The Stowe Lab
Located at the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Stowe Laboratory is one of the nation's leaders in anesthesiology and cardiovascular research. The overall recent research direction of the Stowe lab group is to discover how mitochondria utilize and regulate the movement of cations and substrates across its membranes to generate energy and interchange with its host cells to utilize the energy provided for cell function in both normal and stressed cells. Model systems include cells of the heart, skeletal muscle, liver, and brain. Recently, the Stowe Lab has begun to collaborate with the Camara and Kwok Labs to synergize our collective research efforts.
Our Research
The Stowe laboratory contributes to discovery in several areas of basic and applied research: a) Mechanism and timing of activation of cardiac mitochondrial small and large K -sensitive Ca (SK and BK ) channels; their protective role against acute cardiac injury; identification of specific mitochondrial SK splice variants in several species, including human; and the molecular and biophysical mechanisms underlying protection by opening of these mitochondrial channels. b) Role of mitochondrial exchanger KHE with K channels on modulating respiration and energetics. c) Mitigation of mitochondrial Ca dysregulation and excess reactive oxygen species emission during and after acute cardiac injury. d) Regulation of mitochondrial Ca flux through Ca channels and roles of mitochondrial Ca exchangers NCE and CHE, and exploration of dynamic mitochondrial Ca buffering mechanisms. e) Ischemia-induced nitration of nucleotide transporters VDAC and ANT on promoting mitochondrial and cell damage with identification of specific residues that are causative in impeding nucleotide transport and mitochondrial dysfunction. f) Mitochondrial function in liver cells during the perioperative transplant period. g) Testing and mechanism of action of novel free fatty acid mimetics for treatment of chronic pain. Some of these projects are now conducted in collaboration with the Camara and Kwok Labs.
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