Rose Hill completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at the University of California San Diego in 2014, where she worked in the laboratory of Prof. Amro Hamdoun at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography on membrane trafficking and compartment-specific localization of ATP binding cassette transporters in developing embryos. Hill traded an interest in transporters for a fascination with ion channel physiology and molecular mechanisms of pain and itch in the laboratory of Prof. Diana Bautista at the University of California Berkeley. In 2019, Hill joined the laboratory of Ardem Patapoutian at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, where she identified a major transduction pathway for mechanically evoked itch sensation mediated by the force-sensing ion channel PIEZO1. In parallel work, Hill identified a population of mechanically-sensitive kidney cells expressing the innocuous touch transduction molecule PIEZO2. They uncovered an essential role for renal PIEZO2 in regulating the major controller of blood volume and pressure in terrestrial vertebrates, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and elucidated a mechanosensory arm of the renal baroreceptor. In 2025, Hill was named Assistant Professor in 博彩网站's Department of Chemical Physiology & Biochemistry, with a joint appointment in the Vollum. Dr. Hill also holds a secondary appointment in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension in the School of Medicine.

The Hill lab seeks to understand the mechanisms and physiological roles of nervous system-organ crosstalk. Sensory neurons play expected roles in detecting painful stimuli throughout the body. They also are increasingly appreciated within the burgeoning field of interoception for unconscious roles in regulating physiology, for example: interactions with immune cells during inflammation, modulation of tissue metabolic state and other processes through inhibition of sympathetic efferent function, and release of neuropeptides that signal to a multitude of local cell types. Many of these events are reported from the study of cutaneous sensory neurons. We are just scratching the surface regarding sensory and “non-sensory” roles of internally innervating sensory neurons of the vital organs.

The kidneys are essential for nearly a dozen physiological processes, ranging from filtration of blood to fluid homeostasis. They are a dynamic organ system comprised of an elegant collage of interacting cell types that can fine-tune their functions in response to even minor changes in the internal environment. The mechanisms underlying the kidneys’ exquisite regulatory abilities are incompletely known. While the roles of efferent sympathetic neurons have long been appreciated in these processes, the afferent sensory component remains poorly understood, despite its hypothesized roles in sensing the mechanical forces and chemical signals that inform renal function, exciting clinical data highlighting key roles for renal innervation in the control of hypertension, and the well-recognized and debilitating kidney pain in response to infection or obstruction. However, the form and function of renal sensory nerves are poorly understood. Only recently have the genetic, transcriptomic, and viral tools become available to bridge these knowledge gaps mechanistically. The Hill Laboratory uses techniques including in vivo calcium imaging, behavior, measurement of physiological parameters, and intersectional viral-genetic approaches to understand the roles of renal sensory innervation in health and disease. We are also broadly interested in questions related to interoception mechanisms and visceral pain.

N’Guetta PY, McLarnon SR, Tassou A, Geron M, Shirvan S, Hill RZ, Scherrer G, O’Brien LL. (2024) “Comprehensive mapping of sensory and sympathetic innervation of the developing kidney.” Cell Reports (DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114860).

Hill RZ, Shirvan S, Burquez S, Dubin AE, Servin Vences, MR, Miner JH, Patapoutian A. (2023) “Renal mechanotransduction is an essential regulator of renin.” (DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.04.565646). [bioRxiv preprint]

Hill RZ, Loud M, Dubin AE, Peet B, Patapoutian A. (2022) “PIEZO1 transduces mechanical itch in mice.” Nature (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04860-5). [Featured in Nature News & Views on 22 June 2022]

Wan SJ, Datta A, Flandrin O, Metruccio MME, Ma S, Nieto V, Kroken AR, Hill RZ, Bautista DM, Evans DJ, Fleiszig SMJ. (2021) “Nerve-associated transient receptor potential ion channels can contribute to intrinsic resistance to bacterial adhesion in vivo.” The FASEB Journal (DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100874R).

Walsh CM*, Hill RZ*, Schwendinger-Schreck J, Deguine J, Brock EC, Kucirek N, Rifi Z, Wei J, Gronert K, Brem RB, Barton GM, Bautista DM. (2019) “Neutrophils promote CXCR3-dependent itch in the development of atopic dermatitis.” eLIFE (DOI: 10.7554/eLife.48448). [Featured in eLIFE Insight on 29 November 2019]

Morstein J, Hill RZ, Novak AJE, Feng S, Norman DD, Donthamsetti PC, Frank JA, Harayama T, Williams BM, Parrill AL, Togyi GJ, Riezman H, Isacoff EY, Bautista DM, Trauner D. (2019) “Optical control of sphingosine 1-phosphate formation and function.” Nature Chemical Biology (DOI: 10.1038/s41589-019-0269-7).

Hill RZ, Morita T, Brem RB, Bautista DM. (2018) “S1PR3 mediates itch and pain via distinct TRP channel-dependent mechanisms.” Journal of Neuroscience (DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1266-18.2018).

Hill RZ, Hoffman BU, Morita T, Campos SM, Lumpkin EA, Brem RB, Bautista DM. (2018) “The signaling lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate regulates mechanical pain.” eLIFE (DOI: 10.7554/eLife.33285).

Miller MR, Iavarone AT, Safavi R, Mannowetz N, Gracheva EO, Smith JF, Hill RZ, Bautista DM, Kirichok Y, Lishko PV. (2016) “Unconventional endocannabinoid signaling governs sperm activation and is responsible for the non-genomic action of progesterone.” Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.aad6887).