Vishal M. Gohil, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biopysics at Texas A&M University, will present the seminar “Discovering novel regulators of mitochondrial bioenergetics by integrative genomics” on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 4:00 PM in N172 Beadle.

The mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) consists of four large protein complexes that carry out redox reactions producing cellular energy in the form of ATP. Despite the fundamental role of the MRC in energy production many factors required for its formation and regulation are currently unknown. To discover novel regulators of MRC biogenesis, we have developed an integrative genomic strategy based on clues from evolutionary history, subcellular protein localization and human genetics. We have applied this strategy to identify an evolutionarily conserved role of a previously uncharacterized mitochondrial protein, COA6, in the assembly of MRC complex IV. Follow-up genetic, biochemical and physiological studies in yeast, zebrafish and human cells established the role of COA6 in mitochondrial bioenergetics, copper metabolism, heart development and human mitochondrial disease. Our approach underscores the power of an integrative strategy to discover novel regulators of mitochondrial bioenergetics.