13(10):598-606. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12394. Epub 2018 Aug 9. PubMed PMID: 30092608; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6390491.
- Presby DM, Checkley LA, Jackman MR, Higgins JA, Jones KL, Giles ED, Houck JA, Webb PG, Steig AJ, Johnson GC, Rudolph MC, MacLean PS. Regular exercise potentiates energetically expensive hepatic de novo lipogenesis during early weight regain.Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2019 Nov 1;317(5):R684-R695. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00074.2019. Epub 2019 Sep 25. PubMed PMID: 31553623; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6879845.
- Hohos NM, Elliott EM, Cho KJ, Lin IS, Rudolph MC, Skaznik-Wikiel ME. High-fat diet-induced dysregulation of ovarian gene expression is restored with chronic omega-3 fatty acid supplementation.Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2020 Jan 1;499:110615. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110615. Epub 2019 Oct 16. PubMed PMID: 31628964; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6878773.
Complete List: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1DwjNM2v1kWQB/bibliography/public/