Abstract 2014 Genetic dissection of mitochondrial stress

Throughout life, cellular homeostasis is balanced on an edge and the organelle tied to aging and age-related disease like no other is the mitochondrion. Human mitochondria continuously experience diverse types of stress yet, surprisingly, do not themselves encode any (known) stress response factors. Instead, they rely on communication with the host cell to sense, signal, and survive perilous conditions. My lab is interested in understanding the quality control networks and stress response pathways that enable this essential organelle to fulfill its multifaceted cellular tasks, even as organisms age and deteriorate.