National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 5R01HL060190-20

Metabolic reprogramming of smooth muscle cells in pulmonary hypertension

This NIH-funded project investigates the metabolic reprogramming of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in pulmonary hypertension, focusing on mitochondrial dysfunction and PKG-Iα signaling as potential therapeutic targets. The research aims to elucidate mechanisms and test novel treatments to address this life-threatening disease.

Description

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized increased lung vascular resistance, leading to right heart failure and death. This project builds upon prior work implicating metabolic reprogramming in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell in the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH). It evaluates novel therapies for treating these critically ill individuals. The research focuses on the mechanism by which the loss of mitochondrial electron transport chain Complex I assembly occurs in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells and the role of cGMP-independent PKG-Iα activity in this process, aiming to validate mitochondrial PKG-Iα signaling as a therapeutic target in PH.

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