Multi-scale modeling of cardiac signaling networks <P>

Since the first model of the cardiac myocyte in 1960, integration of models
and experiments has been crucial for understanding heart function. While
these models have primarily focused on electrophysiology and
excitation-contraction coupling, we have recently developed the first
mechanistic models of cardiac signaling networks and their integration with
cardiac physiology. In this talk, I will describe the use of models of the
beta-adrenergic signaling network to address biological questions at
multiple functional and spatial scales. These include identifying new
functional roles for proteins, clinically-relevant consequences of a gene
mutation, and how biochemical signals are amplified to strengthen heart
contractions during stress.