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Paivi Elisabeth Pajukanta, M.D., Ph.D.

Work Address:
Gonda Center
Los Angeles, CA 90095 Gonda Center
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Affiliations
Affiliations
Director, Genetics & Genomics GPB Home Area
Professor, Human Genetics
Member, Bioinformatics GPB Home Area, Cell & Developmental Biology GPB Home Area
Research Interests
Dr. Pajukanta's laboratory focuses on genetics of cardiovascular disorders with a particular interest in the premature coronary heart disease (CHD) and familial lipid disorders such as familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) and decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol predisposing to premature CHD. During the last 15 years, Dr. Pajukanta's research group has conducted several genome-wide scans for cardiovascular traits, and identified genes for FCHL, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL-C, obesity, and combined lipase deficiency. Their current studies focus on targeted resequencing, exome sequencing, genomic gene expression and association analysis to identify variants, genes, and pathways for complex cardiovascular traits, utilizing both study samples from diverse populations and a variety of novel and state of the art statistical methods of systems genetics. The characterization of genes for cardiovascular traits has a great potential to develop more accurate diagnostic tools, earlier detection, preventive interventions, and biology-based targeted therapeutical strategies.
Publications

A selected list of publications:

Ko A, Cantor RM, Weissglas-Volkov D, Nikkola E, Linga Reddy PMV, Sinsheimer JS, Pasaniuc B, Brown R, Alvarez M, Rodriguez A, Rodriguez-Guillen R, Bautista IC, Arellano-Campos O, Muñoz-Hernández LL, Salomaa V, Kaprio J, Jula A, Jauhiainen M, Heliövaara M, Raitakari O, Lehtimäki T, Eriksson JG, Perola M, Lohmueller KE, Matikainen N, Taskinen M-R, Rodriguez-Torres M, Riba L, Tusie-Luna T, Aguilar-Salinas CA, Pajukanta P   Amerindian-specific regions under positive selection harbor new lipid variants in Latinos, Nature Communications, 2014; (5): 3983.
Iulia Iatan, Hong Y. Choi, Isabelle Ruel, MV Prasad Linga Reddy, Kil Hyunsuk, Jaeho Lee, Mohammad Abu Odeh, Zaidoun Salah, Muhannad Abu-Remaileh, Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, Elina Nikkola, Mete Civelek, Zuhier Awan, Carlo M. Croce, Rami I. Aqeilan, Päivi Pajukanta, C. Marcelo Aldaz, Jacques Genest   The WW Domain-containing Oxidoreductase Gene Modulates HDL Metabolism and Lipoprotein Gene Expression, Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, 2014; 7: 491-504.
Mahendran Y, Vangipurapu J, Cederberg H, Stancáková A, Pihlajamäki J, Soininen P, Kangas AJ, Paananen J, Civelek M, Saleem NK, Pajukanta P, Lusis AJ, Bonnycastle LL, Morken MA, Collins FS, Mohlke KL, Boehnke M, Ala-Korpela M, Kuusisto J, Laakso M.   Association of ketone body levels with hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes in 9,398 Finnish men, Diabetes, 2013; (62): 3618-3626.
Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, Carlos A. Aguilar-Salinas, Elina Nikkola, Kerry Deere, Ivette Cruz-Bautista, Olimpia Arellano-Campos, Linda Liliana Muñoz-Hernandez, Lizeth Gomez-Munguia, Maria Luisa Ordoñez-Sánchez, Prasad MV Linga Reddy, Aldons J. Lusis, Laura Riba, Rita M. Cantor, Janet S. Sinsheimer, Teresa Tusie-Luna, Päivi Pajukanta   Genome-wide association study in Mexicans identifies a new locus for triglycerides and refines European lipid loci, Journal of Medical Genetics, 2013; 50: 298-308.
MV Prasad Linga Reddy, Iulia Iatan, Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, Elina Nikkola, Blake E. Haas, Miina Juvonen, Isabelle Ruel, Janet S. Sinsheimer, Jacques Genest, Päivi Pajukanta   Exome sequencing identifies two rare variants for low HDL-C in an extended family, Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. , 2012; (5): 538-546.
Alena Stancáková, Mete Civelek, Pasi Soininen, Antti J. Kangas, Henna Cederberg, Jussi Paananen, Jussi Pihlajamäki, Lori L. Bonnycastle, Mario A. Morken, Michael Boehnke, Päivi Pajukanta, Aldons J. Lusis, Francis S. Collins, Johanna Kuusisto, Mika Ala-Korpela and Markku Laakso.   Hyperglycemia and a Common Variant of GCKR Are Associated with the Levels of Eight Amino Acids in 9,369 Finnish Men. , Diabetes, 2012; 61: 1895-1902.
Blake E. Haas, Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, Carlos A. Aguilar-Salinas, Elina Nikkola, Laurent Vergnes, Ivette Cruz-Bautista, Laura Riba, Alena Stancakova, Johanna Kuusisto, Pasi Soininen, Antti J. Kangas, Mika Ala-Korpela, Teresa Tusie-Luna, Markku Laakso, Päivi Pajukanta.   Evidence of how rs7575840 influences apolipoprotein B containing lipid particles, Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, 2011; 31: 1201-1207.
Daphna Weisglass-Volkov, Anna C. Calkin, Teresa Tusie-Luna, Janet S. Sinsheimer, Noam Zelcer, Laura Riba, Ana Maria Vargas Tino, Maria Luisa Ordoñez-Sánchez, Ivette Cruz-Bautista, Carlos A. Aguilar-Salinas, Peter Tontonoz and Päivi Pajukanta.   The N342S MYLIP polymorphism is associated with high total cholesterol and increased LDL-receptor degradation in humans, The Journal of Clinical Investigation. , 2011; 121: 3062-3071.
Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, Carlos A. Aguilar-Salinas, Janet S. Sinsheimer, Laura Riba, Adriana Huertas-Vazquez, Maria L. Ordoñez-Sánchez, Rosario Rodriguez-Guillen, Rita M. Cantor, Teresa Tusie-Luna, Päivi Pajukanta.   Investigation of variants identified in Caucasian genome-wide association studies for plasma HDL cholesterol and triglycerides levels in Mexican dyslipidemic study samples, Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. , 2010; 3: 31-38.
Christopher L. Plaisier, Steve Horvath, Adriana Huertas-Vazquez, Ivette Cruz-Bautista, Miguel F. Herrera, Teresa Tusie-Luna, Carlos Aguilar-Salinas, Päivi Pajukanta.   A systems genetics approach implicates USF1, FADS3 and other causal candidate genes for familial combined hyperlipidemia. , PLoS Genetics, 2009; Sep;5(9):e1000642.: .
Christopher L Plaisier, Mira Kyttälä, Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, Janet S. Sinsheimer, Adriana Huertas-Vazquez, Laura Riba, Salvador Ramírez-Jiménez, Tjerk W. A. de Bruin, Teresa Tusié-Luna, Bradley E. Aouizerat, Clive R. Pullinger, Mary J. Malloy, John P. Kane, Ivette Cruz-Bautista, Miguel F. Herrera, Carlos Aguilar-Salinas, Johanna Kuusisto, Markku Laakso, Marja-Riitta Taskinen, Carla J. H. van der Kallen, Päivi Pajukanta   Galanin preproprotein is associated with elevated plasma triglycerides, Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, 2009; 29: 147-152.
Jenny C. Lee, Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, Mira Kyttälä, Zari Dastani, Rita M. Cantor, Eric M. Sobel, Christopher Plaisier, Jamie C. Engert, Marleen M.J. van Greevenbroek, John P. Kane, Mary J. Malloy, Clive R. Pullinger, Adriana Huertaz-Vazquez, Carlos A. Aguilar-Salinas, Teresa Tusie- Luna, Tjerk W. A. de Bruin, Bradley E. Aouizerat, Carla van der Kallen, Carlo M. Croce, Rami I. Aqeilan, Michel Marcil, Jorma S. A. Viikari, Terho Lehtimäki, Olli T. Raitakari, Johanna Kuusisto, Markku Laakso, Marja-Riitta Taskinen, Jacques Genest, Päivi Pajukanta   WW domain-containing oxidoreductase is associated with low plasma HDL-C levels, The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2008; 83: 180-192.
Sinsheimer Janet S, Plaisier Christopher L, Huertas-Vazquez Adriana, Aguilar-Salinas Carlos, Tusie-Luna Teresa, Pajukanta Päivi, Lange Kenneth   Estimating Ethnic Admixture from Pedigree Data. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2008; 82(3): 748-55.
Péterfy M, Ben-Zeev O, Mao HZ, Weissglas-Volkov D, Aouizerat BE, Pullinger CR, Frost PH, Kane JP, Malloy MJ, Reue K, Pajukanta P, Doolittle MH.   Mutations in the novel LMF1 gene cause combined lipase deficiency and severe hypertriglyceridemia. , Nature Genetics, 2007; 39: 1483-1487.
Lee JC, Weissglas-Volkov D, Kyttälä M, Sinsheimer JS, Jokiaho A, de Bruin TWA, van Greevenbroek MMJ, Lusis AJ, Brennan M-L, van der Kallen CJH, Hazen SL, Pajukanta P.   USF1 contributes to high serum lipid levels in Dutch FCHL families and U.S. Whites with coronary artery disease. , Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, 2007; 27: 2222-2227.
Weissglas-Volkov D, Huertas-Vazquez A, Suviolahti E, Lee J, Plaisier C, Canizales-Quinteros S, Tusie-Luna T, Aguilar-Salinas C, Taskinen M-R, Pajukanta P.   Common hepatic nuclear factor 4 alpha variants are associated with high serum lipid levels and the metabolic syndrome. , Diabetes, 2006; 55: 1970-1977.
Dastani, Z. Quiogue, L. Plaisier, C. Engert, J. C. Marcil, M. Genest, J. Pajukanta, P.   Evidence for a gene influencing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol on chromosome 4q31.21 Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2006; 26(2): 392-7.
Cantor, R. M. Chen, G. K. Pajukanta, P. Lange, K.   Association testing in a linked region using large pedigrees Am J Hum Genet, 2005; 76(3): 538-42.
Huertas-Vazquez, A. Aguilar-Salinas, C. Lusis, A. J. Cantor, R. M. Canizales-Quinteros, S. Lee, J. C. Mariana-Nunez, L. Riba-Ramirez, R. M. Jokiaho, A. Tusie-Luna, T. Pajukanta, P.   Familial combined hyperlipidemia in Mexicans: association with upstream transcription factor 1 and linkage on chromosome 16q24.1 Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2005; 25(9): 1985-91.
Pajukanta, P. Lilja, H. E. Sinsheimer, J. S. Cantor, R. M. Lusis, A. J. Gentile, M. Duan, X. J. Soro-Paavonen, A. Naukkarinen, J. Saarela, J. Laakso, M. Ehnholm, C. Taskinen, M. R. Peltonen, L.   Familial combined hyperlipidemia is associated with upstream transcription factor 1 (USF1) Nat Genet, 2004; 36(4): 371-6.
Pajukanta, P. Allayee, H. Krass, K. L. Kuraishy, A. Soro, A. Lilja, H. E. Mar, R. Taskinen, M. R. Nuotio, I. Laakso, M. Rotter, J. I. de Bruin, T. W. Cantor, R. M. Lusis, A. J. Peltonen, L.   Combined analysis of genome scans of dutch and finnish families reveals a susceptibility locus for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol on chromosome 16q Am J Hum Genet, 2003; 72(4): 903-17.
Suviolahti, E. Oksanen, L. J. Ohman, M. Cantor, R. M. Ridderstrale, M. Tuomi, T. Kaprio, J. Rissanen, A. Mustajoki, P. Jousilahti, P. Vartiainen, E. Silander, K. Kilpikari, R. Salomaa, V. Groop, L. Kontula, K. Peltonen, L. Pajukanta, P.   The SLC6A14 gene shows evidence of association with obesity J Clin Invest, 2003; 112(11): 1762-72.
Soro, A. Pajukanta, P. Lilja, H. E. Ylitalo, K. Hiekkalinna, T. Perola, M. Cantor, R. M. Viikari, J. S. Taskinen, M. R. Peltonen, L.   Genome scans provide evidence for low-HDL-C loci on chromosomes 8q23, 16q24.1-24.2, and 20q13.11 in Finnish families Am J Hum Genet, 2002; 70(5): 1333-40.
Pajukanta, P. Cargill, M. Viitanen, L. Nuotio, I. Kareinen, A. Perola, M. Terwilliger, J. D. Kempas, E. Daly, M. Lilja, H. Rioux, J. D. Brettin, T. Viikari, J. S. Ronnemaa, T. Laakso, M. Lander, E. S. Peltonen, L.   Two loci on chromosomes 2 and X for premature coronary heart disease identified in early- and late-settlement populations of Finland Am J Hum Genet, 2000; 67(6): 1481-93.
Pajukanta, P. Terwilliger, J. D. Perola, M. Hiekkalinna, T. Nuotio, I. Ellonen, P. Parkkonen, M. Hartiala, J. Ylitalo, K. Pihlajamaki, J. Porkka, K. Laakso, M. Viikari, J. Ehnholm, C. Taskinen, M. R. Peltonen, L.   Genomewide scan for familial combined hyperlipidemia genes in finnish families, suggesting multiple susceptibility loci influencing triglyceride, cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B levels Am J Hum Genet, 1999; 64(5): 1453-63.
Pajukanta, P. Nuotio, I. Terwilliger, J. D. Porkka, K. V. Ylitalo, K. Pihlajamaki, J. Suomalainen, A. J. Syvanen, A. C. Lehtimaki, T. Viikari, J. S. Laakso, M. Taskinen, M. R. Ehnholm, C. Peltonen, L.   Linkage of familial combined hyperlipidaemia to chromosome 1q21-q23 Nat Genet, 1998; 18(4): 369-73.