The molecular regulation of RhoJ and the GIT-PIX complex and their role in angiogenesis
Dr Victoria Heath and her team at the University of Birmingham are studying the processes that control angiogenesis - when blood vessels form from existing vessels. This process is important in health and in heart and circulatory disease. Angiogenesis is driven by endothelial cells that line the blood vessels of the body and move around to form new blood vessels. Dr Heath has found that a molecule called RhoJ helps to control how endothelial cells attach and detach and therefore how they move. RhoJ interacts with a protein complex called GIT-PIX, which also affects cell movement. In this project, Dr Heath will work out what molecules control RhoJ and therefore contribute to cell movement and angiogenesis. She will use powerful microscopes to work out how RhoJ interacts with and controls the GIT-PIX complex. Using mice lacking RhoJ, she will work out how RhoJ is involved in blood vessel formation in both health and disease. By better understanding blood vessel formation, this research will reveal whether RhoJ could be manipulated to restore blood supply to tissues damaged by heart attack or stroke.
Project details
| Grant amount | £189,237 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 13 June 2016 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Reference | PG/15/83/31622 |
| Status | In Progress |
