How heart muscle proteins adapt when the heart's workload drops
Post-translational mechanisms of cardiac adaptation during unloading
This project looks at how changes to heart muscle proteins when workload decreases might help or harm people with heart conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tallahassee, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11176988 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
They will study heart muscle cells to see how reduced mechanical load changes protein modifications that keep the heart's contractile units intact. Researchers will focus on acetylation and ubiquitination of sarcomere proteins such as CapZ and α-actinin using lab models, molecular tools, and viral methods. The team will measure how these protein changes affect cell size, structure, and contractile function with biochemical and imaging assays. The goal is to reveal molecular steps that could become targets for future patient-focused therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with heart conditions tied to changes in workload or remodeling—for example those with heart failure, patients supported by left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), or people who experience prolonged cardiac unloading—would be most relevant.
Not a fit: Patients needing immediate clinical treatment or those with conditions unrelated to cardiac remodeling are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this laboratory-focused research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new molecular targets to prevent harmful heart remodeling when the heart's workload changes.
How similar studies have performed: Prior laboratory studies have linked protein acetylation and HDAC activity to sarcomere changes, but turning these molecular findings into proven patient therapies remains largely untested.
Where this research is happening
Tallahassee, United States
- Florida State University — Tallahassee, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Solis Ocampo, Christopher — Florida State University
- Study coordinator: Solis Ocampo, Christopher
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.