The Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (AIMRC) will host Dr. Brian Cunniff, an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, September 17, in BELL 2267. In this seminar, Dr. Cunniff will discuss how the subcellular positioning of mitochondria regulates gene-expression patterns.

Abstract: Mitochondrial positioning supports localized energy and signaling requirements. Miro1 is necessary for the attachment of mitochondria to microtubule motor proteins for trafficking. When Miro1 is deleted (Miro1-/-) from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), mitochondria become sequestered to the perinuclear space, disrupting subcellular signaling gradients. Miro1-/- MEFs grow slower, migrate slower, and have a cell cycle defect compared to Miro1+/+ and Miro1-/- MEFs stably re-expressing a Myc-Miro1 plasmid. Dr. Cuniff’s lab conducted the first-ever RNA sequencing experiment dependent upon Miro1 expression and found differentially expressed genes related to MAP Kinase signaling, cell proliferation, and migration. ERK1/2 phosphorylation is elevated both spatially and temporally following serum stimulation in Miro1-/- MEFs. Lastly, his team found the oxidation status of ERK1/2 is increased in Miro1-/- MEFs compared to Miro1+/+ and Myc-Miro1 MEFs. These results highlight transcriptional control based on Miro1 expression and demonstrate the dynamic regulation of ERK1/2 upon deletion of Miro1, which may support the observed cell cycle and proliferation defects.

Biography: Dr. Brian Cunniff is an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. He conducted his PhD work at the University of Vermont with Dr. Nicholas Heintz, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Utah with Dr. Janet Shaw, and Harvard Medical School with Dr. Tom Kirchhausen. He joined the University of Vermont in 2017. Dr. Cunniff directs an industry-funded research program that supported the development of a first-in-class redox-dependent therapy for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma, currently in phase 2 clinical trials. Dr. Cunniff’s lab is also supported by NIH funding to investigate the role of mitochondrial structure, function, and trafficking in dictating cell signaling related to cell proliferation and migration.

This event is supported by NIGMS of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM139768. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Please contact Kimberley Fuller, fullerk@uark.edu, for more information.

For those unable to attend in person, this seminar will also be available via Zoom.