Dr. Jones is interested in understanding the composition and function of the heart in health and disease. He has a long-standing interest in how metabolic events coordinate cell fate and function. His own independent laboratory has maintained this theme. The Jones laboratory is broadly interested in the molecular explanations of ventricular remodeling and heart failure. This group focuses on the non-catabolic use of glucose in cardiac health and disease. Within this context, the laboratory has addressed the critical role of glucose utilization in a glycolytic accessory pathway known as the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP). After being the first group to demonstrate the cardioprotective effect of O-GlcNAcylation in vivo, his group then showed that O-GlcNAcylation is an essential pro-adaptive signal during infarct-induced heart failure. His group has also investigated the molecular regulation of the O-GlcNAcylation system—work that has significant implications for a variety of diseases. The newest efforts from his group have expanded their purview from metabolism-mediated cell survival to an integration of metabolic cues with shaping the extracellular matrix. This alternative route of glucose utilization relates directly to ventricular remodeling and reflects a larger, integrative view of glucose metabolism in the heart. Visit the Jones Laboratory to learn more.