Department of Physiology and Cell Biology

COBRE

The Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) for Smooth Muscle Plasticity was established in 2003 at the University of Nevada, Reno, to foster research in the field of smooth muscle biology and to develop the careers of several highly promising new investigators. This COBRE has a strong thematic focus in the field of smooth muscle biology. Mature smooth muscle cells are unique among muscle cell lineages, because they can change phenotype in response to a variety of stimuli. This ability to conform to changing stimuli or microenvironments is referred to as plasticity. Many patho-physiological conditions include or result from phenotypic changes in smooth muscle tissues, but the cause and consequences of remodeling and hypertrophy are not well understood. The COBRE program consists of five projects that investigate various aspects of smooth muscle plasticity.

Project	Title	Project Leader
1	Correlation between structural and motor defects in diabetic gastroparesis	Grant Hennig, Ph D.
2	Phosolamban and CaM kinase II in stomach smooth muscle plasticity	Brian Perrino, Ph.D.
3	An in vitro model system for determining regulatory mechanisms for smooth muscle mechanics	Josh Baker, Ph.D.
4	Smooth muscle hypertrophy regulated by microRNAs and their target genes	Seungil Ro, Ph.D.
5	Stretch dependent potassium channel regulation in overactive bladder	Sang Don Koh, M.D., Ph.D.

These projects are supported by 4 Core facilities, including:

Core A: Administration and faculty development.

Core B: Molecular expression and transgenics.

Core C: Protein expression and cell morphology .

Core D: Dynamic imaging.

Several new technologies are provided to the COBRE investigators through these core facilities. The Administrative and faculty development core supports a highly qualified group of faculty mentors. The mentors comprise an Internal Faculty Development Committee (IFDC) which sets goals, evaluates progress, and assists the Project leaders in the central goal of helping them to develop independent funding. An extensive faculty development program has been implemented. The COBRE is led by Dr. Kenton Sanders and Dr. Christine Cremo as principal and Co-Principal Investigator, respectively. This COBRE has strong institutional support from UNR.