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Steven Kliewer, Ph.D.

Steven Kliewer, Ph.D.

Professor

Endowed Title
Diana K. and Richard C. Strauss Distinguished Chair in Developmental Biology
School
Medical School
Department
Molecular Biology | Pharmacology
Graduate Programs
Cell and Molecular Biology
  • Biography

    Steven Kliewer earned his BS in biochemistry from Brown University in 1985 and his PhD in molecular biology from UCLA in 1990. From 1990-1993, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute, and from 1993-2002 he was a scientist at GlaxoSmithKline, rising to Director of Nuclear Receptor Research.  In 2002, he joined UT Southwestern, where he is currently Professor of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology and holds the Diana K. and Richard C. Strauss Distinguished Chair in Developmental Biology.  He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

    Dr. Kliewer runs a joint laboratory with Dr. David Mangelsdorf.  Their research focuses on the roles of nuclear receptors and endocrine FGFs in regulating diverse aspects of physiology and pathophysiology, including metabolism and related diseases.  Among their ongoing projects, they are studying how FGF19 and FGF21 regulate bile acid and energy homeostasis, respectively, and how the dafachronic acid receptor, DAF-12, regulates the infectious lifecycle of parasitic nematodes.

     

  • Education
    Undergraduate
    Brown University (1985), Biochemistry
    Graduate School
    Uni of California (UCLA) (1990), Molecular Biology
  • Research Interest
    • Endocrine FGFs
    • Metabolism and metabolic disease
    • Nuclear receptors
  • Publications

    Star Featured Publications

    Featured Featured Featured Featured
    The Nuclear Receptor DAF-12 Regulates Nutrient Metabolism and Reproductive Growth in Nematodes.
    Wang Z, Stoltzfus J, You YJ, Ranjit N, Tang H, Xie Y, Lok JB, Mangelsdorf DJ, Kliewer SA PLoS Genet. 2015 Mar 11 3 e1005027
    FGF21 Acts Centrally to Induce Sympathetic Nerve Activity, Energy Expenditure, and Weight Loss.
    Owen BM, Ding X, Morgan DA, Coate KC, Bookout AL, Rahmouni K, Kliewer SA, Mangelsdorf DJ Cell Metab. 2014 Aug
    FGF21 regulates metabolism and circadian behavior by acting on the nervous system.
    Bookout AL, de Groot MH, Owen BM, Lee S, Gautron L, Lawrence HL, Ding X, Elmquist JK, Takahashi JS, Mangelsdorf DJ, Kliewer SA Nat. Med. 2013 Aug
    FGF19 as a postprandial, insulin-independent activator of hepatic protein and glycogen synthesis.
    Kir S, Beddow SA, Samuel VT, Miller P, Previs SF, Suino-Powell K, Xu HE, Shulman GI, Kliewer SA, Mangelsdorf DJ Science 2011 Mar 331 6024 1621-4
  • Honors & Awards
    • National Academy of Sciences
      (2015)
    • Falk Foundation Adolf Windaus Prize
      (2014)
    • Endocrine Society Ernst Oppenheimer Award
      (2005)
    • Aventis Innovative Investigator Award
      (2004)
    • ISSX North American New Investigator Award
      (2003)
    • ASPET John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology
      (2002)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
    • The Endocrine Society