Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center

University of Missouri

Michael A. Hill, PhD

Professor, Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine
Office Location: 133B DCRC
Office Phone: 573-882-9662
Hillmi@missouri.edu

Research Interests

• Local control of microvascular hemodynamics
• Mechanisms underlying the arteriolar myogenic response
• Mechanotransduction
• Impact of 3D vascular wall structure on arteriolar function
• Microvascular dysfunction in experimental diabetes

Research Description

Our laboratory has a principal interest in understanding the signaling mechanisms that underlie the vasoconstrictor response of an arteriole following an acute rise in intraluminal pressure (myogenic response). Broadly speaking this can be considered as a process of mechanotransduction. Our studies have examined the roles of a number of vascular smooth muscle signaling molecules including various kinases and intracellular Ca²⁺. More recently these studies have been extended to include approaches aimed at determining the relationships between pressure-induced changes in smooth muscle membrane potential, sub-cellular Ca²⁺ signaling, and the resulting signaling events that ultimately lead to the contractile response.

In addition to basic studies on myogenic signaling we are also studying how myogenic tone interacts with other vasoregulatory mechanisms (principally, endothelial-dependent dilation) and how the myogenic response is altered in diabetes mellitus.

Professional Background

• Obtained PhD, University of Melbourne.
• Completed postdoctoral training at Department of Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University.
• Received Fulbright Fellowship in 1988.
• Received National Institutes of Health (NIH) FIRST Award in 1992.
• Obtained past funding from NIH, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, American Heart Association, National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia); National Heart Foundation (Australia).
• Acts as a current member of American Heart Foundation (National) grant review panel.
• Acts as a member of editorial boards of Microcirculation (present), Journal of Vascular Research (present) and American Journal of Physiology (1996-98).
• Professor of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Univeristy of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 2006-present
• Associate Professor, Dep’t of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 2004-present

Associate Editor:

• Frontiers in Vascular Physiology (2010 – present)

Editorial Boards:

• American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology (1/96 - 12/98)
• Microcirculation (1/2002 – present)
• Journal of Vascular Research (2007 – present)
• Frontiers in Vascular Pharmacology (2010 – present)
• Frontiers in Vascular Physiology (2010 – present)

Guest Reviewer:

• American Journal of Physiology -   Heart and Circulation -   Endocrinology -   Cell -  Gastrointestinal Physiology
• Journal of Biological Chemistry
• Hypertension
• Microvascular Research
• Journal of Applied Physiology
• Diabetes
• Journal of Vascular Research
• Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
• Diabetologia
• Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine
• Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine
• Biochemica Biophysica Acta
• British Journal of Pharmacology
• Clinical and Experimental Physiology and Pharmacology
• Diabetes Care
• Journal of Physiology
• Microcirculation
• Pflugers Archives
• Cardiovascular Research
• FASEB Journal
• Circulation
• Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets
• Journal of Vascular Pharmacology
• Journal of Cellular Physiology
• Lipids
• Cell Calcium
• Circulation Research
• Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology
• Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology
• Journal of Hypertension
• Vascular Pharmacology
• PLOS
• Interface Focus
• Experimental Biology and Medicine
• Life Sciences
• Frontiers in Vascular Pharmacology
• Frontiers in Vascular Physiology

Grant Reviews:

Study Sections

• American Heart Association (Virginia ) Peer Review Committee (1992 - 1995), (Chairman, 1995)
• Member of the Medical Review Board for the Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research fund (2002 – present).
• American Heart Association (National; Vascular Wall 1, 2006 – 2009)
• American Medical Association, 2007.
• NIH Special Emphasis Panel on Lymphatic Biology, 2009.
• NIH RFA, Vascular Stiffening and Hypertension, 2010.

Ad Hoc Reviews

• American Heart Association (Alaska)
• American Heart Association (Texas)
• Jeffress Foundation
• Diabetes Australia Research Trust
• National Health and Medical Research Council
• Cardiovascular Lipid Grants (Pfizer)Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Foundation
• Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation
• Australian Research Foundation
• Wellcome Foundation
• Louisiana Board of Regents
• Qatar National Research Foundation
• National Science Engineering Research Council, Canada

Consultancies/Membership of Boards

• Medjaden Bioscience Limited (China), Senior Editor.
• Internal Review Panel Member, NIH Program Project Grant, University of Missouri (P.I. Harold Laughlin, Ph.D.), 2007 – 2009.
• External Review Panel Member, NIH Program Project Grant, Medical College of Georgia (P.I. R. Clinton Webb, Ph.D.), 2008.
• Member of the Executive Board of RDDT (RMIT Drug Design Technologies) (2002 – 2004).
• Edward Dunlop Foundation Medical Research Review Board (2002 - present)
• Biocomm International (alternate member for Professor David Story; 2001 – 2004)
• Rothschilds Bioscience (Review of research submissions, 2000)
• National Institutes of Health grant awarded to Luis Martinez-Lemus, PhD Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri (2009 - 2014).
• National Institutes of Health grant awarded to Michael Davis, PhD Department of Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University (1999 - 2004).
• National Institutes of Health grant awarded to Gerald Meininger, PhD, Department of Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University (1999 - 2004).
• National Institutes of Health grant awarded to Paul Ratz, PhD, Department of Pharmacology, Eastern Virginia Medical School (2001 -2004).

Conference/Symposia Organization

• Chair of session on Australian and New Zealand Microcirculatory Meeting, Melbourne, 1997.
• Chair of session on "Arterioles", Australian Physiological and Pharmacological meeting, Brisbane, 1997.
• Organized symposium on "Microvascular Control Mechanisms" for the Australian and New Zealand Microcirculatory Society Meeting, January 1999, Adelaide.
• Member of the basic science program committee for the Western Region of the International Diabetes Federation meeting, Sydney 1999.
• Chair of the Organizing Committee for Australian Physiological and Pharmacological Annual Meeting, Melbourne 2000.
• Member of the organizing committee for  “Vascular and Neural Complications of Diabetes” – satellite meeting to the International Union of Physiological Societies Meeting, Melbourne, Australia,  2001.Chairperson and organizer of APS symposium for the 2002 Experimental Biology meeting (New Orleans) – “Mechanisms of Vascular Remodeling: Temporal Events From Stimulus to Structural and Functional Changes”.
• Member of the organizing committee for the 8^th International Symposium on Resistance Arteries, France, 2004.
• Organizer of Symposium on “Role of K⁺ Channels in Vascular Tone”, Australian Physiological Society, Canberra, August 2005.
• Chair of the organizing committee for the biannual meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Microcirculatory Society. 2005.
• Program Committee Member, IEEE Nanomedicine Conference, Macau, August 2007.
• Chair of the organizing committee for the 9^th International Symposium on Resistance Arteries, Hamilton Island, Australia, 2008.
• Member of the organizing committee for the Microcirculatory Society, 2009 Fall Meeting, University Of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, September 2009.
• Organizer/Chair of symposia ‘Interactions Between Smooth Muscle Myosin Light Chain Kinase and Phosphatase in the Regulation of Arteriolar Tone’, Experimental Biology, Anaheim, April, 2010
• Member of the organizing committee for the 10^th International Symposium on Resistance Arteries, Denmark, 2011.

Professional Societies

• Microcirculatory Society
• American Physiological Society
• Australian and New Zealand Microcirculatory Society
• Australian Physiological Society
• Australian-American Fulbright Alumni
• American Association for the Advancement of Science

Committee Memberships:

i.  Intramural

2007 – present             Seminar Committee, Dep’t of Medical Pharmacol. and Physiol.

                                    University of Missouri

2007, 2010                  Local Organizer, University of Missouri Cardiovascular Day

2004 – 2006                School of Medical Science Research Committee (UNSW)

                                    School of Medical Science Space Committee (UNSW)

                                    School of Medical Sciences Executive Committee (UNSW)

2000 – 2003                Chair, Faculty Higher Degrees Committee (RMIT)

                                    Chair, Faculty Research Committee (RMIT)

                                    Faculty International Advisory Sub-committee (RMIT)

1997 – 2003                Faculty Executive (RMIT)

                                    Deans Advisory Committee (RMIT)

                                    Research and Higher Degrees Committee (RMIT)

                                    Faculty Board (RMIT)

ii.  Extramural

2012                            International Committee, American Physiological Society.

2011 – present             President-elect, Microcirculatory Society, USA.

2011 – present             International Liaison Committee, Microcirculatory Society, USA.

2011 – present             Long Range Planning Committee, Chair, Microcirculatory Society, USA.

2010 – present             Steering Committee, CV Section, American Physiological Society

2010 – present             Development Committee, Microcirculatory Society, USA.

2009 – 2012                Nominating Committee, American Physiological Society (CV Section), USA.  Chairperson, 2007 – 2010             

2010 - present             Council Member, Microcirculatory Society, USA.

Selected Publications

PAI-1 Exacerbates White Adipose Tissue Dysfunction and Metabolic Dysregulation in High Fat Diet-Induced Obesity. Wang L, Chen L, Liu Z, Liu Y, Luo M, Chen N, Deng X, Luo Y, He J, Zhang L, Hill MA, Li R, Wu J.Front Pharmacol. 2018 Sep 26;9:1087. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01087. eCollection 2018. PMID: 30319420

Role of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Activation in Promoting Cardiovascular Fibrosis and Stiffness. Jia G, Aroor AR, Hill MA, Sowers JR. Hypertension. 2018 Sep;72(3):537-548. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11065. No abstract available.  PMID: 29987104

Epithelial Sodium Channel in Aldosterone-Induced Endothelium Stiffness and Aortic Dysfunction. Jia G, Habibi J, Aroor AR, Hill MA, Yang Y, Whaley-Connell A, Jaisser F, Sowers JR.Hypertension. 2018 Sep;72(3):731-738. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11339. PMID: 29987101

TRPV4 increases cardiomyocyte calcium cycling and contractility yet contributes to damage in the aged heart following hypoosmotic stress. Jones JL, Peana D, Veteto AB, Lambert MD, Nourian Z, Karasseva NG, Hill MA, Lindman BR, Baines CP, Krenz M, Domeier TL. Cardiovasc Res. 2018 Jun 20. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvy156. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 29931225

Alpha1 -adrenergic stimulation selectively enhances endothelium-mediated vasodilation in rat cremaster arteries. Mishra RC, Rahman MM, Davis MJ, Wulff H, Hill MA, Braun AP.Physiol Rep. 2018 May;6(9):e13703. doi: 10.14814/phy2.13703. PMID: 29756401

Enhanced endothelium epithelial sodium channel signaling prompts left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in obese female mice. Jia G, Habibi J, Aroor AR, Hill MA, DeMarco VG, Lee LE, Ma L, Barron BJ, Whaley-Connell A, Sowers JR. Metabolism. 2017 Sep 8. pii: S0026-0495(17)30214-7. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2017.08.008. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 28920862

N-Cadherin, a novel and rapidly remodelling site involved in vasoregulation of small cerebral arteries. Sun Z, Li M, Li Z, Hill MA, Meininger GA. J Physiol. 2017 Mar 15;595(6):1987-2000. doi: 10.1113/JP272995. Epub 2017 Feb 7.
PMID: 28008617

Nonenzymatic glycation interferes with fibronectin-integrin interactions in vascular smooth muscle cells. Dhar S, Sun Z, Meininger GA, Hill MA. Microcirculation. 2017 Apr;24(3). doi: 10.1111/micc.12347. PMID: 28005306