Gene Regulation and Metabolism Laboratory
Faculty
Ji Suk Chang, PhD
Research Focus
The primary research focus of this laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which brown adipose tissue, or BAT, and the liver adapt to various stimuli, such as cold temperature, high-fat diet, and nutrient-deprivation, in normal and pathophysiological conditions.
About this Lab
Brown adipocytes located in BAT are a distinct type of fat cell that dissipates energy as heat. When activated by cold stress, brown adipocytes take up large amounts of lipids and glucose from the blood and dissipates nutrient-derived energy in the form of heat via UCP1-mediated thermogenesis. Lab members have identified a splice variant of PGC-1alpha transcriptional coactivator – termed NT-PGC-1alpha – and elucidated its unique role in mitochondrial thermogenesis and fuel selection through the transcriptional activation of mitochondrially encoded respiratory genes in response to cold.
The lab has also identified a set of target genes regulated by NT-PGC-1alpha in BAT and are studying their role in mitochondrial fuel utilization during cold adaptation. In additional projects, members are investigating the metabolic pathways regulated by NT-PGC-1alpha in the liver and their relevance in normal physiology, as well as in obesity induced by a high-fat diet.
