Department of Physiology and Pharmacology

George T. Cicila, Ph.D.

Associate Professor Phone: (419) 383-4171 Fax: (419) 383-2871 Email: George.Cicila@utoledo.edu

 

 

Training:

• B.S., Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 1976-1980
• Ph.D., Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1980-1986
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 1986-1989
• Fellow, Genetics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1989-1991
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Genetics, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lawrenceville, NJ, 1989-1992

Appointments:

• Research Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1993-1995
• Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Medical College of Ohio, 1995 - 2002
• Associate Professor, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Health Science Campus, 2002 - present

Research Interest:

The molecular genetics and biology of quantitative traits relevant to human disease.  We use rat genetic models to identify and validate candidate genes and molecular mechanisms that regulate complex traits such as blood pressure, endurance running capacity, cardiac performance, and other quantitative traits relevant to cardiovascular disease.  We are also developing gene expression biomarkers in parrotfish for monitoring environmental stress in coral reefs in collaboration with Drs. Lee and Turner.   


Selected Publications:

• Cicila GT. 2000. Strategy for uncovering complex determinants of hypertension using animal models. Curr. Hypertens. Rep. 2:217-226.
• Jasul GV Jr., GT Griffing, GS Johnson, SH Slight, GT Cicila, VK Ganjam, and MW Cassels. 2001. Asso­ciation of ACE gene polymorphism with cardiovascular disease in diabetes mellitus. Philippine J. Int. Med.38:139-143.
• Cicila GT, MR Garrett, SJ Lee, J Liu, H Dene, and JP Rapp. 2001. High resolution mapping of the blood pressure QTL on chromosome 7 using Dahl rat congenic strains. Genomics 72:51-60.
• Barbato JC, SJ Lee, LG Koch, and GT Cicila. 2002. Myocardial function in rat genetic models of low and high aerobic running capacity. Am. J. Physiol. 282:R721-R726.
• Ways JA, GT Cicila, MR Garrett, and LG Koch. 2002. A genome scan for loci associated with aerobic running capacity in rats. Genomics 80:13-20.
• Lee SJ, J Liu, N Qi, RA Guarnera, SY Lee, and GT Cicila. 2003. Use of a panel of congenic strains to evaluate differentially expressed genes as candidate genes for blood pressure QTL. Hypertens. Res. 26:75-87.
• Koch LG, CL Green, AD Lee, JE Hornyak, GT Cicila, and SL Britton. 2005. Test of the principle of initial values in rat genetic models of aerobic exercise capacity. Am. J. Physiol.288:R466-R472.
• Lee SJ, JA Ways, JC Barbato, D Essig, K Pettee, SJ DeRaedt, S Yang, DA Weaver, LG Koch, and GT Cicila. 2005. Gene expression profiling of the left ventricles in a rat model of intrinsic aerobic running capacity. Physiol Genomics. 23:62-71.
• Nestor AL, GT Cicila, SE Karol, KM Langenderfer, SL Hollopeter, and DC Allison. 2006.  Linkage Analysis of Neointimal Hyperplasia and Vascular Wall Transformation Following Balloon Angioplasty.  Physiol Genomics. 25: 286-293, 2006.
• Lee SJ, J Liu, AM Westcott, JA Vieth, SJ Deraedt, S Yang, B Joe, GT Cicila.  2006.  Substitution Mapping in Dahl Rats Identifies Two Distinct Blood Pressure Quantitative Trait Loci within 1.12 Mb and 1.25 Mb Intervals on Chromosome 3.  Genetics. Dec;174(4):2203-2213.
• Ways JA, BM Smith, JC Barbato, RS Ramdath, KM Pettee, SJ DeRaedt, DC Allison, LG Koch, SJ Lee, GT Cicila.  2007.  Congenic strains confirm aerobic running capacity quantitative trait loci on rat chromosome 16 and identify possible intermediate phenotypes.  Physiol Genomics. Mar 14;29(1):91-97.
• Toland EJ, S Yerga-Woolwine, P Farms, GT Cicila, Y Saad, B Joe.  2008.  Blood pressure and proteinuria effects of multiple quantitative trait loci on rat chromosome 9 that differentiate the spontaneously hypertensive rat from the Dahl salt-sensitive rat.  J. Hypertension 26(11):2134-2141.
• Cicila GT, EE Morgan, SJ Lee, P Farms, S Yerga-Woolwine, EJ Toland, RS Ramdath, K Gopalakrishnan, K Bohman, AL Nestor-Kalinoski, SA Khuder, B Joe.  (2009) Identification of epistatic genetic determinants of blood pressure and mortality in a salt-sensitive hypertension model.  Hypertension 53(4):725-732.
• Nestor-Kalinoski A, RS Ramdath, KM Langenderfer, S Sikanderkhel, S DeRaedt, M Welch, J Park, T Pringle, B Joe, GT Cicila, DC Allison (2010) Neointimal hyperplasia and vasoreactivity are controlled by genetic elements on rat chromosome 3.  Hypertension 55(2):555.561.

Book Chapters and Reviews:

• Cicila, G.T. - 1998 - Polygenic determinants of blood pressure. In Hypertension Primer, 2nd ed., Izzo JI Jr. and Black HR, ed., American Heart Association, Dallas, TX. pp. 101-103.
• Cicila GT. 2000. Strategy for uncovering complex determinants of hypertension using animal models. Current Hypertension Reports 2: 217-226.
• Lee, S.J., GT Cicila (2002)  Functional genomics in rat models of hypertension: Using differential expression and congenic strains to identify and evaluate candidate genes.  Critical Reviews in Eukaryotic Gene Expression, 12(4): 297-316.
• Cicila GT  (2003) Genetics of hypertension: Investigative strategies.  In: Hypertension Primer, 3rd ed., Izzo JI Jr. and Black HR, Ed., American Heart Association, Dallas, TX, pp.216-218.