| Affiliations: | |
| Project Leader: | Patrick Ryan patryan412@tamu.edu Kinesiology |
| Faculty Mentor: | John Lawler Ph.D. |
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Meeting Times:
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Spring 2017: F 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM |
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Team Size:
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4 (Team Full) |
| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Team Needs:
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Description:
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Skeletal muscle is responsible for producing the forces required for organisms to move and interact with their surroundings, while also serving a crucial role in metabolism. As such, it is critical to overall health. A highly dynamic tissue, it is capable of responding and adapting to changes in external load and physiological stimuli. During prolonged periods of unloading, such as bedrest, casting, or spaceflight, skeletal muscle undergoes an atrophic process, decreasing in mass, size, and force generating capacity. The Redox Biology and Cell Signaling Lab at TAMU has identified increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a key factor in the signaling pathway that leads to muscular atrophy. Ongoing research by our laboratory investigates the role of NADPH oxidase-2 (Nox2), a membrane bound enzyme that produces ROS, in relation to increased oxidative stress and atrophy. We are currently conducting experiments involving inhibition of Nox2 in rat tissue by a selective peptide inhibitor in order to determine the role of this enzyme in the atrophic cell signaling pathway, and to potentially identify novel therapies that would slow the muscle wasting process. In addition to becoming acquainted with the operation of a modern exercise physiology laboratory, team members will have the opportunity to participate in biochemical assays designed to test physiological responses to Nox2 inhibition, including Western blots, immunohistochemistry, and various other laboratory experiments. Members of the team may have the opportunity to be included in publications (meetings, presentations, scientific papers) disseminated as a result of this research. |