Effects of stretch and shortening on gene expression in intact myocardium.

Multiple cues have been suggested as the mechanical stimulus for the heart's hypertrophic response. Our work has previously suggested that the amount of cyclic shortening in cardiomyocytes controls myocyte shape and the amount of stretch controls myocyte size. To identify gene expression changes that occur in response to these mechanical perturbations, we used microarray analysis of papillary muscles cultured for 12 h at physiological or reduced levels of cyclic shortening and physiological or reduced mean stretch.

Whole-genome metabolic network reconstruction and constraint-based modeling.

With the advent of modern high-throughput genomics, there is a significant need for genome-scale analysis techniques that can assist in complex systems analysis. Metabolic genome-scale network reconstructions (GENREs) paired with constraint-based modeling are an efficient method to integrate genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics to conduct organism-specific analysis. This text explains key steps in the GENRE construction process and several methods of constraint-based modeling that can help elucidate basic life processes and development of disease treatment, bioenergy solutions, and industrial bioproduction applications.

Isometric contraction induces rapid myocyte remodeling in cultured rat right ventricular papillary muscles.

The hypothesis that elevated systolic stress induces myocyte thickening has been difficult to test directly. We tested this hypothesis in working rat right ventricular papillary muscles using a recently developed technique for long-term muscle culture. Muscles were cultured for 36 h either isometrically at different levels of systolic stress or at physiological amounts and rates of shortening.

Tissue engineering of skeletal muscle.

Loss of skeletal muscle profoundly affects the health and well-being of patients, and there currently is no way to replace lost muscle. We believe that a key step in the development of a prosthesis for reconstruction of dysfunctional muscular tissue is the ability to reconstitute the in vivo-like 3-dimensional (3D) organization of skeletal muscle in vitro with isolated satellite cells. In our present proof of principle studies, we have successfully constructed a multilayered culture of skeletal muscle cells, derived from neonatal satellite cells, that are distributed in a 3D pattern of organization that mimics many of the features of intact tissue.