Education

Ph.D. in Virology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

Current position

Associate Professor, Department of Medicine/Center for Translational Medicine Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Publications

1. Wang, X., Chen, D., Chen, K., Jubran, A., Ramirez, A. and Astrof, S. (2017). Endothelium in the pharyngeal arches 3, 4 and 6 is derived from the second heart field. Dev Biol 421(2): 108-117.
2. Wang, X. and Astrof, S. (2016). Neural crest cell-autonomous roles of fibronectin in cardiovascular development. Development 143(1): 88-100.
3. Chen, D., Wang, X., Liang, D., Gordon, J., Mittal, A., Manley, N., Degenhardt, K. and Astrof, S. (2015). Fibronectin signals through integrin alpha5beta1 to regulate cardiovascular development in a cell type-specific manner. Dev Biol 407(2): 195-210.
4. Liang, D., Wang, X., Mittal, A., Dhiman, S., Hou, S. Y., Degenhardt, K. and Astrof, S. (2014). Mesodermal expression of integrin alpha5beta1 regulates neural crest development and cardiovascular morphogenesis. Dev Biol 395(2): 232-244.
5. Pulina, M., Liang, D. and Astrof, S. (2014). Shape and position of the node and notochord along the bilateral plane of symmetry are regulated by cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Biol Open 3(7): 583-590.
6. Villegas, S. N., Rothova, M., Barrios-Llerena, M. E., Pulina, M., Hadjantonakis, A. K., Le Bihan, T., Astrof, S. and Brickman, J. M. (2013). PI3K/Akt1 signalling specifies foregut precursors by generating regionalized extra-cellular matrix. Elife 2: e00806.
7. Mittal, A., Pulina, M., Hou, S. and Astrof, S. (2013). Fibronectin and integrin alpha 5 play requisite roles in cardiac morphogenesis. Dev Biol 381: 73-82.
8. Plein, A., Fantin, A. and Ruhrberg, C. (2015). Neural crest cells in cardiovascular development. Curr Top Dev Biol 111: 183-200.
9. Pulina, M. V., Hou, S. Y., Mittal, A., Julich, D., Whittaker, C. A., Holley, S. A., Hynes, R. O. and Astrof, S. (2011). Essential roles of fibronectin in the development of the left-right embryonic body plan. Dev Biol 354(2): 208-220.
10. Mittal, A., Pulina, M., Hou, S. and Astrof, S. (2010). Essential role of fibronectin in the maintenance and expansion of cardiac neural crest cell niche. Mech Dev 127(9-12): 472-484.
11. Astrof, S. and Hynes, R. O. (2009). Fibronectins in vascular morphogenesis. Angiogenesis 12(2): 165-175.
12. Stern, P., Astrof, S., Erkeland, S. J., Schustak, J., Sharp, P. A. and Hynes, R. O. (2008). A system for Cre-regulated RNA interference in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105(37): 13895-13900.
13. Astrof, S., Crowley, D. and Hynes, R. O. (2007). Multiple cardiovascular defects caused by the absence of alternatively spliced segments of fibronectin. Dev Biol 311(1): 11-24.
14. Astrof, S., Kirby, A., Lindblad-Toh, K., Daly, M. and Hynes, R. O. (2007). Heart development in fibronectin-null mice is governed by a genetic modifier on chromosome four. Mech Dev 124(7-8): 551-558.
15. Matuskova, J., Chauhan, A. K., Cambien, B., Astrof, S., Dole, V. S., Piffath, C. L., Hynes, R. O. and Wagner, D. D. (2006). Decreased plasma fibronectin leads to delayed thrombus growth in injured arterioles. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 26(6): 1391-1396.
16. Astrof, S., Crowley, D., George, E. L., Fukuda, T., Sekiguchi, K., Hanahan, D. and Hynes, R. O. (2004). Direct test of potential roles of EIIIA and EIIIB alternatively spliced segments of fibronectin in physiological and tumor angiogenesis. Mol Cell Biol 24(19): 8662-8670.
17. Snitkovsky, S. and Young, J. A. T. (2002). Targeting retroviral vector infection to cells that express heregulin receptors using a TVA-heregulin bridge protein. Virology 292(1): 150-155.
18. Snitkovsky, S., Niederman, T. M., Mulligan, R. C. and Young, J. A. (2001). Targeting avian leukosis virus subgroup A vectors by using a TVA-VEGF bridge protein. J Virol 75(3): 1571-1575.
19. Snitkovsky, S., Niederman, T. M., Carter, B. S., Mulligan, R. C. and Young, J. A. (2000). A TVA-single-chain antibody fusion protein mediates specific targeting of a subgroup A avian leukosis virus vector to cells expressing a tumor-specific form of epidermal growth factor receptor. J Virol 74(20): 9540-9545.
20. Boerger, A. L., Snitkovsky, S. and Young, J. A. (1999). Retroviral vectors preloaded with a viral receptor-ligand bridge protein are targeted to specific cell types. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 96(17): 9867-9872.
21. Snitkovsky, S. and Young, J. A. (1998). Cell-specific viral targeting mediated by a soluble retroviral receptor-ligand fusion protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 95(12): 7063-7068.