Associate Professor Jeff Erickson

Position	Associate Professor
Department	Department of Physiology
Qualifications	PhD
Research summary	Heart disease

Research

My research focuses on investigating the molecular mechanisms that underlie structural heart disease and heart failure, particularly in the context of aging and diabetes. To this end, we have developed a number of novel tools to assess cardiac signaling pathways.

These include:

FRET-based biosensors to measure kinase activity and localization in living cells
Custom antibodies to measure biochemical modifications of proteins
A variety of animal models with enhanced or reduced susceptibility to cardiac pathology

With this research, we hope to contribute new understanding to the molecular basis of cardiac signaling that will culminate in potential clinical therapies for heart disease.

Publications

Giles, G. I., Erickson, J. R., & Bussey, C. T. (2022). Photoactivation of tDodSNO induces localized vasodilation in rats: Metabolically stable S-nitrosothiols can act as targeted nitric oxide donors in vivo. Nitric Oxide. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.niox.2022.10.001

Roberts-Craig, F. T., Worthington, L. P., O'Hara, S. P., Erickson, J. R., Heather, A. K., & Ashley, Z. (2022). CaMKII splice variants in vascular smooth muscle cells: The next step or redundancy? International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23, 7916. doi: 10.3390/ijms23147916

Greenman, A. C., Diffee, G. M., Power, A. S., Wilkins, G. T., Gold, O. M. S., Erickson, J. R., & Baldi, J. C. (2022). Treadmill running increases the calcium sensitivity of myofilaments in diabetic rats. Journal of Applied Physiology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00785.2021

Greenman, A. C., Diffee, G. M., Power, A. S., Wilkins, G. T., Gold, O. M. S., Erickson, J. R., & Baldi, J. C. (2021). Increased myofilament calcium sensitivity is associated with decreased cardiac troponin I phosphorylation in the diabetic rat heart. Experimental Physiology, 106, 2235-2247. doi: 10.1113/ep089730

Veitch, C. R., Power, A. S., & Erickson, J. R. (2021). CaMKII inhibition is a novel therapeutic strategy to prevent diabetic cardiomyopathy. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12, 695401. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.695401

Journal - Research Article

Hegyi, B., Fasoli, A., Ko, C. Y., Van, B. W., Alim, C. C., Shen, E. Y., … Erickson, J. R., … Bers, D. M. (2021). CaMKII serine 280 O-GlcNAcylation links diabetic hyperglycemia to proarrhythmia. Circulation Research, 129, 98-113. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.120.318402

Journal - Research Article

Helmstadter, K. G., Ljubojevic-Holzer, S., Wood, B. M., Taheri, K. D., Sedej, S., Erickson, J. R., … Bers, D. M. (2021). CaMKII and PKA-dependent phosphorylation co-regulate nuclear localization of HDAC4 in adult cardiomyocytes. Basic Research in Cardiology, 116, 11. doi: 10.1007/s00395-021-00850-2

Journal - Research Article

Ng, Y. H., Okolo, C. A., Erickson, J. R., Baldi, J. C., & Jones, P. P. (2021). Protein O-GlcNAcylation in the heart. Acta Physiologica, 233, e13696. doi: 10.1111/apha.13696

Journal - Research Article

Prakoso, D., Lim, S. Y., Erickson, J. R., Wallace, R. S., Lees, J. G., Tate, M., … Ritchie, R. H. (2021). Fine-tuning the cardiac O-GlcNAcylation regulatory enzymes governs the functional and structural phenotype of the diabetic heart. Cardiovascular Research, 118, 212-225. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvab043

Journal - Research Article

Bussey, C. T., Babakr, A. A., Iremonger, R. R., van Hout, I., Wilkins, G. T., Lamberts, R. R., & Erickson, J. R. (2020). Carvedilol and metoprolol are both able to preserve myocardial function in type 2 diabetes. Physiological Reports, 8(5), e14394. doi: 10.14814/phy2.14394

Journal - Research Article

Ebenebe, O. V., Ashley, Z., Erickson, J. R., & Heather, A. K. (2020). A timing effect of 17-β estradiol on atherosclerotic lesion development in female ApoE^−/− mice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(13), 4710. doi: 10.3390/ijms21134710

Journal - Research Article

Popescu, I., Yin, G., Velmurugan, S., Erickson, J. R., Despa, F., & Despa, S. (2019). Lower sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ threshold for triggering afterdepolarizations in diabetic rat hearts. Heart Rhythm, 16(5), 765-772. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2018.11.001

Journal - Research Article

Curl, C. L., Danes, V. R., Bell, J. R., Raaijmakers, A. J. A., Ip, W. T. K., Chandramouli, C., … Erickson, J. R., … Delbridge, L. M. D. (2018). Cardiomyocyte functional etiology in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is distinctive: A new preclinical model. Journal of the American Heart Association, 7(11), e007451. doi: 10.1161/jaha.117.007451

Journal - Research Article

Daniels, L. J., Wallace, R. S., Nicholson, O. M., Wilson, G. A., McDonald, F. J., Jones, P. P., Baldi, J. C., Lamberts, R. R., & Erickson, J. R. (2018). Inhibition of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II restores contraction and relaxation in isolated cardiac muscle from type 2 diabetic rats. Cardiovascular Diabetology, 17, 89. doi: 10.1186/s12933-018-0732-x

Journal - Research Article

Bell, J. R., Raaijmakers, A. J. A., Curl, C. L., Reichelt, M. E., Harding, T. W., Bei, A., … Erickson, J. R., … Delbridge, L. M. D. (2015). Cardiac CaMKIIδ splice variants exhibit target signaling specificity and confer sex-selective arrhythmogenic actions in the ischemic-reperfused heart. International Journal of Cardiology, 181, 288-296. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2014.11.159

Journal - Research Article

Daniels, L., Bell, J. R., Delbridge, L. M. D., McDonald, F. J., Lamberts, R. R., & Erickson, J. R. (2015). The role of CaMKII in diabetic heart dysfunction. Heart Failure Reviews, 20(5), 589-600. doi: 10.1007/s10741-015-9498-3

Journal - Research Article

Erickson, J. R., Nichols, C. B., Uchinoumi, H., Stein, M. L., Bossuyt, J., & Bers, D. M. (2015). S-nitrosylation induces both autonomous activation and inhibition of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II δ. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290(42), 25646-25656. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M115.650234

Journal - Research Article

Grimm, M., Ling, H., Willeford, A., Pereira, L., Gray, C. B. B., Erickson, J. R., … Brown, J. H. (2015). CaMKIIδ mediates β-adrenergic effects on RyR2 phosphorylation and SR Ca²+ leak and the pathophysiological response to chronic β-adrenergic stimulation. Journal of Molecular & Cellular Cardiology, 85, 282-291. doi: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2015.06.007

Journal - Research Article

Pereira, L., Rehman, H., Lao, D. H., Erickson, J. R., Bossuyt, J., Chen, J., & Bers, D. M. (2015). Novel Epac fluorescent ligand reveals distinct Epac1 vs. Epac2 distribution and function in cardiomyocytes. PNAS, 112(13), 3991-3996. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1416163112

Journal - Research Article

Bell, J. R., Erickson, J. R., & Delbridge, L. M. D. (2014). Ca²⁺/calmodulin dependent kinase II: A critical mediator in determining reperfusion outcomes in the heart? Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology & Physiology, 41(11), 940-946. doi: 10.1111/1440-1681.12301

Journal - Research Article

Erickson, J. R. (2014). Mechanisms of CaMKII activation in the heart. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 5, 59. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2014.00059

Journal - Research Article

Jian, Z., Han, H., Zhang, T., Puglisi, J., Izu, L. T., Shaw, J. A., … Erickson, J. R., … Chen-Izu, Y. (2014). Mechanochemotransduction during cardiomyocyte contraction is mediated by localized nitric oxide signaling. Science Signaling, 7(317), ra27. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.2005046

Journal - Research Article

Zhang, D.-M., Chai, Y., Erickson, J. R., Brown, J. H., Bers, D. M., & Lin, Y.-F. (2014). Intracellular signalling mechanism responsible for modulation of sarcolemmal ATP-sensitive potassium channels by nitric oxide in ventricular cardiomyocytes. Journal of Physiology, 592(5), 971-990. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.264697

Journal - Research Article

Erickson, J. R., Pereira, L., Wang, L., Han, G., Ferguson, A., Dao, K., … Bers, D. M. (2013). Diabetic hyperglycaemia activates CaMKII and arrhythmias by O-linked glycosylation. Nature, 502, 372-376. doi: 10.1038/nature12537

Journal - Research Article

Journal - Research Other

Bussey, C. T., & Erickson, J. R. (2018). Physiology and pathology of cardiac CaMKII. Current Opinion in Physiology, 1, 52-58. doi: 10.1016/j.cophys.2017.07.003

Journal - Research Other

Ebenebe, O. V., Heather, A., & Erickson, J. R. (2018). CaMKII in vascular signalling: “Friend or foe”? Heart, Lung & Circulation, 27(5), 560-567. doi: 10.1016/j.hlc.2017.12.003

Journal - Research Other

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Associate Professor Jeff Erickson

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