MARY O. GRAY, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Cardiology

The Gray laboratory at San Francisco General Hospital focuses on novel pharmacological strategies to induce resistance to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Her group was one of the first to identify protein kinase C (PKC) activation as a signaling event required for cardioprotection and is currently exploring cellular interactions between PKC isozymes and mitochondria using cultured cardiac myocytes, ex vivo (Langendorff-perfused) mouse hearts, and in vivo myocardial infarction models. One particular area of interest is the investigation of signaling mechanisms that contribute to sustained cardioprotection during moderate alcohol consumption.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

1. Gray MO, Long CS, Kalinyak JE, Li HT, Karlikner JS. Angiotensin II stimulates cardiac myocyte hypertrophy via release of TGF-b1 and endothelin-1 from fibroblasts. Cardiovasc Res 1998; 40:353-363.
2. Zhu P, Zhou HZ, Gray MO. Chronic ethanol-induced myocardial protection requires activation of mitochondrial KATP channels. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2000; 32:2091-2095.
3. Zhou HZ, Karliner JS, Gray MO. Moderate alcohol consumption induces cardiac protection by activating e protein kinase C and Akt. Am J Physiol 2002; 283:H165-H174.