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Master's Theses

Physiology

Loyola University Chicago

2011

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The Role Of T-Type Calcium Channels In Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Cycle Regulation, Abigail Prier Jan 2011

The Role Of T-Type Calcium Channels In Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Cycle Regulation, Abigail Prier

Master's Theses

Results from previous experiments have provided evidence for T-type channel expression in adult pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) using electrophysiology and qRT-PCR. Studies have also shown that when T-type channels are blocked, either pharmacological or with small hairpin RNA targeted against T-type channel Cav3.1 subunit, mRNA levels are reduced and cell proliferation is inhibited. These results suggest a connection between T-type calcium channels and cell proliferation. In this thesis, Cav3.1 and its possible interplay with cyclin D, an early marker of the cell cycle, was investigated. The time course of cyclin D's translocation to the nucleus to begin the …