Education

  • PhD, Case Western Reserve University, OH, 2005, Molecular Biology & Microbiology
  • MS, Case Western Reserve University, OH, 1999, Biochemistry
  • BS, Seoul Women's University, Korea, 1995, Chemistry

Research Interests

Dr. Ji Suk Chang’s research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which brown adipose tissue (BAT) regulates its thermogenic function and mitochondrial fuel utilization in response to various stimuli, including environmental temperature fluctuations and dietary changes. BAT is a specialized fat depot that functions as a metabolic sink, efficiently absorbing circulating lipids, glucose, and amino acids, and converting nutrient-derived energy into heat.

Using a combination of in vitro molecular biology and biochemical techniques, cultured brown adipocytes, and genetically engineered mouse models, her team has made several significant contributions:

  • Transcriptional regulation of mitochondrial respiratory complexes by NT-PGC-1α: Dr. Chang and her team were the first to demonstrate the functional significance of NT-PGC-1α, a novel splice variant of the PGC-1α transcriptional coactivator. Their findings have advanced the understanding of how both PGC-1α and NT-PGC-1α regulate the mitochondrial electron transport chain biogenesis in BAT in response to cold exposure.

  • Metabolic coordination of glucose and fatty acid metabolism by the malate-aspartate shuttle: Dr. Chang and her team identified GOT1 as a novel transcriptional target of PGC-1α and NT-PGC-1α, elucidating its role in coordinating cytosolic glycolysis and mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation through activation of the malate-aspartate shuttle.

  • Novel signal transduction pathways: Dr. Chang and her team uncovered SGK1- and SGK2-mediated signaling pathways that enhance cold-induced β-adrenergic receptor activation, revealing new layers of thermogenic regulation.

  • Developmental regulation of fetal BAT: Her work has shed light on the mechanisms of maternal-fetal crosstalk that influences fetal BAT development, contributing to the broader understanding of developmental regulation of fetal BATthermogenesis.

Additionally, she and her team are extending their investigation of NT-PGC-1α to the liver, aiming to elucidate its role in normal hepatic metabolism and its implications in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

Department: Gene Regulation and Metabolism Lab

Selected Publications

  1. Park CH, Park M, Kelly ME, Cheng H, Lee SR, Jang C, Chang JS. (2025). Cold-inducible GOT1 activates the malate-aspartate shuttle in brown adipose tissue to support fuel preference for fatty acids.  Cell Reports. 2025. 44(7):115888. PMCID: PMC12294511 
  2. Park CH, Park M, Chang JS. (2025). The β-adrenergic receptor-SGK1 signaling pathway in brown adipocytes protects GOT1 from proteasomal degradation.  Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. 13:1637770. PMCID: PMC12307365
  3. Chang JS. (2023). Recent insights into the molecular mechanisms of simultaneous fatty acid oxidation and synthesis in brown adipocytes. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2023.1106544. PMCID: PMC9989468   
  4. Park CH, Moon J, Park M, Cheng H, Lee J, Chang JS. (2021). Protein kinase SGK2 is induced by the β3 adrenergic receptor-cAMP-PKA-PGC-1α/NT-PGC-1α axis but dispensable for brown/beige adipose tissue thermogenesis. Frontiers in Physiology. 2021.780312. PMCID: PMC8657153
  5. Ghosh S, Park CH, Lee J, Lee N, Zhang R, Huesing C, Reijnders D, Sones J, Muenzberg H, Redman L, Chang JS. (2021). Maternal cold exposure induces distinct transcriptome changes in the placenta and fetal brown adipose tissue.  BMC Genomics. 22(1): 500. PMCID: PMC8254942.
  6. Münzberg H, Floyd ZE, Chang JS. (2021). Sympathetic innervation of white adipose tissue: to beige or not to beige?  Physiology. 36(4):246-255. PMCID: PMC8424562.
  7. Kim J, Moon J, Park CH, Lee J, Cheng H, Floyd ZE, Chang JS. (2021). NT-PGC-1α deficiency attenuates high-fat diet-induced obesity by modulating food intake, fecal fat excretion and intestinal fat absorption.  Scientific Reports. 11:1323. PMCID: PMC7809341.
  8. Kim J, Park MS, Ha K, Park CH, Lee J, Mynatt RL, Chang JS. (2018). NT-PGC-1α deficiency decreases mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in brown adipose tissue and alters substrate utilization in vivo. Journal of Lipid Research. 59(9):1660-1670. PMCID: PMC6121938.
  9. Chang JS*, Ghosh S, Newman S, Salbaum JM. (2018). A map of the PGC-1α- and NT-PGC-1α-regulated transcriptional network in brown adipose tissue.  Scientific Reports. 8:7876. PMCID: PMC5959870. * Corresponding/Senior author
  10. Chang JS*, Ha K. (2017). An unexpected role for the transcriptional coactivator isoform NT-PGC-1α in the regulation of mitochondrial respiration in brown adipocytes.  Journal of Biological Chemistry. 292(24):9958-9966. PMCID: PMC5473247. * Corresponding/Senior author
  11. Kim J, Fernand VE, Henagan TM, Shin J, Huypens P, Newman S, Gettys TW, Chang JS. (2016). Regulation of brown and white adipocyte transcriptome by the transcriptional coactivator NT-PGC-1α.  PLoS One. 11(7):e0159990. PMCID: PMC4959749
  12. Jun HJ, Joshi Y, Patil Y, Noland RC, Chang JS. (2014). NT-PGC-1α activation attenuates high-fat diet-induced obesity by enhancing brown fat thermogenesis and adipose tissue oxidative metabolism. Diabetes. 63(11):3615-3625. PMCID: PMC4207386

NCBI Bibliography