Jennifer L. Hall, PhD, FAHA, FACC - Lab
Our interest is to identify genetic variants that are associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes and define their biological function. We are currently integrating strategies from multiple disciplines to determine how genetic variants alter the course of disease. These strategies incorporate population genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, and transgenic and knockout animals. Our current projects include: Identifying DNA variants in microRNA binding sites in genes associated with heart failure This work is funded by the National Institute of Health and includes bioinformatics approaches, genotyping, microRNA expression and molecular wet lab approaches. Defining the role of endogenous heparan sulfate proteoglycans in vascular remodeling Heparan sulfate in vascular structure and remodeling: Following a novel finding that Wnts and TCF7L2 regulate vascular remodeling (Wang et al, Circ Res, 2002), Dr. Hall's laboratory examined the role of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in vascular development and remodeling. In collaboration with Dr. Jeffrey Esko at the University of California-San Diego and Dr. Scott Selleck at Pennsylvania State University, the laboratory uses multiple mouse models to address how alterations in heparan sulfate fine structure affect growth-factor trafficking, vascular development, arterial elasticity, and blood pressure (this work is funded by the National Institutes of Health). Determining the genes and signaling pathways associated with recovery from human heart failure Identifying DNA variants associated with altered vascular reactivity in African Americans. Identification of genes with common/rare variants affecting even 1% of the African American population in the United States will account for ~375,000 individuals at risk for hypertension. In order to accomplish this research, we will use state-of-the-art exome sequencing and bioinformatics, a deeply phenotyped collection of samples from the NHLBI Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), and mechanistic studies in mouse and cellular models. Links back to top
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