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Magdalena Chrzanowska-Wodnicka, PhD

Magdalena Chrzanowska-Wodnicka_Academic Profile

Magdalena Chrzanowska-Wodnicka, PhD, FAHA

Associate Professor; Pharmacology and Toxicology; Investigator, Versiti Blood Research Institute

Locations

  • Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin

Contact Information

Education

PhD, Cell and Cardiovascular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1997

Research Interests

Our laboratory is interested in the function of small G proteins in the cardiovascular system. We use transgenic mouse and zebrafish models for in vivo studies and a variety of biochemical, molecular and microscopy approaches to interrogate signaling by small GTPases in vascular cells ex vivo.

Small G protein Rap1 has been the main focus of our research over the past few years. Rap1, evolutionarily conserved and ubiquitously expressed, is activated downstream from multiple cell surface receptors and regulates several basic cellular functions: adhesion, migration, polarity, differentiation and growth. Well studied in vitro, Rap1 functions in mammalian systems in vivo are still not very well understood.

Angiogenesis

Using Rap1b-knockout mice we have recently revealed a novel role of Rap1bin vivo: regulation of angiogenesis. In an in vivo neonatal retinal model and a Matrigel plug model we demonstrated that Rap1b-deficiency leads to a defect in angiogenesis, and through ex vivo and in vitro studies, we localized the defect to endothelial cells and shown that endothelial proliferation and migration are affected by Rap1b-deficiency. At the molecular level, the underlying mechanism involves defective activation and signaling downstream from Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Receptor 2. Current research in the laboratory is focused on elucidating molecular mechanisms through which Rap1 regulates endothelial cell responses to VEGF promoting angiogenesis.

Cardiac hypertrophy and hypertension

In addition to promoting angiogenesis, our studies indicate that Rap1b is required for maintenance of normal blood pressure as Rap1b-knockout mice are hypertensive and develop cardiac hypertrophy. This is a novel function of Rap1 and we are currently utilizing tissue-specific knockout mice to understand which physiological processes involved in regulation of blood pressure and normal cardiac function are regulated by Rap1.

Publications

Publications of Magdalena Chrzanowska PhD from the Faculty Collaboration Database