Polyphosphates as causal link between inorganic phosphate and cardiac fibrosis (D03)

• Subject Area: Nephrology
• Term: from 2016 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 193793266

In D03, we will explore the biological function of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) in the heart and its contribution to chronic heart failure. PolyP in general is a chain of up to hundreds of phosphate residues, which is present in organisms across all kingdoms. While polyP has been extensively studied in prokaryotes, little is yet known about function of polyP in eukaryotes, and eukaryotic polyP-metabolizing enzymes are not yet known. This study will utilize newly established transgenic mouse lines, in which the bacterial enzymes polyphosphate kinase (PPK) and polyphosphate exophosphatase (PPX) are expressed to control cardiac polyP accumulation and to mechanistically study the influence of polyP on cardiac function and heart failure pathophysiology.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1002: Modulatory Units in Heart Failure
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Michael Zeisberg