Date of Graduation

Fall 2010

Degree

Master of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology

Department

Biomedical Sciences

Committee Chair

Scott Zimmerman

Abstract

A heart attack results from the loss of blood flow to an area of cardiac tissue. Termed an infarction, ischemia results in significant remodeling of cardiac tissue due to the complex interaction of mechanical and chemical signals. Ischemic conditions result in cell death and collagen degradation of the ventricular infarct region. Prognosis, post infarct, is dependent upon tissue remodeling. The cardiac fibroblast cell plays an integral role in the remodeling process. In this study, methods were developed for acquisition of pure cardiac fibroblasts (CF) in cell culture. Control and transgenic mouse CF were compared visually to detect green fluorescent protein (GFP). Our hypothesis was that in vitro, transgenic CF would produce significantly larger amounts of GFP than wild type CF. Visualization and measurement of the up-regulation of the collagen I promoter activation was not detectable, probably due to excessive autofluorescence or limitations of microscopic equipment. However, protocols were developed for future uniaxial stretch experiments in order to observe cardiac fibroblast cell orientation, differentiation and migration patterns during stretch, which mimics mechanical signals during ischemic injury and post infarction.

Keywords

cardiac fibroblast, ischemia, collagen, extra cellular matrix, primary digest

Subject Categories

Medical Molecular Biology

Copyright

© Shelley Ann Lietzau Mourer

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