Endothelial plasticity and damage control (B01)

• Subject Area: Cardiology, Angiology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 456687919

Endothelial cells play a critical role in the response to injury in the stroma-vascular compartment. After acute myocardial infarction, endothelial cells undergo a transient induction of mesenchymal gene expression associated with a clonal expansion, which together contribute to vascular growth after ischemia. This application aims to define the mechanisms underlying this adaptive response with the hypothesis that mesenchymal transition, metabolic adaptation and clonal expansion are facilitated by the downregulation of the endothelial enriched transcription factor Tcf15. We will also address how the acute stress response affects the long-term fate and function of endothelial cells.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1531: Damage control by the stroma-vascular compartment
• Applicant Institution: Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Stefanie Dimmeler