Supervisor:
Dr. Greg Fairn
Program of Study:
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pathology
Project Title:
Targeting mitochondrial protein palmitoylation in cancer cells
Scholarships and/or Awards:
- Conference Travel Award, Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences 2023
- Internationalization of Science and the Arts, University of Rijeka 2021
- Rumble Research Development Award ($60,000), Wayne State University 2018-2019
- Conference Travel Award, Gordon Research Conference 2017
- Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, Wayne State University 2016
Lay Research Summary:
Mitochondria, “the powerhouse of the cell”, present a special opportunity in the treatment of aggressive cancers. Mitochondrial proteins produce cellular energy in the form of ATP, amino acids for protein synthesis, nucleic acids for DNA synthesis, and even the precursors for lipid synthesis, essentially everything required for cellular growth. Therefore, it is not surprising that enhanced mitochondrial activity is a hallmark of metastatic cancer cells. In my research, I found that many mitochondrial proteins are modified with fat molecules (palmitoylation). So far, this modification has been shown to inhibit the activity of these proteins. Interestingly, there is another protein in the mitochondria that can remove or erase this fat modification. When I inhibit this eraser using a drug, aggressive breast cancer cells die in a few days. I found out that inhibiting this eraser greatly decreases the activity of the mitochondria and their ability to generate energy. I’m interested in identifying the mitochondrial proteins with increased fat modifications as a result of inhibiting the eraser and therefore arrive at molecular targets for cancer treatment.
Career Aspirations:
I find pathways of energy metabolism fascinating. I enjoy learning about and researching mitochondrial metabolism. Because the mitochondria play an especially important role in cellular growth, they represent a great target for treating aggressive cancers. I would like to continue my foray into these topics to identify better targets for cancer treatments.
Location:
Dalhousie University
Publications:
Salsaa, M., K. Aziz, P. Lazcano, M.W. Schmidtke, M. Tarsio, M. Huttemann, C.A. Reynolds, P.M. Kane, and Greenberg, M.L. Valproate activates the Snf1 kinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by decreasing the cytosolic pH. 2021. The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 297 (4).
Salsaa, M., Pereira, B., Liu, J., Yu, W., Jadhav, S., Hüttemann, M., and Greenberg, M.L. Valproate inhibits mitochondrial bioenergetics and increases glycolysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 2020. Scientific Reports. 10 (1), 1-11
Raja, V.*, Salsaa, M.*, Joshi, A.S., Li, Y., van Roermund, C.W.T., Saadat, N., Lazcano, P., Schmidtke, M., Hüttemann, M., Gupta, S.V., Wanders, R.J.A., and Greenberg, M.L. Cardiolipin-deficient cells depend on anaplerotic pathways to ameliorate defective TCA cycle function. 2019. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids. 1864:654-661. (* equal contribution)