Elizabeth Heilig

Wessling-Resnick Laboratory
Harvard School of Public Health


The focus of my research is the lungs' response to manganese, which is found in air pollution from industries such as battery manufacturing and manganese mining, in welding fume, and in some pesticides. While our bodies require approximately 2-4 mg of dietary manganese per day to remain healthy, too much manganese can be harmful. Chronic exposure to high levels of airborne manganese can cause a neurodegenerative syndrome with symptoms resembling those of idiopathic Parkinson's disease. In recent years, following the introduction of the gasoline additive MMT (Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl), there has been much speculation and concern about the effects of low concentrations of airborne manganese on the general population.

The aim of my thesis project is to further our understanding of the biology underlying metal absorption across the air-blood barrier of the lungs. Divalent Metal Transporter 1 (DMT1) is an integral membrane protein that transports several divalent cations, including iron and manganese. DMT1 is expressed in pulmonary epithelial cells and may be involved in transport of Mn2+ across this barrier. A second pathway of interest is the transferrin/transferrin receptor uptake pathway for Fe3+, which could theoretically be utilized to transport Mn3+ bound to transferrin in pulmonary fluid. In addition to understanding the role these pathways may play in movement of manganese from the airways into the blood stream, I am interested in how inflammation of the lungs resulting from pollution exposure could affect the transport process.

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