My lab has a long-standing interest in genetic diseases of the heart caused by mutations in the motor protein myosin. 500 mutations in the 10-member striated muscle myosin gene family cause a variety of cardiac and skeletal muscle myopathies. We research how such mutations cause disease using multiscale systems ranging from single molecule functional measurement in vitro, cell-based systems using cardiomyocytes, engineered heart tissues, genetically modified mice, and human heart tissues. We have intriguing data about an unorthodox myosin, MYH7b that is not expressed in specialized striated muscles, but also in the brain and inner ear. Mutations in MYH7b cause hereditary hearing loss but by unknown mechanisms. We have also recently discovered, through single molecule imaging that myosin molecules travel in and out of sarcomeres very frequently and we are studying the significance of this shuttling and how myosin mutations affect this process. As always, we continue to investigate how myosin mutation effects and muscle adaptations to different stimuli differ in male and female hearts and cardiac myocytes. We also have a large program studying pythons' novel biology that they evolved to survive extreme environments and how this can be translated to promote human health. More recently, we have turned to understanding how muscles and the heart maintain protein quality control in health and disease. Since cardiomyocytes are as old as the organism, this is particularly challenging.
keywords
molecular biology, cardiovascular research, human genetic disease, biophysics, myosin, motor proteins, miRNAs, muscular dystrophy, sex differences, metabolism, genome editing, induced pluripotent stem cells
MCDB 4980 - Honors Research
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021 / Fall 2021
Provides faculty-supervised research for students who have been approved by the departmental honors committee. Normally taken during the semester before completion of the honors thesis. Recommended prerequisite: MCDB 4840 or comparable research experience, and minimum GPA of 3.20.
MCDB 4990 - Honors Thesis
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022
Involves the preparation and defense of an honors thesis, based on faculty-supervised original research, including final phases of the research project. Recommended prerequisites: MCDB 4840 or MCDB 4980 or comparable research experience, and minimum GPA of 3.3 and approval by the MCDB Honors Committee.
MCDB 6000 - Introduction to Laboratory Methods
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Fall 2019 / Spring 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Fall 2023 / Fall 2024
Introduces methodology and techniques used in biological research. Designed as a tutorial between a few students and one faculty member. Students are expected to read original research papers, discuss findings, and to plan and execute experiments in selected areas. May be repeated up to 15 total credit hours.
