How PRDM6 controls smooth muscle in blood vessels
The transcriptional regulation of smooth muscle genes by PRDM6 in vascular health and diseases
This project will learn how a gene called PRDM6 controls artery muscle cells and how that may affect people with aneurysms, atherosclerosis, or high blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11231731 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will map how the PRDM6 gene is switched on and off in the human thoracic aorta. They will combine large-scale genetic data with lab tests called high-throughput reporter assays to find DNA regions that control PRDM6. The team will study how changes in those regulators alter smooth muscle cell behavior in models that mimic blood vessels. The overall aim is to connect genetic signals to the cellular changes that lead to artery widening, plaque formation, or aneurysm.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with aortic enlargement, aneurysm, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, or related vascular conditions, or people with genetic risk signals linked to PRDM6, would be most connected to this work.
Not a fit: People without vascular disease or those seeking an immediate treatment are unlikely to get direct benefit from this basic-research project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to new targets for preventing or treating aortic aneurysms, atherosclerosis, and other vascular diseases.
How similar studies have performed: Genome-wide studies have linked PRDM6 to vascular traits, but the specific enhancer-mapping and mechanistic experiments proposed here are largely novel and remain at the preclinical stage.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mani, Arya — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Mani, Arya
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.