The study of adult cardiac stem cells: Fate mapping of Pdgfrα+ stem cells in the murine heart
Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, Sydney
The discovery of stem/progenitor cells in the adult heart has drastically revolutionized the field of heart biology. In the adult stem cell group at VCCRI, we have focused our studies on a population of progenitor cells in the adult mouse heart that are pluripotent for a range of mesodermal lineages and have the ability to clonally self-renew. These cells express the receptor tyrosine kinase for PDGF (Pdgfrα) that has been proven to be essential for their selfrenewal
and stem cell characteristics.
The PhD project involves detailed analysis and fate mapping of Pdgfrα+ cells, using Cre-Lox technology. The successful candidate will be working with a mouse line, which has a tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase gene under the control of the PDGFrα promoter. Crossing of this mouse line with a reporter line would result in the lineage labelling of Pdgfrα+ cells which could subsequently be traced either clonally or as a bulk population, during embryonic cardiac development, at postnatal stages and in disease including myocardial Infarction.
The PhD position will be in the adult cardiac stem cell group in the Developmental Biology Division at VCCRI, under the direct supervision of Prof. Richard Harvey.
For applications please forward your CV and names of two references to:
Prof. Richard P. Harvey (r.harvey@victorchang.edu.au; phone 02 9295 9620).
