Sprihaa Kolanukuduru
Program: Unspecified
Current advisor:
Undergraduate university: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Research summary
Mitochondria are highly heterogenous, dynamic, and multifaceted organelle, functioning to synthesize ATP, buffer excess calcium, integrate cell death and renewal pathways and more. In the context of complex, compartmentalized cells such as neurons, mitochondria are critical. To study mitochondria, researchers have previously utilized transgenic models to immunocapture these organelles. However, these techniques are especially limiting in the context of human neurodegeneration, where mouse models don’t recapitulate disease progression, and genetic manipulations cannot be performed. Excitingly, the Pagliarini Lab has identified a novel outer mitochondrial membrane protein specific to neurons and developed a tool utilizing this endogenous protein to capture neuronal mitochondria specifically. My rotation project was to contribute to the validation and application of this tool.
Graduate publications