The specific aim of my studies is to elucidate the role of the retinoblastoma tumor supressor protein in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation of endocardial cells that occurs during formation of endocardial cushions. The process by which the endocardial cell layer transforms to form endocardial cushions is the first step in septation, the process by which discreet regions of the early heart tube ingress to form septa. The formation of septa marks the functional transition of the heart from a simple tube to a functioning four chambered pump: septation leads to the formation of the atria and ventricles, to the construction of the heart valves controlling blood flow between these heart chambers, and to the generation of the aorticopulmonary vessels that bring blood to and from the heart. By studying the molecular mechanisms that endocardial cells use to control their proliferation, differentiation, and function, we can make progress toward our long-term goal of understanding the molecular basis of endocardial cushion formation and septation, processes crucial to the proper development and function of the heart and cardiovascular system.
RECENT REFERENCES
1. Ghatpande S., Wagner M., and Siddiqui, M.A.Q. (1997). Molecular Adaptation of Transcriptional Apparatus in Cardiac Hypertrophy and Embryonic Development. In Advances in Organ Biology, Vol. 6, "Myocardial Preservation and Cellular Adaptation," p. 145-153, E.E. Bittar and D.K. Das, eds. (1998).
2. Wagner, M. Detection and measurement of retinoic acid production by isolated tissues using retinoic acid-sensitive reporter cell lines. In Methods in Molecular Biology, Retinoid Protocols. The Humana Press Inc. Vol. 89, p. 41-53, 1998.
3. Wagner, M., Mascareno, E. and Siddiqui, M.A.Q. (1999). Cardiac Hypertrophy: Signal Transduction, Transcriptional Adaptation, and Altered Growth Control. In Heart in Stress, New York Academy of Sciences, 874, 1-10, 1999.
4. Chandrasekaran, V., Zhai; Wagner, M., Kaplan, P.L., Napoli, J.L., and Higgins, D. Retinoic Acid Regulates the Morphological Development of Sympathetic Neurons. J. Neurobiology 42, 383-393, 2000.
MICHAEL WAGNER, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Box 5
Phone: 270-3894, Fax: 270-3732
E-mail: mwagner@downstate.edu
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