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| Project ID/Title: | 07-12. Characterizing Calcium Current in Cardiac Cells | | Advisor: | Arnold Schwartz | | Academic Title: | Director, Institute of Molecular Pharmacology and Biophysics | | Department: | Molecular Pharmacology & Biophysics | | Department Website: | www.med.uc.edu/cardio_bio/ | | Email: | arnold.schwartz@uc.edu | | Phone: | 513-558-2400 | | Fax: | 513-558-1778 | | Graduate Program(s): | Molecular Pharmacology & Biophysics | | Co-Advisor(s): | Ilona F. Bodi, Department of Surgery and Jeffrey Johnson, Department of Biomedical Engineering | | Project Description: | In this project, we will characterize the affect of cardiac L-type voltage dependent Ca2+ current (L-VDCC) channels on heart failure. Cardiac muscle requires Ca2+ entry with each beat and provides the "trigger" Ca2+ that initiates contraction of the heart. The L-VDCC is the initial port of entry of trigger Ca2+ and is vital for the contraction-relaxation (ECR) cycle of heart. Abnormalities or malfunctions in this channel are a significant cause of heart failure. We will employ electrophysiology, pharmacology, and behavioral assays, to explore how specific subunits of the proteins that comprise L-VDCC channels influence cardiac cell membrane properties. Using wild-type and various forms of channel deficient knock-out mice, we will assess membrane potential, current density, and depolarizing and hyperpolarizing activation states both in cardiac cells and in brain cells. |
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