Laboratory of Victor Hsu, MD

Overview

Intracellular transport shuttles proteins and membranes to different destinations within the cell for their proper function. Coat proteins initiate intracellular transport pathways by bending membrane to form transport carriers and binding cargoes for their sorting into these carriers. We have been elucidating the mechanistic details of these roles through studies on two intracellular pathways, one that operates in a secretory pathway and the other in an endocytic pathway. Our studies have been advancing the fundamental understanding of how intracellular transport is achieved and shedding mechanistic insights into how transport is needed for major physiological events that include nutrient uptake, cell migration and invasion, and signal transduction.

Ferroptosis is a recently appreciated form of cell death that is activated by the iron-induced generation of reactive oxygen species, which oxidizes membrane lipids to compromise cell integrity. Our studies have been contributing to the basic understanding of how the cell protects against this form of cell death. As ferroptosis plays prominent roles in major pathological conditions that include cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and immunological abnormalities, our studies have also been providing insights into disease mechanisms.

Publications

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Open Positions

We are always interested in having highly talented and motivated individuals join us.