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Physiology profile

Dr Michelle Munro

PositionLecturer
DepartmentDepartment of Physiology
QualificationsMSc PhD
Research summaryOur lab investigates how changes in cardiomyocyte organisation influence function in cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure.

Research

My lab is primarily interested in the ultrastructural organisation of cardiac muscle cells. Our focus is on how this changes in different types of heart disease and the impact it has on cardiac function. This includes studying the organisation of different structures and proteins involved in calcium handling in the heart, such as the transverse tubules and dyadic proteins.

Our current project is looking at the role of a calcium-binding protein in the development of atrial fibrillation - the most common cardiac arrhythmia. We use a combination of techniques, including immunohistochemistry, western blotting, confocal microscopy of fixed and live samples, as well as super-resolution imaging.

Publications

Parveen, S., Cheah, P. H. S., Worthington, L. P. I., Smither, R. A., Munro, M. L., Bussey, C. T., Lamberts, R. R., & Jones, P. P. (2022). Depressed HCN4 function in the type 2 diabetic sinoatrial node. Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s11010-022-04635-6

Sibbles, E. T., Waddell, H. M. M., Mereacre, V., Jones, P. P., & Munro, M. L. (2022). The function and regulation of calsequestrin-2: Implications in calcium-mediated arrhythmias. Biophysical Reviews, 14, 329-352. doi: 10.1007/s12551-021-00914-6

Munro, M. L., van Hout, I., Aitken-Buck, H., Sugunesegran, R., Bhagwat, K., Davis, P. J., Lamberts, R. R., Coffey, S., … Jones, P. P. (2021). Human atrial fibrillation is not associated with remodeling of ryanodine receptor clusters. Frontiers in Cell & Developmental Biology, 9, 633704. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.633704

Munro, M. L., & Jones, P. P. (2020). Too much of a good thing? Establishing a role of excessive RyR2 dephosphorylation in heart disease. Journal of Physiology, 598(6), 1115-1116. doi: 10.1113/jp279569

Chakraborty, A. D., Gonano, L. A., Munro, M. L., Smith, L. J., Thekkedam, C., Staudacher, V., Gamble, A. B., … Jones, P. P. (2019). Activation of RyR2 by class I kinase inhibitors. British Journal of Pharmacology, 176, 773-786. doi: 10.1111/bph.14562

Parveen, S., Cheah, P. H. S., Worthington, L. P. I., Smither, R. A., Munro, M. L., Bussey, C. T., Lamberts, R. R., & Jones, P. P. (2022). Depressed HCN4 function in the type 2 diabetic sinoatrial node. Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s11010-022-04635-6

Journal - Research Article

Munro, M. L., van Hout, I., Aitken-Buck, H., Sugunesegran, R., Bhagwat, K., Davis, P. J., Lamberts, R. R., Coffey, S., … Jones, P. P. (2021). Human atrial fibrillation is not associated with remodeling of ryanodine receptor clusters. Frontiers in Cell & Developmental Biology, 9, 633704. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.633704

Journal - Research Article

Chakraborty, A. D., Gonano, L. A., Munro, M. L., Smith, L. J., Thekkedam, C., Staudacher, V., Gamble, A. B., … Jones, P. P. (2019). Activation of RyR2 by class I kinase inhibitors. British Journal of Pharmacology, 176, 773-786. doi: 10.1111/bph.14562

Journal - Research Article

Munro, M. L., Shen, X., Ward, M., Ruygrok, P. N., Crossman, D. J., & Soeller, C. (2018). Highly variable contractile performance correlates with myocyte content in trabeculae from failing human hearts. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 2957. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-21199-y

Journal - Research Article

Crossman, D. J., Shen, X., Jüllig, M., Munro, M., Hou, Y., Middleditch, M., … Soeller, C. (2017). Increased collagen within the transverse tubules in human heart failure. Cardiovascular Research, 113(8), 879-891. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvx055

Journal - Research Article

Munro, M. L., & Soeller, C. (2016). Early transverse tubule development begins in utero in the sheep heart. Journal of Muscle Research & Cell Motility, 37(6), 195-202. doi: 10.1007/s10974-016-9462-4

Journal - Research Article

Munro, M. L., Jayasinghe, I. D., Wang, Q., Quick, A., Wang, W., Baddeley, D., … Soeller, C. (2016). Junctophilin-2 in the nanoscale organisation and functional signalling of ryanodine receptor clusters in cardiomyocytes. Journal of Cell Science, 129, 4388-4398. doi: 10.1242/jcs.196873

Journal - Research Article

Jayasinghe, I. D., Clowsley, A. H., Munro, M., Hou, Y., Crossman, D. J., & Soeller, C. (2015). Revealing T-tubules in striated muscle with new optical super-resolution microscopy techniques. European Journal of Translational Myology, 25(1), 15-26. doi: 10.4081/ejtm.2015.4747

Journal - Research Article

Jayasinghe, I. D., Munro, M., Baddeley, D., Launikonis, B. S., & Soeller, C. (2014). Observation of the molecular organization of calcium release sites in fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscle with nanoscale imaging. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 11(99), 20140570. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2014.0570

Journal - Research Article

Wang, W., Landstrom, A. P., Wang, Q., Munro, M. L., Beavers, D., Ackerman, M. J., … Wehrens, X. H. T. (2014). Reduced junctional Na+/Ca2+-exchanger activity contributes to sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ leak in junctophilin-2-deficient mice. American Journal of Physiology: Heart & Circulatory Physiology, 307(9), H1317-H1326. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00413.2014

Journal - Research Article

Sibbles, E. T., Waddell, H. M. M., Mereacre, V., Jones, P. P., & Munro, M. L. (2022). The function and regulation of calsequestrin-2: Implications in calcium-mediated arrhythmias. Biophysical Reviews, 14, 329-352. doi: 10.1007/s12551-021-00914-6

Journal - Research Other

Munro, M. L., & Jones, P. P. (2020). Too much of a good thing? Establishing a role of excessive RyR2 dephosphorylation in heart disease. Journal of Physiology, 598(6), 1115-1116. doi: 10.1113/jp279569

Journal - Research Other

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