Welcome to Sungjin Kim's C. elegans laboratory! 

My long-term research goal is to understand the molecular basis of the physiological dysfunction of cellular machinery during aging. In particular, I am interested in the importance of the parameters of mitochondrial bioenergetics in lifespan extension. The changes in mitochondrial bioenergetics such as the ratio of ATP/ADP, NADH/NAD+, NADPH/NADP+, and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) induce lifespan extension of organisms. However, the downstream pathways are not understood. In order to identify the molecular mechanism of how parameters of mitochondrial bioenergetics regulate aging, I use the genetic system “GEMMs (Genetically encoded tools for manipulation of metabolism) where I incorporate LbNOX (NADH oxidase from lactobacillus brevis), AOX (alternative oxidase from Trichomonas hominis) and UCP1 (uncoupling protein 1 from mouse) to artificially modulate the ratio of NADH/NAD+, CoQH/CoQ, and ΔΨm in C. elegans as a model organism.