Congratulations to James Isaiah (Ike) Emerson, a graduate student and research assistant in the Conlon Lab, and Wei Shi, Ph.D., alumnus postdoctoral fellow, formerly in the Conlon Lab, for publishing article, titled “Sex-specific response to A1BG loss results in female dilated cardiomyopathy”, in the journal Biology of Sex Differences.
This research reveals that the glycoprotein A1BG is essential for maintaining heart structure in females, but not males, with its loss triggering persistent cardiac remodeling and early-stage dilated cardiomyopathy in female mice. These sex-specific effects are linked to distinct gene expression patterns and protein interactions, underscoring A1BG’s critical role in female cardiac health and its potential as a therapeutic target for heart disease in women. The work was featured in the 23 April 2025 issue of the journal Biology of Sex Differences and can be read online now.