Description:

The Department of Pharmacology is pleased to present a seminar by our faculty candidate, Dr. Ivano Kuo, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, Yale University.

The following is an overview of this seminar, as described by Dr. Kuo:

Polycystin 2 mutations lead to polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a condition with no cure. Although cysts are the defining characteristic of PKD, cardiac dysfunction is the main cause of mortality, however, the underlying reasons are not known. Polycystin 2 acts both as an intracellular calcium channel and a modulator to alter intracellular signaling pathways. I will present evidence demonstrating that perturbations to calcium signaling result in cysts. Second, I will show that mutations and decreased availability of polycystin 2 results in cardiac dysfunction. Understanding the molecular actions of polycystin 2 in multiple tissue settings will help direct therapeutic efforts into treating PKD.