Students and faculty present their research or current journal article for review and discussion. The signal transduction pathways responsible for regulating cytoskeletal interactions in these cells are compared. The course first focuses on the contractile and structural cytoskeleton in smooth muscle. This is followed by discussions of the regulation of actin-myosin interactions by kinases, phosphatases, and thin filament regulatory proteins during smooth muscle contraction. The focus of the course then shifts to non-muscle cells with emphasis on the regulation of endothelial cell shape.
Classes combine didactic presentations and student-lead discussions of current publications.
Grades for this course are based on the quality of the student-lead discussions and on a paper to be handed in two weeks after the last lecture. Nitric oxide plays a crucial role in the homeostatic regulation of the cardiovascular, neuronal, and immune systems. The course first focuses on the timing, location, and rates of NO production, as the concentration of NO is the primary determinant of the many chemical reactions that occur in different systems. Classes combine didactic presentations and student-lead discussions of current publications. Grades for this course are based on the quality of the student-lead discussions and on a paper to be handed in two weeks after the last lecture.