Office Address

4235 Scott Hall

Position Title

Associate Professor Emeritus

Areas of Interest

Cardiomyocyte physiology; sarcoplasmic reticulum

Research

I am interested in the protein structure of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and its role in mechanisms of contractile Ca2+ cycling in both cardiac and skeletal muscle myocytes. Intracellular membrane structures in myocytes are unique among mammalian cells, and we are only beginning to understand the relationships between the SR and the rest of myocyte ER subcompartments, including the broader myoycte secretory pathway. My research has primarily focused on structure and basic cell biology of proteins that are part of Ca2+ cycling. I am currently investigating mechanisms used by cells to deliver critical proteins to sites where they function, and regulation of those delivery systems. This research will help us understand mechanisms of long term adaptations in heart and skeletal muscle. We are conducting research on the following topics:

• Trafficking and accumulation of junctional SR proteins after biosynthesis in cultured adult cardiomyocytes
• Proteomic and novel informatics analyses of functional SR membrane subcompartments in heart and skeletal muscle tissues based their ability to accumulate Ca oxalate in vitro
• Role of calsequestrin-2 phosphorylation by protein kinase CK2, and its function in calsequestrin-2 trafficking in the heart, and in heart failure

Publications

1. Chen Z, Carruthers N, Caruso J, Stemmer P, Cala S: Function-based analysis of the cardiac endoplasmic and sarcoplasmic reticulum proteome, Manuscript in preparation.
2. Sleiman, N., McFarland, T., Jones, L., Cala, S.: Transitions of protein traffic from cardiac ER to junctional SR, J Mol Cell Card 81, 34-45, 2015. PMID: 25640161
3. Jacob S, Sleiman NH, Kern S, Jones LR, Sala-Mercado JA, McFarland TP, Sabbah HH, Cala S.: Altered calsequestrin glycan processing is common to diverse models of canine heart failure. Mol Cell Biochem 377, 11-21, 2013. PMID: 23456435.
4. Guo, A., Cala, S. (co-corresponding author), Song, L.-S.: Calsequestrin accumulation in rough endoplasmic reticulum promotes perinuclear Ca2+ release. J Biol Chem 287, 16670-80, 2012. PMID:22457350
5. McFarland, T., Sleiman, N., Yaeger, D., Cala.S.: Identification of cardiac calsequestrin kinase as the cytosolic protein kinase CK2, Mol Cell Biochem 353, 81-91, 2011. PMID: 21431367
6. McFarland, T., Milstein, M., Cala, S.: Rough endoplasmic reticulum to junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum trafficking of calsequestrin in adult cardiomyocytes, J Mol Cell Card 49, 556-64, 2010. PMID:2059500.

A complete list of Dr. Cala's publications can be found at: PubMed-Cala

Education

• B.S. in Chemistry - Purdue University
• M.S. in Chemistry - Texas A&M University
• Ph.D. in Pharmacology - Indiana University

Category Information

•  Calcium signaling in cardiac myocytes

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