RSS FeedUpcoming EventsTo Eat or Not To Eat: Leveraging Chemical Proteomics for the Study of Macrophage Phagocytosis, April 3https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237068-to-eat-or-not-to-eat-leveraging-chemical-proteomics-f

Macrophages clear exhausted, damaged, and sick cells in our bodies, as well as exogenous pathogens, cellular debris, and atherosclerotic plaques. When macrophages recognize and engulf their targets through ligand-receptor interactions prior to destruction in the lysosome, this process is referred to as phagocytosis. Phagocytosis is a vital process in our innate immune system and is altered in diseases, including cancer and infection. In our lab we are interested in understanding how macrophage phagocytosis decisions are made and the implications of phagocytosis on macrophage function. To study these processes, we leverage chemical biology tools, in particular mass spectrometry-based proteomics. In this seminar I will present two stories: In the first story, we discover a novel ‘don’t eat me’ ligand expressed by the pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, which signals through the established mammalian anti-phagocytic receptor SIRPa as a means by which to evade immune clearance. In the second story, we develop a novel chemical proteomics technique to understand how the macrophage cell surface protein repertoire changes during the process of cancer cell phagocytosis. This proteomic alteration negatively impacts macrophage phagocytosis and explains changes to macrophage function and metabolism in the tumor microenvironment. Taken together these projects highlight the power of chemical biology and mass spectrometry in the study of macrophage function and mechanism.

https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237068-to-eat-or-not-to-eat-leveraging-chemical-proteomics-f
The guardians of mitochondrial metabolism: SoLute Carrier SLC25 family transporters, April 17https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237070-the-guardians-of-mitochondrial-metabolism-solute

The Shen laboratory studies cellular metabolism through the characterization of human metabolic enzymes and transporters of unknown functions. The current focus of the lab lies in the study of mitochondrial metabolite transporter SLC25 family with the application of techniques ranging from biochemistry, cell biology, CRISPR, molecular evolution, and metabolomics. The Shen lab recently discovered the critical role of a previously “orphaned” transporter SLC25A39 in mitochondrial glutathione transport, and the dual regulatory mechanism for the SLC25A39 protein, by mitochondrial protein quality control and iron sensing, that coordinates mitochondrial glutathione and iron metabolism. The discovery sheds new light on the molecular mechanism of glutathione compartmentalization and its regulation, and offers new insights into human diseases related to glutathione and metabolic compartmentalization. At Yale, Hoy was awarded CZI Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Awards (’20, co-PI), Lois E and Franklin H. Top Jr. Yale Scholar Award (’21), Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Award in Neurosciences (’21-’24), 1907 Foundation Trailblazer Award in mental health (’22-’23) and Rita Allen Foundation Scholar (’23-’28).

https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237070-the-guardians-of-mitochondrial-metabolism-solute
The nutrient-sensing role of circadian clock in fat and muscle, April 24https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237069-the-nutrient-sensing-role-of-circadian-clock-in-fat-a

The circadian clock is entrained by metabolic cues and exerts pervasive temporal control in metabolic processes. The intricate interplay between circadian clock with nutrient signals orchestrates homeostasis. Our research focuses on deciphering the molecular and signaling pathways underlying tissue-intrinsic clocks circuits in driving metabolic tissue functional capacity. Recent studies uncovered the nutrient-sensing role of clock that governs metabolic substrate metabolism. Mechanistic interrogations of clock modulation of nutrient metabolism in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle will be discussed, together with our recent foray into targeting these mechanisms for disease applications.

https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237069-the-nutrient-sensing-role-of-circadian-clock-in-fat-a
NST Seminar with Ashley Webb, May 1https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237071-nst-seminar-with-ashley-webb

Seminar details TBA.

https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237071-nst-seminar-with-ashley-webb
NST Seminar with Alyssa Mathiowetz, May 8https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237072-nst-seminar-with-alyssa-mathiowetz

Seminar details TBA.

https://events.berkeley.edu/NST/event/237072-nst-seminar-with-alyssa-mathiowetz