Paul J. McDermott, Ph.D.

Paul J. McDermott, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator at the Gazes Cardiac Research Institute
Associate Professor of Medicine

Room 303, Gazes / Thurmond Building, 114 Doughty St., Charleton, SC 29403

Phone: (843) 789-6839 / Fax: (843) 876-5068
E-mail: mcdermp@musc.edu

EDUCATION:

1979 B.A.   Rowan University

1984 Ph.D.   University of Pittsburgh

Research Interest:

     My research is focused on the regulation of protein synthesis during cardiac growth employing isolated cardiac muscle cells (cardiocytes) in primary culture. An electrical stimulation system is used to initiate and control contractile activity in order to increase the workload of the cardiocytes in culture. In response electrically stimulated contractile activity, protein synthesis rates are accelerated and the size of the cardiocytes increase over time. Protein synthesis rates are accelerated in response to cardiocyte contraction via translational mechanisms. We are using adenoviral gene transfer to examine how changes in activity and/or amount of specific translation initiation factors affect the expression of proteins required for growth, and to determine whether these changes are linked to the development of mechanical force that occurs during contraction of the cardiocyte. The goals of the laboratory are to identify specific intracellular pathways that link changes in workload of the cardiocyte to alterations in the activity and/or amounts of the key regulatory proteins that control protein translation. Click here for a more detailed view of translation initiation.

Laboratory Members

Mike Chandler

Daisy Dominick

Vijay Rao

Laura Spruill

Jim Tuxworth, Ph.D.

Past Laboratory Members

Takuma Etoh, M.D., Ph.D.

Jennifer Macdonald

Aryan Namboodiri, Ph.D.

Atif N. Saghir, Ph.D.

Recent Publications:

Wada, H., Zile, M.R., Ivester, C.T., Cooper IV, G., and McDermott, P.J.: Comparative effects of contraction and angiotensin II on growth of adult feline cardiocytes in primary culture. Amer. J. Physiol., 271:H29-H37, 1996.

Tagawa, H., Rozich, J.D., Tsutsui, H., Narishige, T., Kuppuswamy, D., Sato, H., McDermott, P.J., Koide, M., and Cooper IV, G.: Basis for increased microtubules in pressure hypertrophied cardiocytes. Circulation 93:1230-1243, 1996.

Wada, H., Ivester, C.T., Carabello, B.A., Cooper IV, G., and McDermott, P.J.: Translational initiation factor eIF-4E: A link between cardiac load and protein synthesis. J. Biol. Chem., 271:8359-8364, 1996.

Kent R.L., and McDermott, P.J. Passive load and angiotensin II evoke differential responses of gene expression and protein synthesis in cardiac myocytes. Circ. Res. 78:829-838, 1996.

Yang, Q., McDermott, P.J., Duzic, E., Pleij, C.W.A., Sherlock, J.D., and Lanier, S.M.: The 3' untranslated region of the a2C-adrenergic receptor mRNA impedes translation of the receptor message. J. Biol. Chem., 272:15466-15473, 1997.

Makhlouf, A., and McDermott, P.J.: Increased expression of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E during growth of neonatal rat cardiocytes in vitro. Amer. J. Physiol., 274:H2133-H2142, 1998.

Matsuo, T., Carabello, B.A., Nagatomo, Y., Koide, M., Hamawaki, M., Zile, M.R., and McDermott, P.J.: Mechanisms of cardiac hypertrophy in canine volume overload. Am. J. Physiol., 275:H65-H74, 1998.

Tuxworth Jr., W.J., Wada, H., Ishibashi, Y., and McDermott, P.J.: The role of load in regulating eIF-4F complex formation in adult feline cardiocytes. Amer. J. Physiol., 277:H1273-H1282, 1999.

Nagatomo, Y., Carabello, B.A., Hamawaki, M., Nemoto, S., Matsuo, T., and McDermott, P.J.: Translational mechanisms accelerate the rate of cardiac protein synthesis during canine pressure overload hypertrophy. Amer. J. Physiol., In Press.

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