Our research is directed towards understanding the electrical activity of heart cells and also bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and developing therapeutic strategies targeted to cardiovascular and aging-related diseases (including cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, etc.) by the use of established ion channel-based research platform. Patch clamp techniques are used to study membrane currents in whole cell patch and/or perforated-patch and single ion channel activity in on-cell and excised patches in cardiac myocytes from animal species and human atrial specimens; cultured cardiac fibroblast, bone marrow-derived MSCs from animal species and human. RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunoprecipitation techniques are used to study the gene expression and/or phosphorylation of ion channels and calcium handling. Confocal microcope technique is used for studying Ca²⁺ activity of living cells. Our recent studies have been focusing on the regulation of cardiac ion channels by intracellular signals and/or pharmacological interventions. The relation of ion channels and calcium signals to cell proliferation are being studied in human cardiac fibroblasts and human bone marrow MSCs to investigate how ion channels and calcium signals control cell proliferation in these cells.

• Zhang YH, Wu W, Sun HY, Deng XL, Cheng LC, Li X, Tse HF, Lau CP, Li GR. Modulation of human cardiac transient outward potassium current by EGFR tyrosine kinase and Src-family kinases. Cardiovasc Res. 2012 Mar 1;93(3):424-33. [Full Text] [Abstract]



• Wu W, Dong MQ, Wu XG, Sun HY, Tse HF, Lau CP, Li GR. Human ether-à-go-go gene potassium channels are regulated by EGFR tyrosine kinase. BBA-Mol Cell Res. 2012 Feb; 1823(2):282-289[Full Text] [Abstract]



• Tao R, Sun H, Lau CP, Tse HF, Lee HC, Li GR. Cyclic ADP ribose is a novel regulator of intracellular Ca2+ oscillations in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. J Cell Mol Med. 2011 Dec;15(12):2684-96. [Full Text] [Abstract]



• Zhang XH, Jin MW, Sun HY, Zhang S, Li GR. The calmodulin inhibitor N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalene sulphonamide directly blocks human ether-a-go-go-related gene potassium channels stably expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Br J Pharmacol. 2010 Oct;161(4):872-84[Full Text] [Abstract]



• Li GR, Sun HY, Zhang XH, Cheng LC, Chiu SW, Tse HF, Lau CP. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibit transient outward and ultra-rapid delayed rectifier K+ currents and Na+ current in human atrial myocytes. Cardiovasc Res. 2009 Feb 1;81(2):286-93.[Full Text] [Abstract]



• Li GR, Wang HB, Qin GW, Jin MW, Tang Q, Sun HY, Du XL, Deng XL, Zhang XH, Chen JB, Chen L, Xu XH, Cheng LC, Chiu SW, Tse HF, Vanhoutte PM, Lau CP. Acacetin, a natural flavone, selectively inhibits human atrial repolarization potassium currents and prevents atrial fibrillation in dogs. Circulation. 2008 May 13;117(19):2449-57.[Full Text] [Abstract]



• Liu H, Sun HY, Lau CP, Li GR. Regulation of voltage-gated cardiac sodium current by epidermal growth factor receptor kinase in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2007 Apr;42(4):760-8.[Full Text] [Abstract]



• Li GR, Sun H, Deng X, Lau CP. Characterization of ionic currents in human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow. Stem Cells. 2005 Mar;23(3):371-82.[Full Text] [Abstract]

More publications since & before 2001

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