Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Beard and her research team investigate how intracellular calcium signaling pathways initiate muscle contraction. We explore and define the mechanisms which lead to control of calcium signalling and the way in which these are disrupted in skeletal myopathies, cardiomyopathy and heart failure.
Muscle contraction occurs due to a cascade of events and relies on calcium release from intracellular stores. The four main cogs in the intracellular calcium signalling pathway are the calcium binding protein calsequestrin (CSQ), the ryanodine receptor (RyR) calcium release channel, and two linking proteins - triadin and junctin - which bind CSQ to the RyR. Control of calcium release in muscle is vital; disturbances in the process can lead to potentially fatal skeletal and cardiac conditions.
Despite their essential role in skeletal muscle and the heart, the functional and structural interactions between the proteins that drive calcium signalling are poorly understood and form the broad aims of our research.
Currently funded projects include:
- Calcium signalling by intracellular calcium stores: implications for muscle performance and athletic ability
- Calcium homeostatis disturbances and human heart failure
- Understanding how chemotherapy agents cause cardiotoxicity
Research interests
- Heart failure
- Cardiomyopathy
- Skeletal muscle ageing and myopathy
Related Links
External positions
Secretary, Gage Conferences on Musclee
2011 → 2020Fingerprint Fingerprint is based on mining the text of the person's scientific documents to create an index of weighted terms, which defines the key subjects of each individual researcher.
Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
Chemical Compounds
Muscle
Chemical Compounds
Network
Recent external collaboration on country level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots.
Projects 2011 2015
- 2 Finished
Anthracyclines disrupt Ca2+ signalling in cardiomyocytes: a contribution to cardiac toxicity
BEARD, N., Dulhunty, A. F., Arnolda, L. & Blackburn, A.
1/01/12 → 31/12/15
Project: Other › Research
Control of cardiac and skeletal contractility by luminal calcium store load in health and disease
1/01/11 → 28/02/15
Project: Other › Research
Research Output 2002 2017
8
Citations
Core skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor calcium release complex
Casarotto, M., Wei-LaPierre, L. & BEARD, N. 2017 In : Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology. 44, 1, p. 3-12 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Physiology and Pharmacology of Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channels
Dulhunty, A. F., Board, P. G., Beard, N. A. & Casarotto, M. G. 2017 In : Advances in Pharmacology. 79, p. 287-324 38 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
3
Citations
Ryanodine receptor modification and regulation by intracellular Ca2 + and Mg2 + in healthy and failing human hearts
Walweel, K., Molenaar, P., Imtiaz, M., dos Remedios, C., van Helden, D., laver, D. & BEARD, N. 2017 In : Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. 104, p. 53-62 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
3
Citations
Three residues in the luminal domain of triadin impact on Trisk 95 activation of skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors
Wium, E., Dulhunty, A. F. & BEARD, N. 2016 In : Pflugers Archiv. 468, 11-12, p. 1985-1994 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
Muscle
Ion Channels
Alanine
Protein Isoforms
7
Citations
C-terminal residues of skeletal muscle calsequestrin are essential for calcium binding and for skeletal ryanodine receptor inhibition
BEARD, N. 2015 In : Skeletal Muscle. 5, 1, p. 257-268 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article