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Donald R. Gerecke
Associate Professor
Rutgers University
Department of Pharmacology and
Toxicology - EOHSI
Piscataway. NJ 08854-8020
(732) 445-0233
FAX -0119
gerecke@eohsi.rutgers.edu |
Collagen. lung. liver. heart. fibrosis. hypertension
Collagen
I fibrils are responsible for the underlying basic architectural structure
of almost every organ and tissue in vertebrates. In order to maintain the
proper organ arrangement. these fibrils must be very specific sizes and in
very specific arrangements in a particular tissue. Two of the modifiers to
the sizes and arrangements of the collagen I fibrils are the collagens XII
and XIV which coat the surface of the collagen I fibrils and extend outward
away from them to interact with other molecules in the immediate vicinity.
Thus. by changing the structure or amounts of collagens XII and XIV. collagen I fibrils can be greatly affected.
The laboratory of
Dr. Donald Gerecke is presently involved in the functional analysis of the
extracellular matrix molecules. collagens XII and XIV as related to several
medical problems. This is accomplished by a variety of biochemical and
molecular biological techniques. The basic hypothesis is that these two
molecules regulate the size and organization of collagen I fibrils. the main
structural fibrils in all organs and tissues. If either of these collagens
are disrupted then the collagen I fibrils in turn have an abnormal
morphology which will result in tissue disorganization and ultimately a
disease state. In order to examine the collagen I/XII/XIV interactions. Dr.
Gerecke has three major projects in the laboratory.
One project is
looking at the functional roles of collagens in pulmonary fibrosis. a
severely debilitating lung disease that is initiated as a result of many
types of severe lung injury. Dr. Gerecke's laboratory is examining questions regarding the identity of mediators of the
pathological process and the mechanisms involved in pulmonary structural
remodeling. He does this through a mouse induced pulmonary fibrosis model.
The second project is similar. examining the same problems in liver
fibrosis. Liver fibrosis is caused by different factors than pulmonary
fibrosis. such as chemical assault on the liver or alcoholism. This project
involves carbon tetrachloride induced liver fibrosis in both mouse and rat
models.
The
final project in the lab is involved with pulmonary hypertension. a
complication of a variety of respiratory disorders whose common shared
feature is hypoxia. or lack of oxygen to the tissue. During this process. the matrix is overproduced and its basic structure disrupted. leading to
constriction of the arteries involved in shunting the blood from the heart
to the lung so it can be oxygenated. The underlying mechanisms involving
these detrimental changes is poorly understood and Dr. Gerecke is working to
elucidate these processes with a hypoxia induced rat model.
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