Primary research interests are the mechanisms and regulation of mucin secretion in epithelia, and the involvement of ion channels in modulating the process. Secondary interests include development and refinement of methods for performing electrophysiology and live cell epifluorescence microscopy, with a focus on measurement of mucin secretory dynamics. Our knowledge of the impact of ion secretion on regulation of mucin secretion is based in part on the pathophysiology of the disease cystic fibrosis (CF), in which a defective chloride channel leads to abnormally thick mucin secretions. CF research to date has not clearly identified where mucin and ion signaling pathways converge or diverge. Current research projects are focused on identifying diveregence, along with development of new microscopy techniques to monitor the dynamics of mucin granule trafficking.
Publications
Kreindler J, Bertrand C, Karasic T, Aujla S, Pilewski J, Frizzell R, and Kolls J. (2007) Chloride-bicarbonate exchange in well-differentiated human bronchial epithelial cells treated with interleukin-17A. Am J Phys Lung Phys; submitted.
Bertrand CA, Laboisse C, Hopfer U, Bridges RJ, and Frizzell RA. (2006) Methods for detecting internalized, FM 1-43 stained particles in epithelial cells and monolayers. Biophys J.; 91:3872-3883.
Bertrand, C.A. and U. Hopfer. (2002). Measurement of Membrane Capacitance in Epithelial Monolayers. In: Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol. 188, Wise, C. ed., Humana Press, Totowa NJ, pp. 315-327.
Bertrand, C.A., C. Laboisse, U. Hopfer, H. Danahay, C.T. Poll, and R.J. Bridges. (2002). Niflumic acid inhibits ATP-stimulated exocytosis in a mucin-secreting epithelial cell line. Submitted, J. Gen. Physiology.
Bertrand, C.A., C. Laboisse, U. Hopfer, R. J. Bridges, and R.A. Frizzell. (2002). CAMP stimulation induces a synergistic enhancement of ATP-stimulated mucin exocytosis by delaying endocytosis. In preparation.
Bertrand, C.A. (2001). Color by number: imaging large data. Science, 293:1335-1336.
Bertrand, C., C. Laboisse, and U. Hopfer. (1999). Purinergic and cholinergic agonists induce exocytosis from the same granule pool in HT29-Cl.16E monolayers. Am. J. Phys., 276:C907-C914.
Bertrand, C., D. Durand, G. Saidel, C. Laboisse, and U. Hopfer. (1998). System for dynamic measurements of membrane capacitance in intact epithelial monolayers. Biophys. J., 75:2743-2756.
