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Congratulations to Dr. Breslin!

We would like to congratulate Dr. Jerome Breslin, who has been elected as President-Elect of the Microcirculatory Society. The link to the Microcirculatory Society’s website is listed here for reference: https://www.microcirc.org/ . Dr. Breslin will lead the Microcirculatory Society in its mission to “actively encourage and promote all forms of innovative research and teaching, leading to an increase in understanding of microcirculatory function in health and disease.” This is a prestigious honor and we are very proud to have Dr. Breslin on our team. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr. Totary-Jain!

Dr. Hana Totary-Jain has been selected as the winner of the 2020 Alan T. Hirsch, MD Mid-Career Award in Vascular Medicine. Dr. Totary-Jain is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology and her lab focuses on non-coding RNAs and their regulatory role in cardiovascular diseases. The award was presented during the AHA Vascular Discovery: From Genes to Medicine Scientific Sessions 2020.

The title of her talk: "Design and delivery of microRNA switches to treat cardiovascular diseases".

Description: 3D confocal image from whole mount of mouse wire-injured femoral arteries 48 hours after a single intravenous injection of niRFP mRNA-p5RHH nanoparticle.

 

Featured Faculty

Da-Zhi Wang

Da-Zhi Wang, PhD
Professor, USF Health Heart Institute
Thomas McDonald, MD

Thomas McDonald, MD

Professor, USF Health Heart Institute

Stephen Liggett, MD

Stephen Liggett, MD

Vice Dean for Research, Morsani College of Medicine
Associate Vice President for Research, USF Health
Professor of Internal Medicine

Ganesh Halade, PhD

Ganesh Halade, PhD

Associate Professor, USF Health Heart Institute

Dr. Bibhu Mohanty - Tips on Heart Health
Dr. Bibhu Mohanty - Tips on Heart Health
Surface TAS2R14-WT expression with DPD treatment in HEK293T cells
Surface TAS2R14-WT expression with DPD treatment in HEK293T cells

Articles

The short third intracellular loop and cytoplasmic tail of bitter taste receptors provide functionally relevant GRK phosphorylation sites in TAS2R14

The short third intracellular loop and cytoplasmic tail of bitter taste receptors provide functionally relevant GRK phosphorylation sites in TAS2R14

The short third intracellular loop and cytoplasmic tail of bitter taste receptors provide functionally relevant GRK phosphorylation sites in TAS2R14.

β-Arrestin2 oligomers impair the clearance of pathological tau and increase tau aggregates
Multiple G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are targets in the treatment of dementia, and the arrestins are common to their signaling. β-Arrestin2 was significantly increased in brains of patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-tau), a disease second to Alzheimer’s as a cause of dementia. Genetic loss and overexpression experiments using genetically encoded reporters and defined mutant constructs in vitro, and in cell lines, primary neurons, and tau P301S mice crossed with β-arrestin2−/− mice, show that β-arrestin2 stabilizes pathogenic tau and promotes tau aggregation.

50-gene risk profiles in peripheral blood predict COVID-19 outcomes: A retrospective, multicenter cohort study
COVID-19 has been associated with Interstitial Lung Disease features. The immune transcriptomic overlap between Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and COVID-19 has not been investigated.
Liggett TAS2R5 agonist

Identification and Characterization of Novel Bronchodilator Agonists Acting at Human Airway Smooth Muscle Cell TAS2R5

Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) are recognized asbeing expressed on multiple cell types and organs, includinghuman airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells, where agonistspromote significant relaxation to constrictive stimuli. Thus, theHASM TAS2Rs have been targeted as novel bronchodilators forthe treatment of asthma and other obstructive lung diseases. These studies revealed critical structural requirements for favorable potencies andefficacies for a potentialfirst-in-class bronchodilator targeting TAS2R5 of the airway.

Molecular Neurobiology Thumbnail

Hippocampal and Prefrontal Cortical Brain Tissue Levels of Irisin and GDF15 Receptor Subunits in Children
Cold-stress hormones (CSHs) stimulate thermogenesis and have direct neuroprotective effects on the brain. The obligatory receptor components of two new CSHs (irisin and growth differentiation factor-15 [GDF15]) were recently discovered.

USF Health Institute News

Preclinical study defines spleen-heart connection in cardiac repair
8/20/2021
USF Health-led research validates crucial role of the spleen in cardiac healing, suggests targeting lipid mediator S1P may offer a promising heart failure treatment Tampa, FL (Aug. 23, 2021) — Although we can survive without a spleen, evidence continues to mount that this abdominal organ plays … [read more]
Age-related decline in two sirtuin enzymes alters mitochondrial dynamics, weakens cardiac contractions
8/20/2021
USF Health preclinical study suggests boosting cardiac SIRT1/SIRT3 levels in older heart attack patients may help protect against ischemia-reperfusion injury Tampa, FL (Aug. 20, 2021) — Sirtuins are a family of anti-aging proteins that help regulate cellular lifespan, metabolism, and resistanc … [read more]
Deletion of single gene promotes growth of functional lymphatic valves
8/9/2021
Targeting the gene Foxo1 may offer an early treatment approach for hereditary lymphedema, USF Health preclinical study reports Principal investigator Ying Yang, PhD, is an assistant professor of molecular pharmacology and physiology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and a member of the c … [read more]
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