Megan Holt

MSTP in PhD Training

Program: Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology

Current advisor: Kory J. Lavine, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: St. Mary’s College-California, 2020

Enrollment year: 2022

Research summary
Investigating the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in cardiac resident macrophages in the setting of cardiac development and response to injury

Previous work from the Lavine lab uncovered a direct interaction between cardiomyocytes and cardiac resident macrophages via focal adhesion complexes (FACs). One of the main components of these focal adhesions is focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which acts as a primary regulator of focal adhesion signaling and has been shown to play a role in cell migration, proliferation, and survival. Using an inducible FAK flox/flox Cx3cr2 ert2cre mouse model, I am working to investigate the role of cardiac-resident macrophage FAK in murine heart development and in a pressure overload injury model. Additionally, I am working to differentiate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into cardiac-resident-like and bone marrow derived-like macrophages. I will utilize these macrophage subtypes in co-culture with cardiomyocytes to uncover the differences in their cardiac transcriptional environments during the development and maturation using single cell RNA sequencing.

Graduate publications