UCLA Mitochondrial Metabolism and Bioenergetics Laboratory

Welcome to the Mitochondrial Metabolism and Bioenergetics Laboratory! Our group studies how energy metabolism and metabolic flexibility – the ability to switch between sugar, amino acid, and fatty acid oxidation in response to biological cues – can control cell function and fate. Ultimately, we aim to discover novel regulatory points of metabolism and develop mitochondrial proteins and pathways as therapeutic drug targets.

Research

Mitochondrial remodeling during macrophage activation

How metabolic flexibility can control cell physiology

Assay development and experimental guides

Recent Publications

Hazim RA, Paniagua AE, Tang L, Yang Y, Kim KKO, Stiles L, Divakaruni AS, Williams DS. (2022) Vitamin B3, nicotinamide, enhances mitochondrial metabolism to promote differentiation of the retinal pigment epithelium. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 298(9): 102286

Divakaruni AS, Jastroch M. (2022) A practical guide for the analysis, standardization and interpretation of oxygen consumption measurements. Nature Metabolism. 4, 978-994

Meriwether D, Jones AE, Ashby JW, Solorzano-Vargas RS, Dorreh N, Noori S, Grijalva V, Ball AB, Semis M, Divakaruni AS, Mack JJ, Herschman HR, Martin MG, Fogelman AM, Reddy ST (2022) Macrophage COX2 mediates efferocytosis, resolution reprogramming, and intestinal epithelial repair. Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 13(4): 1095-1120. 35017061

Lab News

Krista is Leaving for Medical School!

July, 2021

Though we are very sad to see her go, we are happy to announce that Krista, lab manager extraordinaire and overall great human being, will be starting medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Best of luck, Krista!

Anthony Continues to Rake it Up!