EJ Anderson Lab

Area #3:  Elucidating the Metabolic and Anti-Inflammatory mechanisms of Mitochondrial Prohibitin (PHB)

Prohibitin (PHB) is a lipid-raft protein that resides in the inner-membrane of mitochondria, where it serves multiple roles as a chaperone protein, scaffolding protein, and regulator of mitochondrial fission/fusion.  Recently we and others have made the startling observation that it becomes mobilized in the cell in response to metabolic and inflammatory stress.  Preliminary findings from our lab show that PHB translocates to nucleus and extracellular space in cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes in response to cytokine/endotoxin challenge.  We are in full-blown discovery mode now, looking into the role of PHB in regulating mitochondria during heart failure, and long-term will likely expand to include other diseases.  These exciting preliminary findings have led us towards studying the effect of PHB in macrophages and other immune cells.  Future directions will target the mechanisms underlying the paracrine-like effect (ie, ‘mitokine effect) of endogenous PHB.