Regulation of inter-organelle communication

Membrane contacts are now widely recognized as the primary means to communicate and transfer material across distinct organelles, ensuring proper coordination of compartmentalized biochemical activities in response to local and cellular metabolic states. Dysfunction of inter-organelle communication networks impairs cellular fitness and organismal health and is heavily manifested in a wide range of human disease phenotypes. Earlier, we established a key role for ER-lysosome contacts in mTORC1 activation by cholesterol, linking the function of inter-organelle communication to regulating growth signaling for the first time. Building on this recent discovery, my laboratory focuses on inter-organelle contacts' signaling and metabolic regulation. We aim to identify new biological processes that require the functional inputs of membrane contacts and elucidate their underlying molecular mechanisms.

Moreover, we will investigate how alterations in contact-dependent cellular events could contribute to disease development. We will accomplish these goals with a multi-disciplinary approach that applies the tools of biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, organism models, and multi-omics analysis. The resulting discoveries will advance our understanding of the physiology of inter–organelle communication in both normal and disease states and help identify new strategies to target the metabolic vulnerabilities in human pathologies.