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Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy

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Andy Wessels picture

Andy Wessels , Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Ing Biochemistry, Ir. W. van den Broek Inst., Amsterdam 1979
MS Chemistry, University of Amsterdam 1987
PhD Anatomy/Embryology, University of Amsterdam 1991

Room 648, Basic Science Building
Office: (843) 792-8183
Lab: (843) 792-2316

Email: wesselsa@musc.edu

The Wessels Lab: Full List of Pubs via PubMed
The Wessels Lab: Grant Support
The Wessels Lab: Members
The Wessels Lab: Fishing Fun
   

Research Interests - Each year, nearly twice as many children die in the United States from congenital heart disease (CHD) as die from all forms of childhood cancers combined. In the western world the incidence of CHD varies from 8-10/1000 in the live newborn population. The overall goal of the research performed in the Wessels Laboratory is to unravel the developmental events that are involved in normal cardiac development and to elucidate the mechanisms that lead to congenital heart malformations.

Research Projects - Over the years, research in the Wessels Lab has been focused on different aspects of cardiac development.  We have investigated the role of epicardially-derived cells in valvuloseptal development, we have studied the development of the conduction system, and we have performed descriptive and experimental studies to further understanding of the role of muscularization in the developing heart.  A central theme in many of our studies is the origin, development, and fate of the cardiac mesenchymal tissues.  Recently, a cDNA microarray experiment has revealed a series of novel molecular players that may be involved in these events.  One of these candidate genes is Cartilage Link Protein 1 (Crtl1) in the developing cardiac cushions.  Our studies indicate that Crtl1 plays not only a crucial role in the formation of the cushion tissues, but also in the regulation of myocardial development.  The major aim of the Crtl1 studies is to elucidate the mechanisms by which Crtl1, possibly in combination with its putative binding partners, Hyaluronan and Versican, is involved in the regulation of these events. Another ongoing project in the lab focuses on the material contribution of the so-called dorsal mesenchymal protrusion (DMP), a tissue identified by Dr. Wessels, to the developing heart in health and disease. To achieve these goals we use a variety of cell biological techniques, including in vitro tissue culture assays, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, experimental embryology, cell-fate tracing techniques.  Many of our studies involve mouse models for congenital heart disease and transgenic mouse technology.
Recent Publications
  1. Snarr B.S., C.B. Kern, and A. Wessels (2008). Origin and Fate of cardiac Mesenchyme Developmental Dynamics (in press).
  2. Cooley M.A., C.B. Kern, V.M. Fresco, A. Wessels, R.P. Thompson, T.C. McQuinn, W.O. Twal, C.H. Mjaatvedt, C.J. Drake and W.S. Argraves (2008) Fibulin-1 is required for morphogenesis of neural crest-derived structures Developmental Biology 319:336-345.
  3. Pearson, G, R. Devereux, B. Loeys, C. Maslen, D. Milewicz, R. Pyeritz, F. Ramirez, D. Rifkin, L. Sakai, L. Svensson, A. Wessels, J. Van Eyk, and H. Dietz (2008)  Report of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and National Marfan Foundation Working Group on Research in Marfan Syndrome and Related Disorders Circulation 118:785-791.
  4. Snarr B.S., J.L. O’Neal, Mastan R. Chintalapudi, E.E. Wirrig, A.L. Phelps, S. Kubalak, and A. Wessels (2007).  Isl1 Expression an the Venous Pole Identifies a Novel Role for the Secondary Heart Field in Cardiac Development Circulation Research 101:971-974.
  5. Wirrig E.E., B.S. Snarr, Mastan R. Chintalapudi, J.L. O’Neal, A. Phelps, J.L. Barth, V.M. Fresco, C.B. Kern, Corey H Mjaatvedt, B.P. Toole, S. Hoffman, T.C. Trusk, W.S. Argraves, and A. Wessels (2007). Cartilage Link Protein 1 (Crtl1), an extracellular matrix component playing an important role in cardiac development. Developmental Biology 310:291-303.
  6. Snarr, Brian S., Elaine E. Wirrig, Aimee L. Phelps, Thomas C. Trusk, and Andy Wessels (2007) A spatiotemporal evaluation of the contribution of the dorsal mesenchymal protrusion to cardiac development. Developmental Dynamics 236:1287–1294 (with cover).
  7. Sedmera D., A. Wessels, T.C. Trusk, R.P. Thompson, K.W. Hewett, and R.G. Gourdie (2006) Changes in activation sequence of embryonic chick atria correlate with developing myocardial architecture. American Journal of Physiology Heart Circ Physiol 291(4):H1646-52.
  8. Kruithof B.P.T., B. van Wijk, S. Somi, M. Kruithof-de Julio, F. Weesie, J.-M. Pérez Pomares, A. Wessels, A.F.M. Moorman, and M.J.B. van den Hoff (2006) BMP and FGF regulate the differentiation of multipotential pericardial mesoderm into the myocardial or epicardial lineage. Developmental Biology 295(2): 507-522.
  9. Moralez, I., A. Phelps, B. Riley, M. Raines, E. Wirrig, B. Snarr, J.-P. Jin, M. vd Hoff, S. Hoffman, and A. Wessels (2006) Muscularizing tissues in the endocardial cushions of the avian heart are characterized by the expression of h1-calponin. Developmental Dynamics 235(6):1648-1658.
  10. Drake, C.J., A. Wessels, T. Trusk, and C.D. Little  (2006) Elevated VEGF affects mesocardial morphogenesis and inhibits normal heart bending. Developmental Dynamics 253:10-18.
  11. Shen Y., L. Leatherbury, J. Rosenthal, Q. Yu, M.A. Pappas, A.Wessels, B. Siegfried, B. Chatterjee, Karen Svenson, and C.W. Lo (2005) Cardiovascular phenotyping of fetal mice by noninvasive ultrasound and recovery of ENU induced mutations causing congenital cardiac and extracardiac defects. Physiological Genomics 24:23-36.
  12. Norris R.A., C.B. Kern, A. Wessels, E.I. Wirrig, R. R. Markwald, and C. H. Mjaatvedt (2005) Detection of BigH3, a TGFbeta induced gene, during cardiac development and its complementary pattern with periostin. Anatomy and Embryology 210:13-23.
  13. Yu H., A. Wessels, G.S. Tint, and S.B. Patel (2005) Partial rescue of neonatal lethality of Dhcr7 null mice by a nestin promoter-driven DHCR7 transgene expression. Brain Res Dev Brain Res 156(1):46-60.
  14. Wessels A. , A.L. Juraszek, A.V. Edwards, and J. B.E. Burch (2005) The Development of the Cardiac Conduction System: An old story with new perspectives. In: Cardiovascular Development and Congenital Malformations: Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, M. Artman, D.W. Benson, D. Srivastava, M. Nakazawa (eds.), pp. 101-104.
  15. van den Hoff M.J.B., B.P.T. Kruithof, A. Wessels, R.R. Markwald, A.F.M. Moorman (2005) Regulation of myocardium formation after the initial development of the linear heart tube. In: Cardiovascular Development and Congenital Malformations: Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, M. Artman, D.W. Benson, D. Srivastava, M. Nakazawa (eds.), pp. 37-40.
  16. Yu Q., Y. Shen, B. Chatterjee, B.H. Siegfried, L. Leatherbury, J. Rosenthal, J.F. Lucas, A. Wessels, C.F. Spurney, Y.J. Wu, M.L. Kirby, K. Svenson, and C. W. Lo (2004) ENU induced mutations causing congenital cardiovascular anomalies. Development 131:6211-6223.
  17. Norris R.A., C.B. Kern, A.Wessels, E.I. Moralez, R.R. Markwald, C.H. Mjaatvedt (2004) Identification and detection of the periostin gene in cardiac development. Anatomical Record 281A:1227-1233.
  18. Wessels A., and Perez-Pomares J.M. (2004) The epicardium and epicardially derived cells (EPDCs) as cardiac stem cells.Anatomical Record 276A(1):43-57.
  19. Adamo, R.F., C.L. Guay, A.V. Edwards, D.L. Davis, A.Wessels and J.B.E. Burch (2004) Overlapping regions of a GATA-6 gene enhancer direct transgene expression either broadly in primitive myocardium or more specifically in the atrioventricular conduction system. Anatomical Record Part A 280A:1062-1071.
  20. Wessels, A., and D. Sedmera (2003) Developmental Anatomy of the Heart: a tale of mice and man. Physiological Genomics 15: 165-176.
  21. Pérez-Pomares J.M., A. Phelps, M. Sedmerova, and A. Wessels (2003) Epicardial-like cells on the distal arterial end of the cardiac outflow tract do not derive from the proepicardium but are derivatives of the cephalic pericardium Developmental Dynamics 227:56-68
  22. Kruithof B.P.T., M.J.B. van den Hoff, A. Wessels, and A.F.M. Moorman (2003) Cardiac muscle cell formation after formation of the linear heart tube. Developmental Dynamics 227:1-13.
  23. Pérez-Pomares J.M., A. Phelps, M. Sedmerova, and A. Wessels (2003) Epicardial-like cells on the distal arterial end of the cardiac outflow tract do not derive from the proepicardium but are derivatives of the cephalic pericardium Developmental Dynamics 227:56-68.
  24. Pérez-Pomares, J.M., A. Phelps, M. Sedmerova, R. Carmona, M. González-Iriarte, R. Muñoz-Chápuli, and A. Wessels (2002) Experimental Studies on the Spatiotemporal Expression of WT1 and RALDH2 in the Embryonic Avian Heart: a model for the regulation of myocardial and valvuloseptal development by epicardially-derived cells (EPDCs). Developmental Biology 247:307-326.
  25. Li, W.E.I., K. Waldo, K.L. Linask, T.Chen, A. Wessels, M.S. Parmacek, M.L. Kirby, and C.W. Lo (2002) An essential role for connexin43 gap juntions in mouse coronary artery development. Development 129:2031-2042.
  26. Cheng G., A. Wessels, R.G. Gourdie, and R.P. Thompson (2002) The spatiotemporal and tissue-specific distribution of apoptosis in the developing chick heart. Developmental Dynamics 223:119-133.
  27. Davis, D.L., A.V. Edwards, A.L. Juraszek, A.L. Phelps, A Wessels, and J.E. Burch. (2001) A GATA-6 gene heart-region specific enhancer provides a novel means to mark and probe a discrete component of the mouse cardiac conduction. Mechanisms of Development 108:105-119.
  28. Van den Hoff, M.J.B., B.P.T. Kruithof, A.F.M. Moorman, R.R. Markwald, and A. Wessels (2001) Formation of myocardium after the initial development of the linear heart tube. Developmental Biology 240:61-76.
  29. McQuinn, T.D., Miga, C.H., Mjaatvedt, A., and A. Wessels (2001) Cardiopulmonary malformations in the inv/inv mouse. The Anatomical Record 263:62-71.
  30. Waller III, B.R., T. McQuinn, A.L. Phelps, R.R. Markwald, C.W. Lo, R.P. Thompson  and A. Wessels (2000) Conotruncal anomalies in the trisomy 16 mouse: an immunohistochemical analysis with emphasis on the development of the neural crest. The Anatomical Record 260:279-29.
  31. A. Wessels, R.H. Anderson, R.R. Markwald, S. Webb, N.A. Brown, Sz. Viragh, A.F.M. Moorman and W. H. Lamers (2000) Atrial development in the human heart: an immunohistochemical study with emphasis on the role of menchymal tissues. The Anatomical Record 259:288-300.
  32. Epstein J.A., J. Li, D. Lang, F. Chen, C.B. Brown, F. Jin, M.M. Liu, M. Thomas, E.-C. J. Liu,A. Wessels, and C.W. Lo (2000) Migration of cardiac neural crest cells in Splotch embryos. Development 127:1869-1878.
  33. MacNeill, C., R. French, A. Wessels, and J.B.E. Burch. Modular regulation of cGATA5 gene expression in the developing heart and gut. (2000). Developmental Biology 217:62-76.
  34. Davis D.L., A. Wessels, and J.B.E. Burch (2000) An Nkx-dependent enhancer regulates cGATA-6 gene expression during early stages of heart development. Developmental Biology 217:310-322.
Content last updated on: 8/18/08  
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