ELLEN ABRAMSON
Graduate Student - PhD Candidate
Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology
Email: eabramson@mail.utexas.edu

Emerging evidence implicates reactive oxygen species (ROS) as important mediators of signal transduction cascades involved in determination of cell fates ranging from apoptosis to differentiation.  One barrier towards understanding the functional roles of oxidants is the identification of specific protein targets of oxidation in vivo.  My project deals with the orphan nuclear receptor NGFI-B, a steroid/thyroid hormone superfamily transcription factor critical for skeletal muscle development and physiology, and a regulator of apoptosis in cancer cells.   I recently discovered that NGFI-B also regulates mitochondrial membrane potential in a manner apparently independent from its roles as a transcription factor. 

Education:
B.S. Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX

Publications:

Matthew Pfeiffer, Ernst-Bernhard Kayser, Xianmei Yang, Ellen Abramson, Monte A. Kenaston, Cory U Lago, Herng-Hsiang Lo, Margaret Sedensky, Adam Lunceford, Catherine Clark, Sarah Wu, Christopher McLeod, Toren Finkel, Philip Morgan, and Edward M Mills. Caenorhabditis elegans UCP4 controls complex II-mediated oxidative phosphorylation through succinate transport (2011) J. Biol. Chem. (Under Review, June 2011).

E Abramson; S Nowinski; K Hirasaka; Y Katagiri; G Guroff; Edward M Mills. Redox regulation of the orphan nuclear hormone receptor NGFI-B by thioredoxin 1 (2011) PLoS ONE (Under Review, June 2011).

Kenaston MA, Abramson E, Pfeiffer ME, Mills EM (2009) Chapter 70: Toxicology of Skeletal Muscle General and Applied Toxicology 3rd Ed. Wiley, ISBN#978-470-72327-2

Mills EM, Weaver KL, Abramson E, Pfeiffer M, Sprague JE (2008) Influence of dietary fats on ecstasy-induced hyperthermia Brit J Pharmacol 151: 1103-1108

SARA NOWINSKI
Graduate Student, Ph.D. Candidate
College of Pharmacy
Email: sholdwick@mail.utexas.edu

Malignant cells display whole scale bioenergetic changes compared to normal cells that are typified by increased glycolysis and decreased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation / respiration.  Recent evidence suggests that this phenotype promotes the use of mitochondria as biosynthetic machines for cancer cell growth.  To better understand the relationships between changes in mitochondrial metabolism and carcinogenesis, our lab generated hemizygous mice expressing a skin-targeted uncoupling protein 3 construct that show increased cutaneous respiration and potent cancer resistance.  My project is focused on the mechanisms by which UCP3 antagonizes skin cancer development.

Education:
B.A. Biology (minor Biochemistry), Carleton College, Northfield, MN

Publications:

E Abramson; S Nowinski; K Hirasaka; Y Katagiri; G Guroff; Edward M Mills. Redox regulation of the orphan nuclear hormone receptor NGFI-B by thioredoxin 1 (2011) PLoS ONE (Under Review, June 2011).

M. Alexander Kenaston, Katsuya Hirasaka, Kristin Fathe, Sara M Nowinski, Matthew E Pfeiffer, Xianmei Yang, Takeshi Nikawa, and Edward M Mills. IDENTIFICATION OF THE FATTY ACID-SENSITIVE INTERACTION OF MITOCHONDRIAL UNCOUPLING PROTEIN 3 AND Δ3,5Δ2,4 DIENOYL-COA ISOMERASE IN SKELETAL MUSCLE (2011) Diabetes (in final revision, June 2011).

Cory U. Lago, Sara M. Nowinski, Joyce E. Rundhaug, Matthew E. Pfeiffer, Katsuya Hirasaka, M. Alexander Kenaston, Xianmei Yang, Ellen M. Abramson, Shawn B. Bratton, Renata Colavitti, Takeshi Nikawa, Carol Trempus, Susan M. Fischer, and Edward M. Mills. Mitochondrial respiratory uncoupling blocks skin carcinogenesis. J. Biol. Chem. (In final revision, June 2011).

Hirasaka K, Lago CU, Kenaston MA, Fathe K, Nowinski SM, Nikawa T, Mills EM. Identification of a redox-modulatory interaction between uncoupling protein 3 and thioredoxin 2 in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. (2011) Antioxid Redox Signal, [Epub ahead of print]

CHRISTINE DAO
Graduate Student
College of Pharmacy
Email: kylinhdao@gmail.com

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are involved in the cellular response to noxious stimuli such as toxicity, oxidative stress, hyperthermia and inflammation.  A recently characterized mitochondrial HSP named cvHSP is expressed most highly in the heart, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissues.  My project focuses on exploring the physiological role of HSP with specific emphasis on protein-protein interactions with mitochondrial proteins and its effects on mitochondrial metabolism.

Education:
B.S. Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX

Publication:
M. Alexander Kenaston, Katsuya Hirasaka, Kristin Fathe, Sara M Nowinski, Matthew E Pfeiffer, Xianmei Yang, Takeshi Nikawa, and Edward M Mills. IDENTIFICATION OF THE FATTY ACID-SENSITIVE INTERACTION OF MITOCHONDRIAL UNCOUPLING PROTEIN 3 AND Δ3,5Δ2,4 DIENOYL-COA ISOMERASE IN SKELETAL MUSCLE (2011) Diabetes (in final revision, June 2011).