Michael Wolfgang
855 N. Wolfe Street
475 Rangos
Baltimore MD 21205
The research in the Wolfgang laboratory utilizes biochemistry and molecular genetics to understand the molecular mechanisms used to sense and respond to nutritional/metabolic cues under various physiological and pathophysiological circumstances. They are particularly interested in deciphering the roles of unexplored metabolic enzymes/pathways and determining novel roles of canonical metabolic pathways in cells and tissues that have been largely ignored by the metabolic community. This includes cells in the nervous system and immune system as well as more classical metabolic models such as adipocytes and hepatocytes. Similar to the genomic landscape, there is an incredible amount of chemical metabolic space in cells that is critically important from a basic and clinical science standpoint that has been largely ignored. The Wolfgang laboratory is trying to fill this large void. To accomplish this they make heavy use of molecular biology and genetics to understand enzyme and metabolite biochemistry in vivo. The Wolfgang laboratory has also developed genetically-encoded sensors and chemical-genetic tools to overcome the technical obstacles facing the field of metabolic biochemistry
Bowman CE, Selen Alpergin ES, Cavagnini K, Smith DM, Scafidi S, Wolfgang MJ. “Maternal lipid metabolism directs fetal liver programming following nutrient stress.” Cell Reports 2019; 29:1299-1310
Lee J, Choi J, Selen Alpergin ES, Zhao L, Hartung T, Scafidi S, Riddle RC, Wolfgang MJ. “Loss of hepatic mitochondrial long chain fatty acid oxidation confers resistance to diet-induced obesity and glucose intolerance.” Cell Reports 2017; 20:655-667
Bowman CE, Rodriguez S,Selen-Alpergin E, Acoba MG, Zhao L, Hartung T, Claypool SM, Watkins PA, Wolfgang MJ. “The mammalian malonyl-CoA synthetase ACSF3 is required for mitochondrial protein malonylation and metabolic efficiency.” Cell Chemical Biology 2017; 24:673-684
Lee J, Choi J, Scafidi S, Wolfgang MJ. “Hepatic fatty acid oxidation restrains systemic catabolism during starvation.” Cell Reports 2016: 16: 201-212.
Bowman CE, Zhao L, Hartung T, Wolfgang MJ. “Requirement for the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier in mammalian development revealed by a hypomorphic allelic series.” Mol Cell Biol 2016; 36(15):2089-2104.
Lee J, Choi J, Aja S, Scafidi S, Wolfgang MJ. “Loss of adipose fatty acid oxidation does not potentiate obesity at thermoneutrality.” Cell Reports 2016; 14:1308-1316.
Nomura M, Liu J, Rovira IL, Gonzalez-Hurtado E, Lee J, Wolfgang MJ*, Finkel T.* “The role of fatty acid oxidation in macrophage polarization.” Nature Immunology 2016; 17(3): 216-217. (*Co-corresponding authors)
Lee J, Ellis JM, Wolfgang MJ. “Adipose fatty acid oxidation is required for thermogenesis and potentiates oxidative stress induced inflammation.” Cell Reports 2015; 10(2): 266-279. Ellis JM, Wong GW, Wolfgang MJ. “Acyl Coenzyme A Thioesterase 7 regulates neuronal fatty acid metabolism to prevent neurotoxicity.” Mol Cell Biol. 2013; 33(9) 1869-1882.