FOR 923:  Molecular Dissection of Cardiovascular Functions

• Subject Area: Medicine ; Biology
• Term: from 2007 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 41489051

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Europe. However, surprisingly little information is available about the mechanisms and signalling cascades necessary to maintain the cardiovascular system in a non-disease state. This Research Unit integrates groups that have worked intensely on molecular switches that regulate cardiovascular functions. Major goal is to dissect and define the signal cascades that govern specification of cardiac myocytes, endothelial and smooth muscle cells, that control the rhythm (sinus node), that prevent cardiac hypertrophy, that regenerate the vascular and myocardial structure and that regulate vascular functions. Similar or identical signal cascades are used to provide the necessary information and specification for the different functions in each subtopic.
An advantage of the Research Unit is that each group provides different expertise that is needed by other groups. We have shown in the past that we can generate a stimulating and truly interdependent research environment. Until recently all members of this Research Unit were working at the Medical Faculty in the Departments of Cardiology and Pharmacology and published together highly cited papers. A steady and strong collaboration between all researchers is needed to successfully resolve the questions outlined above.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Analysis of IRAG physiology by gene deletion (Applicant Schlossmann, Jens )
• Function and regulation of calcium channels in the cardiovascular system (Applicant Moosmang, Sven )
• Funktion und therapeutische Eignung des kardial sezernierten Proteins PI16 (Applicant Engelhardt, Stefan )
• In vivo Bildgebung und transkriptionelle Regulation mophogenetischer Mechanismen in kardialen Vorläuferzellen während der Herzentwicklung (Applicants Laugwitz, Karl-Ludwig ;  Massberg, Steffen )
• Kardiomyozyten aus patientenspezifischen induzierbaren pluripotenten Stammzellen als Modellsystem zur Analyse des LQT2-Syndroms (Applicants Moretti, Ph.D., Alessandra ;  Welling, Andrea )
• Molecular Dissection of Cardiovascular Functions "Z-Projekt" (Applicant Laugwitz, Karl-Ludwig )
• Molekulare Mechanismen der myogenen Vasokonstriktion (Applicants Gudermann, Thomas ;  Mederos y Schnitzler, Michael )
• Role of PDE5/cGMP/cGMP-dependent Protein Kinase in Cardiac Hypertrophy and Remodeling (Applicant Lukowski, Robert )
• Role of platelet SIP and SDF-la for the inflammatory and proliferative responses following arterial injury and during atherogenesis (Applicant Massberg, Steffen )
• Rolle von Thrombozyten für die Funktion glatter Muskelzellen im Rahmen des physiologischen Remodelings des Ductus arteriosus (Applicants Echtler, Katrin ;  Massberg, Steffen )
• Signal Transduction and Function of cGMP/ cGMP-dependent Protein Kinase Isozymes (Applicant Hofmann, Franz )
• The role of hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide modulated (HCN-) channels in the cardiac conduction system (Applicant Stieber, Juliane )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Karl-Ludwig Laugwitz