Porter Room B213B
Our research focusses on mitochondria, cellular energetics, reactive oxygen species and their roles in physiology, disease, and aging. We have approached each by using the tools of biochemistry, biophysics, and genetics. Most recently we have examined how mitochondria function as intracellular sensors that allow cells to adapt to hypoxia. We have found that mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase produces nitric oxide when cells experience hypoxia and that this nitric oxide can alter the expression of nuclear genes, including genes regulated by mammalian HIF1-a, an important regulator of cell growth and metabolism in mammalian cells. We have also found that mitochondrial nitric oxide synthesis is stimulated by near infrared light and likely is instrumental in phototherapy and photo-biomodulation. The superoxide and nitric oxide produced by mitochondria can interact to form peroxynitrite. Nitric oxide, superoxide, and peroxynitrite are highly reactive free radicals and function as intracellular signaling molecules. These signaling molecules and the mitochondria that produce them are near the causal epicenter of aging, longevity, and many age-related diseases.