Center for Metabolomic Studies Seminar Series Featuring Navdeep S. Chandel, PhD
Presentation: “Mitochondria Control of Physiology and Disease”
Speaker: Navdeep S. Chandel, PhD
David W. Cugell Professor
Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care) and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Northwestern University (Feinberg School of Medicine)
Abstract:
The major function of mitochondria in cellular homeostasis has been the generation of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. However, we have previously demonstrated that mitochondria can serve as signaling organelles by releasing low levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are essential for hypoxic activation of HIF, antigen activation of T cells, cellular differentiation and proliferation of cancer cells. Our recent findings indicate that mitochondria also release TCA cycle metabolites that are necessary for chromatin and DNA modifications to control stem cell and immune cell function. We will present our current findings on how mitochondria affect cellular function beyond ATP production metabolites in physiology and diseases including cancer and development.