Faculty Associates

Maya Kotas, M.D., PhD.

Assistant Professor,
Department of Medicine,
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine

513 Parnassus Ave, HSE-201
San Francisco, CA 94143

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Kotas is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, Allergy and Sleep Medicine. She received her BA, MD and PhD from Yale University. After completing residency training in Internal Medicine at New York Presbyterian - Columbia University, she completed a fellowship in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at UCSF. She serves as an attending physician in the intensive care units at UCSF.

Dr. Kotas's research focuses on the role of the innate immune system in regulating the biology of the airway epithelium. Her work utilizes mouse modeling and patient samples to better understand how the immune system reshapes the cells that line the airway during allergic diseases. The goal of this work is to discover new targets for treatment of allergic airway diseases.

Selected Publications:

  1. Group 2 innate lymphoid cells constrain type 3/17 lymphocytes in shared stromal niches to restrict liver fibrosis. bioRxiv. 2023 Apr 28. Sbierski-Kind J, Cautivo KM, Wagner JC, Dahlgren MW, Nilsson J, Krasilnikov M, Mroz NM, Lizama CO, Gan AL, Matatia PR, Taruselli MT, Chang AA, Caryotakis S, O'Leary CE, Kotas M, Mattis AN, Peng T, Locksley RM, Molofsky AB. PMID: 37163060; PMCID: PMC10168323.

  2. IL-13-associated epithelial remodeling correlates with clinical severity in nasal polyposis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2023 05; 151(5):1277-1285. Kotas ME, Patel NN, Cope EK, Gurrola JG, Goldberg AN, Pletcher SD, Seibold MA, Moore CM, Gordon ED. PMID: 36736797; PMCID: PMC10243183.

  3. Tuft Cells: Context- and Tissue-Specific Programming for a Conserved Cell Lineage. Annu Rev Pathol. 2023 01 24; 18:311-335. Kotas ME, O'Leary CE, Locksley RM. PMID: 36351364.

  4. Injury-induced pulmonary tuft cells are heterogenous, arise independent of key Type 2 cytokines, and are dispensable for dysplastic repair. Elife. 2022 09 08; 11. Barr J, Gentile ME, Lee S, Kotas ME, Fernanda de Mello Costa M, Holcomb NP, Jaquish A, Palashikar G, Soewignjo M, McDaniel M, Matsumoto I, Margolskee R, Von Moltke J, Cohen NA, Sun X, Vaughan AE. PMID: 36073526; PMCID: PMC9553214.

  5. Innate type 2 immunity controls hair follicle commensalism by Demodex mites. Immunity. 2022 10 11; 55(10):1891-1908.e12. Ricardo-Gonzalez RR, Kotas ME, O'Leary CE, Singh K, Damsky W, Liao C, Arouge E, Tenvooren I, Marquez DM, Schroeder AW, Cohen JN, Fassett MS, Lee J, Daniel SG, Bittinger K, Díaz RE, Fraser JS, Ali N, Ansel KM, Spitzer MH, Liang HE, Locksley RM. PMID: 36044899; PMCID: PMC9561030.

  6. IL-13-programmed airway tuft cells produce PGE2, which promotes CFTR-dependent mucociliary function. JCI Insight. 2022 07 08; 7(13). Kotas ME, Moore CM, Gurrola JG, Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN, Alvarez R, Yamato S, Bratcher PE, Shaughnessy CA, Zeitlin PL, Zhang IH, Li Y, Montgomery MT, Lee K, Cope EK, Locksley RM, Seibold MA, Gordon ED. PMID: 35608904; PMCID: PMC9310525.

  7. Bile acid-sensitive tuft cells regulate biliary neutrophil influx. Sci Immunol. 2022 03 04; 7(69):eabj1080. O'Leary CE, Sbierski-Kind J, Kotas ME, Wagner JC, Liang HE, Schroeder AW, de Tenorio JC, von Moltke J, Ricardo-Gonzalez RR, Eckalbar WL, Molofsky AB, Schneider C, Locksley RM. PMID: 35245089; PMCID: PMC9166270.

  8. Toward Optimal Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Outcomes: Recognizing the Syndrome and Identifying Its Causes. Crit Care Clin. 2021 Oct; 37(4):733-748. Kotas ME, Thompson BT. PMID: 34548131; PMCID: PMC8449137.

  9. CISH constrains the tuft-ILC2 circuit to set epithelial and immune tone. Mucosal Immunol. 2021 11; 14(6):1295-1305. Kotas ME, Mroz NM, Koga S, Liang HE, Schroeder AW, Ricardo-Gonzalez RR, Schneider C, Locksley RM. PMID: 34290377; PMCID: PMC8528700.

  10. A role for IL-33-activated ILC2s in eosinophilic vasculitis. JCI Insight. 2021 06 22; 6(12). Kotas ME, Dion J, Van Dyken S, Ricardo-Gonzalez RR, Danel CJ, Taillé C, Mouthon L, Locksley RM, Terrier B. PMID: 33974563; PMCID: PMC8262498.

  11. Why Innate Lymphoid Cells? Immunity. 2018 06 19; 48(6):1081-1090. Kotas ME, Locksley RM. PMID: 29924974; PMCID: PMC6145487.

  12. Mesenchymal stromal cells and macrophages in sepsis: new insights. Eur Respir J. 2018 04; 51(4). Kotas ME, Matthay MA. PMID: 29700107.

  13. Central serotonergic neurons activate and recruit thermogenic brown and beige fat and regulate glucose and lipid homeostasis. Cell Metab. 2015 May 05; 21(5):692-705. McGlashon JM, Gorecki MC, Kozlowski AE, Thirnbeck CK, Markan KR, Leslie KL, Kotas ME, Potthoff MJ, Richerson GB, Gillum MP. PMID: 25955206; PMCID: PMC4565052.

  14. Homeostasis, inflammation, and disease susceptibility. Cell. 2015 Feb 26; 160(5):816-827. Kotas ME, Medzhitov R. PMID: 25723161; PMCID: PMC4369762.

  15. cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB)-regulated transcription coactivator 2 (CRTC2) promotes glucagon clearance and hepatic amino acid catabolism to regulate glucose homeostasis. J Biol Chem. 2013 May 31; 288(22):16167-76. Erion DM, Kotas ME, McGlashon J, Yonemitsu S, Hsiao JJ, Nagai Y, Iwasaki T, Murray SF, Bhanot S, Cline GW, Samuel VT, Shulman GI, Gillum MP. PMID: 23595987; PMCID: PMC3668772.

  16. Sirtuin-1 is a nutrient-dependent modulator of inflammation. Adipocyte. 2013 Apr 01; 2(2):113-8. Kotas ME, Gorecki MC, Gillum MP. PMID: 23805409; PMCID: PMC3661114.

  17. Role of caspase-1 in regulation of triglyceride metabolism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Mar 19; 110(12):4810-5. Kotas ME, Jurczak MJ, Annicelli C, Gillum MP, Cline GW, Shulman GI, Medzhitov R. PMID: 23487794; PMCID: PMC3607017.

  18. SirT1 regulates adipose tissue inflammation. Diabetes. 2011 Dec; 60(12):3235-45. Gillum MP, Kotas ME, Erion DM, Kursawe R, Chatterjee P, Nead KT, Muise ES, Hsiao JJ, Frederick DW, Yonemitsu S, Banks AS, Qiang L, Bhanot S, Olefsky JM, Sears DD, Caprio S, Shulman GI. PMID: 22110092; PMCID: PMC3219953.

  19. Impact of CD1d deficiency on metabolism. PLoS One. 2011; 6(9):e25478. Kotas ME, Lee HY, Gillum MP, Annicelli C, Guigni BA, Shulman GI, Medzhitov R. PMID: 21980475; PMCID: PMC3183002.

  20. Comparative Evaluation of Methods Used for Sampling Malaria Vectors in the Kilombero Valley, South Eastern Tanzania. The Open Tropical Medicine Journal. 2008 Sep 26; 1(1):51-55. Okumu OF, Kotas KM, Kihonda KJ, Mathenge ME, Killeen KG, Moore MS. .

  21. Replacement of bone marrow by bone in rat femurs: the bone bioreactor. Tissue Eng Part A. 2008 Feb; 14(2):237-46. Zhang Q, Cuartas E, Mehta N, Gilligan J, Ke HZ, Saltzman WM, Kotas M, Ma M, Rajan S, Chalouni C, Carlson J, Vignery A. PMID: 18333776.

  22. Replacement of Bone Marrow by Bone in Rat Femurs: The Bone Bioreactor. Tissue Engineering. 2008 Jan 9; 110306233438005. Zhang ZQ, Cuartas CE, Mehta MN, Gilligan GJ, Ke KH, Saltzman SW, Kotas KM, Ma MM, Rajan RS, Chalouni CC, Carlson CJ, Vignery VA. .

  23. Cost-sharing strategies combining targeted public subsidies with private-sector delivery achieve high bednet coverage and reduced malaria transmission in Kilombero Valley, southern Tanzania. BMC Infect Dis. 2007 Oct 25; 7:121. Killeen GF, Tami A, Kihonda J, Okumu FO, Kotas ME, Grundmann H, Kasigudi N, Ngonyani H, Mayagaya V, Nathan R, Abdulla S, Charlwood JD, Smith TA, Lengeler C. PMID: 17961211; PMCID: PMC2211306.

  24. Quantifying behavioural interactions between humans and mosquitoes: evaluating the protective efficacy of insecticidal nets against malaria transmission in rural Tanzania. BMC Infect Dis. 2006 Nov 10; 6:161. Killeen GF, Kihonda J, Lyimo E, Oketch FR, Kotas ME, Mathenge E, Schellenberg JA, Lengeler C, Smith TA, Drakeley CJ. PMID: 17096840; PMCID: PMC1657018