# Mechanotransduction and transcriptional regulation during artery development

> **NIH NIH R01** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $109,918

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Ischemic heart disease resulting from pathology of the coronary arteries is the leading cause of
death. One potential therapy could be medically stimulating artery regeneration in diseased
hearts, yet this remains a distant goal. One roadblock to progress is that the mechanisms of
coronary artery development are still largely unknown. This proposal uses a novel stem cell-to-
endothelial cell differentiation protocol that enables new and more precise approaches to discover
arterialization factors. Our previous research identified the transcription factor Dach1 as a critical
component of coronary artery differentiation and morphogenesis. One outstanding follow-up
question to this research is what are the genes induced by Dach1 that influence artery endothelial
cell differentiation. Identifying these has been slow and difficult owning to inadequate endothelial
cell culture models that can be used to quickly interrogate multiple genes. Our colleagues, in
collaboration with our lab, have recently published a highly efficient and easy to execute stem
cell-to-artery endothelial cell differentiation that recapitulates steps in early human development
We will use this model to: 1. Investigate the mechanisms underlying Dach1-induced artery
differentiation and 2. Investigate whether shear stress influences artery endothelial cell
differentiation. This data will illuminate mechanistically how Dach1 induces arterial differentiation.
Additionally, we will integrate the effects of shear stress on the ability of human cells to
differentiate into artery and veins cells. Understanding these signaling pathways could identify
novel therapeutic targets aimed at enhancing revascularization of diseased hearts through
expanding artery networks.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10831210
- **Project number:** 3R01HL128503-09S1
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Mary Red-Horse
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $109,918
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2015-09-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10831210

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10831210, Mechanotransduction and transcriptional regulation during artery development (3R01HL128503-09S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10831210. Licensed CC0.

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