Cardiovascular Biology Research Program

The Cardiovascular Biology Research Program investigates fundamental mechanisms involved in blood and lymphatic vessel function, atherogenesis, blood coagulation, inflammation, and sepsis.

This program utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to address these questions at a molecular level. This approach encompasses structural biology, structure-function analysis of enzymes and receptors, regulation of the relevant genes, in vivo studies using transgenic and gene deletion approaches, cell biology, protein chemistry, physiological studies, and biophysical methods for analyzing protein-protein, membrane-protein, and cell-cell interactions.

The multidisciplinary approach provides insights into processes with relevance to many human diseases, including heart attack, stroke, septic shock, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. Several findings by program members have generated patents and licenses that may lead to new diagnostics and therapeutics.

2024

Rajala R, Cleuren ACA, Griffin CT. Acetaminophen Overdose Reveals PAR4 as a Low-Expressing but Potent Receptor on the Hepatic Endothelium in Mice. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2024 October, PMID: 39360412

Chucair-Elliott AJ, Pham K, Cleuren ACA, Schafer CM, Griffin CT, Ocanas SR, Freeman WM, Elliott MH. Comparative Analysis of In vivo Endothelial Cell Translatomes Across Central Nervous System Vascular Beds. Exp Eye Res:110101, 2024 September, PMID: 39303842, PMCID: PMC11532013

Ma X, Wu W, Hara M, Zhou J, Panzarin C, Schafer CM, Griffin CT, Cai J, Ma JX, Takahashi Y. Deficient RPE mitochondrial energetics leads to subretinal fibrosis in age-related neovascular macular degeneration. Commun Biol 7:1075, 2024 September, PMID: 39223298, PMCID: PMC11369096

Nasuhidehnavi A, Zarzycka W, Górecki I, Chiao YA, Lee CF. Emerging interactions between mitochondria and NAD( ) metabolism in cardiometabolic diseases. Trends Endocrinol Metab, 2024 August, PMID: 39198117

Puy C, Moellmer SA, Pang J, Vu H, Melrose A, Lorentz CU, Tucker EI, Shatzel JJ, Keshari RS, Lupu F, Gailani D, McCarty OJT. Coagulation factor XI regulates endothelial cell permeability and barrier function in vitro and in vivo. Blood, 2024 August, PMID: 39158072

Riecan M, Domanska V, Lupu C, Patel M, Vondrackova M, Rossmeisl M, Saghatelian A, Lupu F, Kuda O. Tissue-specific sex-dependent difference in the metabolism of fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids:159543, 2024 August, PMID: 39097081

Szybowska PE, Nasuhidehnavi A, Lee CF. Heartbreak to Immune Breakdown: myocardial infarction is causing thymic injury mediated by activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 2024 July, PMID: 39028278

Davis MJ, Castorena-Gonzalez JA, Li M, Zawieja SD, Simon AM, Geng X, Srinivasan RS. Connexin45 (GJC1) is expressed in mouse lymphatic endothelium and required for normal lymphatic valve function. JCI Insight, 2024 July, PMID: 39074069, PMCID: PMC11343601

Xia L. Gasdermin D and TMA. Blood 144:247-248, 2024 July, PMID: 39023873, PMCID: PMC11302444

Shan X, Rathore S, Kniffen D, Gao L, Nitin, Letef CL, Shi H, Ghosh S, Zandberg W, Xia L, Bergstrom KSB. Ablation of intestinal epithelial sialylation predisposes to acute and chronic intestinal inflammation in mice. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol:101378, 2024 July, PMID: 38992465, PMCID: PMC11459652

Shi H, Song J, Gao L, Shan X, Panicker SR, Yao L, McDaniel M, Zhou M, McGee S, Zhong H, Griffin CT, Xia L, Shao B. Deletion of Talin1 in Myeloid Cells Facilitates Atherosclerosis in Mice. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2024 June, PMID: 38899470

Nyúl-Tóth Á, Negri S, Sanford M, Jiang R, Patai R, Budda M, Petersen B, Pinckard J, Chandragiri SS, Shi H, Reyff Z, Ballard C, Gulej R, Csik B, Ferrier J, Balasubramanian P, Yabluchanskiy A, Cleuren A, Conley S, Ungvari Z, Csiszar A, Tarantini S. Novel intravital approaches to quantify deep vascular structure and perfusion in the aging mouse brain using ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM). J Cereb Blood Flow Metab:271678X241260526, 2024 June, PMID: 38867576, PMCID: PMC11542130

Wu ML, Wheeler K, Silasi R, Lupu F, Griffin CT. Endothelial Chromatin-Remodeling Enzymes Regulate the Production of Critical ECM Components During Murine Lung Development. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2024 June, PMID: 38868942

Rajala R, Cleuren ACA, Griffin CT. Acetaminophen Overdose Reveals Protease-Activated Receptor 4 as a Low-Expressing but Potent Receptor on the Hepatic Endothelium. bioRxiv, 2024 June, PMID: 38895465, PMCID: PMC11185779

Simeroth S, Yu P. The role of lymphatic endothelial cell metabolism in lymphangiogenesis and disease. Front Cardiovasc Med 11:1392816, 2024 May, PMID: 38798921, PMCID: PMC11119333

Aleman M, Arepally GM, Baglin T, Buitrago L, Davizon-Castillo P, Dayal S, Flick MJ, Gerber G, Hisada Y, Kolev K, O'Loghlen A, Rezaie AR, Sparkenbaugh EM, Stavrou EX, Ünlü B, Vercellotti GM. Coagulation and platelet biology at the intersection of health and disease: illustrated capsules of the 11th Symposium on Hemostasis at the University of North Carolina. Res Pract Thromb Haemost 8:102395, 2024 April, PMID: 38699410, PMCID: PMC11063502

Hatch CJ, Piombo SD, Fang JS, Gach JS, Ewald ML, Van Trigt WK, Coon BG, Tong JM, Forthal DN, Hughes CCW. SARS-CoV-2 infection of endothelial cells, dependent on flow-induced ACE2 expression, drives hypercytokinemia in a vascularized microphysiological system. Front Cardiovasc Med 11:1360364, 2024 March, PMID: 38576426, PMCID: PMC10991679

Yang J, Zhu L, Pan H, Ueharu H, Toda M, Yang Q, Hallett SA, Olson LE, Mishina Y. A BMP-controlled metabolic-epigenetic signaling cascade directs midfacial morphogenesis. J Clin Invest, 2024 March, PMID: 38466355, PMCID: PMC11014657

Zuo B, Yang F, Huang L, Han J, Li T, Ma Z, Cao L, Li Y, Bai X, Jiang M, He Y, Xia L. Endothelial Slc35a1 deficiency causes loss of LSEC identity and exacerbates neonatal lipid deposition in the liver in mice. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2024 March, PMID: 38467191, PMCID: PMC11061248

Huang L, Kondo Y, Cao L, Han J, Li T, Zuo B, Yang F, Li Y, Ma Z, Bai X, Jiang M, Ruan C, Xia L. Novel GNE missense variants impair de novo sialylation and cause defective angiogenesis in the developing brain in mice. Blood Adv 8:991-1001, 2024 February, PMID: 38237079, PMCID: PMC10879683

Giri H, Biswas I, Rezaie AR. Thrombomodulin: A multifunctional receptor modulating the endothelial quiescence. J Thromb Haemost, 2024 January, PMID: 38266676, PMCID: PMC10960680

Boutagy NE, Gamez-Mendez A, Fowler JW, Zhang H, Chaube BK, Esplugues E, Lee S, Horikami D, Zhang J, Citrin KM, Singh AK, Coon BG, Suarez Y, Fernandez-Hernando C, Sessa WC. Dynamic metabolism of endothelial triglycerides protects against atherosclerosis in mice. J Clin Invest, 2024 January, PMID: 38175710, PMCID: PMC10866653

Biswas I, Giri H, Panicker SR, Rezaie AR. Thrombomodulin Switches Signaling and Protease-Activated Receptor 1 Cleavage Specificity of Thrombin. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2024 January, PMID: 38174561, PMCID: PMC10922642

2023

Shi H, Gao L, Kirby N, Shao B, Shan X, Kudo M, Silasi R, McDaniel MJ, Zhou M, McGee S, Jing W, Lupu F, Cleuren A, George JN, Xia L. Clearance of VWF by hepatic macrophages is critical for the protective effect of ADAMTS13 in sickle cell anemia mice. Blood, 2023 December, PMID: 38142410, PMCID: PMC10997916

Giri H, Biswas I, Rezaie AR. Thrombomodulin Regulates PTEN/AKT Signaling Axis in Endothelial Cells. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2023 December, PMID: 38059351, PMCID: PMC10841639

Pfeffer MA, Kohs TCL, Vu HH, Jordan KR, Si Han Wang J, Lorentz CU, Tucker EI, Puy C, Olson SR, DeLoughery TG, Hinds MT, Keshari RS, Gailani D, Lupu F, McCarty OJT, Shatzel JJ. Factor XI Inhibition for the Prevention of Catheter-Associated Thrombosis in Patients With Cancer Undergoing Central Line Placement: A Phase 2 Clinical Trial. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2023 November, PMID: 37970718, PMCID: PMC10877270

Riecan M, Domanska V, Lupu C, Patel M, Vondrackova M, Rossmeisl M, Saghatelian A, Lupu F, Kuda O. Tissue-specific sex difference in the metabolism of fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids. bioRxiv, 2023 November, PMID: 38014093, PMCID: PMC10680750

Cleuren A, Molema G. Organotypic heterogeneity in microvascular endothelial cell responses in sepsis-a molecular treasure trove and pharmacological Gordian knot. Front Med (Lausanne) 10:1252021, 2023 November, PMID: 38020105, PMCID: PMC10665520

Subramani K, Bander J, Chen S, Suárez-Fariñas M, Venkatesan T, Subrahmanian S, Varshney R, Kini A, Sharma S, Rifkin DB, Cho J, Coller BS, Ahamed J. Evidence That Anemia Accelerates AS Progression Via Shear-Induced TGF-β1 Activation: Heyde's Syndrome Comes Full Circle. JACC Basic Transl Sci 9:185-199, 2023 November, PMID: 38510715, PMCID: PMC10950403

Wan Y, Adair K, Herrmann A, Shan X, Xia L, Duckworth CA, Yu LG. C1GalT1 expression reciprocally controls tumour cell-cell and tumour-macrophage interactions mediated by galectin-3 and MGL with double impact on cancer development and progression. Cell Death Dis 14:547, 2023 August, PMID: 37612278, PMCID: PMC10447578

Ho YC, Geng X, O'Donnell A, Ibarrola J, Fernandez-Celis A, Varshney R, Subramani K, Azartash-Namin ZJ, Kim J, Silasi R, Wylie-Sears J, Alvandi Z, Chen L, Cha B, Chen H, Xia L, Zhou B, Lupu F, Burkhart HM, Aikawa E, Olson LE, Ahamed J, López-Andrés N, Bischoff J, Yutzey KE, Srinivasan RS. PROX1 Inhibits PDGF-B Expression to Prevent Myxomatous Degeneration of Heart Valves. Circ Res, 2023 August, PMID: 37555328, PMCID: PMC10487359

Tong Y, Wu Y, Ma J, Ikeda M, Ide T, Griffin CT, Ding XQ, Wang S. Comparative mechanistic study of RPE cell death induced by different oxidative stresses. Redox Biol 65:102840, 2023 August, PMID: 37566944, PMCID: PMC10440584

Tsitsikov EN, Phan KP, Liu Y, Tsytsykova AV, Kinter M, Selland L, Garman L, Griffin C, Dunn IF. TRAF7 is an essential regulator of blood vessel integrity during mouse embryonic and neonatal development. iScience 26:107474, 2023 July, PMID: 37583551, PMCID: PMC10424150

Schafer CM, Martin-Almedina S, Kurylowicz K, Dufton N, Osuna-Almagro L, Wu ML, Johnson CF, Shah AV, Haskard DO, Buxton A, Willis E, Wheeler K, Turner S, Chlebicz M, Scott RP, Kovats S, Cleuren A, Birdsey GM, Randi AM, Griffin CT. Cytokine-Mediated Degradation of the Transcription Factor ERG Impacts the Pulmonary Vascular Response to Systemic Inflammatory Challenge. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2023 June, PMID: 37317853, PMCID: PMC10364964

Jiang M, Yang F, Jiang Y, Cheng L, Han J, Yi J, Zuo B, Huang L, Ma Z, Li T, Cao L, Xia Z, Bai X, Jia C, Yang TTC, Esmon NL, Ruan C, Xia L, Esmon C, Han Y, Wu D, Xu J. Safety and efficacy of anti-human activated protein C antibody SR604 for prophylaxis of congenital factor deficiencies. Blood, 2023 June, PMID: 37294924

Chella Krishnan K, El Hachem EJ, Keller MP, Patel SG, Carroll L, Vegas AD, Gerdes Gyuricza I, Light C, Cao Y, Pan C, Kaczor-Urbanowicz KE, Shravah V, Anum D, Pellegrini M, Lee CF, Seldin MM, Rosenthal NA, Churchill GA, Attie AD, Parker B, James DE, Lusis AJ. Genetic architecture of heart mitochondrial proteome influencing cardiac hypertrophy. Elife 12, 2023 June, PMID: 37276142, PMCID: PMC10241513

Dragomir MP, Fuentes-Mattei E, Winkle M, Okubo K, Bayraktar R, Knutsen E, Qdaisat A, Chen M, Li Y, Shimizu M, Pang L, Liu K, Liu X, Anfossi S, Zhang H, Koch I, Tran AM, Mohapatra S, Ton A, Kaplan M, Anderson MW, Rothfuss SJ, Silasi R, Keshari RS, Ferracin M, Ivan C, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Lopez-Berestein G, Georgescu C, Banerjee PP, Basar R, Li Z, Horst D, Vasilescu C, Bertilaccio MTS, Rezvani K, Lupu F, Yeung SC, Calin GA. Anti-miR-93-5p therapy prolongs sepsis survival by restoring the peripheral immune response. J Clin Invest, 2023 June, PMID: 37261908, PMCID: PMC10348769

Elhadad S, Redmond D, Tan A, Huang J, Rodriguez BL, Racine-Brzostek SE, Subrahmanian S, Ahamed J, Laurence J. Defibrotide mitigates endothelial cell injury induced by plasmas from patients with COVID-19 and related vasculopathies. Thromb Res 225:47-56, 2023 March, PMID: 37001283, PMCID: PMC10033153

Giri H, Biswas I, Rezaie AR. Activated protein C inhibits mesothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in experimental peritoneal fibrosis. J Thromb Haemost 21:133-144, 2023 January, PMID: 36695376, PMCID: PMC10726528

Cardiovascular Biology Research Program
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
825 NE 13th Street, MS 45
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

Phone: (405) 271-6480
Fax: (405) 271-3137
Email:  Mia-Pederson-Rambo@omrf.org