Organisms react to metabolic distress caused by mismatches in oxygen and energy status via distinct behavioral responses. At the molecular level, these responses are coordinated by under-characterized, redox-sensitive processes, thought to initiate in mitochondria. We use a combination of optogenetics and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to exert spatiotemporal control over mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and study hypoxic responses. Mitochondrial complex I of the electron transport chain is a major site of ROS production and is canonically associated with oxidative damage following hypoxic exposure. We found that mitochondrial complex I senses hypoxia and induces avoidance behaviors through a mitochondrial redox switch that, when activated, allows animals to sense conditions of low environmental oxygen.
About the Speaker: Andrew Wojtovich is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He received his B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and M.A. in Biotechnology from Boston University. He completed his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at the University of Rochester. After finishing postdoctoral work at the University of Rochester, he joined the Department of Anesthesiology. His research uses optogenetics to study the role of site-specific ROS production in mitochondrial physiology and hypoxic stress signaling.
Thursday, April 13, 2023, 12:00-1:15 pm Eastern
Levine Science Research Center A Room 247 (LSRC A 247) (308 Research Dr, Durham, NC)
Masks are optional for in-person attendees. Please stay home if you aren’t feeling well and join us via livestream instead (see below).