E-mail:
Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
M.D., Ph.D., UT Medical School, Houston, TX
Postdoc, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Cardiac and craniofacial stem cell biology
We are interested in understanding how developmental pathways are connected to adult tissue regeneration. We are investigating the Hippo, Wnt, and Bmp-signaling pathways for developmental and regenerative capabilities. Our goal is to obtain an in depth understanding of these pathways in order to develop ways to regenerate heart muscle and craniofacial bone.
Selected Publications
Ma L, Lu M, Schwartz RJ, Martin JF (2005) Bmp2 is essential for atrioventricular cushion formation and myocardial patterning. Development 132:5601-5611.
Dong F, Sun X, Liu W, Ai D, Klysik E, Lu MF, Hadley J, Antoni L, Chen L, Baldini A, Francis-West P, Martin JF (2006) Pitx2 promotes development of splanchnic mesoderm-derived branchiomeric muscle. Development 133:4891-4899.
Ai D, Liu W, Ma L, Dong F, Lu MF, Wang D, Verzi MP, Cai C, Gage PJ, Evans S, Black BL, Brown NA, Martin JF (2006) Pitx2 regulates cardiac left-right asymmetry by patterning second cardiac lineage-derived myocardium. Developmental Biology 296:437-449.
Ai D, Wang J, Amen M, Lu MF, Amendt BA, Martin JF (2007) Nuclear factor 1 and T-cell factor/LEF recognition elements regulate Pitx2 transcription in pituitary development. Molecular and Cellular Biology 27:5765-5775.
Ai D, Fu X, Wang J, Lu MF, Chen L, Baldini A, Klein WH, Martin JF (2007) Canonical Wnt signaling functions in second heart field to promote right ventricular growth. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA 104:9319-24.
Huang Z, Wang D, Ihida-Stansbury K, Jones PL, Martin JF (2009) Defective pulmonary vascular remodeling in Smad8 mutant mice. Human Molecular Genetics 18:2791-2801.
Wang J, Klysik E, Sood S, Johnson RL, Wehrens XH, Martin JF (2010) Pitx2 prevents susceptibility to atrial arrhythmias by inhibiting left-sided pacemaker specification. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA 107:9753-9758.
Wang J, Greene SB, Bonilla-Claudio M, Tao Y, Zhang J, Bai Y, Huang Z, Black BL, Wang F, Martin JF (2010) Bmp signaling regulates myocardial differentiation from cardiac progenitors through a MicroRNA-mediated mechanism. Developmental Cell 19:903-912.
Heallen T, Zhang M, Wang J, Bonilla-Claudio M, Klysik E, Johnson RL, Martin JF (2011) Hippo pathway inhibits Wnt signaling to restrain cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart size. Science 332:458-461.
Bonilla-Claudio M, Wang J, Bai Y, Klysik E, Selever J, Martin JF (2012) Bmp signaling regulates a dose-dependent transcriptional program to control facial skeletal development. Development 139:709-719.
Contact Information
Jim Martin, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Baylor College of Medicine
One Baylor Plaza
Houston, Texas 77030, U.S.A.
Lab website
Tel: (713) 798-5931
Fax: (713) 798-3475
E-mail: