Chih-Lueh Albert Wang, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor of Physiology and Biophysics
B.S. National Taiwan University
Ph.D. The Ohio State University
Phone: (617) 638-4023
Fax: (617) 638-4041
e-mail: wang24@bu.edu
address: see below
Research
Our research focuses on the regulatory mechanisms of smooth muscle contraction that controls the function of many of our vital organs such as blood vessels. We are particularly interested in the actin-based regulation and its implication in cell motility. One of the targets is caldesmon, which modulates the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton in both smooth muscle and non-muscle systems including cancer cells. A variety of biochemical, biophysical, cell biological and genetic methods are being used. We aim to better understand how cell movement is regulated in general and to find cures for smooth muscle related diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis, as well as tumor metastasis.
Selected Publications
1. Guo, H., Huang, R., Semba, S., Kordowska, J., Huh, Y. H., Khalina-Stackpole, Y., Mabuchi, K., Kitazawa, T. and Wang, C.-L. A. “Ablation of Smooth Muscle Caldesmon Affects the Relaxation Kinetics of Arterial Muscle” Pflügers Archiv – Eur. J. Physiol, 465, 283-294 (2013).
2. Jensen, M. H., Morris, E. J., Huang, R., Rebowski, G., Dominguez, R., Weitz, D. A., Moore, J. R. and Wang, C.-L. A. “The Conformational State of Actin Filaments Regulates Branching by the Actin-Related Protein 2/3 (Arp2/3) Complex” J. Biol. Chem. 287, 31447-31453 (2012). Selected as the Paper of the Week.
3. Collins, A., Huang, R., Jensen, M. H., Moore, J., Lehman, W. and Wang, C.-L. A. “Structural Studies on Maturing Actin Filaments” BioArchitecture. 1, 127-133 (2011).
4. Huang, R., Grabarek, Z. and Wang, C.-L. A. “Differential Effects of Caldesmon on the Intermediate Conformational States of Polymerizing Actin” J Biol. Chem. 285, 71-79 (2010). PMID: 19889635
5. Jiang, Q., Huang, R., Cai, S. and Wang, C.-L. A. “Caldesmon Regulates the Motility of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells by Modulating the Actin Cytoskeleton Stability” J. Biomed. Sci. 17, 6 (2010). PMID: 20128924
6. Galinska, A., Hatch, V., Craig, R., Murphy, A. M., Van Eyk, J. E., Wang, C.-L. A., Lehman, W., and Foster, D. B. “The C Terminus of Cardiac Troponin I Stabilizes the Ca2+-Activated State of Tropomyosin on Actin Filaments” Circ. Res. 106, 705-711 (2010). PMID: 20035081
7. Wang, C.-L. A. and Coluccio, L. M. “New Insights into Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton by Tropomyosin” Int. Rev. Cell Mol. Biol. 281, 91-128 (2010). PMID: 20460184
8. Greenberg, M. J., Wang, C.-L. A., Lehman, W. and Moore, J. R. “Modulation of Mechanics by Caldesmon and Tropomyosin” Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton, 65, 156-164 (2008).
9. Wang, C.-L. A. “Caldesmon and the Regulation of Cytoskeletal Functions” Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 644, 250-72
(2008).
10. Gu, Z., Kordowska, J., Williams, G. L., Wang, C.-L. A. and Hai, C.-M. “Erk1/2 MAPK and Caldesmon Differentially Regulate Podosome Dynamics in A7r5 Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells” Exp. Cell Res. 313, 849-866 (2007).
11. Kordowska, J., Hetrick, T., Adam, L. P. and Wang, C.-L. A. “Phosphorylated l-Caldesmon is Involved in Disassembly of Actin Stress Fibers and Postmitotic Spreading” Exp. Cell Res. 312, 95-110 (2006).
12. Guo, H. and Wang, C.-L. A. “Specific Disruption of Smooth Muscle Caldesmon Expression in Mice”
Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 330, 1132-1137 (2005).
13. Foster, D.B., Huang, R., Hatch, V., Craig, R., Graceffa, P., Lehman, W. and Wang, C.-L. A. “Modes of Caldesmon Binding to Actin: Sites of Caldesmon Contact and Modulation of Interactions by Phosphorylation” J. Biol. Chem. 279, 53387-53394 (2004).
14. Huang, R., Li, L., Guo, H., and Wang, C.-L. A. “Caldesmon Binding to Actin is Regulated by Calmodulin and Phosphorylation via Different Mechanisms” Biochemistry, 42, 2513-2523 (2003).
15. Katsuyama, H., Wang, C.-L. A. and Morgan, K.G. “Regulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Tone by Caldesmon” J. Biol. Chem. 267, 14555-8 (1992).
16. Wang, C.-L.A., Wang, L.-W.C., Xu, S., Lu, R.C., Saavedra-Alanis, V. and Bryan, J. “Localization of the Calmodulin- and the Actin-binding Sites of Caldesmon” J. Biol. Chem. 266, 9166-72 (1991).
Contact Us
Department of Physiology and Biophysics W-407B
Boston University School of Medicine
700 Albany Street
Boston MA 02118-2526
Phone:(617) 638-4023
Fax: (617) 638-4041
e-mail: wang24@bu.edu
