Keywords: Ca2+ cycling, cardiac muscle, dilated cardiomyopathy, cell biology, proteomics, biomarkers, heart failure.

Detailed Description:
A major interest of our lab is to investigate the cellular mechanisms involved in the regulation of calcium cycling at the level of sarcoplasmic reticulum and its role in cardiac disease. For these experiments, we apply conventional biochemical and molecular biology assays, digital confocal imaging, and mass spectrometry based proteomic studies. Model systems include: tissue explants, established cell lines, primary cell cultures and transgenic animals. These techniques serve as valuable experimental tools to investigate heart disease pathways, cellular protein sorting and Ca2+ cycling.

METHODS USED

Cell and tissue culture: Cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells.

Procedures: Cell biology, confocal imaging, HPLC, gene expression analysis, immunohistochemistry, mass spectrometry, mircoarrays, proteomics, qRT-PCR, RT-PCR, siRNA, transgenic mice, western blot.

EQUIPMENT USED

Calcium imaging system (Olympus), confocal microscope (Leica LSM IRBE), culture hood, culture incubators, digital microscope (Zeiss structured illumination (SIM), fluorescence microscope, HPLC (Akta), Kodak documentation system, low- and high-speed centrifuge, mass spectrometer (LTQ Orbitrap, TSQ Vantage), plate reader (Perkin Elmer), setups for electropherosis.

PRESENT TRAINEES

Jake Cosme, MSc candidate
Diana Buchsbaum, MSc candidate
Wenping Li, Tech II
Aaron Wilson, Tech II
Dr. Allen Teng, PDF
Dr. Dingyan Wang, research associate

PRESENT COLLABORATIONS

Within the Department of Physiology:
Peter Backx

Outside the Department of Physiology:
Gordon Keller, UHN
Peter Liu, UHN
Thomas Kislinger, UHN
Mansoor Husain, UHN
Ian Scott, Sick Kids
Seema Mital, Sick Kids
Robert Hamilton, Sick Kids
Jack Greenblatt, CCBR
Andrew Emili, CCBR
Gary Bader, CCBR
Jason Moffat, CCBR
Igor Stagljar, CCBR
Benoit Bruneau, USCF Gladstone