Robert Wessells Ph.D.

Title and department:

Clinical Lecturer,
Department of Internal Medicine,
Medical School
University of Michigan

Campus Address:

3013 BSRB
109 Zena Pitcher Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Phone: 734 615-8036

Email address: wessells@umich.edu

Research Interests:

Dr. Wessells’ laboratory studies age-related deterioration of cardiac function using the fruit fly model system. These studies combine fruit fly genetics with physiological measurement to examine how cardiac aging is controlled. Long-term interests include defining tissue-specific genetic interventions that allow flies to remain “young at heart”, as well as explaining the indirect effects of genetic manipulations in the nervous and endocrine systems on cardiac metabolism. A current focus of the lab is to examine the role of diet on long-term cardiac performance during aging.

Recent Publications

Wessells R.J. and Bodmer R. (2004). Screening assays for heart function mutants in Drosophila. Biotechniques. 37, 58–60

Bodmer R., Wessells R.J., Johnson E.C., Dowse H. (2004). Heart development and function. In: Comprehensive Molecular Insect Science (vol. 2). (eds. Gilbert L.I., Iatrou K, and Gill S.), volumes 1–7, Elsevier, 199–250.

 Wessells R.J. , Fitzgerald E., Cypser J.R., Tatar M. and Bodmer R. (2004). Insulin regulation of heart function in aging Drosophila. Nat. Genet. 36, 1275–1281.

 Krupp JJ, Yaich LE, Wessells RJ , Bodmer R. (2005) Identification of Genetic Loci that Interact with cut During Drosophila Wing Margin Development.  Genetics 170, 1775-1795.

Fujioka, M.*, Wessells, R.J.*, Han, Z., Li u, J., Yusibova, G., Bodmer, R. and Jaynes, J. (2005). Embryonic even-skipped-dependent muscle and heart cell fates are required for normal adult activity, heart function and lifespan. Circ. Res. 11,1108-1114.

J. Liu, Qian, L., Wessells, R.J., Bidet, Y., Jagla, K., Bodmer, R. (2005). Hedgehog and RAS pathways cooperate in the anterior-posterior specification and positioning of cardiac progenitor cells. Dev. Biol. (in press; e-pub available Jan.4 th,2006).

R.J. Wessells and R. Bodmer. (2006). Age-related Cardiac Deterioration In Model Systems. In “Genetically-Modified Animals As Research Models In Development And Disease”. Frontiers In Bioscience. Invited Review (in press).

C.Davies, R.J. Wessells, Chiang, G.G., Bodmer, R., Oldham , S. (2006). TOR governs growth, stress resistance and aging in Drosophila. Genesis (in press).

Brief Biography

Dr. Wessells graduated with a B.S. in Zoology from Miami University in 1993 before acquiring a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from the Ohio State University in 2000. He received postdoctoral training in fruit fly genetics and physiology at the University of Michigan and the Burnham Institute for Biomedical Research before taking his present position in 2006.