Professor Rebecca Sitsapesan

Research summary

Ca2+-release and Intracellular Ion-channel Function

The release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores is of fundamental importance in cell biology, initiating and regulating a wide variety of cellular functions including muscle contraction, fertilisation, cell division and neurotransmitter release. The focus of our laboratory is the study of intracellularly located ion-channels, particularly those that are involved in the control and regulation of Ca2+-release from intracellular stores in cardiac muscle.

Ryanodine receptors

Much of our ongoing research involves the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2). This ion-channel is the main pathway for the release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic ...

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Selected publications

• Venturi, E, Mio, K, Nishi, M, Ogura T, Moriya, T, Pitt, S J, Okuda, K, Kakizawa, S, Sitsapesan, R, Sato, C & Takeshima, H. ‘Mitsugumin 23 Forms a Massive Bowl-Shaped Assembly and’, Biochemistry, 50, (pp. 2623-2632), 2011
• Sigalas, C, Mayo-Martin, MB, Jane, DE & Sitsapesan, R. ‘Ca2+-calmodulin increases RyR2 open probability yet reduces ryanoid association with RyR2’, Biophysics Journal, 97, (pp. 1907-1916), 2009

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Recent publications

• Galfre, E, Pitt, SJ, Venturi, E, Sitsapesan, M, Zaccai, N, Tsaneva-Atanasova, KT, O'Neill, S & Sitsapesan, R. ‘FKBP12 Activates the Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor Ca2+-Release Channel and Is Antagonised by FKBP12.6’, PLoS ONE, 7(2): e31956, (pp. 1-16), 2012
• Carter, S, Pitt, S J, Colyer, J & Sitsapesan, R. ‘Ca?+-dependent phosphorylation of RyR2 can uncouple channel gating from direct cytosolic Ca?+ regulation’, J Membr Biol, 240, (pp. 21-33), 2011

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View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system