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 Dive into the research topics where Nicole BEARD is active. These topic labels come from the works of this person. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
Medicine & Life Sciences
Calsequestrin
Medicine & Life Sciences
Skeletal Muscle
Medicine & Life Sciences
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum
Medicine & Life Sciences
Muscle
Chemical Compounds
Muscular Diseases
Medicine & Life Sciences
Excitation Contraction Coupling
Medicine & Life Sciences
Calcium
Medicine & Life Sciences
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 2019
Calmodulin inhibition of human RyR2 channels requires phosphorylation of RyR2-S2808 or RyR2-S2814
Walweel, K., Gomez-Hurtado, N., Rebbeck, R. T., Oo, Y. W., Beard, N. A., Molenaar, P., dos Remedios, C., van Helden, D. F., Cornea, R. L., Knollmann, B. C. & Laver, D. R., 1 May 2019, In : Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. 130, p. 96-106 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
Calmodulin
Phosphorylation
Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases
Characterising the effect of heat strain and exercise intensity on gut permeability in well-trained male runners
WALLETT, A., ETXEBARRIA, N., BEARD, N., PERIARD, J., SAUNDERS, P., MCKUNE, A. & PYNE, D., Nov 2018.Research output: Contribution to conference (non-published works) › Abstract
Permeability
Hot Temperature
Exercise
Lipopolysaccharides
Heart Rate
Ryanodine receptor Ca 2+ release channel post-translational modification: Central player in cardiac and skeletal muscle disease
Denniss, A., Dulhunty, A. F. & Beard, N. A., 1 Aug 2018, In : International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. 101, p. 49-53 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
Post Translational Protein Processing
Muscle
Myocardium
Skeletal Muscle
Association of FK506 binding proteins with RyR channels - effect of CLIC2 binding on sub-conductance opening and FKBP binding
Richardson, S. J., Steele, G. A., Gallant, E. M., Lam, A., Schwartz, C. E., Board, P. G., Casarotto, M. G., Beard, N. A. & Dulhunty, A. F., 1 Jan 2017, In : Journal of Cell Science. 130, 20, p. 3588-3600 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Tacrolimus Binding Proteins
Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
Protein Binding
Channelopathies
Tacrolimus
Calmodulin Mutants Linked to Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia Fail to Inhibit Human RyR2 Channels
Walweel, K., Gomez-Hurtado, N., Oo, Y. W., Beard, N. A., dos Remedios, C., Johnson, C. N., Chazin, W. J., van Helden, D. F., Knollmann, B. C. & Laver, D. R., 4 Jul 2017, In : Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 70, 1, p. 115-117 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter