Biochemistry of Stress Response Laboratory
Welcome to our lab !
The focus of our laboratory is to understand the mechanisms by which cells respond and adapt to different environmental stresses. We are particularly interested in understand how mitochondria participate in these stress signaling responses, what are the structural and functional consequences to this organelle, as well as the implications to cell physiology and survival.
Edvard Munch, The scream (1893)
Odra Noel,
Mitochondrial membranes II
Our long-term goal is to provide a better understanding of how mitochondria participate in cellular stress responses with a special focus on redox metabolism, by using biochemical, bioenergetics, especially high resolution respirometry, quantitative gene expression, fluorescence and electron microscopy, as the main tools.
We utilize several models to develop our projects, from vectors and parasites of neglected tropical diseases, to human cell lines, which are subjected to stress challenges by many distinct ways. The central line of research investigates the consequences of exposure to blood derived products, such as hemoglobin, heme and iron, to mitochondrial structure and physiology and how these changes are connected to cell survival. We know that blood feeding organisms have to deal with these components as natural products of blood digestion, but human cells are not quite adapted to this stress, especially the central nervous system cells. We also investigate how activation of innate immune response regulates energy and redox metabolism, particularly how these signals modulate mitochondrial structure and function.
