Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

Immunohistochemical Investigation Of Wwp1 Expression During Embryonic Heart Development And Its Implications For Cardiac Aging, Savannah L. Bowers

Senior Theses

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality globally, with the aging population being most vulnerable. Cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts mediate pathophysiological changes of cardiac aging including interstitial fibrosis, left ventricular hypertrophy, lethal arrhythmias, and eventual culmination in heart failure. Interestingly, subclinical congenital heart disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, originating in embryonic development, induce accelerated cardiac aging. The diverse developmental origins of cardiac fibroblasts suggest that perturbations in gene expression within this heterogeneous cell population during embryonic heart development have significant consequences for cardiac aging. Previous studies implicate the E3 ubiquitin ligase WWP1, a post-translational regulatory protein, in accelerated cardiac aging. …