Our research focuses on studying intracelleular calcium signaling in excitable cells such as myocytes and neurons and on developing new tools for cell biology. Our recent research has shown that human induced pluripotent stem cells derived from skin cells of patients with Timothy syndrome (due to gain-of-function mutations in calcium channel CACNA1C gene) can be differentiated into cardiomyocytes, allowing for detailed study of the cellular, biochemical and electrophysiological mechanisms underlying long QT syndrome and ventricular tachycardia that are found in these patients and providing a robust model for the testing of antiarrhythmic drugs. We have also developed light-activated systems for regulating protein-protein interactions that will aid in cell signaling research. Using human stem cell technology and imaging tools as well as animal models our laboratory will investigate how mutants in calcium-related molecules cause developmental disorders in human heart and brain in order to find new therapeutics.
Sun N*, Yazawa M*, Liu J, Han L, Sanchez-Freire V, Abilez OJ, Navarrete EG, Hu S, Wang L, Lee A, Pavlovic A, Lin S, Chen R, Hajjar RJ, Snyder MP, Dolmetsch RE, Butte MJ, Ashley EA, Longaker MT, Robbins RC, Wu JC.
*These authors contributed equall
Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell as a model for familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Science Translational Medicine 4 (130):, 130ra47. (2012)
Pasca S, Portmann T*, Voineagu I.*, Yazawa M*, Shcheglovitov O, Pasca A, Cord B, Palmer T, Chikahisa S, Nishino S, Bernstein J, Hallmayer J, Geschwind D and Dolmetsch RE.
* These authors contributed equally to this work.
Using iPS cell-derived neurons to uncover cellular phenotypes associated with Timothy Syndrome. Nature Medicine 17(12):1657-62. (2011)
Yazawa M, Hsueh B, Jia X, Pasca AM, Bernstein JA, Hallmayer J and Dolmetsch RE.
Using induced pluripotent stem cells to investigate cellular phenotypes in patients with Timothy syndrome. Nature 471:230-234. (2011)
Yazawa M, Sadaghiani AM, Hsueh B, Dolmetsch RE. (2009)
Induction of protein-protein interactions in live cells using light. Nature Medicine 17(12):1657-62. (2009)
Yazawa M, Ferrante C, Feng J, Mio K, Ogura T, Zhang M, Lin PH, Pan Z, Komazaki S, Kato K, Nishi M, Zhao X, Weisleder N, Sato C, Ma J and Takeshima H.
TRIC channels are essential for Ca2+ handling in intracellular stores. Nature 448:78-82. (2007)