MHI Seminar Series: Elizabeth Murphy, Ph.D, “Novel mechanisms of cardioprotection”

Speaker: Elizabeth Murphy, Ph.D, National Institutes of Health
Topic: Novel mechanisms of cardioprotection

Summary:

In the heart, interruption of the blood supply can result in cardiac cell death and irreversible muscle damage. Dr. Murphy’s laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms involved in cardiac cell death, as well as the mechanisms that protect the heart against damage. The knowledge gained from these studies may help identify novel therapies to reduce cardiac injury during ischemia and reperfusion. The current dogma suggests that calcium overload and reactive oxygen species generated during ischemia and heart failure lead to activation of a mitochondrial pore (mPTP) which initiates cell death. To better understand the regulation of the mPTP her lab has studied the mechanisms regulated by cyclophilin D, the only currently established member (albeit a regulator) of the mPTP. These studies demonstrated that cyclophilin D regulates mitochondrial acetylation (Nguyen et al Circ. Res, 2013). Collaborative studies with the Finkel laboratory leveraged recent advances identifying the mitochondrial transporter responsible for mitochondrial calcium uptake, which allowed for mechanistic studies of the role of calcium in activating cell death (Pan et al Nat Cell Biol, 2013).