Keywords

Adult Stem Cells; Cell Biology; Cell Differentiation; Gene Expression Regulation; Heart; Paracrine Communication; Stem Cell Niche

Research group(s)

• Molecular aspects of cardiomyogenesis
  Members:
  Georg Weitzer

Research interests

We pursue to unravel some molecular aspects of early mammalian cardiomyogenesis.We are interested in signaling and genetic regulation of commitment and differentiation of cardiac stem cells and the transcriptional balancing of self-renewal and differentiation in adult cardiac stem cells.

For more details please see http://homepage.univie.ac.at/georg.weitzer/

Techniques, methods & infrastructure

Molecular, genetic, biochemical, and cell biological analysis of cardiac stem cell homeostasis

Grants

• The interaction of desmin and Nkx2.5 and its role in cardiac progenitor cells (2017)
  Source of Funding: FWF (Austrian Science Fund), Stand Alone Project
  Principal Investigator

Selected publications

1. Fuchs, C., Gawlas, G., Heher, P., Nikouli, S., Paar, H., Ivankovic, M., Schultheis, M., Klammer, J., Gottschamel, T., Capetanaki, Y., and Weitzer, G. Desmin enters the nucleus of cardiac stem cells and modulates Nkx2.5 expression by participating in transcription factor complexes that interact with the nkx2.5 gene (2016) Biology Open.
2. Hoebaus, J., Heher, P., Gottschamel, T., Scheinast, M., Auner, H., Walder, D., Wiedner, M., Taubenschmid, J., Miksch, M., Sauer, T., Schultheis, M., Kuzmenkin, A., Seiser, C., Hescheler, J., Weitzer, G. Embryonic Stem Cells Facilitate the Isolation of Persistent Clonal Cardiovascular Progenitor Cell Lines and Leukemia Inhibitor Factor Maintains their Self-Renewal and Myocardial Differentiation Potential In Vitro. (2013) Cells Tissues and Organs. 197, 249-68.
3. Stary, M., Pasteiner, W., Summer, A., Hrdina, A., Eger, A., and Weitzer, G. (2005). Parietal endoderm secreted SPARC promotes early cardiomyogenesis in vitro. Experimental Cell Research, 310, 331-343.
4. Bader, A., Al-Dubai, H., and Weitzer, G. (2000). Leukemia inhibitory factor modulates cardiogenesis in embryoid bodies in opposite fashions. Circ Res 86, 787-794.
5. Milner, D.J, Weitzer, G., Tran, D., Bradley, A., Capetanaki, Y. (1996) Disruption of muscle architecture and myocardial degeneration in mice lacking desmin. Journal Cell Biology 134, 1255-1270.