Deborah Lyn, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, & Immunology Morehouse School of Medicine  B.S., University of the West Indies, Jamaica (Biochemistry & Chemistry) Ph.D., University of the West Indies, Jamaica (Biochemistry) Email: dlyn@msm.edu Office Phone: 404-752-1521 Fax: 404-752-1179

Research Interests

A central theme of my research is to understand the genetic determinants that contribute to disease risk related to vascular impairment and hypertensive heart disease. Our attention has focused on selected candidate genes involved in pathways related to oxidative stress and the renin-angiotensin system, by analyzing the pattern of genotype frequencies associated with biochemical metabolites, vascular endothelial function and cardiac mass. We have been studying the endothelial nitric oxide synthase, CYBA/p22phox of NADPH oxidase and angiotensinogen converting enzyme genes. This project has been developed in collaboration with faculty members of the Clinical Research Center at Morehouse School of Medicine, in order to understand the gene-environment interactions in hypertensive African Americans.

A second research focus is to study the association between genotype variation of selected immune processes and a genetic susceptibility to infectious diseases.

Another research interest involves understanding the cellular and biochemical pathways that are associated with ventricular remodeling during cardiac ischemia. Specifically, my laboratory is interested in the physiological role that pro-survival factors may play during cardiac remodeling. We are also examining other molecular phenotypes of cardiac ischemia including the role of gene transcription programs associated with cell fate and embryonic development.

 Selected Publications

1. Lapu-Bula, R., Quarshie, A., Lyn, D., Oduwole, A., Pack, C., Morgan, J., Nkemdechi, S., Igho-Pemu, P., Onwuanyi., A., Li, R., Ofili, E. "The 894T allele of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene is related to left ventricular mass in African Americans with high-normal blood pressure." J. Nat. Med. Assoc. 97:197-205, (2005).

2. Li, R., Lyn, D., Lapu-Bula, R., Oduwole, A., Igho-Pemu, P., Lankford, B., Morgan, J., Nkemdechi, S., Liu, G., Pack, C., Silvestrov, N., Abukhalaf, I.K., Song, Q., Ofili, E. "Relation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene to plasma nitric oxide level, endothelial function and blood pressure in African-Americans." Am. J. Hypertension 17: 560-567 (2004).

3. Lyn, D., Bao, S., Bennett, N.A., Liu, X., Emmett, N.L. "Ischemia elicits a coordinated expression of pro-survival proteins in mouse myocardium." TheScientificWorldJOURNAL 2: 997-1003, (2002).

4. Lyn, D., Liu, X., Bennett, N.A., Emmett, N.L. "Gene expression profile in mouse myocardium after ischemia." Physiol. Genomics 2: 93-100, (2000).

5. Lyn, D., Bennett, N.A., Shiramizu, B.T., Herndier, B.G., Igietseme, J.U. "Sequence analysis of HIV-1 insertion sites in peripheral blood lymphocytes." Cellular & Molecular Biology 47: 981-986, (2001).