Do KATP channels protect heart muscle cells from damage?

IES SUR2B-mediated cardioprotection

Professor Aleksandar Jovanovic is looking for ways to prevent heart muscle cells from becoming damaged after a heart attack. Professor Jovanovic’s team has recently found that treating cells with the hormone testosterone increases levels of a protein called IES SUR2B in heart cells, which in turn makes them more resistant to a lack of oxygen. They think that increasing the IES SUR2B protein could protect the heart against heart attack by controlling how the energy stores in the cells, called mitochondria, work. They believe IES SUR2B could also be a part of a bigger complex of proteins inside mitochondria called mitochondrial KATP channels. In this project, they aim to understand heart cells in more detail, to find out if, and how, IES SUR2B could protect the heart. They will reveal what proteins make up KATP channels within mitochondria and work out how boosting levels of IES SUR2B protects heart cells against lack of oxygen. By better understanding which proteins can protect heart cells from damage, this research may reveal a new way to protect and treat heart disease, including heart attack.