Ian Rodriguez

Characterizing Plectin in Human Cardiomyocytes with Immunofluorescence Mircoscopy

​​Cardiomyocytes are the cells that generate beating inside the heart. Because of their contractile function, these cells deform often and need complex cytoskeletal proteins to maintain proper function and structure. Plectin is a versatile and important component of the cytoskeleton of cardiomyocytes, but has not been well studied in human heart tissue or human cells. Application of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) has taken off over the last few years to study cardiomyocyte function. We anticipate that plectin in hiPSC-CMs will exhibit a similar structure to that in heart tissue, co-localizing with microtubules and desmin to form striations in the cells. To investigate this, we will use immunofluorescence microscopy imaging on iPSC-CMs patterned on differing external cues and cardiomyocytes in heart tissue sections, working to better define the localization of plectin in human cardiomyocytes. To reduce the autofluorescence in tissue staining, Sudan Black has preliminarily shown to increase the signal to noise ratio of our proteins of interest. By characterizing plectin in heart tissue and comparing it to hiPSC-CMs, we can better understand the organization of the cells we use to study the heart, and connect it better to human physiology.