Christopher Pappas, PhD

Assistant Research Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine (Research Series Track) (Career Track)
Research Interests: 

My work is focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying actin filament assembly in striated muscle. Precise regulation of actin filament polarity, spacing and length is essential for proper muscle function and its dysregulation results in human myopathies. I'm specifically interested in how actin-binding proteins that reside at the ends of the filament cooperate to regulate its architecture. My research utilizes a combination of cellular, genetic, biochemical, molecular and biomechanical approaches.

Molecular Medicine Grad Program: 
No

Bibliography

2024

Iwanski, J. B., C. T. Pappas, R. M. Mayfield, G. P. Farman, R. Ahrens-Nicklas, J. M. Churko*, and C. C. Gregorio*, "Leiomodin 2 neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy mutation results in altered actin gene signatures and cardiomyocyte dysfunction.", NPJ Regen Med, vol. 9, issue 1, pp. 21 , 2024 Sep 16. PMCID: PMC11405699  PMID: 39285234

2022

Yuen, M., L. Worgan, J. Iwanski, C. T. Pappas, H. Joshi, J. M. Churko, S. Arbuckle, E. P. Kirk, Y. Zhu, T. Roscioli, et al., "Neonatal-lethal dilated cardiomyopathy due to a homozygous LMOD2 donor splice-site variant.", Eur J Hum Genet, vol. 30, issue 4, pp. 450-457, 2022 Apr. PMCID: PMC8989920  PMID: 35082396

2020

Mi-Mi, L., G. P. Farman, R. M. Mayfield, J. Strom, M. Chu, C. T. Pappas, and C. C. Gregorio, "In vivo elongation of thin filaments results in heart failure.", PLoS One, vol. 15, issue 1, pp. e0226138, 2020. PMCID: PMC6941805  PMID: 31899774

2019

Ahrens-Nicklas, R. C., C. T. Pappas, G. P. Farman, R. M. Mayfield, T. M. Larrinaga, L. Medne, A. Ritter, I. D. Krantz, C. Murali, K. Y. Lin, et al., "Disruption of cardiac thin filament assembly arising from a mutation in : A novel mechanism of neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy.", Sci Adv, vol. 5, issue 9, pp. eaax2066, 2019 09. PMCID: PMC6726455  PMID: 31517052
Ly, T., C. T. Pappas, D. Johnson, W. Schlecht, M. Colpan, V. E. Galkin, C. C. Gregorio, W-J. Dong, and A. S. Kostyukova, "Effects of cardiomyopathy-linked mutations K15N and R21H in tropomyosin on thin-filament regulation and pointed-end dynamics.", Mol Biol Cell, vol. 30, issue 2, pp. 268-281, 2019 01 15. PMCID: PMC6589558  PMID: 30462572

2018

Pappas, C. T., G. P. Farman, R. M. Mayfield, J. P. Konhilas, and C. C. Gregorio, "Cardiac-specific knockout of Lmod2 results in a severe reduction in myofilament force production and rapid cardiac failure.", J Mol Cell Cardiol, vol. 122, pp. 88-97, 2018 09. PMCID: PMC6324932  PMID: 30102883

2017

Wu, T., Y. Mu, J. Bogomolovas, X. Fang, J. Veevers, R. B. Nowak, C. T. Pappas, C. C. Gregorio, S. M. Evans, V. M. Fowler, et al., "HSPB7 is indispensable for heart development by modulating actin filament assembly.", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 114, issue 45, pp. 11956-11961, 2017 Nov 07. PMCID: PMC5692592  PMID: 29078393

2016

Kolb, J., F. Li, M. Methawasin, M. Adler, Y-N. Escobar, J. Nedrud, C. T. Pappas, S. P. Harris, and H. Granzier, "Thin filament length in the cardiac sarcomere varies with sarcomere length but is independent of titin and nebulin.", J Mol Cell Cardiol, vol. 97, pp. 286-94, 2016 Aug. PMCID: PMC5584371  PMID: 27139341
de Winter, J. M., B. Joureau, E-J. Lee, B. Kiss, M. Yuen, V. A. Gupta, C. T. Pappas, C. C. Gregorio, G. J. M. Stienen, S. Edvardson, et al., "Mutation-specific effects on thin filament length in thin filament myopathy.", Ann Neurol, vol. 79, issue 6, pp. 959-69, 2016 Jun. PMCID: PMC4911820  PMID: 27074222
Ly, T., N. Moroz, C. T. Pappas, S. M. Novak, D. Tolkatchev, D. Wooldridge, R. M. Mayfield, G. Helms, C. C. Gregorio, and A. S. Kostyukova, "The N-terminal tropomyosin- and actin-binding sites are important for leiomodin 2's function.", Mol Biol Cell, vol. 27, issue 16, pp. 2565-75, 2016 08 15. PMCID: PMC4985258  PMID: 27307584
Chu, M., C. C. Gregorio, and C. T. Pappas, "Nebulin, a multi-functional giant.", J Exp Biol, vol. 219, issue Pt 2, pp. 146-52, 2016 Jan. PMCID: PMC6514474  PMID: 26792324

2015

Pappas, C. T., R. M. Mayfield, C. Henderson, N. Jamilpour, C. Cover, Z. Hernandez, K. R. Hutchinson, M. Chu, K-H. Nam, J. M. Valdez, et al., "Knockout of Lmod2 results in shorter thin filaments followed by dilated cardiomyopathy and juvenile lethality.", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 112, issue 44, pp. 13573-8, 2015 Nov 3. PMCID: PMC4640780  PMID: 26487682

2014

Granzier, H. L., K. R. Hutchinson, P. Tonino, M. Methawasin, F. W. Li, R. E. Slater, M. M. Bull, C. Saripalli, C. T. Pappas, C. C. Gregorio, et al., "Deleting titin's I-band/A-band junction reveals critical roles for titin in biomechanical sensing and cardiac function.", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 111, issue 40, pp. 14589-94, 2014 Oct 7. PMCID: PMC4210014  PMID: 25246556
Yuen, M., S. A. Sandaradura, J. J. Dowling, A. S. Kostyukova, N. Moroz, K. G. Quinlan, V-L. Lehtokari, G. Ravenscroft, E. J. Todd, O. Ceyhan-Birsoy, et al., "Leiomodin-3 dysfunction results in thin filament disorganization and nemaline myopathy.", J Clin Invest, vol. 124, issue 11, pp. 4693-708, 2014 Nov. PMCID: PMC4347224  PMID: 25250574

2012

Donlin, L. T., C. Andresen, S. Just, E. Rudensky, C. T. Pappas, M. Kruger, E. Y. Jacobs, A. Unger, A. Zieseniss, M-W. Dobenecker, et al., "Smyd2 controls cytoplasmic lysine methylation of Hsp90 and myofilament organization.", Genes Dev, vol. 26, issue 2, pp. 114-9, 2012 Jan 15. PMCID: PMC3273835  PMID: 22241783

2011

Pappas, C. T., K. T. Bliss, A. Zieseniss, and C. C. Gregorio, "The Nebulin family: an actin support group.", Trends Cell Biol, vol. 21, issue 1, pp. 29-37, 2011 Jan. PMCID: PMC3014390  PMID: 20951588

2010

Tsukada, T., C. T. Pappas, N. Moroz, P. B. Antin, A. S. Kostyukova, and C. C. Gregorio, "Leiomodin-2 is an antagonist of tropomodulin-1 at the pointed end of the thin filaments in cardiac muscle.", J Cell Sci, vol. 123, issue Pt 18, pp. 3136-45, 2010 Sep 15. PMCID: PMC2931607  PMID: 20736303
Pappas, C. T., P. A. Krieg, and C. C. Gregorio, "Nebulin regulates actin filament lengths by a stabilization mechanism.", J Cell Biol, vol. 189, issue 5, pp. 859-70, 2010 May 31. PMCID: PMC2878950  PMID: 20498015
Tonino, P., C. T. Pappas, B. D. Hudson, S. Labeit, C. C. Gregorio, and H. Granzier, "Reduced myofibrillar connectivity and increased Z-disk width in nebulin-deficient skeletal muscle.", J Cell Sci, vol. 123, issue Pt 3, pp. 384-91, 2010 Feb 01. PMCID: PMC2816184  PMID: 20053633

2008

Pappas, C. T., N. Bhattacharya, J. A. Cooper, and C. C. Gregorio, "Nebulin interacts with CapZ and regulates thin filament architecture within the Z-disc.", Mol Biol Cell, vol. 19, issue 5, pp. 1837-47, 2008 May. PMCID: PMC2366866  PMID: 18272787

2004

Pappas, C. T., J. Sram, O. V. Moskvin, P. S. Ivanov, C. R Mackenzie, M. Choudhary, M. L. Land, F. W. Larimer, S. Kaplan, and M. Gomelsky, "Construction and validation of the Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 DNA microarray: transcriptome flexibility at diverse growth modes.", J Bacteriol, vol. 186, issue 14, pp. 4748-58, 2004 Jul. PMCID: PMC438620  PMID: 15231807