The Greenberg lab has joined the Twitter universe! As part of an ongoing website overhaul, we will be transitioning our “News & Events” updates exclusively to our Greenberg lab Twitter feed, which will be viewable as an embedded sidebar on our website homepage!
Mahmoud Suliman successfully defends his dissertation entitled, “Inositol is a major regulator of lipid metabolism and stress signaling in mammalian cells”! Mahmoud’s work has generated a variety of useful tools and data that will facilitate future projects, including the development of a new inositol auxotrophic human cell line, a unique inositol-free mammalian cell culture system, and lipidomic and RNA-seq datasets to probe the widespread effects of inositol starvation! Congratulations Dr. Suliman!!
7-25-2022:
Publication Alert: Research article entitled, “Phosphatidic acid inhibits inositol synthesis by inducing nuclear translocation of kinase IP6K1 and repression of myo-inositol-3-P synthase” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Biological Chemistry!
7-18-2022:
Lab lunch at Seva Detroit!
7-11-2022:
Publication Alert: Research article entitled, “Isoforms of the transcriptional cofactor SIN3 differentially regulate genes necessary for energy metabolism and cell survival” is accepted for publication in BBA – Molecular Cell Research! This article is the result of a collaboration with our WSU colleague Dr. Lori A. Pile.
5-4-2022:
Publication Alert: Perspective article entitled, “Current knowledge on the role of cardiolipin remodeling in the context of lipid oxidation and Barth syndrome” is accepted for publication in Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences!
4-26-2022:
PhD Student Tyler Ralph-Epps is elected as a CBI Scholar and awarded a prestigious pre-doctoral fellowship from the Wayne State Chemistry Biology Interface program! Congratulations Tyler!
4-19-2022:
Lab outing at the Fōwling Warehouse in Hamtramck to celebrate work study student Kristin McCormick‘s last day before heading off to start a PhD program in Material Science Engineering at Texas A&M University! Kristin has been an integral part of our lab operations since 2018, helping with everything from running experiments to prepping reagents and ordering supplies. You will be greatly missed Kristin – we wish you all the best with your graduate studies!
4-18-2022:
Publication Alert: Commentary article entitled, “The paradoxical role of inositol in cancer: a consequence of the metabolic state of a tumor” is accepted for publication in Cancer Metastasis Reviews!
3-31-2022:
Lunch at ima in Midtown to celebrate Linh and Chisom’s birthdays!
2-23-2022:
Publication Alert: Research article entitled, “Inositol depletion regulates phospholipid metabolism and activates stress signaling in HEK293T cells” is accepted for publication in BBA – Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids!
12-9-2021:
Publication Alert: Research article entitled, “NAD supplementation improves mitochondrial performance of cardiolipin mutants” is accepted for publication in BBA – Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids!
10-6-2021:
Publication Alert: Review article entitled, “Cardiolipin function in the yeast S. cerevisiae and the lessons learned for Barth syndrome” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease!
10-4-2021:
Publication Alert: Review article entitled, “Studying Lipid-Related Pathophysiology using the Yeast Model” is accepted for publication in Frontiers in Physiology – Lipid and Fatty Acid Research!
9-25-2021:
Lab members and alumni celebrate the graduation of Dr. Jiajia Ji (from October 2020) and bid her farewell as she moves on to a new position as an R&D scientist at Cayman Chemical in Ann Arbor, MI! We will miss you Jiajia!
Credit to Shatila Bakery in Dearborn, MI for this beautiful cake!
9-17-2021:
The Greenberg lab welcomes its newest post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Nevton T. da Rosa Junior! Nevton comes to us from Brazil, where he studied kinesiology and metabolic disease. These interests have led him into the field of cardiolipin and Barth syndrome research. Outside of research, Nevton has many diverse interests that you can read about here. Welcome to the lab Nevton!
8-20-2021:
Publication alert: Research article entitled, “Valproate activates the Snf1 kinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by decreasing the cytosolic pH” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Biological Chemistry!
8-19-2021:
PhD candidate Mahmoud Suliman receives an Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award from the Department of Biological Sciences! Among his many achievements in the past year, Mahmoud has developed a novel inositol bioassay technique and published two first author papers (see below). Congratulations Mahmoud!
8-9-2021:
Publication Alert: Research article entitled, “A myo-inositol bioassay utilizing an auxotrophic strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Microbiological Methods!
AND
Review article entitled, “The role of the UPR pathway in the pathophysiology and treatment of bipolar disorder” is accepted for publication in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience!
7-8-2021:
The lab celebrates a decline in Covid-19 cases and restrictions with a “Return-to-the-Lab” lunch at Motor City Brewing Works!
5-21-2021:
Dr. Greenberg is interviewed as part of the Avanti Polar Lipids ‘Conversations with Lipid Leaders‘ series! Check out the article here!
3-24-2021:
PhD student Abu Ramim passes his written qualifying exam! Congratulations Ramim!
3-19-2021:
The Barth Syndrome Foundation announces funding for their 2021 grant cycle, including a project entitled, “Activating Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex to Improve Barth Syndrome Cardiac Function“. Dr. Greenberg is a co-PI on this project and much of the preliminary data was generated by PhD candidate Linh Vo! This project will provide exciting insights into a potential new drug treatment for Barth syndrome!
3-14-2021:
Alumni News: Lab Alumnus Dr. Wenjia Lou accepts a new position as a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Steven Claypoolat Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine!Congratulations Dr. Lou!
1-7-2021:
Lab manager Mike Schmidtke is presented with a lab manager award from the company Kerafast! As part of the award, Mike received a $1,000 gift card and the lab was presented with a $250 gift card. Check out Mike’s interview here!
1-5-2021:
Current and former Greenberg lab members from around the world join together on Zoom to celebrate Dr. Greenberg’s birthday!
11-24-2020:
The Greenberg Lab welcomes its newest member, PhD student Chisom Joshua Onu! Chisom is originally from Nigeria but has also spent time living in Japan where he obtained his master’s degree. You can read more about Chisom’s background and research here. Welcome to the lab Chisom!
11-11-2020:
Dr. Greenberg’s latest NIH grant is featured in a Wayne State news release! Click here to read the full article.
10-27-2020:
Jiajia Ji publicly defends her PhD, presenting a seminar entitled, “NAD Metabolism: the Key to Unlock the Complexities of Metabolic Abnormalities Resulting from Cardiolipin Deficiency”! Congratulations Dr. Ji and thank you to all those who virtually attended this event, including Dr. Peter Barth, Dr. Ronald Wanders, Dr. Richard Kelley, and others from the Barth Syndrome research community!
9-4-2020:
PhD candidate Zhuqing Liang is presented with the Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award from the Wayne State Biological Sciences Department! This award is given annually to one graduate student in the department who has been recognized by faculty for their exceptional research progress and dedication. Zhuqing has continued to push herself to new levels over the past year, passing both her written and oral qualifying exams, becoming a contributing author on a recent lab publication, and being selected for a prestigious American Heart Association predoctoral fellowship! Congratulations Zhuqing!
9-3-2020:
Graduate students Linh Vo and Zhuqing Liang both pass their oral qualifying exams to officially become PhD candidates! Congratulations Linh and Zhuqing!
9-2-2020:
The Greenberg Lab is awarded R01 funding from the National Institutes of Health for a new project entitled, “Controlling monolysocardiolipin/cytochrome c peroxidase complexes in Barth syndrome“! This is a collaborative project with Dr. Valerian Kagan of the University of Pittsburgh, aiming to better understand the relationship between cardiolipin remodeling and oxidative damage in the context of the rare genetic disorder Barth syndrome. Learn more about this grant here.
7-6-2020:
Publication Alert: Research article entitled, “Cardiolipin-deficient cells have decreased levels of the iron-sulfur biogenesis protein frataxin” is accepted for publication in The Journal of Biological Chemistry!
6-17-2020:
Publication Alert: Research article entitled, “Valproate inhibits mitochondrial bioenergetics and increases glycolysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae” is accepted for publication in Scientific Reports!
6-1-2020:
PhD candidate Kendall Case is awarded a predoctoral fellowship through the Detroit Cardiovascular Training Program (DCTP) at Wayne State! The DCTP is a highly competitive, NIH-funded program that provides support for accomplished graduate students conducting cardiovascular research across the Wayne State campus. In addition to research, the program also aims to stimulate economic growth through fostering innovative translational approaches to treating cardiovascular disease. Kendall’s meticulous nature and persistence in pursuing his current project, which seeks to uncover the regulatory mechanism(s) governing activity of the inositol biosynthetic enzyme MIPS, make him an ideal recipient of this fellowship. Congratulations Kendall!
5-16-2020:
Alumni News: Lab alumnus Dr. Amit Joshi accepts a new position as an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biologyat the University of Tennessee – Knoxville! Dr. Joshi’s new laboratory will officially open in January 2021, where research will focus on understanding organelle biogenesis at specialized subdomains of the endoplasmic reticulum.
4-23-2020:
PhD candidate Mahmoud Suliman is awarded the Wayne State University Thomas C. Rumble Fellowship for the 2020-2021 academic year! This fellowship, awarded to upper-level PhD students, provides stipend support for a full academic year to candidates with a strong research background that are looking to further develop their professional skills. Congratulations Mahmoud!
3-27-2020:
Alumni News: Greenberg lab alumni are conducting innovative, life-saving research throughout the world! Dr. Vishal Gohil (Associate Professor, Texas A&M University) was recently awarded $50,000 in funding from the Barth Syndrome Foundation to investigate the role of cardiolipin maturation (which is defective in Barth syndrome patients) in mitochondrial calcium import and subsequent energy production. This project seeks to identify a molecular mechanism linking the hallmark of Barth syndrome (deficient cardiolipin remodeling) to mitochondrial energy production through calcium homeostasis. Understanding the basis for these cellular effects may identify new strategies for treating Barth patients that struggle with severe exercise intolerance and muscle weakness. Learn more about Dr. Gohil’s research here.
2-14-2020:
The Greenberg Lab’s latest research grant is featured on Today@Wayne! Read the article here.
1-8-2020:
The lab is awarded funding from the National Institutes of Health for Dr. Greenberg’s R01 grant proposal entitled, “The Role of Cardiolipin in the TCA Cycle: Implications for Barth Syndrome“! This is a four year grant through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that extends until the end of the 2023 calendar year. Read more about the project proposal here.
12-18-2019:
HappyHolidays from the Greenberg Lab! The team celebrates a productive lab retreat and an abundantly successful year of research with a Moroccan dinner at Saffron De Twah in Detroit!
12-4-2019:
PhD student Zhuqing Liang is awarded a predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association for her research project titled “Frataxin deficiency in cardiolipin-deficient cells leads to defective Fe-S biogenesis”! Zhuqing’s proposal received an outstanding percentile ranking of 0.12%!
11-22-2019:
2019 Pre-Thanksgiving Lab Get-Together
11-14-2019:
Mahmoud Suliman is awarded the WSU Eugene V. Perrin Fellowship in Science and Peace. This fellowship is granted annually to a graduate or medical student in the sciences whose research pertains to problem solving on issues of health, the environment, human welfare, or peace. In his application, Mahmoud outlined his vision of how science can be a powerful tool for building bridges and promoting peace among nations. Congratulations Mahmoud!
10-23-2019:
PhD candidate Mahmoud Suliman is selected to receive the Stanley Ellis PhD Endowed Memorial Graduate Research Award! This award is granted to Wayne State PhD trainees in the final years of their research as supplemental funding for attending conferences in their discipline.
10-18-2019:
PhD candidate Kendall Case delivers a talk at the 2019 WSU Chemistry Biology Interface Research Symposium. Kendall’s talk, entitled “A unifying hypothesis for mood stabilization”, outlines a connection between two competing theories to explain the mechanism of action for drugs used to treat bipolar disorder; the inositol depletion hypothesis and the GSK3 inhibition hypothesis.
10-16-2019:
Undergraduate student Kerestin Aziz is awarded funding from the Wayne State Office of the Provost for her Undergraduate Research Project proposal entitled, “Valproate mediates its therapeutic effect in bipolar disorder through activation of AMPK in neural cells”. Kerestin was one of only three undergraduate students from the Biological Sciences Department to be selected for this prestigious award! Since joining the lab in fall of 2018, Kerestin has become an integral contributor on multiple projects.
The lab hosts patients and families from around the midwest for the first ever Wayne State Barth Syndrome Outreach Day! During this event, families had the opportunity to see firsthand how Barth research is done in the lab, including measurements of protein levels, mitochondrial oxygen consumption, and cell viability. Wayne State is unique in having three different labs, including those of Dr. Christian Reynolds and Dr. R.J. Wessells, using three different model systems to study this disorder.
Be sure to check out our photos page for more pictures from this event!
8-7-2019:
Michael Salsaa defends his PhD dissertation entitled, “Perturbation of energy metabolism at the center of the mechanism of action of valproate”! Congratulations Dr. Salsaa!
7-16-2019:
Graduate student Mahmoud Suliman passes his prospectus defense to become a PhD candidate!
6-15-2019:
The Greenberg lab celebrates summer with family, friends, and alumni at our annual summer party!
6-11-2019:
Publication Alert: Research article entitled, “Cardiolipin-induced activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase links mitochondrial lipid biosynthesis to TCA cycle function” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Biological Chemistry!
The Greenberg lab participates in the 6th annual Lipids@Wayne symposium – “Focus on the Future”.
PhD candidate Michael Salsaa was selected to give an oral presentation on his research titled “Cardiolipin-deficient cells depend on anaplerotic pathways to ameliorate defective TCA cycle function”!
PhD candidate Jiajia Ji was awarded first place for her poster titled “Cardiolipin-deficient cells require NAD generated by fermentation”!
3-6-2019:
The lab is awarded funding from the Barth Syndrome Foundation for the 2018 grant cycle for a project entitled “Supplementation of critical metabolites improves TCA cycle function and viability of tafazzin-deficient cells”. Learn more about this project by clicking the image below!
2-5-2019:
Publication Alert: The Greenberg lab celebrates its first journal publication of 2019 entitled, “Cardiolipin-deficient cells depend on anaplerotic pathways to ameliorate defective TCA cycle function”.
1-5-2019:
Publication Alert: Review chapter entitled, “Regulation of Inositol Biosynthesis: Balancing Health and Pathophysiology” is accepted for publication in the Springer Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology! Congratulations to co-first authors Kendall Case, Michael Salsaa, and Dr. Wenxi Yu!
