Heidi Stuhlmann   Professor

Phone
  • +1 212 746 6156

The Stuhlmann lab investigates regulatory pathways and epigenetic mechanisms that control vascular system and placental development and disease.

Vascular system development and disease

An ongoing research focus in the Stuhlmann lab is to examine the molecular and genetic pathways that regulate the three principal processes of vascular endothelial development: endothelial cell lineage determination, vasculogenesis, and angiogenesis. A combination of molecular, genetic, and biochemical approaches using embryonic stem cells, primary endothelial cells and mouse models are employed in these studies.  The groundwork for our research program includes endothelial-specific genes that were identified in a genetic expression screen, gain- and loss-of function mutant mouse strains, and a reporter mouse strain in which cells of the endothelial cell lineage express a fluorescent marker. Present projects examine the functions of the endothelial gene Egfl7 in endothelial progenitor cells, during endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition, and in preeclampsia.

Placental development and disease

The placenta is a vital organ at the interface between mother and fetus during gestation. It is crucial for the exchange of gases and nutrients, the production of pregnancy-specific hormones, and immune protection of the embryo. Impairment of placental function, including defects in placental genes or virus infection, developmentally program the fetus for chronic disease later in life, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. This phenomenon is termed fetal programming or developmental origins of adult health and disease. We are using in vitro cell cultures, ex vivo human placental explant cultures, and mouse models to study how mutations or viral insults impact on placental development and how this affects the health of the fetus and offspring.  One ongoing project investigates the molecular pathways underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and resulting in inflammatory responses observed in placentas. A second project investigates the role of a microRNA that is expressed in the placenta in a sex-specific manner and whose loss-of function results in placental defects in mice. Present studies focus on dissecting molecular and epigenetic links between the role of the microRNA during placentation and neuronal development and glucose metabolism in the fetuses and in adults.

Publications

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Funding awarded

  • Training Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology  awarded by National Institute of Child Health & Human Development Principal Investigator 2020 - 2025
  • SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Transposon Dysregulation in Placenta Principal Investigator 2023 - 2023

Background

Contact

full name

  • Heidi Stuhlmann

primary email

  • hes2011@med.cornell.edu