Impact of vascular NFAT5 on lung function and responses to hypoxia (B05)

• Subject Area: Cardiology, Angiology ; Anatomy and Physiology
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 394046768

The lung forms a specialized border for gas exchange and may rapidly respond to local hypoxia by adapting its perfusion for optimized blood oxygenation. However, chronic hypoxia that is associated with many pulmonary diseases promotes irreversible structural remodeling and subsequent lung dysfunction. We observed that the transcription factor NFAT5 is expressed in vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells of the hypoxic lung and seek to study its role in controlling structural remodeling and inflammatory responses. Specifically, the NFAT5-dependent modification of the vascular transcriptome and its impact on pulmonary resistance, blood oxygenation and activation of alveolar macrophages will be investigated.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1366: Vascular Control of Organ Function
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Thomas Korff