Michaela Patterson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Locations
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy
MEB M4575
Cardiovascular Center
Contact Information
Education
PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
BS, Bates College, Lewiston, ME
Research Areas of Interest
- Cell Differentiation
- Cell Proliferation
- Diploidy
- Heart
- Mice, Knockout
- Myocardium
- Myocytes, Cardiac
- Polyploidy
- Regeneration
Research Interests
Stem Cells and Development, Vol. 28, No. 23 Journal Cover
Michaela Patterson and Samantha K. Swift. Stem Cells and Development. Dec 2019. ahead of print http://doi.org/10.1089/scd.2019.0193
Cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern heart regeneration
Heart failure remains the leading cause of death worldwide necessitating continued efforts to identify therapeutic strategies that will stimulate tissue regeneration and functional recovery after an insult, such as a heart attack. My lab seeks to understand the genetic, molecular and cellular processes that allow for endogenous heart cells, cardiomyocytes, to re-enter the cell cycle and regenerate lost cardiac muscle tissue.
Recent discoveries: Our recent work published in Nature Genetics (Patterson et al., 2017) offered two important discoveries to the field of heart regeneration. First, it challenged the long-maintained notion that adult mammalian heart regeneration is insignificant and instead established that the capacity to regenerate one's heart after injury is a variable trait. In other words, there are some individuals capable of regenerating their hearts better than others. Supporting this, we took an unbiased, forward genetic approach to identify the gene(s) responsible for variable heart regeneration and validated the role of one of several candidate genes. Secondly, this work provided strength to the model that only a subset of cardiomyocytes, specifically the mononuclear diploid cardiomyocytes (MNDCMs), can contribute to myocardial regeneration. The lab intends to expand upon these findings in the following directions:
1) Exploiting natural variation to understand the genetic mechanisms of heart regeneration.
From our original genetic screen, several additional candidates remain unexplored for their roles in heart regeneration. Using complementary techniques, including viral delivery, drug-based manipulations, and genetic animal models, we will explore the function of these additional candidates both in heart development and regeneration. Future projects will also explore the epistatic relationship between the candidate genes.
2) Characterizing the nature of MNDCMs and assessing their role in heart regeneration.
To date, MNDCMs remain an understudied and underappreciated cell type within the heart. This project will make use of unpublished single cell RNAseq data to understand how they differ from the non-regeneration competent cells of the heart and to definitively test if they are the cell responsible for myocardial regeneration.
3) Of course, bring your own ideas!
We are actively recruiting trainees at all levels and welcome new ideas to transform the way we think about heart regeneration. If you are interested in joining or rotating in the Patterson Lab, please contact Michaela Patterson, PhD at mpatterson@mcw.edu.
Publications
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Measuring cardiomyocyte cell-cycle activity and proliferation in the age of heart regeneration.
(Auchampach J, Han L, Huang GN, Kühn B, Lough JW, O'Meara CC, Payumo AY, Rosenthal NA, Sucov HM, Yutzey KE, Patterson M.) Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2022 Apr 01;322(4):H579-H596 PMID: 35179974 PMCID: PMC8934681 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85127729067 02/19/2022
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(Wang X, Wan TC, Lauth A, Purdy AL, Kulik KR, Patterson M, Lough JW, Auchampach JA.) J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2022 Feb;163:9-19 PMID: 34610340 PMCID: PMC8816866 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85116932867 10/06/2021
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Cardiomyocyte ploidy is dynamic during postnatal development and varies across genetic backgrounds
(Swift SK, Purdy AL, Kolell ME, Flinn MA, Lahue C, Buddell T, Akins KA, Foster P, O'Meara CC, Rau CD, Patterson M.) BioRxiv. 09/17/2022
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IL4Rα signaling promotes neonatal cardiac regeneration and cardiomyocyte cell cycle activity.
(Paddock SJ, Swift SK, Alencar-Almeida V, Kenarsary A, Alvarez-Argote S, Flinn MA, Patterson M, O'Meara CC.) J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2021 Dec;161:62-74 PMID: 34343540 PMCID: PMC8629844 08/04/2021
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(Wang X, Lupton C, Lauth A, Wan TC, Foster P, Patterson M, Auchampach JA, Lough JW.) J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2021 Jun;155:88-98 PMID: 33609538 PMCID: PMC8154663 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85102458794 02/21/2021
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Introductions to the Community: Early-Career Researchers in the Time of COVID-19.
(.) Cell Stem Cell. 2020 Jul 02;27(1):13-14 PMID: 32619510 PMCID: PMC7331526 07/04/2020
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(Gan P, Patterson M, Watanabe H, Wang K, Edmonds RA, Reinholdt LG, Sucov HM.) Sci Rep. 2020 May 05;10(1):7605 PMID: 32371981 PMCID: PMC7200697 05/07/2020
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(Shen H, Gan P, Wang K, Darehzereshki A, Wang K, Kumar SR, Lien CL, Patterson M, Tao G, Sucov HM.) Elife. 2020 Mar 13;9 PMID: 32167474 PMCID: PMC7105374 03/14/2020
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Cardiomyocyte Polyploidy and Implications for Heart Regeneration.
(Gan P, Patterson M, Sucov HM.) Annu Rev Physiol. 2020 Feb 10;82:45-61 PMID: 31585517 10/06/2019
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(Patterson M, Swift SK.) Stem Cells Dev. 2019 Dec 01;28(23):1527-1539 PMID: 31608782 10/15/2019
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Tnni3k alleles influence ventricular mononuclear diploid cardiomyocyte frequency.
(Gan P, Patterson M, Velasquez A, Wang K, Tian D, Windle JJ, Tao G, Judge DP, Makita T, Park TJ, Sucov HM.) PLoS Genet. 2019 Oct;15(10):e1008354 PMID: 31589606 PMCID: PMC6797218 10/08/2019
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Frequency of mononuclear diploid cardiomyocytes underlies natural variation in heart regeneration.
(Patterson M, Barske L, Van Handel B, Rau CD, Gan P, Sharma A, Parikh S, Denholtz M, Huang Y, Yamaguchi Y, Shen H, Allayee H, Crump JG, Force TI, Lien CL, Makita T, Lusis AJ, Kumar SR, Sucov HM.) Nat Genet. 2017 Sep;49(9):1346-1353 PMID: 28783163 PMCID: PMC5736145 08/08/2017
Patterson Lab members
Kaelin Akins, Graduate Student
Alexandra Purdy, Graduate Student
Samantha Swift, Graduate Student
Tyler Buddell, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, CVC T32 recipient
Mary Kolell, Research Technician
Sydney Buday, Research Technician
Past members
Parker Foster, Research Associate > now: MCW Med School
Xiangwen Peng, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow > now: Director of Research, Changsha Hospital, Hunan Normal University