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Photo of  David F. Wieczorek, PhD

David F. Wieczorek, PhD

Professor

Molecular & Cellular Biosciences | College of Medicine

Education/Credentials
  • Doctoral Degree: Rutgers University
  • Master's Degree: Rutgers University (Human Genetics)
  • Bachelor's Degree: University of California, Berkeley
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship: Children's Hospital of Boston and Harvard Medical School
Contact Information
Research Interests

Our research interests lie in the understanding of muscle contractile proteins associated with both normal and diseased function.   More specifically, we focus on tropomyosin, a sarcomeric thin filament protein found in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Our research addresses the physiological significance of tropomyosin (Tm) isoforms with respect to sarcomeric function and their role in cardiac disease.  Our approach utilizes transgenic and knockout mice to determine how the cardiac sarcomere a...

Peer Reviewed Publications

Prasad, Vikram; Lorenz, John N; Lasko, Valerie M; Nieman, Michelle L; Huang, Wei; Wang, Yigang; Wieczorek, David W; Shull, Gary E 2015. SERCA2 Haploinsufficiency in a Mouse Model of Darier Disease Causes a Selective Predisposition to Heart Failure. BioMed research international, 2015 , 251598

Tarigopula, Madhusudhan; Davis, Robert T; Mungai, Paul T; Ryba, David M; Wieczorek, David F; Cowan, Conrad L; Violin, Jonathan D; Wolska, Beata M; Solaro, R John 2015. Cardiac myosin light chain phosphorylation and inotropic effects of a biased ligand, TRV120023, in a dilated cardiomyopathy model. Cardiovascular research, 107 2, 226-34

Wilder, Tanganyika; Ryba, David M; Wieczorek, David F; Wolska, Beata M; Solaro, R John 2015. N-acetylcysteine reverses diastolic dysfunction and hypertrophy in familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, 309 10, H1720-30

Prasad, Vikram; Lorenz, John N; Lasko, Valerie M; Nieman, Michelle L; Jiang, Min; Gao, Xu; Rubinstein, Jack; Wieczorek, David F; Shull, Gary E 2014. Ablation of plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase isoform 4 prevents development of hypertrophy in a model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology, 77 , 53-63

Rajan S, Pena J, Jegga A, Aronow B, Wolska B, and Wieczorek DF. 2013. Microarray analysis of active cardiac remodeling genes in a familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mouse model rescues by a phospholamban knockout Physiological Genomics, ,

Rajan, Sudarsan; Pena, James R; Jegga, Anil G; Aronow, Bruce J; Wolska, Beata M; Wieczorek, David F 2013. Microarray analysis of active cardiac remodeling genes in a familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mouse model rescued by a phospholamban knockout. Physiological genomics, 45 17, 764-73

Schulz E and Wieczorek DF 2013. Tropomyosin de-phosphorylation in the heart: what are the consequences J Muscle Res Cell Motil, ,

Schulz, Emily M; Wieczorek, David F 2013. Tropomyosin de-phosphorylation in the heart: what are the consequences? Journal of muscle research and cell motility, 34 3-4, 239-46

Schulz, Emily M; Wilder, Tanganyika; Chowdhury, Shamim A K; Sheikh, Hajer N; Wolska, Beata M; Solaro, R John; Wieczorek, David F 2013. Decreasing tropomyosin phosphorylation rescues tropomyosin-induced familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The Journal of biological chemistry, 288 40, 28925-35

Schulz, Emily M; Correll, Richard N; Sheikh, Hajer N; Lofrano-Alves, Marcos S; Engel, Patti L; Newman, Gilbert; Schultz, Jo El J; Molkentin, Jeffery D; Wolska, Beata M; Solaro, R John; Wieczorek, David F 2012. Tropomyosin Dephosphorylation Results in Compensated Cardiac Hypertrophy The Journal of biological chemistry, 287 , 44478-44489

Al Moamen, Nabeel J; Prasad, Vikram; Bodi, Ilona; Miller, Marian L; Neiman, Michelle L; Lasko, Valerie M; Alper, Seth L; Wieczorek, David F; Lorenz, John N; Shull, Gary E 2011. Loss of the AE3 anion exchanger in a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy model causes rapid decompensation and heart failure. Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology, 50 1, 137-46

Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Rajan, Sudarsan; Ahmed, Rafeeq P H; Petrashevskaya, Natalia; Boivin, Greg; Arteaga, Grace M; Tae, Hyun-Jin; Liggett, Stephen B; Solaro, R John; Wieczorek, David F 2010. Striated muscle tropomyosin isoforms differentially regulate cardiac performance and myofilament calcium sensitivity. Journal of muscle research and cell motility, 31 3, 227-39

Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Rajan, Sudarsan; Wieczorek, David F 2010. Investigations into tropomyosin function using mouse models. Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology, 48 5, 893-8

Rajan, Sudarsan; Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Karam, Chehade N; Alves, Marco L; Bodi, Ilona; Schwartz, Arnold; Bulcao, Christian F; D'Souza, Karen M; Akhter, Shahab A; Boivin, Greg P; Dube, Dipak K; Petrashevskaya, Natalia; Herr, Andrew B; Hullin, Roger; Liggett, Stephen B; Wolska, Beata M; Solaro, R John; Wieczorek, David F 2010. Molecular and functional characterization of a novel cardiac-specific human tropomyosin isoform. Circulation, 121 3, 410-8

Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Rajan, Sudarsan; Schulz, Emily M; Ahmed, Rafeeq P H; Petrashevskaya, Natalia; Schwartz, Arnold; Boivin, Greg P; Arteaga, Grace M; Wang, Tao; Wang, Yi-Gang; Ashraf, Muhammad; Liggett, Stephen B; Lorenz, John; Solaro, R John; Wieczorek, David F 2009. An internal domain of beta-tropomyosin increases myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, 297 1, H181-90

Wieczorek, David F; Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Rajan, Sudarsan 2008. The role of tropomyosin in heart disease. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 644 , 132-42

Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Rajan, Sudarsan; Petrashevskaya, Natalia; Schwartz, Arnold; Boivin, Greg; Arteaga, Grace M; Solaro, R John; Liggett, Stephen B; Wieczorek, David F 2007. Rescue of tropomyosin-induced familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mice by transgenesis. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, 293 2, H949-58

Rajan, Sudarsan; Ahmed, Rafeeq P H; Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Petrashevskaya, Natalia; Boivin, Greg P; Urboniene, Dalia; Arteaga, Grace M; Wolska, Beata M; Solaro, R John; Liggett, Stephen B; Wieczorek, David F 2007. Dilated cardiomyopathy mutant tropomyosin mice develop cardiac dysfunction with significantly decreased fractional shortening and myofilament calcium sensitivity. Circulation research, 101 2, 205-14

Rajan, Sudarsan; Williams, Sarah S; Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Ahmed, Rafeeq P H; Fuller-Bicer, Geraldine; Schwartz, Arnold; Aronow, Bruce J; Wieczorek, David F 2006. Microarray analysis of gene expression during early stages of mild and severe cardiac hypertrophy. Physiological genomics, 27 3, 309-17

Dhoke, M A; Ladha, P J; Boerio, F J; Lessard, L B; Malinowska, D H; Cuppoletti, J; Wieczorek, D S 2005. Porous membranes for reconstitution of ion channels. Biochimica et biophysica acta, 1716 2, 117-25

Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Rajan, Sudarsan; Petrashevskaya, Natalia; Schwartz, Arnold; Boivin, Greg; Arteaga, Grace; de Tombe, Pieter P; Solaro, R John; Wieczorek, David F 2004. Physiological significance of troponin T binding domains in striated muscle tropomyosin. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, 287 4, H1484-94

Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Rajan, Sudarsan; Petrashevskaya, Natalia; Schwartz, Arnold; Boivin, Greg; Vahebi, Susan; DeTombe, Pieter; Solaro, R John; Labitzke, Erin; Hilliard, George; Wieczorek, David F 2003. Functional importance of the carboxyl-terminal region of striated muscle tropomyosin. The Journal of biological chemistry, 278 25, 23204-11

Prabhakar, Rethinasamy; Petrashevskaya, Natalia; Schwartz, Arnold; Aronow, Bruce; Boivin, Greg P; Molkentin, Jeffery D; Wieczorek, David F 2003. A mouse model of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy caused by a alpha-tropomyosin mutation. Molecular and cellular biochemistry, 251 1-2, 33-42

Pieples, Kathy; Arteaga, Grace; Solaro, R John; Grupp, Ingrid; Lorenz, John N; Boivin, Greg P; Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Labitzke, Erin; DeTombe, Pieter P; Konhilas, John P; Irving, Thomas C; Wieczorek, David F 2002. Tropomyosin 3 expression leads to hypercontractility and attenuates myofilament length-dependent Ca(2+) activation. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, 283 4, H1344-53

Prabhakar, R; Boivin, G P; Grupp, I L; Hoit, B; Arteaga, G; Solaro, J R; Wieczorek, D F 2001. A familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy alpha-tropomyosin mutation causes severe cardiac hypertrophy and death in mice. Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology, 33 10, 1815-28

Pieples, K; Wieczorek, D F 2000. Tropomyosin 3 increases striated muscle isoform diversity. Biochemistry, 39 28, 8291-7

Muthuchamy, M; Pieples, K; Rethinasamy, P; Hoit, B; Grupp, I L; Boivin, G P; Wolska, B; Evans, C; Solaro, R J; Wieczorek, D F 1999. Mouse model of a familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutation in alpha-tropomyosin manifests cardiac dysfunction. Circulation research, 85 1, 47-56

Prabhakar, R; Boivin, G P; Hoit, B; Wieczorek, D F 1999. Rescue of high expression beta-tropomyosin transgenic mice by 5-propyl-2-thiouracil. Regulating the alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter. The Journal of biological chemistry, 274 41, 29558-63

Muthuchamy, M; Boivin, G P; Grupp, I L; Wieczorek, D F 1998. Beta-tropomyosin overexpression induces severe cardiac abnormalities. Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology, 30 8, 1545-57

Sussman, M A; Lim, H W; Gude, N; Taigen, T; Olson, E N; Robbins, J; Colbert, M C; Gualberto, A; Wieczorek, D F; Molkentin, J D 1998. Prevention of cardiac hypertrophy in mice by calcineurin inhibition. Science (New York, N.Y.), 281 5383, 1690-3

Muthuchamy, M; Rethinasamy, P; Wieczorek, D F 1997. Tropomyosin structure and function new insights. Trends in cardiovascular medicine, 7 4, 124-8

Muthuchamy, M; Grupp, I L; Grupp, G; O'Toole, B A; Kier, A B; Boivin, G P; Neumann, J; Wieczorek, D F 1995. Molecular and physiological effects of overexpressing striated muscle beta-tropomyosin in the adult murine heart. The Journal of biological chemistry, 270 51, 30593-603

Muthuchamy, M; Pajak, L; Howles, P; Doetschman, T; Wieczorek, D F 1993. Developmental analysis of tropomyosin gene expression in embryonic stem cells and mouse embryos. Molecular and cellular biology, 13 6, 3311-23

Diebold, R J; Koch, W J; Ellinor, P T; Wang, J J; Muthuchamy, M; Wieczorek, D F; Schwartz, A 1992. Mutually exclusive exon splicing of the cardiac calcium channel alpha 1 subunit gene generates developmentally regulated isoforms in the rat heart. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 89 4, 1497-501

Muthuchamy, M; Pajak, L; Wieczorek, D F 1992. Induction of endogenous myosin light chain 1 and cardiac alpha-actin expression in L6E9 cells by MyoD1. The Journal of biological chemistry, 267 26, 18728-34

Hasselgren, P O; Tricoli, J V; Wieczorek, D; Steigerwald, K A; AngerĂ¥s, U; Hall-AngerĂ¥s, M; Fischer, J E 1991. Reduced levels of mRNA for myofibrillar proteins in skeletal muscle from septic rats. Life sciences, 49 10, 753-60

Pajak, L; Mariappan, M; Wieczorek, D F 1991. Reprogramming of myosin light chain 1/3 expression in muscle heterokaryons. Developmental biology, 145 1, 28-39

Wieczorek, D F; Hughes, S R 1991. Developmentally regulated cDNA expressed exclusively in neural tissue. Brain research. Molecular brain research, 10 1, 33-41

Wieczorek, D F 1988. Regulation of alternatively spliced alpha-tropomyosin gene expression by nerve extract. The Journal of biological chemistry, 263 21, 10456-63