Craig Henke, MD

Professor of Medicine
Contact Information


Summary of Academic Activities

Clinical activities and interests include: sub-specialty pulmonary clinic focusing on interstitial lung diseases and attending in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. The focus of my research program is pulmonary fibrosis. Currently, our research program consists of two specific projects. First, we are investigating the mechanisms by which the extracellular matrix regulates lung fibroblast viability. Second, using a transgenic mouse model, we are examining the hypothesis that selective removal of lung fibroblasts after lung injury is beneficial in attenuating pulmonary fibrosis. These investigations are funded by two NIH-RO1 grants.

Selected Recent Publications

Tian B, Lessan K, Kahm J, Kleidon J, Henke C. Beta 1 integrin regulates fibroblast viability during collagen matrix contraction through a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase Akt/protein kinase B signaling pathway. J Biol Chem 2002 277(27):24667-24675.

Tian B, Han L, Kleidon J, Henke C. An HSV-TK transgenic mouse model to evaluate elimination of fibroblasts for fibrosis therapy. Am J Pathol  2003; 163:789-801.

Xia H, Nho RS, Kahm J, Kleidon J, Henke C. FAK is upstream of PI-3-kinase/Akt in regulating fibroblast survival in response to contraction of type 1 collagen matrices via a beta1 integrin-viability signaling pathway. J Biol Chem  2004; 279(31):33024-33034.

Nho RS, Hong X, Kahm J, Kleidon J, Diebold D, Henke CA. Role of integrin-linked kinase in regulating phosphorylation of Akt and fibroblast survival in type 1 collagen matrices through a beta 1 integrin viability signaling pathway. J Biol Chem  2005; 280(28): 26630-26639.

Nho RS, Hong X, Diebold D, Kahm J, Kleidon J, White E, Henke CA. PTEN regulates fibroblast elimination during collagen matrix contraction.  J Biol Chem  2006; 281(44):33291-33301.

Xia H, Nho RS, Kahm J, Kleidon J, Henke CA. Polymerized collagen inhibits fibroblast proliferation via a mechanism involving the formation of a Beta 1 integrin-protein phosphatase 2A-tuberous sclerosis complex 2 complex that suppresses S6K1 activity. J Biol Chem 2008, 283:20350-60.  

Xia H, Diebold D, Nho RS, Perlman D, Kleidon J, Kahm J, Avdulov S, Peterson M, Nerva J, Bitterman P, Henke C.  Pathological integrin signaling enhances proliferation of primary lung fibroblasts from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.  2008 in press, J Clin Invest.

Nho RS, Hong X, Diebold D.  Kahm J, Henke CA.  Integrin-extracellular matrix regulation of PTEN. Revision submitted to J Cell Biol 2008.

Active Grant Support

NIH RO1 HL 074882           Henke (PI)
07/01/05 - 6/30/09
NIH/NHLBI
Extracellular Matrix Regulation of Fibroblast Viability

The objective of this grant is to investigate the role of the beta1 integrin PI3K/Akt signal pathway in regulating the viability of normal fibroblasts in contractile collagen matrices. 

Role: PI