Mason Sweat, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile

Biography

Mason Sweat, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of its Division of Cardiology.

Originally from Iowa City, Iowa, Dr. Sweat holds a bacheor's degree in biology (neurobiology) with a minor in chemistry from the University of Iowa, where he also earned his doctoral degree in cell and developmental biology. He then completed postdoctoral training in the lab of William Pu, M.D., at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he developed expertise in cardiac biology.

He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2025.

Dr. Sweat's research spans developmental biology, molecular genetics, and cardiovascular science, with a strong focus on transcriptional and epigenetic regulation in organogenesis and cardiac physiology. His early work explored craniofacial development, stem cell renewal, and signaling pathways such as Wnt, Hippo, and microRNA networks in ectodermal organ formation. He investigated key regulators like Sox2, Lef-1, Pitx2, and KLF4, elucidating mechanisms underlying dental morphogenesis and palatogenesis. Transitioning to cardiovascular research, Dr. Sweat has advanced understanding of cardiac identity and rhythm homeostasis, particularly through enhancer networks and transcription factors such as TBX5 and CHD4. His studies dissect chamber-specific gene regulation, atrial cardiomyocyte maintenance, and molecular determinants of atrial fibrillation, integrating multi-omics approaches and translational strategies like antisense oligonucleotide therapy. Collectively, his work bridges developmental genetics and cardiac disease, aiming to uncover therapeutic targets for structural and rhythm disorders.

Dr. Sweat has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, including Nature Communications and Circulation. His work has been recognized with multiple awards, such as a Gordon Research Conference Poster Award and a Weinstein Conference Presentation Award.

An active member of the American Heart Association, Dr. Sweat also contributes to the scientific community through leadership roles, including serving as Co-Chair for the Gordon Research Seminar on Cardiac Regulatory Mechanisms.

Education

Graduate School: University of Iowa (2020)

Research Interest

Atrial Fibrillation
Cardiac Arrhythmia
Cardiomyocyte Identity Mechanisms

Publications

Featured Publications

CHD4 Interacts With TBX5 to Maintain the Gene Regulatory Network of Postnatal Atrial Cardiomyocytes.: Sweat ME, Shi W, Keating EM, Ponek A, Li J, Ma Q, Park C, Trembley MA, Wang Y, Bezzerides VJ, Conlon FL, Pu WT, bioRxiv 2024 Dec
Genetic and Molecular Underpinnings of Atrial Fibrillation.: Sweat ME, Pu WT, NPJ Cardiovasc Health 2024 1
Tbx5 maintains atrial identity in post-natal cardiomyocytes by regulating an atrial-specific enhancer network.: Sweat ME, Cao Y, Zhang X, Burnicka-Turek O, Perez-Cervantes C, Arulsamy K, Lu F, Keating EM, Akerberg BN, Ma Q, Wakimoto H, Gorham JM, Hill LD, Kyoung Song M, Trembley MA, Wang P, Gianeselli M, Prondzynski M, Bortolin RH, Bezzerides VJ, Chen K, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Moskowitz IP, Pu WT, Nat Cardiovasc Res 2023 Oct 2 10 881-898
Tbx5 maintains atrial identity by regulating an atrial enhancer network.: Sweat ME, Cao Y, Zhang X, Burnicka-Turek O, Perez-Cervantes C, Akerberg BN, Ma Q, Wakimoto H, Gorham JM, Song MK, Trembley MA, Wang P, Lu F, Gianeselli M, Prondzynski M, Bortolin RH, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Moskowitz IP, Pu WT, bioRxiv 2023 Apr
In Vivo Dissection of Chamber-Selective Enhancers Reveals Estrogen-Related Receptor as a Regulator of Ventricular Cardiomyocyte Identity.: Cao Y, Zhang X, Akerberg BN, Yuan H, Sakamoto T, Xiao F, VanDusen NJ, Zhou P, Sweat ME, Wang Y, Prondzynski M, Chen J, Zhang Y, Wang P, Kelly DP, Pu WT, Circulation 2023 Mar 147 11 881-896
HMGN2 represses gene transcription via interaction with transcription factors Lef-1 and Pitx2 during amelogenesis.: Eliason S, Su D, Pinho F, Sun Z, Zhang Z, Li X, Sweat M, Venugopalan SR, He B, Bustin M, Amendt BA, J Biol Chem 2022 Sep 298 9 102295
CMYA5 establishes cardiac dyad architecture and positioning.: Lu F, Ma Q, Xie W, Liou CL, Zhang D, Sweat ME, Jardin BD, Naya FJ, Guo Y, Cheng H, Pu WT, Nat Commun 2022 Apr 13 1 2185
miR-17 acts as a tumor suppressor by negatively regulating the miR-17-92 cluster.: Sweat Y, Ries RJ, Sweat M, Su D, Shao F, Eliason S, Amendt BA, Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2021 Dec 26 1148-1158
Rat Calvarial Bone Regeneration by 3D-Printed β-Tricalcium Phosphate Incorporating MicroRNA-200c.: Remy MT, Akkouch A, He L, Eliason S, Sweat ME, Krongbaramee T, Fei F, Qian F, Amendt BA, Song X, Hong L, ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2021 Sep 7 9 4521-4534
The miR-200 family is required for ectodermal organ development through the regulation of the epithelial stem cell niche.: Sweat M, Sweat Y, Yu W, Su D, Leonard RJ, Eliason SL, Amendt BA, Stem Cells 2021 Jun 39 6 761-775

Honors & Awards

Poster Award
Gordon Research Conference (2024)
Weinstein Conference
Presentation Award (2023)
Poster Award
Gordon Research Conference (2022)
Bernard G. Sarnat Award in Craniofacial Biology (Finalist)
International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (2019)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

American Heart Association