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.

2025

Chandrakesan P, Yao J, Qu D, May R, Weygant N, Ge Y, Ali N, Sureban SM, Gude M, Vega K, Bannerman-Menson E, Xia L, Bronze M, An G, Houchen CW. Retraction Note: Dclk1, a tumor stem cell marker, regulates pro-survival signaling and self-renewal of intestinal tumor cells. Mol Cancer 24:120, 2025 April, PMID: 40253332, PMCID: PMC12008944

Rajala R, Griffin CT. Kinome profiling: A veritable Rosetta stone for protease-activated receptor 1 biased signaling. Vascul Pharmacol:107469, 2025 February, PMID: 39904417, PMCID: PMC11890924

Rajala R, Griffin CT. Endothelial protease-activated receptor 4: impotent or important? Front Cardiovasc Med 12:1541879, 2025 January, PMID: 39935714, PMCID: PMC11810968

2024

Lira AL, Taskin B, Puy C, Keshari RS, Silasi R, Pang J, Aslan JE, Shatzel JJ, Lorentz CU, Tucker EI, Schmaier AH, Gailani D, Lupu F, McCarty OJT. The physicochemical properties of lipopolysaccharide chemotypes regulate activation of the contact pathway of blood coagulation. J Biol Chem:108110, 2024 December, PMID: 39706265, PMCID: PMC11773025

Biswas I, Panicker SR, Lupu F, Rezaie AR. Physiological significance of antithrombin D-helix interaction with vascular GAGs. Blood Adv, 2024 December, PMID: 39671300, PMCID: PMC11907474

Baeyens N, Coon BG, Mack JJ. Editorial: Mechanotransduction in vascular development and disease. Front Physiol 15:1525184, 2024 December, PMID: 39720312, PMCID: PMC11666544

Rajala R, Griffin CT. INTERCELLULAR SYNERGY BETWEEN PROTEASE-ACTIVATED RECEPTORS 1 AND 4 DURING MOUSE DEVELOPMENT. J Thromb Haemost, 2024 December, PMID: 39667689, PMCID: PMC11890951

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, PMCID: PMC11668627

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, PMCID: PMC11794032

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, PMCID: PMC11830974

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

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, PMCID: PMC11624602

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

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

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