SFB 612:  Molecular Analysis of Cardiovascular Function and Dysfunction

Central theme of the collaborative research centre 612 is the study of molecular regulatory circuits which control the adaptation of an organism or tissue to functional perturbations or disease at the genomic, biochemical and functional level. It is the complex transition of a given genotype to the resulting phenotype which will be studied using modern methods of molecular biology, genome analysis and integrative physiology. Particularly emphasis is on the generation of transgenic mouse mutants which are created to study the role of contractile proteins, transcription factors, enzymes and transport functions for the heart and the circulatory system. Conventional knock-out strategies will be used as well as regulatable and tissue specific gene expression. The analysis of the cardiovascular system in the mouse includes the development of innovative techniques and miniaturisation of classical physiological procedures including high resolution imaging for the non-invasive analysis of cardiac structure and function. The interplay of genomic and protein analytical data with the functional analysis of multicellular systems of different complexity is the new challenge for the majority of the projects. Six projects are cardiac orientated while seven projects deal with the vascular system including angiogenesis. Core facilities are established for bioanalytical work, cardiovascular phenotyping of transgenic mice as well as their generation.

DFG Programme Collaborative Research Centres

International Connection Netherlands

• A01 - Analyse of the cardiovascular function of Ftm and Fto (Project Head Rüther, Ulrich )
• A02 - Analysis of sarcomeric dysfunctions in hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy caused by mutations of the troponin complex (Project Heads Pfitzer, Gabriele ;  Stehle, Robert )
• A03 - Funktionelle Bedeutung von Sorcin für die Regulation der myokardialen Ca2+-Homöostase und Kontraktilität (Project Heads Bölck, Birgit ;  Frank, Konrad ;  Schwinger, Robert H.G. )
• A04 - Lokale Funktion, NO-Bildung und Substrat-Selektion in Hoch- und Niedrigflussarealen des Herzens (Project Heads Decking, Ulrich K.M. ;  Schlack, Wolfgang )
• A05 - Mechanisms of AKT mediated signal transduction in cardiac myocytes (Project Head Gödecke, Axel )
• A06 - Signalwege und funktionelle Bedeutung des myokardialen EP4-Rezeptors (Project Heads Hohlfeld, Thomas ;  Meyer-Kirchrath, Jutta )
• A07 - In-vivo-Mobilität ß-adrenerger Rezeptoren und der Effekt kardiopathogener Rezeptorautoantikörper (Project Heads Boege, Friedrich ;  Mielke, Christian )
• A08 - Di-protein-dependent cardiovascular homeostasis (Project Head Piekorz, Roland )
• A09 - Mechanisms of the development of cardiomyopathy in very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (Project Head Spiekerkötter, Ute )
• B1 - Mechanismen und Regulatoren der postnatalen Vaskulogenese (Project Heads Kalka, Christoph ;  Krone, Wilhelm )
• B02 - Modulation of platelet thrombogenicity by genetically determined variants of platelet integrins (Project Head Scharf, Rüdiger Eberhard )
• B3 - Bedeutung von Pleiotrophin und seiner Bindungsproteine für die Funktion der Endothelzelle (Project Head Kiefer, Paul )
• B05 - Die Bedeutung der hämatogenen NO-Synthese für die vaskuläre Homöostase (Project Heads Jax, Thomas ;  Kelm, Malte )
• B06 - Functional role of CD73/ecto-5'-nucleotidase-derived extracellular adenosine in vascular inflammation (Project Head Schrader, Jürgen )
• B07 - Gentransfer in Gefäßmuskelzellen über Adhäsionsmoleküle mittels Tropismus-modifizierter adenoviraler Vektoren (Project Heads Kochanek, Stefan ;  Schrör, Karsten )
• B08 - Die Bedeutung der Apoptose und Caspase-vermittelten Freisetzung von Lysophosphatidylcholin in der Atherosklerose (Project Head Schulze-Osthoff, Klaus )
• B09 - Molekulare und funktionelle Charakterisierung der Prostaglandin-abhängigen Hyaluron-säuresynthese in glatten Gefäßmuskelzellen (Project Head Fischer, Jens W. )
• B10 - Importance of class IA PI 3-Kinase isoforms for the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (Project Head Rosenkranz, Stephan )
• B11 - Function of the protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) for thrombus generation and atherogenesis and vascular smooth muscle cells (Project Head Rauch, Bernhard Hermann )
• B12 - Regulation of the myosin phosphatase by cyclic nucleotides in the vascular system (Project Head Pfitzer, Gabriele )
• B14 - Influence of netrins and their receptors on the pathoogical neovascularization in the retina (Project Heads Joussen, Antonia ;  Koch, Manuel )
• B15 - Characterization of the molecular mechanisms of caffeine action in the vascular system (Project Head Haendeler, Judith )
• B16 - Role of BAX-inhibitors (BI-1) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (Project Head Brüning, Jens Claus )
• B18 - Molecular mechanisms of angiotensin II-mediated proteinuria at the slit diaphragm (Project Heads Rump, Lars Christian ;  Sellin, Lorenz )
• Z01 - Bioanalytical Core Facility (Project Heads Köhrer, Karl ;  Lercher, Martin )
• Z02 - Cardiovascular phenotyping of transgenic mice (Project Heads Flögel, Ulrich ;  Schrader, Jürgen )
• Z03 - Herstellung von transgenen Mäusen und Verlustmutanten (Project Head Rüther, Ulrich )
• Z04 - Zentrale Aufgaben des Sonderforschungsbereichs (Project Head Schrader, Jürgen )

Applicant Institution Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf

Participating University Universität zu Köln

Spokesperson Professor Dr. Jürgen Schrader