Professional Bio
Dr. Joseph M. Miano received his Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology from New York Medical College in 1992. His post-doctoral training was done in Eric Olson's laboratory at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center where he cloned and characterized several smooth muscle-restricted promoters and initiated the study of retinoids in the vessel wall. Prior to his appointment at the U of R, Dr. Miano was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He serves as an editorial board member for Physiological Genomics and is a Consulting Editor for Circulation Research and an Associate Editor Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association and member of the North American Vascular Biology Organization.
Research Bio
Research in the Miano Lab is focused on the expression regulation and biology of several genes cloned from vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC).
The genes include serum response factor (SRF) and its coactivator, myocardin (MYOCD), which together represent a powerful transcriptional master-switch for the SMC contractile phenotype; a direct target of this transcriptional switch called SMC calponin (CNN1); a tumor suppressor gene, AKAP12, comprising three independent transcription units including one, AKAP12(alpha), that is a direct target of SRF and another, AKAP12(beta), that is massively induced by anti-cancer drugs called retinoids; and a newly defined SMC-restricted gene called leiomodin 1 (LMOD1). The lab is also studying the role of microRNAs in the regulation of SMC differentiation. Our ideas and efforts span the spectrum from computer to DNA to cells to whole animals. We intend to elucidate the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of these genes and/or their functions during normal or pathological processes involving, but not limited to, the cardiovascular system. For example, the transcriptional program of SMC differentiation is under study to gain insight into basic processes underlying vascular development as well as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular occlusive disease. Tools in genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, and molecular biology are utilized to characterize regulatory elements called CArG boxes that bind the SRF-Myocardin master switch. Recent efforts are underway to fully elucidate the Human CArGome (all functional CArG boxes in the genome) and functionally variants (SNPs) in and around CArG boxes (CArG-SNPs) that may alter programs of gene expression associated with disease.
2013 Apr 8
Shi G, Field DJ, Long X, Mickelsen D, Ko KA, Ture S, Korshunov VA, Miano JM, Morrell CN. "Platelet factor 4 mediates vascular smooth muscle cell injury responses." Blood. 2013 Apr 8; Epub 2013 Apr 08. |
2013 Feb
Long X, Cowan SL, Miano JM. "Mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 is a novel negative regulatory switch for the vascular smooth muscle cell contractile gene program." Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology. 2013 Feb 0; 33(2):378-86. Epub 2012 Nov 21. |
2013 Jan 28
Imamura M, Sugino Y, Long X, Slivano OJ, Nishikawa N, Yoshimura N, Miano JM. "Myocardin and MicroRNA-1 modulate bladder activity through connexin 43 expression during post-natal development." Journal of cellular physiology. 2013 Jan 28; Epub 2013 Jan 28. |
2013 Jan 15
Kitchen CM, Cowan SL, Long X, Miano JM. "Expression and promoter analysis of a highly restricted integrin alpha gene in vascular smooth muscle." Gene. 2013 Jan 15; 513(1):82-9. Epub 2012 Nov 08. |
2013 Jan 4
Nguyen AT, Gomez D, Bell RD, Campbell JH, Clowes AW, Gabbiani G, Giachelli CM, Parmacek MS, Raines EW, Rusch NJ, Speer MY, Sturek M, Thyberg J, Towler DA, Weiser-Evans MC, Yan C, Miano JM, Owens GK. "Smooth muscle cell plasticity: fact or fiction?" Circulation research. 2013 Jan 4; 112(1):17-22. Epub 2012 Oct 23. |
