Biochemistry 2007
Area of Doctoral Study: Biochemistry
Undergraduate Institute: University of Maryland Baltimore County
Research Advisor: Dr. Terry Rogers, UMB
Current Position: Medical Instructor, Departmentof Medicine, Member of Duke University Molecular Physiology Institute
Description of Research
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming nearly 1 million lives annually. Myocardial production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor Necrosis Factor- µ, (TNF-µ), is now regarded as a significant contributor to various cardiac pathologies. While several suggest that members of the Nuclear Factor family of transcription factors are essential regulators of myocardial TNF-µ gene expression, recent developments in our understanding of the modulation of NF- kB activity through post-transitional modification of NF -kB subunits suggest that the current view of NF-kB dependent cytokine expression in heart is incomplete Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine how phosphorylation of the NF -kB p65 subunit regulates TNF-µ production in cultured neonatal ventricular cardiomyocytes.