APVV-SK-CZ-0172-09

Principal Investigator: Alexandra Zahradníková

Duration: January 2010 – December 2011
Coordinating Organization: Institute of Molecular Physiology and Genetics SAS, Bratislava

Annotation:

Understanding the mechanisms of cardiac cell function and of their impairment in cardiovascular diseases is the basic prerequisite for targeted therapy. The objective of the project is to increase the understanding of the relationships between signaling and energetics functions of cardiac myocytes that are mediated by the interaction between mitochondrial membrane potential, redox state of the cell and diastolic calcium release. To achieve these goals we will use the methods of electrophysiology, confocal microscopy, biochemistry and molecular biology. The complementary know-how of the collaborating laboratories will bring methodological enhancement to both parties and will enable to achieve a higher level of understanding of the studied mechanisms.

Keywords:

Cell physiology, cardiac myocytes, contraction control, energetic metabolism, calcium signaling

Objectives:

The scientific aim of the project is to elucidate molecular mechanisms responsible for modulation of calcium release by the ryanodine receptor, the key protein in the membrane of sarcoplasmic reticulum, by the energetic status of the cell, and to dissect the relationships between the energetic status of the mitochondria and calcium homeostasis in the cardiac myocyte.

Publications: