Physiology of Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake

One of the primary focus areas in the lab is the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial calcium uptake specifically via Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter (MCU). MCU is macromolecular channel complex composed of a pore-forming MCU subunit, an essential MCU subunit called EMRE and several EF-hands domain containing MICU1–3 subunits.

We aim to answer the following questions:

• How does this ion channel operate?
• What is the exact function of each accessory subunit?
• What is the physiological role of MCU?
• How does alteration of mitochondrial calcium lead to human disease?

Mitochondrial Abnormalities and Organismal Physiology

We are interested in how organisms adapt to defects in mitochondrial functions like inborn errors in metabolism, bioenergetics, and defects in membrane excitability.

A deeper understanding of these abnormalities and associated organismal adaptations will reveal fundamental signal transduction mechanisms that can be exploited for targeted therapeutics.