Michael Artman, M.D.

Professor and Head, Department of Pediatrics
Professor, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

Tulane University Medical School, 1978, M.D.
Vanderbilt University, Pediatric Residency (1981)
Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship (1984)

Research Interests

My laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanisms of excitation-contraction (EC) coupling and regulation of contractile function in the immature heart. It is apparent that the pathways involved in calcium delivery to and from the contractile proteins change significantly during perinatal maturation. The immature EC coupling phenotype relies heavily on transsarcolemmal calcium influx and efflux, provided largely by the sodium-calcium exchanger. During postnatal maturation, there is a transition to the adult phenotype which is characterized by triggered release and subsequent reuptake of calcium from intracellular stores in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. One long term objective of our research program is to develop strategies to exploit this predominate role of the sodium-calcium exchanger to improve contractile function in the failing immature heart. We have recently begun to explore the regulatory pathways involved in modulating contractile force in the immature heart. We have found that selective stimulation of beta2-adrenergic receptors results in enhanced L-type calcium current and calcium transients in neonatal, but not adult, ventricular myocytes. This effect is not blocked by inhibitors of protein kinase A, which is a key element of the beta-adrenergic signal transduction pathway in mature myocardium. Current efforts are directed and determining the cellular basis for this important developmental difference.

Selected Publications

Morrisey A, Parachuru L, Lopez G, Nakamura TY, Giblin JP, Dhar Chowdhury P, Yoshida H, Artman M, Coetzee WA: Expression of KATP channel subunits during perinatal development in the mouse heart. Pediatr Res 58:185-192, 2005.

Srivastava S, Cala SE, Coetzee WA, Artman M: Phospholemman expression is high in the newborn rabbit heart and declines with postnatal maturation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 355:338-341, 2007.

Collis L, Srivastava S, Coetzee WA, Artman M: b2 adrenergic receptor agonists stimulate L-type calcium current independent of PKA in newborn rabbit ventricular myocytes. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 293:H2826-H2835, 2007.