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Cambridge Cardiovascular

 

Research

Supervisor: Dr Sanjay Sinha

Title: The role of notch in vascular smooth muscle cell development and disease

Abstract: Smooth muscle cells (SMC) arise from a variety of embryological origins, and it has been suggested that the SMC origin may predispose specific vascular beds to disease. We are interested in the physiological properties of these lineage-specific SMCs, and in particular, the signalling pathways which regulate their development. We are utilising a human embryonic stem cell approach to elucidate the role of Notch signalling in the development of lineage-specific SMC. This research hopes to unravel the signalling pathways involved during normal development, to allow us to further investigate what occurs in specific vascular diseases.

References:

Bernard WG, Granata A, Sinha S. Notch3 Regulates Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Development and Functionality in a Lineage Specific Manner: Implications in the Pathology of CADASIL. BAS/BSCR /BCS joint spring meeting, 2013.

Publications

Key publications: 

Embryological Origin of Human Smooth Muscle Cells Influences Their Ability to Support Endothelial Network Formation. Bargehr J, Low L, Cheung C, Bernard WG, Iyer D, Bennett MR, Gambardella L, Sinha S. Stem Cells Transl Med. 2016 Jul;5(7):946-59.

Robust derivation of epicardium and its differentiated smooth muscle cell progeny from human pluripotent stem cells. Iyer D, Gambardella L, Bernard WG, Serrano F, Mascetti VL, Pedersen RA, Sinha S, Talasila A. Development. 2016 Mar 1;143(5):904.

Robust derivation of epicardium and its differentiated smooth muscle cell progeny from human pluripotent stem cells. Iyer D, Gambardella L, Bernard WG, Serrano F, Mascetti VL, Pedersen RA, Talasila A, Sinha S. Development. 2015 Apr 15;142(8):1528-41.

Temporal and embryonic lineage-dependent regulation of human vascular SMC development by NOTCH3. Granata A, Bernard WG, Zhao N, Mccafferty J, Lilly B, Sinha S. Stem Cells Dev. 2015 Apr 1;24(7):846-56.

Ca(2+) signals evoked by histamine H1 receptors are attenuated by activation of prostaglandin EP2 and EP4 receptors in human aortic smooth muscle cells. Pantazaka E, Taylor EJ, Bernard WG, Taylor CW. Br J Pharmacol. 2013 Aug;169(7):1624-34.

The inhibitory effect of phospholemman on the sodium pump requires its palmitoylation. Tulloch LB, Howie J, Wypijewski KJ, Wilson CR, Bernard WG, Shattock MJ, Fuller W. J Biol Chem. 2011 Oct 14;286(41):36020-31.

BHF 4-Year Programme PhD Student
 William  Bernard

Affiliations

Classifications: 
Person keywords: 
vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC)
epicardium
stem cells