Delphine Gomez, Ph.D.

Department of Medicine
Division of Cardiology
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA

Primary Research:

The Gomez lab is focused on studying the functional role of epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms in controlling key properties of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) including cell differentiation, lineage memory and plasticity in the context of major cardiovascular diseases. The lab has developed innovative tools to investigate epigenetic programming in tissue at the single-cell resolution. We also utilize gene-specific epigenome editing systems to assess the functional relevance of epigenetic programming in controlling various aspects of smooth muscle fate including lineage determination and differentiation during development, and contractility and plasticity during physiological and pathological vascular remodeling.

Lab Web Site: https://www.vmi.pitt.edu/labs/gomezlab.html

Members of the laboratory:

Mingjun Liu, Graduate Student
Sidney Mahan, Laboratory Manager

Recent Publications:

• Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice. Mahan S, Liu M, Baylis RA, Gomez D. J Vis Exp. 2019 Feb 20;(144). doi: 10.3791/59139.
• Interleukin-1β has atheroprotective effects in advanced atherosclerotic lesions of mice. Gomez D, Baylis RA, Durgin BG, Newman AAC, Alencar GF, Mahan S, St Hilaire C, Müller W, Waisman A, Francis SE, Pinteaux E, Randolph GJ, Gram H, Owens GK. Nat Med. 2018 Jul 23. doi:10.1038/s41591-018-0124-5. PMID: 30038218
• Activation of the pluripotency factor OCT4 in smooth muscle cells is atheroprotective. Cherepanova OA, Gomez D, Shankman LS, Swiatlowska P, Williams J, Sarmento OF, Alencar GF, Hess DL, Bevard MH, Greene ES, Murgai M, Turner SD, Geng YJ, Bekiranov S, Connelly JJ, Tomilin A, Owens GK. Nat Med. 2016 Jun;22(6):657-65. doi: 10.1038/nm.4109. Epub 2016 May 16. PMID: 27183216
• Epigenetic Control of Smooth Muscle Cell Identity and Lineage Memory. Gomez D, Swiatlowska P, Owens GK. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2015 Dec;35(12):2508-16. doi:10.1161/ATVBAHA.115.305044. Epub 2015 Oct 8. Review. PMID: 26449751
• KLF4-dependent phenotypic modulation of smooth muscle cells has a key role in atherosclerotic plaque pathogenesis. Shankman LS, Gomez D, Cherepanova OA, Salmon M, Alencar GF, Haskins RM, Swiatlowska P, Newman AA, Greene ES, Straub AC, Isakson B, Randolph GJ, Owens GK. Nat Med. 2015 Jun;21(6):628-37. doi: 10.1038/nm.3866. Epub 2015 May 18. Erratum in: Nat Med. 2016 Feb;22(2):217. PMID: 25985364
• Detection of histone modifications at specific gene loci in single cells in histological sections. Gomez D, Shankman LS, Nguyen AT, Owens GK. Nat Methods. 2013 Feb;10(2):171-7. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.2332. Epub 2013 Jan 13. PMID: 23314172