Biography

Dr. Rouhi is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Cardiovascular Genetics Research at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM). Prior to her current role, she served as a Research Instructor at the same institution. Dr. Rouhi’s independent research program focuses on understanding the role of nuclear envelope proteins in the pathogenesis of hereditary cardiomyopathies. Her work emphasizes a subset of nuclear envelope proteins that are expressed in both cardiac fibroblasts and cardiac myocytes.

Dr. Rouhi’s research has implicated the ATM/TP53 and cGAS-STING1 pathways of the DNA damage response (DDR) as central mechanisms in the development of cardiomyopathies caused by haploinsufficiency of LMNA (lamin A) and TMEM43 (transmembrane protein 43). Her preclinical studies on DDR pathway targeting have identified these components as promising therapeutic targets for human patients with nuclear envelopathies.

 

Professional Highlights:

  • Recipient of the Career Development Award from the American Heart Association.
  • Awarded the Distinguished Service Award in Cardiovascular Science, Medicine, and Surgery by the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences.

Education

MD
Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
PhD in Biomedical Sciences
Katholic University of Leuven (KUL), Leuven, Belgium
Postdoctoral Fellowship
UTHealth-IMM, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
Postdoctoral Fellowship
UTHealth, IMM, Center for Cardiovascular Genetics Research

Areas of Interest

Clinical Interests

  1. Cathcart B, Cheedipudi SM, Rouhi L, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. DNA double-starnded breaks, a hallmark of aging, defined at the nucleotide resolution, are increased and associated with transcription in the cardiac myocytes in LMNA-cardiomyopathy. Cardiovasc Res. 2024 Apr 5:cvae063. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvae063. PMID: 38577741
  2. Olcum M, Fan S, Rouhi L, Cheedipudi S, Cathcart B, Jeong HH, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Genetic inactivation of β-catenin is salubrious, whereas its activation is deleterious in desmoplakin cardiomyopathy. Cardiovasc Res. 2023 Dec 30;119(17):2712-2728. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvad137. PMID: 37625794
  3. Rouhi L, Cheedipudi SM, Cathcart B, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Cytosolic DNA sensing protein pathway is activated in human hearts with dilated cardiomyopathy. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2023;3(3):32. doi: 10.20517/jca.2023.20. Epub 2023 Jul 10. PMID: 37577061
  4. Olcum M, Rouhi L, Fan S, Gonzales MM, Jeong HH, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. PANoptosis is a prominent feature of desmoplakin cardiomyopathy. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2023 Feb;3(1):3. doi: 10.20517/jca.2022.34. Epub 2023 Jan 1. PMID: 36818425
  5. Rouhi L, Auguste G, Zhou Q, Lombardi R, Olcum M, Pourebrahim K, Cheedipudi SM, Asghar S, Hong K, Robertson MJ, Coarfa C, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Deletion of the Lmna gene in fibroblasts causes senescence-associated dilated cardiomyopathy by activating the double-stranded DNA damage response and induction of senescence-associated secretory phenotype. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2022 Jul;2(3):30. doi: 10.20517/jca.2022.14. Epub 2022 Jun 10. PMID: 35891706
  6. Olcum M, Cheedipudi SM, Rouhi L, Fan S, Jeong HH, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. The WNT/β-catenin pathway regulates expression of the genes involved in cell cycle progression and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the postmitotic cardiac myocytes. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2022;2(2):15. doi: 10.20517/jca.2021.35. Epub 2022 Jan 28.PMID: 35224561
  7. Rouhi L, Fan S, Cheedipudi SM, Olcum M, Jeong HH, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Effects of tamoxifen inducible MerCreMer on gene expression in cardiac myocytes in mice. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2022;2:8. doi: 10.20517/jca.2021.30. Epub 2022 Jan 5. PMID: 35079750
  8. Cheedipudi SM, Fan S, Rouhi L, Marian AJ. Pharmacological suppression of the WNT signaling pathway attenuates age-dependent expression of the phenotype in a mouse model of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2021;1(3):10.20517/jca.2021.04. doi: 10.20517/jca.2021.04. Epub 2021 Jun 6. PMID: 34447973
  9. Marian AJ, Asatryan B, Bolli R, Cheedipudi SM, Dhalla NS, Finkel T, Frangogiannis NG, Gurha P, Belmonte JCI, Hare JM, Hong K, Kirshenbaum LA, Lee RT, Leesar MA, Libby P, Madonna R, Nagueh SF, Roberts R, Rosenzweig A, Rouhi L, Sadoshima J, Sussman MA, Taffet GE, Tanaka H, Torella D, Wang Y, Wang DW.J Editors’ Preamble to The Journal of Cardiovascular Aging. Cardiovasc Aging. 2021;1:1. doi: 10.20517/jca.2021.01. Epub 2021 Apr 27. PMID: 34327514
  10. Rouhi L, Fan S, Cheedipudi SM, Braza-Boïls A, Molina MS, Yao Y, Robertson MJ, Coarfa C, Gimeno JR, Molina P, Gurha P, Zorio E, Marian AJ. The EP300/TP53 pathway, a suppressor of the Hippo and canonical WNT pathways, is activated in human hearts with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in the absence of overt heart failure. Cardiovasc Res. 2022 May 6;118(6):1466-1478. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvab197. PMID: 34132777
  11. Yuan P, Cheedipudi SM, Rouhi L, Fan S, Simon L, Zhao Z, Hong K, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Uncovers Paracrine Functions of the Epicardial-Derived Cells in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy. Circulation. 2021 Jun;143(22):2169-2187. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.052928. Epub 2021 Mar 17. PMID: 33726497
  12. Rouhi L, Cheedipudi SM, Chen SN, Fan S, Lombardi R, Chen X, Coarfa C, Robertson MJ, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Haploinsufficiency of Tmem43 in cardiac myocytes activates the DNA damage response pathway leading to a late-onset senescence-associated pro-fibrotic cardiomyopathy. Cardiovasc Res. 2021 Sep 28;117(11):2377-2394. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvaa300. PMID: 33070193
  13. Auguste G, Rouhi L, Matkovich SJ, Coarfa C, Robertson MJ, Czernuszewicz G, Gurha P, Marian AJ. BET bromodomain inhibition attenuates cardiac phenotype in myocyte-specific lamin A/C-deficient mice. J Clin Invest. 2020 Sep 1;130(9):4740-4758. doi: 10.1172/JCI135922.PMID: 32484798

Publications

  1. Cathcart B, Cheedipudi SM, Rouhi L, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. DNA double-starnded breaks, a hallmark of aging, defined at the nucleotide resolution, are increased and associated with transcription in the cardiac myocytes in LMNA-cardiomyopathy. Cardiovasc Res. 2024 Apr 5:cvae063. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvae063. PMID: 38577741
  2. Olcum M, Fan S, Rouhi L, Cheedipudi S, Cathcart B, Jeong HH, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Genetic inactivation of β-catenin is salubrious, whereas its activation is deleterious in desmoplakin cardiomyopathy. Cardiovasc Res. 2023 Dec 30;119(17):2712-2728. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvad137. PMID: 37625794
  3. Rouhi L, Cheedipudi SM, Cathcart B, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Cytosolic DNA sensing protein pathway is activated in human hearts with dilated cardiomyopathy. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2023;3(3):32. doi: 10.20517/jca.2023.20. Epub 2023 Jul 10. PMID: 37577061
  4. Olcum M, Rouhi L, Fan S, Gonzales MM, Jeong HH, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. PANoptosis is a prominent feature of desmoplakin cardiomyopathy. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2023 Feb;3(1):3. doi: 10.20517/jca.2022.34. Epub 2023 Jan 1. PMID: 36818425
  5. Rouhi L, Auguste G, Zhou Q, Lombardi R, Olcum M, Pourebrahim K, Cheedipudi SM, Asghar S, Hong K, Robertson MJ, Coarfa C, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Deletion of the Lmna gene in fibroblasts causes senescence-associated dilated cardiomyopathy by activating the double-stranded DNA damage response and induction of senescence-associated secretory phenotype. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2022 Jul;2(3):30. doi: 10.20517/jca.2022.14. Epub 2022 Jun 10. PMID: 35891706
  6. Olcum M, Cheedipudi SM, Rouhi L, Fan S, Jeong HH, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. The WNT/β-catenin pathway regulates expression of the genes involved in cell cycle progression and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the postmitotic cardiac myocytes. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2022;2(2):15. doi: 10.20517/jca.2021.35. Epub 2022 Jan 28.PMID: 35224561
  7. Rouhi L, Fan S, Cheedipudi SM, Olcum M, Jeong HH, Zhao Z, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Effects of tamoxifen inducible MerCreMer on gene expression in cardiac myocytes in mice. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2022;2:8. doi: 10.20517/jca.2021.30. Epub 2022 Jan 5. PMID: 35079750
  8. Cheedipudi SM, Fan S, Rouhi L, Marian AJ. Pharmacological suppression of the WNT signaling pathway attenuates age-dependent expression of the phenotype in a mouse model of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2021;1(3):10.20517/jca.2021.04. doi: 10.20517/jca.2021.04. Epub 2021 Jun 6. PMID: 34447973
  9. Marian AJ, Asatryan B, Bolli R, Cheedipudi SM, Dhalla NS, Finkel T, Frangogiannis NG, Gurha P, Belmonte JCI, Hare JM, Hong K, Kirshenbaum LA, Lee RT, Leesar MA, Libby P, Madonna R, Nagueh SF, Roberts R, Rosenzweig A, Rouhi L, Sadoshima J, Sussman MA, Taffet GE, Tanaka H, Torella D, Wang Y, Wang DW.J Editors’ Preamble to The Journal of Cardiovascular Aging. Cardiovasc Aging. 2021;1:1. doi: 10.20517/jca.2021.01. Epub 2021 Apr 27. PMID: 34327514
  10. Rouhi L, Fan S, Cheedipudi SM, Braza-Boïls A, Molina MS, Yao Y, Robertson MJ, Coarfa C, Gimeno JR, Molina P, Gurha P, Zorio E, Marian AJ. The EP300/TP53 pathway, a suppressor of the Hippo and canonical WNT pathways, is activated in human hearts with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in the absence of overt heart failure. Cardiovasc Res. 2022 May 6;118(6):1466-1478. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvab197. PMID: 34132777
  11. Yuan P, Cheedipudi SM, Rouhi L, Fan S, Simon L, Zhao Z, Hong K, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Uncovers Paracrine Functions of the Epicardial-Derived Cells in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy. Circulation. 2021 Jun;143(22):2169-2187. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.052928. Epub 2021 Mar 17. PMID: 33726497
  12. Rouhi L, Cheedipudi SM, Chen SN, Fan S, Lombardi R, Chen X, Coarfa C, Robertson MJ, Gurha P, Marian AJ. Haploinsufficiency of Tmem43 in cardiac myocytes activates the DNA damage response pathway leading to a late-onset senescence-associated pro-fibrotic cardiomyopathy. Cardiovasc Res. 2021 Sep 28;117(11):2377-2394. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvaa300. PMID: 33070193
  13. Auguste G, Rouhi L, Matkovich SJ, Coarfa C, Robertson MJ, Czernuszewicz G, Gurha P, Marian AJ. BET bromodomain inhibition attenuates cardiac phenotype in myocyte-specific lamin A/C-deficient mice. J Clin Invest. 2020 Sep 1;130(9):4740-4758. doi: 10.1172/JCI135922.PMID: 32484798