Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2008

Mentor: Pradeep P.A. Mammen, MD
Department: Cardiology/Internal Medicine
Room number: NB10.228
Mail Code: MC 9047
Phone number: 214-648-4994
E-mail: pradeep.mammen@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Role of Hemoproteins in Modulating Oxidative Stress in Heart Failure

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): Not Applicable

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 1078-07-01-1 and 1078-07-02-1.

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Animal-based and basic research

Brief Description of Project:

My clinical and scientific interests revolve around the treatment and management of patients with heart failure and the molecular mechanisms underlying this clinical entity. In particular, research in my laboratory focuses on investigating the transcriptional regulation and functional role(s) of tissue hemoglobins (e.g. myoglobin and cytoglobin) in the heart. These tissue hemoglobins may serve to facilitate oxygen transport, act as oxygen sensors, scavenge free radicals, and maintain nitric oxide homeostasis. We have several novel knockout and transgenic mice that were engineered to further our understanding of the role of these tissue hemoglobins in cardiac biology. An enhanced understanding of the transcriptional regulation and functional role of these hemoproteins will provide opportunities for the development of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of patients with advanced heart failure.

Specifically, there are two ongoing research projects that may be of interest to a medical student for a summer project and they are as follows:

1. Investigate the mechanism by which myoglobin blunts the development of hypertrophy-induced heart failure.

2. Investigate the cardioprotective role of cytoglobin in regulating the redox state in heart failure.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

Amanda McGrath was an undergraduate student from the University of North Texas who worked with me to initially characterize the gene expression pattern of cytoglobin. She worked in the laboratory at nights and weekends over a 2 year time period. Her hard work resulted in an authorship on a recent manuscript that was published in 2006.

Mammen P.P.A., J.M Shelton, Q. Ye, S.B. Kanatous, A.J. McGrath, J.A. Richardson, and D.J. Garry. Cytoglobin: A novel stress-responsive hemoprotein that is expressed in the developing and adult brain. Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry 2006; 54(12): 1349-1361.