Is a gene called SETSIP involved in endothelial cell repair?

Dedifferentiated or re-Born Again? Elucidating the chromatin remodelling mechanisms during endothelial cell reprogramming for cardiovascular therapy (Miss Rachel Caines)

In this PhD studentship, supervised by Dr Andriana Margariti, the researchers are studying if endothelial cells lining blood vessels can be generated from other cell types in the body. Damage to the endothelium lining blood vessels is often one of the first changes that occur in cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis. Replacing damaged endothelial cells could therefore be a new way to treat heart and circulatory disease. Scientists have found that cells in the body can be ‘reprogrammed’ to become another cell type. This discovery means we could generate endothelial cells from other cell types that are easier to obtain, study them in detail in the laboratory, or use them to treat people with heart and circulatory disease. But the reprogramming process is not very efficient, and we do not fully understand how it happens. In this project, involving mice, the researchers will study a new gene called SETSIP, which may explain how one cell type can be reprogrammed to become an endothelial cell. She will first explore how SETSIP is involved in endothelial cell programming from other cell types and whether the reprogrammed endothelial cells can promote blood vessel regeneration and repair. Understanding the role of SETSIP could reveal a powerful tool to reprogramme endothelial cells to replace damaged cells. In the laboratory, these cells could also be used to screen potential new therapies and drugs to boost endothelial cell repair and form new blood vessels.